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Pocky’s legs work now :)

Ξ June 14th, 2008 | → 3 Comments | ∇ General Vermin |

Pocket’s gone

Ξ June 14th, 2008 | → 5 Comments | ∇ Pocket |

It was definitely the right time for him to go. My heart’s broken. Poor little Pocket.

Ξ June 12th, 2008 | → 3 Comments | ∇ Gumby, Piglet, Pocket |

Well, this morning I made the decision that I didn’t want to make and desperately hoped I wouldn’t have to. On Saturday, unless something changes drastically, we’re going to have Pocket pts. This last week’s been a very hard one and he gone downhill very quickly. He’s having a lot of mobility problems and falls over alot now. He seems very weak and depressed - the only time he’s happy now is cuddle time, and even then you know he’s starting to suffer. I’m beginning to question whether he’s in any pain - certainly his breathing’s not getting better. And now, because he has problems with his back, he can’t eat or drink very well unassisted. As well as spine problems, it looks like maybe a pt - he can’t grip. Not only can he not hold the food, he can’t lift himself enough to eat it. I know he’s hungry because we caught him eating substrate and he wolfed down the avocado and curly kale we gave him last night as he can eat that just moving his mouth. But it’s not enough.
Obviously if the problem was just that he was struggling to hold his food but wasn’t in pain then I would move heaven and high water to get him to eat - as I am already doing. He can only really eat soft food that he doesn’t need to hold. But as I can see now he’s in his final days I don’t want to drag this out for him. Of course I will continue to feed him and care for him as I have been - I’m not saying I’m just going to leave him to it! But I feel that to make him spend the next few weeks hungry unless I’m there to hold his food is prolonging agony. Because obviously I have made adjustments to his cage - one level, nothing he can fall from, no substrate, no clutter, water bowls and low level bowls with soft food, and it’s not helping. He will only drink if I hold his water bottle to him while he is lying down, so is he not drinking while I’m at work? Also, with the exception of avacado, he will only eat if someone holds the food or holds the spoon with the food on it. He tries to do it himself but even with food he doesn’t need his paws for he really struggles. He’ll maybe take a mouthful or two, then it takes him 5 minutes to recover from the effort. Sometimes the food will just dribble back out from his mouth again.
But this is such a hard decision. I know I’m going to torture myself with ‘maybe if I’d tried harder to get him to eat’ even though I know I’ve done so much. I always felt guilty that when Hobbes had a PT I put him down too soon, and Pocket is very much like Hobbes in so many ways. I am struggling with my decision. I want to keep him.

Thankfully Gumby is pretty cured now, and Piggy is making vast improvements.  Let’s hope he, at least, recovers.

Back at the vets

Ξ June 6th, 2008 | → 3 Comments | ∇ Gumby, Piglet, Pocket |

Well, back at the vets again last night, taking Pocket, Piglet and Gumby (who has the early stages of myco).  It was a new vet who I haven’t seen before but she was very lovely and very experienced and good with rats.  She was telling me about some of the rat articles she had been reading lately, and how they now no longer think 2 drops of metacam is suitable for treating rats - they now think 30 drops a day is the way to go.  However, to err on the side of caution, she told me to give Pocket 5 drops a day. 

Pocket has lost more weight, going down to 590g, but she is utterly convinced that he isn’t in pain or suffering.  He was very laid back at the vets actually - he’s been so many times now and nothing scary has happened to him so he’s a bit of a pro at it now.  He was very relaxed, even when the vet was moving his head around to see how his neck was doing, and holding him so that he had to stand on his back legs.  To be honest, it looked very much like he was enjoying it.  Mr Cool.

Other than his weight loss, there is no evidence that Pocky has a tumour.  Indeed, the vet thinks it might be neurological.  We’ve noticed that when he lies down he’s half on his side on the back end, with one leg resting on his haunch.  Every now and then he kicks it out and it seems quite involuntary - like some sort of nerve wiring in his brain is firing out random signals.  That, at least, is what we suspect.

Gumby didn’t enjoy the experience quite so much.  He tried to jump off the table a few times but otherwise was ok.  Managed to smear himself in poop though

Sadly things are not looking good for Mr Pig. His myco is advancing rapidly and is in his lungs badly.  So far he has not responded much to medication.  He is still himself - not losing weight (gaining, in fact), still has an appetite, still friendly, affectionate, playful and happy, but much more tired than he ever has been before.  He is resting a lot. Having such scarred lungs makes it hard to breathe.  It’s very sad to see.  We will be treating him for 2 weeks and see if it makes any improvement at all.  We’ll also be giving him metacam as well as baytril, to reduce any inflamation to his lungs and airways.  In two weeks we may have to make a decision.  It’s hard when they’re still active but in pain you can’t help them with :(  I think even if he did respond to the baytril we may still only look at his lifespan in terms of weeks, not months.  Sadly, the treatment he had been getting so far simply has had no effect.  This morning he was just lying in the back of the cage, hardly able to move, so weak and tired it reminded me of Baldrick.  He wasn’t in a good way at all.

