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Anonymous
First of all, my condolences to OP; I'm so sorry to hear about your situation. I lost my ex-lab albino buddy of 3 1/2 years to a couple of tumors, one of which was mammary, and I still miss him terribly. I hope her last days are peaceful and she goes painlessly.
>>230046 It sounded to me like that this poster meant by 'fixed' was the surgery to remove the tumor, not spaying. While it's easy to be derisive of someone who won't or can't save up for the necessary surgery, which can run up to or over $1000, the reality is that it isn't usually the right solution. Unless the tumor is a.) completely operable and b.) localized, surgery won't do a lot of good, because the cancer will likely just recur. I was considering saving for an operation for my rat, but decided against it after a checkup revealed that the cancer was in his spine (had probably originated there, in fact) and the tumors there couldn't be removed. Add to this that rats, like any other small animals, are pretty delicate and can often die anyway of infections or shock incurred by the surgery, and it's sad to say that the surgery has too little a chance of complete success to be worth it for a person with an average income.
Another option is to contact the psychology department of a local college or university that has a rat lab, and after politely explaining your situation ask if they would accept your bringing in your rat to be euthanized with their subjects (sad as it is, US law now requires lab animals used in college courses to be put to sleep after their lab terms are over, and with the end of most college semesters drawing near it's about the right time). Not guaranteed, but worth a try.
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