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Post by adoptaratcanada on Aug 25, 2009 11:05:15 GMT -4
Ugh, pets have shattered my nerves and broken my heart all year!  Just now Thor seemed to be choking so I ran to the computer to verify the info on rattie fling and Heimlich maneuvre!! One thing I knew is that the rat has to be unconscious, and no way was I going to sit there and watch anyway, waiting for that to happen! [PS: CORRECTION: the rat does not have to be unconscious, the rat should be NOT breathing AND/OR unconscious]Found the info, did a couple quick "practice runs" with an imaginary rattie, ran back to the cage, and there he is, perky as ever! Thank goodness!! Finally my heart has stopped racing and I've mostly stopped shaking, but my nerves are shot. So much excitement, and it's only 630am. Thank heavens he's ok!! Then... I went to check on Thor after writing up about him choking. I see blood on Earl Grey!! OMG, I such a wreck this morning. He's a rat who REALLY doesn't like to be picked up or held, so it's really hard to do decent examinations of him. While I had him at the vet for his hind-end weakness last week, I felt a lump on him! Vet thinks it's not a tumour since he can get his fingers around it and it moves, and we're just going to keep an eye on it. The blood was over the lump site, and now the shape of the lump has changed: itstarted as very round, now feels a bit more flattened. Off we go to the vet again! |
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Aug 25, 2009 14:01:41 GMT -4
You are not alone. I have been very busy and worn lately - see my thread in the Miscellany forum. But I have also had some deaths, and disasters, that I feel bad about. I am doing what I can, as are you. That is all you can do, and after that what will be will be. Best to you and Earl Grey.
I have never seen a rat "choking". Glad Thor is fine.
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Post by pinky on Aug 25, 2009 19:48:14 GMT -4
We know how you love your ratties, Linda, so every one of their "boo-boos" hurts you too. . . . glad Thor recovered, and hope that His Earlness will be ok as well. But--"rattie fling"??  |
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Aug 25, 2009 20:36:11 GMT -4
If you can, grab what's causing the problem, but if you can't grab it or if you can't see anything then you have to "fling" the rat.
You hold the rat in both hands, firmly, in a normal position (paws towards
the ground), with the head slightly lower than the rest of its body and head
away from your body (ie you get to view the backside) and lift your hands up
above your head and slightly to one side and then as quick and hard as you can,
bring your arms down in a diagonal so that they are near your opposite hip. The
jerking movement dislodges whatever is stuck and because the rat's head is
lower than it's body, it brings it into the mouth (not further down the
windpipe) where the rat can spit it out.
Check your rat's mouth after each time. If after doing this two or three
times nothing is happening, you will need to get your rat to a vet where they
will have the special instruments necessary to remove the blockage.
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Post by adoptaratcanada on Aug 26, 2009 2:53:18 GMT -4
Well, it wasn't just blood, when the vet had a good look at it he said there's a wound right into the tissue! Not sure who inflicted that, EG himself, or Thor, perhaps in grooming. When Hugh and Locutus were around, Hugh had a lump on his back and his pal was determined to get it off him! For the moment he's on a lanacane topical liquid to stop any pain (and hopefully that will help him lose interest in it) and also an antibiotic ointment. As soon as he's on his way to healing, I'll be looking at having the lump removed. As he's starting to experience hind-end weakness, I want to get that off and healed *before* he gets to that stage that he might be causing it friction. |
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Aug 26, 2009 12:55:34 GMT -4
>> Hugh had a lump on his back and his pal was determined to get it off him! <<
A born surgeon!
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Post by Hamsters82 on Aug 26, 2009 15:40:49 GMT -4
Whoa, that is one hectic morning! Good thing Thor is okay. Aw, poor Earl. How is he doing with his meds so far? Does he allow you to give it to him?
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Post by adoptaratcanada on Aug 26, 2009 17:15:12 GMT -4
Whoa, that is one hectic morning! Good thing Thor is okay. Aw, poor Earl. How is he doing with his meds so far? Does he allow you to give it to him? Well, you know how it is, the vet does it and makes it look so easy! He's not a rat that like to be held, so it's been a struggle! Eventually I do get it on him, though. It's tricky, with the wound being in his underarm! |
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Post by adoptaratcanada on Sept 16, 2009 0:09:51 GMT -4
Update: still giving the treatments. It's hard to gauge how the healing is coming. The vet described how a deep tissue wound like this will heal, so I'm hoping we're on track. It's not gross or infected, but still "fleshy" looking. EG keeps trying to play with it, unfortunately more so with the treatments applied. I took him off for a few days and I felt maybe it was a tad more inflamed looking so I put him back on. It's impossible to feel the lump underneath now, because of the shape of the wound and the scar tissue. The vet wanted to wait for it to heal alot before considering surgery for the lump.
It's just a holding pattern for now.
Unfortunately because it could have been Thor trying to remove the original lump from EG, they are in separate cages now. Definitely he would go after it now during a grooming. I put them together during feeding (so they are distracted from each other) and when I can keep an eagle-eye on them.
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