Dr Squiggles vitamin supplement for rats

Ξ June 3rd, 2008 | → 1 Comments | ∇ Gumby, Piglet, Rats |

We tried Dr Squiggles for the first time last night and it was instantly nicknamed ‘Rattie Crack’ - they drank for England! Gumby couldn’t leave it alone and was prowling around the water bottle impatient for his next fix everytime someone else wanted to use it! He was slapping everyone away if he felt he’d had to wait too long. I swear that if someone just brushes past him now he’s going to wet himself!

The little addict:

He was making us laugh so much yesterday.  He’s gone through puberty now and he hasn’t changed in the slightest.  He’s still incredibly playful and friendly.  Well yesterday he was playing in the hall with Piggy and I was feeding them cooked, unsauced spaghetti strings.  Obviously, spaghetti is long.  Well, Gumby doesn’t like to drag his food so he was bouncing up the hallway like a rubber ball - then dumping it under the letter box.  Part of me thinks he was stashing, the other part of me thinks he wanted me to think that the postman was delivering pasta.  He is just such a happy, friendly, silly little boy.  He is definitely one of the super rats.  I’ll try and film him doing this.

Pocky isn’t doing so bad at the moment.  He’s definitely weaker in his body and is struggling a little more to get around.  But still brighter and more alert than he was.  Piggy sadly isn’t doing so well.  He is really struggling with his myco and is getting quite thin and weak. I don’t think it’s time for him yet, but I don’t think it’s too far off in the future.  Poor Mr Pig.  Thanks everyone for your kind words and support *hugs*

Sigh.

Ξ May 26th, 2008 | → 3 Comments | ∇ General Vermin |

Thanks everyone for all of your kind words - they really mean a lot to us.  Pocket’s health is still a worry - he’ll never be in full health again and that makes me so sad.  Shouldn’t have favourites, really shouldn’t - but I do adore my grumpy old man.

He’s doing ok.  There seems to be more muscle tone on his back legs and spine, he’s eating ok and walking around more. His coat looks lovely and shiney and he seems sparklier in himself.  He tries to reassure me that he’s ok, and I try to believe him.  I still don’t think he’s in pain.

McClane’s foot is now copletely better and he’s back to his bullying, grumpy ways.  He thinks you’re all evil for laughing at his pics

Piggy seems to be on a decline now though.  He’s a tired old man now - still cheeky, still loving, still happy - but he’s slowing down, sleeping more and is having trouble shaking off his myco.  A world without Mr Pig is unthinkable, so let’s not think it yet.  But he needs lots of tlc.

I’ve also decided to take a break from lolrats for a while - hopefully just a month, but we’ll see how it goes.  I’m just very very tired right now

Love to you all x

Pocky at the vet again - possibly a tumour

Ξ May 10th, 2008 | → 7 Comments | ∇ McClane, Pocket |

Well, just as the title says. Pocket has been back to the vets. I do think he has perked up since starting on the metacam - although he still has the odd bad day like Thursday, when he rolled down my body so fast I thought he had dropped dead (was on the bed at the time so he wasn’t hurt - he’d just fallen asleep) he has started moving around more and seems brighter and more alert than normally - just happier. He’s getting on with McClane now and he seems happy, but the legs and hip problems aren’t any better and if anything you can feel the base of his spine so clearly you just know that if he had the slightest cut there you’d see his spine.
We, vet included, still don’t think he’s in pain but we want to keep it that way. Sometimes it feels as though he can’t remember he has back feet. Other times he walks well enough. But the vet thinks there’s a very good chance he has a spinal tumour. Between his first appointment and his second (apprx 6 weeks) he went from 700g to 670g. Between then (3 weeks ago ish)  and today he’s gone down to 620g. He’s been on a diet but not that much of a diet! So. Keeping it from Si but my heart has actually broken. Pocky isn’t in pain and, like I said, is currently doing better than he has for a long time. He’s chirpy. Currently he’s actually sitting on the base of his spine (don’t ask - he’s like Spunky from Rocko’s Modern Life) nomming on an egg biscuit, occasionally falling over but not being bothered by this. It just feels like the writing is on the wall for him now and it’s the beginning of the end for my baby.

