thejunipertree (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thejunipertree) wrote2005-02-23 12:56 am
thejunipertree) wrote2005-02-23 12:56 am
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Aardie is still at the vet's office. His oxygen levels are up around 87, from the high sixties previously, and he's been eating a bit (ate all his food last night, they're giving him banana baby-food, he'll be so spoiled). They have him on Baytril and tetra-somethingorother. Both are antibiotics.
The vet was a bit more encouraged today, as opposed to the general opinion yesterday. Aardie's still doing a bit of mouth-breathing, but is also sometimes breathing through his nose and not sounding so ragged. Tomorrow, I have to call in the afternoon and see what's going on and talk to the doctor about what we're going to do.
I'm spending an extraordinarily stupid amount of money on this creature, but I simply can not have another loved presence in my life die on me. Eight in three months is too much, this one being the first animal. One more is going to send me shrieking over the edge. There are those of you who may think me foolish for going to such lengths over an animal, and a rather tiny animal at that with an already incredibly short lifespan, but you can blow it out your ass. This is my baby we're talking about here. Aardie is the first rat I got so many years after my much beloved Nicodemus died. And I swore to never get another rat after her, their lifespans are just too short and it's too hard to deal with. I broke that promise, he is my responsibility and I will go to quite ridiculous lengths to ensure he (and all my other creatures) are ok.
If it comes down to it, if the situation is just completely hopeless and he's in pain, then I will obviously make the correct decision and have him euthanized (I've already spoken to the doctor about this and given him my list of demands for such an occasion), but that will be my last recourse. I've put great thought into it already; how could I not, with it staring me right in the face? I could put all of this time, money and energy into getting him close to well again, only to have him die in a handful of months. Rats, especially ones of the hairless variety, have delicate respiratory systems and are extremely susceptible to these kinds of illnesses. Getting Aardie completely healthy again is most likely a futile effort. But, I have to try.
It's all I can do.
The other five rodents are getting antibiotics twice a day and will be doing so for a few more days, I think less than a week more. Unfortunately, the medication tastes disgusting (yes, I tried it) and I've had to go to great lengths to disguise its flavour so they'll eat it. This morning found me injecting it into a honey-toasted wheat germ, brown sugar and peanut butter mixture, then rolling that into a ball. They seem to like it so far, wee Simon even stole three of the balls out of my hand when I was in the middle of dosing everyone. He ran away from me, stuffing them into his mouth, and squeaked indignantly when I attempted to retrieve them from him.
I didn't get the doses back, he appeared to have simply inhaled them (though I did find one of them on the floor later this evening, smooshed flat into the carpet), so now I'm wondering if his dose for tomorrow morning should be skipped.
The Engineer's three rats are also being carefully watched. Although they didn't have any direct contact with me or Aardie, I did have Aardie upstairs in the Engineer's apartment on Friday night when I was unable to get him to the vet. I didn't pet any of them, or even go near their cage, but the Engineer did pet Aardie when he was with me on the couch and then went to the boys' cage.
I had read online that giving rats a drop of tincture of echinacea on a tiny piece of bread (three days on, three days off) helps their immunse systems fight off any lurking nasties, so that's the course we've been taking with them. Well, that along with breaking down their cage and thoroughly cleaning everything in it, not to mention washing the couch blanket.
Last night, I broke down my own two cages and cleaned everything, much to the disgust of the inhabitants. They had a complete cage and accoutrements cleaning not that long ago and were therefore extremely unhappy that I was once again getting rid of the stink that they had been so diligently working on getting back.
The three boys from the cage Aardie lives in are reacting in their own ways to his not being here. Major Tom is finding solace in food, something which I'm not sure is from being unhappy that his father isn't around or just being even more greedy than usual. He had his face in the food dish this evening, with his snout completely buried, pushing everything around. Senor Diablo appears to be a bit bummed out and mostly stays in the little wooden house in the bottom of the cage. Simon, however, has taken this oppurtunity to throw his small weight around. Aardie is the usual alpha of the boys' colony, now Simon is appearing to be attempting a coup. He tackles the other two, power-grooms them, picks fights and steals food for his growing stash behind the wooden house. It's amusing to watch him trying to fight the other two, because they're probably twice his size (three times his size, in Tom's case). I've had to play alpha-rat with him on more then one occasion so far, something he resents me for, but readily submits to. The girls, living in their own cage, are the same. Semi-prissy and ignoring everything around them.
Hopefully tomorrow will bring some good news.
The vet was a bit more encouraged today, as opposed to the general opinion yesterday. Aardie's still doing a bit of mouth-breathing, but is also sometimes breathing through his nose and not sounding so ragged. Tomorrow, I have to call in the afternoon and see what's going on and talk to the doctor about what we're going to do.
