Question
Ebony
My rat Ebony is 2 years and 8 months old (approximately). I adopted Ebony and her sister Ivory from a rescue right before I started nursing school over two and a half years ago. Since that time Ebony and I have lost two cage mates/best friends. She helped me study through nursing school. She's made me laugh when all I wanted to do is cry. I credit her for helping me through some of my loneliest days. Ebony is my best friend.
That being said... our time together is coming to an end. December 2010 (the week of my wedding). I found a mammary tumor on Ebony. I took her to a fabulous vet in Winston. Cytology showed it was cancer, but slow growing. We had it taken off (my mom's wedding gift, thanks mom!). Since that time multiple tumors have developed. All of them have been slow growing, but a new one developed a month ago that has out grown them all. I took Ebony to the vet and we discussed our plan. I am not willing to put Ebony through surgery again.
The new tumor is near her anal area. She now struggles to maneuver her left leg around the tumor. She is still eating, drinking, and loving. Lately, she has stopped using her litter pan. She uses the bathroom beside her little house. Occasionally, she will venture out of her cage, but it is less and less often.
I am faced with a decision I never wanted to make: I have to decide when to say goodbye. With the others it the time was obvious. I had exhausted all treatments with them, and I knew it was time. With Ebony I don't know, because all of her organs are healthy aside from her tumors. I am forced to judge her quality of life.
I am searching for advice on when to say goodbye. Thank you in advance!
AnswerI live in Charlotte NC. There are some awesome vets in our state, esp up in the Raleigh area.
My daughter has her BSN from UNCC, so we have a few things in common, including our love of rats.
That said, I dont blame you for not wanting to put her through another surgery again just to have them return over and over again. This is one downfall of owning female rats (I keep only males now) and trust me they are still not exempt from them, but not half as prone to them, either. It does shock me that she had cancer, which is not really common in rats that often, and mammary tumors are almost always benign. Its good you did the biopsy though, its good to have that documented so we know the stats on the cancers that are pet rats are getting.
When to let her go is a hard question but she will tell you. NO need for a vet to tell you, or for you to ask other people. You will know because she will let you know. It may seem hard to understand but it will come, you will see. That spark that rats have in their eyes, that spark only the true rat lover can see, will start to fade. She wont want to eat, drink or seem to have any other interest in anything but trying to get comfortable. She may become needy and anxious and not know what she wants, very restless. THis is usually the last sign before they start to pass which I know you dont want to see or let her go to that point but no way would I put a rat to sleep that still is trying to live, trying to act like herself, eating and drinking and loving, she is NOT ready to go. Her life is short enough as it is, so unless she is no longer thriving, you do not have to worry about making the decision to say goodbye. It may be in a few days, a few weeks or even a fast decline over night but I have faith that you and your little girl will be able to communicate in that special way and she will tell you.
A dying rat doesnt groom themselves, have interest in food or water or care much about life in general. She may want you to hold her all the time and get very anxious if you put her back in her cage, another sign she is in pain. And trust me, they say rats hide pain but I lost my beloved Ben in March after he went though a screaming and screeching fit, clawing on me and even taking my flesh on my face between his teeth all the while I was yelling for someone to get my rat and me in an exam room at the vets and let me sedate him. Once sedated we did an xray that showed a huge mass in his colon. We put him deep under anesthesia, I kissed him goodbye and we leg him go. Necropsy showed the culprit, which explained the blood I found all over two days before: Colon cancer, had NO Idea ...it just hit us out of the blue over the weekend. Saturday, blood all over the cage, yet he was acting fine, eating drinking and all.....Vet and I agreed that even if it was a mass internally, it wasnt like we were going to remove it! So since he was acting fine, leave him be. We did. Two days later, all hell broke loose and do I regret not putting him down once I saw that blood? No, because I would have never known if he would have had more time with me feeling ok....I do feel horrible he had to have that pain and even express the fact he was in pain for those few minutes that seemed like hours, but I would have felt guilty the rest of my life putting him down if he still wanted to try to live. Hope that makes sense.
Parents wont take rat to vet?
Questionclose up
tail
QUESTION: I message
Surgery
QuestionQUESTION: Sandra,
Thank you for all the advice
New Rat Sick?
QuestionWe just got two female rats 12 days ago from Pe
mouse
QuestionQUESTION: Hi Sandra,
I saw some of your questio
amoxicillin dose for my rats
Question
my baby rats year old females
Hi,
