Figure 2: Excised lipoma from an adult male rat (Stat!).
Case history and photos
History
Stat!, a 2 year 4 month old rat, was obese even for his large size.
Clinical Signs
He presented with a soft lump in the lower left quadrant of the abdomen. It was initially around 1/2″ in size, soft and squishy.
Diagnosis
Lipoma
Treatment
The vet performed a biopsy which showed mostly fatty material.
Outcome
Since this didn’t seem to pose him a problem it was decided to wait and observe if there was any change in appearance or size.
Follow-up
Two months after initially seen and biopsied, the lump continued to grow slowly becoming approximately 1 and 3/4″ across. It appeared a little firmer, and seemed to be encapsulated. At this time the growth was surgically removed with a minimal amount of bleeding. Following the removal of the lipoma, during healing at the incision site, a small amount of inflammation occurred around one remaining suture which did not seem to want to dissolve out. Stattles had been bothering the incision site. We had the vet remove it soon after.
Photos
 Photo 1: Shows size of tumor removed. |
 Photo 2: Shows area on abdomen where tumor was removed. |
Case history and photos courtesy of Robyn Arthur at The Dapper Rat
