R.I.P. Cookie

Autumn had Cookie for a couple of years. I had to take her today to be euthanized. She had developed a malignant tumor on the left side of her head behind her ear. The tumor was about the size of quarter and had starting eating the skin and she was starting to loose her hair. The sore was about the size of a nickel. I did some research online and found out that tumors are common in this type of rat, especially in the females. If the tumors are benign, you can have them removed and they are usually fine after that, but if they are malignant, there is nothing that can be done. She was not as active as she once was. She used to run on her wheel at night while Autumn was trying to sleep, but for the last couple of weeks, she didn't have the energy to run. She would stay in her cardboard tube and would only come out to eat. It made me nauseous to have to put her to sleep, but I did not want her to suffer. Autumn was upset, but she didn't cry. She knew it was the best thing to do.