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Post by adoptaratcanada on Apr 23, 2012 23:14:20 GMT -4
Helloooo everyone! I'm just resurfacing to say "hello" and to thank DF for having kept me on this forum even though I don't think I've been around since my last rat died, which is a couples years now. I welcome the direct emails that I get from time to time! I haven't decided if I will get more ratties...just moved to a MUCH smaller place and I'm just not made of the tough enough stuff that one needs to emotionally survive frequent losses. However, never say never, and I've hung onto my two best cages and a ton 'o gear, so if I do "GMR", I'll be well equipped! I hope you're all well, and that your beloved critters are, too! Nice to see so many familiar names still here! Linda
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Post by adoptaratcanada on Jul 10, 2010 20:09:36 GMT -4
RIP Whizz
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Post by adoptaratcanada on Jul 10, 2010 19:17:55 GMT -4
With much sadness, saying hello.
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Post by adoptaratcanada on Jan 12, 2010 1:17:33 GMT -4
Thanks everyone. I"m doing alright, but every now and again it hits me and I have a bit of a cry. Like today when I found a stray piece of their fleece had got into *my* laundry.
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Post by adoptaratcanada on Jan 6, 2010 20:23:32 GMT -4
Aw, thanks, Dezzi, you're really sweet! I probably will leave the cage for a bit, because as you say it's the hardest part. I appreciate the offer and will let you know when I'm up to tackling that.
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Post by adoptaratcanada on Jan 6, 2010 17:50:21 GMT -4
*** FINAL UPDATE, I'M AFRAID *** No sooner did I send of my previous post about Thor staying at the vet for the morning, then I got a call to let me know he passed away while there. I just got back from collecting his body. Those poor 3 brothers, they all had ongoing health issues from the time I got them, only last spring. I can't believe they are all gone now.
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Post by adoptaratcanada on Jan 6, 2010 16:45:13 GMT -4
*** THOR UPDATE ***
I thought while I"m waiting to hear back from rat forums, I'll get dressed and warm up the truck, just in case. After basically not moving in the morning I found him upright (he had been sleeping curled up on his side). He was still very out of it. I put him in another nest and put that in the carrier and off we went. The vet said Thor is very dehydrated. Neither he nor any of his littermates were big on drinking. I made sure to give him fruits/veg for water content and also gave baby food with water added a couple times a day, to help. I left him with the vet who was going to X-ray him, as the vet had concerns over sounds in the heart. This since last week! He's also lost weight. They are also giving him fluids. It's all been so sudden. He was doing great up to yesterday (except for the extreme lethargy in the night) and his appetite has been good. That has me worried, how much he's been eating, yet still managed to lose weight. Now I'm just awaiting a call from the vet. Will keep you posted!
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Post by adoptaratcanada on Jan 6, 2010 12:29:33 GMT -4
I went to check on him. He's not responsive ! He's breathing quickly and and his back legs seems to be trembling. He was/is curled up in his nest. And at least *looks* comfortable. I know some people have the philosophy that if they are going downhill, let them die peacefully at home. I've always gone to the vet to have pets put down when things are that grim. However, this looks like one of those cases where I feel I should let him be. However, since I can't ACTUALLY know how he feels, I don't want for him to go on like this all day. PLEASE ADVISE! Thanks!!
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Post by adoptaratcanada on Jan 6, 2010 5:14:49 GMT -4
Thor is "off" tonight, very sleepy and getting into his nest he seemed to really have to work at it. I'm hoping he's just sleepy. I'm not usually up this late, and gave him a late-night dinner. He didn't seem to quite jump all over it as he usually does, but he ate it all. Earlier he had a yoggie and his metacam. I'm sure these symptoms are far too general to indicate anything specific that I'm hoping someone could address... I just needed to express my anxiety. He was doing very well the last few days...he was at the vet a week ago for hind-end weakness, and and the metacam was kicking in -- although he's always been active, he'd really improved. Once again, my stomach is in a knot...
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Post by adoptaratcanada on Jan 6, 2010 5:13:41 GMT -4
THanks for that info, DF, I should have come back to say it was gone the next day.
However, I worry he's not well tonight, more in another thread.
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Post by adoptaratcanada on Dec 30, 2009 0:54:28 GMT -4
I gave him some baby food this morning, which was diluted a bit with water. He dove into it (literally) when I was putting it in the cage, then I noticed him making some noises, although he wasn't bothered. At first I thought it was my imagination or maybe even "growling" (which I was actually going to post about at first).
All this afternoon I didn't notice anything, but now I'm noticing it again. It seems to me to be a congested sound (?)
I don't think it's a respiratory condition (aside from snorted food) because he was at the vet yesterday for an unrelated thing and his chest was excellent.
If he snorted some, what can be done for that? Anyone had experience with rats or other rodents doing that?
The vet will be sick of me...I might as well live there. It was nice to have a few uneventful weeks, then here I am again, following another visit on the heels of the other. My stomach is in a perpetual knot.
Oh, well, whatever has to be done...
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Post by adoptaratcanada on Dec 30, 2009 0:52:25 GMT -4
I recommend people start campaigning YouTube regarding animal death videos. Because I subscribe to rat items, they send me a "recommended for you" vid of a ferret killing a rat (thrown into the same cage -- not in the wild). I disabled that recommended nonsense, and contacted YT. Obviously they are slackers, or they don't really care, if they aren't catching all this crap.
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Post by adoptaratcanada on Dec 13, 2009 21:20:34 GMT -4
I did. I was in bed and heard that on the radio and had to get up to check it out online...and check what cereal I had.
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Post by adoptaratcanada on Dec 13, 2009 18:37:21 GMT -4
Thanks everyone. I should add here...that although his organs were full of "masses", at the time of his passing, when he went downhill a few days prior I checked for and found a penis plug. He seemed better the next day (also had a shot of cortisone from the vet, maybe *that* accounted for his rebound), then downhill again teh following day and found another penis plug!! I had no idea they form that quickly. In asking around, I've heard that they can form daily. Who knew They are more a problem in rat who can't (or don't) clean themselves properly.
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Post by adoptaratcanada on Dec 12, 2009 10:56:08 GMT -4
Now that I'm awake again, I just wanted to clarify, it's the baby *cereal*, "Mixed Cereals". Check for details on the link, which I've shortened, in case anyone was having trouble viewing the other one: tinyurl.com/ybbn5krI panicked when I first heard about it on the radio, as I was dozing off. My rats occasionally get the "Rice" variety (I stopped giving "Mixed Cereal" when I developed a gluten sensitivity, so avoid handling it as much as possible). My little Earl Grey who recently passed had organs full of tumours. We all know tumours are too common in rats anyway but thinking that maybe I'd been feeding something that contributed got my stomach in a knot.
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