To Troy Lynn:
 
>A friend who has rats (and ferrets) is having a problem with a fatty deposit in
>her rats mammory gland.  She requested that I post this problem on the FML in
>case anyone here can help.  Her rat is about
>2 years old, eats rat feed, carrots, strawberries and nuts.  Does anyone know
>if there is a natural way to dissolve the excess fat? Unfortunately, little is
>known in our area about rodents even with
>vet med.
 
        Neoplasia of the mammary gland is a very common finding in older rats.
The vast majority are benign tumors, but thy can attain a great size.  The best
measure to be taken here would be to have the mass removed and evaluated for
malignancy.
 
       Bruce Williams, DVM                 Department of Veterinary Pathology
       [log in to unmask]         Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
       (202) 576-2453/2454                 Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
 
[Posted in FML issue 0862]