The original diagnosis, as I don’t think I wrote it up at the time, was a ‘not sure’.  He was put on metacam and really we were going to wait and see.   He has no muscle tone at all on his back legs and the third part of his spine, by the base.  It is literally a thin layer of skin and then sharp bone.  Likewise with his hips.  I’m lucky, my vets are fantastic - so wonderful I want them to come live with me, all three at the practice.  As vets and as caring people, couldn’t ask for better.  And the prices - treatment and meds came to £20 today ($40 ish) and that was for  Pocket AND McClane and baytril for 2 rats.  But the approvement in his happiness is great.  He lack of improvement in his legs and hims and the potential it’s a tumour in terrible.  And the loss of weight points to something sinister.

As I’ve just mentioned, McClane was also at the vet.  Last night he had some sort of accident (we think) as his back foot has really swollen up and he can’t put any pressure on it.  He is clearly in pain, my poor little boy, and has had many mummy cuddles which usually he detests (likewise he doesn’t do kisses) but when you’re poorly everyone needs their mummy :(  He has really been snuggling into me.  So he’s on the metacam too and has been sleeping flat on his back (which he NEVER does) as it’s the only way he can be comfy.  And only an evil mummy would take pics of this, right?

Trying to chew off his poorly paw

For Theo

Ξ May 8th, 2008 | → 2 Comments | ∇ Mumble |

Oh yeah, I do have other rats!

Ξ May 8th, 2008 | → 2 Comments | ∇ Gumby, McClane, Mumble, Piglet, Pocket |

I mustn’t get too fixated with just writing about Pocket all of the time!  OK, so he is my very special boy but I have five other rats who are every bit as special and I would hate for them to think I didn’t love them all equally.  So today I will talk to you about Mumble aka Mumble-bum.

Mumble, since his op, has turned into a different rat altogether.  It did everything you’d want a neuter to do - it’s calmed him down, made him much more affectionate and laid back and turned him into a cuddle-monster in training.  Nowadays Mumble is the rat that everyone thinks is their best friend - Gumby and McClane in particular adore him (seperately) and I have seen young master Gumby cuddled up to big ole squishy Mumble in the hammock on many an occasion (prompting the oft-used catchphrase “Gumby loves his Mumble”.)  Whilst Gumby clearly looks up to Mumble, McClane sees in him an equal and a best buddy - they are on very sure footing, and Mumble is one of the few rats McClane doesn’t boss around.

Pocket and Mumble are now very close too, and snuggle up a fair bit.  Perhaps because they’ve known each other for so long.  Often when McClane is bullying Pocky during free range time I’ll call Mumble over and say “Go and protect your buddy,” and instantly Mumble will go trotting over to him and put himself between the two.  If Pocky is waiting by the door (because he doesn’t like playtime) then often Mumble will go and keep him company, and you see him protecting old Mr Piglet from any of the more bolshy youngsters.

Mumble is getting very affectionate too - he likes cuddle time but he never seems to get used to it.  He boggles and bruxes but it takes a while for him to relax.  You know he enjoys it though.  During playtime he will often jump onto our laps and nothing, NOTHING makes him happier than when we sit by the cage and talk to him.  He adores that.

Mumble can also be very playful and tolerant.  Gumby is at the ‘proving himself’ stage and often flips Mumble onto his side (Mumble is hoooge) and Mumble will let him.  He’s quite the softy these days.

We’re glad we have Mumble.  Mumble, though, is very much a daddy’s boy and adores Si far more than me.  But I think he doesn’t mind me

Pocket Update

Ξ April 27th, 2008 | → 3 Comments | ∇ Pocket |

Well, an update.  Pocket did go back to the vets and we’re pleased to find out he’s lost 30g but the diet simply must continue because he is having problems with his back legs - it isn’t just laziness I’m afraid.  It isn’t hind leg degeneration but hip degeneration, certainly aggravated by his weight.  Basically, his back legs splay because his hips are displaced and he has no muscle tone around them or the base of his spine.  So, pretty serious.  He’s been on metacam for a week and we are seeing improvements - he seems to be a little more mobile.  But I know from past experience how hard it is to get a rat to lose weight

On the good news front, I entered a rat photo-competition judged by Anthony Head (of Little Britain and Buffy fame) and came first in the sunniest smiles category and third in the lolrats category.  Awesomeness.  I will be posting the prize winning lolrat pic on…er… lolrats now, but here, for your enjoyment, is the sunniest smile amongst rats…and yes, it’s my own dear Pocket!!!