I'm spending an extraordinarily stupid amount of money on this creature, but I simply can not have another loved presence in my life die on me. Eight in three months is too much, this one being the first animal. One more is going to send me shrieking over the edge. There are those of you who may think me foolish for going to such lengths over an animal, and a rather tiny animal at that with an already incredibly short lifespan, but you can blow it out your ass. This is my baby we're talking about here. Aardie is the first rat I got so many years after my much beloved Nicodemus died. And I swore to never get another rat after her, their lifespans are just too short and it's too hard to deal with. I broke that promise, he is my responsibility and I will go to quite ridiculous lengths to ensure he (and all my other creatures) are ok.
If it comes down to it, if the situation is just completely hopeless and he's in pain, then I will obviously make the correct decision and have him euthanized (I've already spoken to the doctor about this and given him my list of demands for such an occasion), but that will be my last recourse. I've put great thought into it already; how could I not, with it staring me right in the face? I could put all of this time, money and energy into getting him close to well again, only to have him die in a handful of months. Rats, especially ones of the hairless variety, have delicate respiratory systems and are extremely susceptible to these kinds of illnesses. Getting Aardie completely healthy again is most likely a futile effort. But, I have to try.
It's all I can do.
The other five rodents are getting antibiotics twice a day and will be doing so for a few more days, I think less than a week more. Unfortunately, the medication tastes disgusting (yes, I tried it) and I've had to go to great lengths to disguise its flavour so they'll eat it. This morning found me injecting it into a honey-toasted wheat germ, brown sugar and peanut butter mixture, then rolling that into a ball. They seem to like it so far, wee Simon even stole three of the balls out of my hand when I was in the middle of dosing everyone. He ran away from me, stuffing them into his mouth, and squeaked indignantly when I attempted to retrieve them from him.
I didn't get the doses back, he appeared to have simply inhaled them (though I did find one of them on the floor later this evening, smooshed flat into the carpet), so now I'm wondering if his dose for tomorrow morning should be skipped.
The Engineer's three rats are also being carefully watched. Although they didn't have any direct contact with me or Aardie, I did have Aardie upstairs in the Engineer's apartment on Friday night when I was unable to get him to the vet. I didn't pet any of them, or even go near their cage, but the Engineer did pet Aardie when he was with me on the couch and then went to the boys' cage.
I had read online that giving rats a drop of tincture of echinacea on a tiny piece of bread (three days on, three days off) helps their immunse systems fight off any lurking nasties, so that's the course we've been taking with them. Well, that along with breaking down their cage and thoroughly cleaning everything in it, not to mention washing the couch blanket.
Last night, I broke down my own two cages and cleaned everything, much to the disgust of the inhabitants. They had a complete cage and accoutrements cleaning not that long ago and were therefore extremely unhappy that I was once again getting rid of the stink that they had been so diligently working on getting back.
The three boys from the cage Aardie lives in are reacting in their own ways to his not being here. Major Tom is finding solace in food, something which I'm not sure is from being unhappy that his father isn't around or just being even more greedy than usual. He had his face in the food dish this evening, with his snout completely buried, pushing everything around. Senor Diablo appears to be a bit bummed out and mostly stays in the little wooden house in the bottom of the cage. Simon, however, has taken this oppurtunity to throw his small weight around. Aardie is the usual alpha of the boys' colony, now Simon is appearing to be attempting a coup. He tackles the other two, power-grooms them, picks fights and steals food for his growing stash behind the wooden house. It's amusing to watch him trying to fight the other two, because they're probably twice his size (three times his size, in Tom's case). I've had to play alpha-rat with him on more then one occasion so far, something he resents me for, but readily submits to. The girls, living in their own cage, are the same. Semi-prissy and ignoring everything around them.
Hopefully tomorrow will bring some good news.
no subject
You do what you have to do for your baby. I hope he will be ok, and all the others too. :>
I simply can not have another loved presence in my life die on me
*hug*
your ratties will be in my thoughts as will
all your other sweet pets & your sweet self.
you are an amazing mama.
*more hugs*
no subject
This is exactly the reason I never took Sprockets to a pound or something for all that time he was the jaw on wheels, thee rendycat. I felt like by taking him in the first place it was now on me to make sure he was ok, and got treated right in life. (Re: not trusting strangers at shelters etc etc.)
I'm glad you wrote this. I was beginning to worry about some of this myself, just that you're in such a harsh financial place already, and how much this adds to it.. I don't know your rats too well but I worry about you, ya'know? Such an easy concept to get tangled up in, even in the middle of telling other people to not be so freakin' shortsighted. -_-
no subject
Yeah, anyone that thinks of them as "Just animals" should be taken out into the woods and left for the rabid wolverines.
no subject
I can only imagine the glares you received when cleaning out the cages -again...
hang in there lady...let me know if there is anything I can do...
no subject
I just lost my Degu, its really weird not having him "Meep" at me when I come home from work.........