Figure 6: Retrobulbar tumor right eye in male rat (Voldemort).
Case history and photos

History

Voldemort was a 27-month-old, neutered male. He was housed with 1 spayed female, 1 intact female, and 4 neutered males. He had no previous health problems.

Clinical Signs

At 27 months of age, it was noticed that Voldemort’s right eye was starting to noticeably bulge from its socket. He otherwise behaved normally and showed no other signs of illness. He was immediately taken to the vet on August 7th of 2007.

Diagnosis

Suspicious for retrobulbar tumor right eye.

Treatment

Due to the age of the rat, surgery was not recommended. TriOptic-P Ophthalmic Ointment was prescribed and applied to the eye 4-6 times a day in order to keep the eye moist. Over the next 15 days the eye continued to bulge further out of the socket soon preventing Voldemort the ability to close that eye. The eye became so dry at that point that the ointment was no longer helping.

Follow-up

On August 22nd of 2007 the decision was made to have the eye and tumor removed for the sake of the rat’s comfort. No histology was done on the tumor.

Outcome

At first Voldemort thrived after surgery, but on Sept. 8th of 2007 he started showing signs of lethargy and was taken back to the vet and had subcutaneous fluids injected. Voldemort continued to go downhill becoming more and more lethargic, and suffered from loss of appetite. Soft foods were hand fed to him in an effort to keep him eating. On October 3rd of 2007 the decision was made to euthanize Voldemort. The vet suspected the tumor of being cancerous and that it had spread to other parts of his body. No necropsy was done.

Photos

Case history and photo courtesy of Cindy, www.rattyrat.com