Help me save our first pet rat please

Question
Hi there, I have 3 month old Rat, we got her when he was 6 weeks, all the
family is very attached, one eving after my 5 year old handled him I notice he
was limong and not using his right hand, it looked jammed and as i there
were no bones in it. the day after when he wasn't any better I took him to the
pet, and his hand after the x-ray is not broken, the vet has given him
antibiotics and he is not sure if he will get better or what is wrong! have you
got any idea? I really don't want to loose him after such a short time, I was
preparing myself for 2 years not 6 weeks, please help. thanks. also if
anything happens, how must I explain to my 5 year old who absolutely loved
and cared for him?

Answer
 Is the foot showing any external signs of injury such as redness, swelling, heat, lacerations, bruising, or open sores?  If the foot itself looks all right but it isn't broken and he is still limping on it I couldn't say exactly what it is.  It could be just a sprain or a pulled muscle or even something neurological.  Hopefully it is just something minor and he should get better on his own.  Just keep up the antibiotics and monitor his weight and condition to make sure he isn't deteriorating.

 As for how to explain it to your 5-year-old I can't really tell you what to say, as it's up to you what you decide to teach your children about death.  I find it best to be honest, explaining that the animal has died rather than 'gone to sleep' or 'gone to a farm' as some parents do, and have the child help bury the animal or even have a small funeral to help the grieving process.  But as I said, that part is up to you.  I've had many rats over the years, though I've only had a handful of them die after I've had kids, and my kids tend to take their deaths pretty well, usually only being sad on the day it happens and not thinking about it much after that.

 Well I hope everything turns out all right for your little guy, good luck!