old rat dying of old age, what should i do?

Question
QUESTION: My two and a half year old rat is dying of old age, and it's heartbreaking to watch. It started on thursday night, when she started walking very hunched and slowly. On Friday it got worse. She was at the point where she could still crawl around but not very well. Now it is saturday morning and she's still hanging on. I'm doing everything i can to make her comfortable. I haven't put her down since friday afternoon and made a special bed next to mine for her to sleep in last night. She is breathing very heavily and slowly, and goes through phases where she weezes loudly (she has always had myco because she was a feeder rat). I am constantly wiping the porphyrin from her eyes and i had to give her a bath this morning because she soiled all over her fur last night. She also hasn't eaten or drank since thursday. She won't take water. She tries to eat food but she just can't get it down. She chews on it and bites but can't swallow it. Its just heartbreaking and mentally exhausting and i don't know what to do. How long will it take for her to dehydrate? Should i take her to get put down?

ANSWER: Death does not occur because of age, and dying is not because of aging.

My boy Bo just turned 4 years old and his brother lived to be 3.5 years old.
Your rat isnt dying of old age.  
Your rat is sick. She probably has pneumonia if she is wheezing. The constant myco infection no doubt scarred her lungs and she is probably suffering from severe respiratory disease.  

You need to hydrate her by buying her baby food and letting her lick it from your fingers since she is too weak to chew. She needs to see a vet, not to be put to sleep but to be put in oxygen and given the proper medications to help her.  If she is strong enough to pull through this, that would be wonderful, but since she has been sick for a few days, I hope she has the strength to make it to the vets. Do you have a good exotic vet and an ER clinic nearby you can take her to?
Also, just so you know, even though she was intended to be a feeder rat, all rats carry the mycoplasmosis organism. Even wild rodents carry it. They are born with it, contracting it from their mother when they are born. Lab rats that are myco free are born via cesarean section so they avoid being subjected to the bacteria found in the uterus. The problem with myco is that if its not treated properly when the rat shows the first signs of it, it comes back again and again, causing more damage to the lungs with each relapse.  Usually after the first attack the rat should be kept on medication for at least 30 days. If it comes back the second time, they should be put on a daily dose of baytril for the rest of their life. If you need a vet please let me know your location and I will find one right away for you.


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QUESTION: we do have a vet, but when we brought rats in in the past they gave them a shot of something in the back and they both died that night. I don't feel like the vets really help. I'm also not sure if my parents will be willing to take her. I'm only sixteen, so it's not all up to me. I did manage to get some water down her by using a syringe but a lot of it dribbled out. I don't have baby formula on hand, so what else can i use to try to feed her?

Answer
Baby food, not forumula.

If you dont have that on hand, you can mash up some canned fruits or mashed up canned carrots and peas. Ice cream, yogurt, mashed up watermelon,anything at this point to get something in her.

Explain to your family that your rat is seriously ill and needs medical attention.  If you do not have faith in your vet, you really need a new one.  I can find one for you that will help your rat, not cause it to get worse or die.