Leonidas, my rattie....

[undergunfire]

Leo is getting very skinny and starting to really show his age. He is roughly 1 1/2 years old, which is "up there" for a pet store rat due to their poor breeding lines.

He has a tumor growth in his lower belly area and has always has respiratory issues, even with the help of meds.

He is just skin and bones and his eyes look tired. He is still grooming himself and eating....chowed down eggs/baby food/cheese/peanut butter earlier and I know that is a good thing.



Please send him vibes to get better :?.



I wish he will decide when his time to go play with Fayl in rattie heaven will be. I hope the vet won't have to help us...I do not like making such a desicion .

 

[ChandieLee]

Aww. Poor little guy.
Here's to hoping he gets better.

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Poor Leo It's so hard watching them like that... Does he still seem cheery? How big is his tumor?

 

[YukonDaisy]

Sorry to hear about Leo. Hope he feels ok and you have plenty more time with him. Irma is the same way, she's always been sickly, too.

 

[JadeIcing]

Come on Leo. Be strong little man.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Oh man

I know how it is with those petstore ratties. Been through so many of them. It breaks my heart.

Come on Leo!!!

 

[EileenH]

I totally know what you are going through; if I had a dime for every Tuesday & Sunday (the day my vet office was closed) that I didn't have to make that decision with an e-vet, I'd be rich.

Leo still sounds like he's a cheery fellow; I'm keeping my fingers crossed that when he feels it's time, he crosses on his own. Until then, sending positive thoughts to you both.

 

[undergunfire]

He does still seem happy and I am not sure how large his tumor is....it is inside his lower belly area, but not "hanging out"...if that makes sense.

He got his eggies last night and was happy to have them. He also sat with me on the couch while I syringe fed him some organic pea and brown rice baby food.

I just went in and checked on every one and Leo was trying to put another hole in my fabulously made hammocks....of course....haha!



It's so hard to know when to let the vet "help" them to rattie heaven. Rats hide illnesses well and they will hide pain until the very last moments.

I just hope he passes gently on his own when his time comes.


:tears2:

 

[maherwoman]

Oh Sweetie...

*prays for Leonidas*

ray:

 

[PixieStixxxx]

Poor Leonidas. But I am so glad that he got the best home possibly.

Because of all your posts about rats, I actually got involved with some of our shelter rats. We had 14 rats seized from a man yesterday who were feeding them bread and cheese. Amoung them was one lonely boy, who I held for 4 hours. I used to be terrified of them due to the sterotypes, but now I am head over heels for this rat and am actively trying to find the other 13 rats homes.

 

[undergunfire]

I am about to go syringe feed him some chocolate Ensure...it is the weight gaining/high calorie kind....I hope that helps him...with the nightly baby food and eggs now.

He's just soooo skinny. I swear he got that skinny over night....rats do that to us :?.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

does he like oats?

 

[undergunfire]

Yep, he does like oats . Leo-Skeo drank a ton of Ensure. His eyes looked a lot brighter during that time and he was very licky towards me. He is still skinny, but I am going to do a few Ensure feedings a day to help him.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Awww - I'm glad he likes it. Walmart has an Equate brand of that. We use it for the sheep to get them to eat more and gain as lambs. Then I have huge pet sheep that want ensure with their grain LOL!

It does really help. The oats might be a good solid treat - so the ensure doesn't give him the poopies...... that's what I was thinking there.

I miss my rats so much.... I know how it feels right now - I hate not being able to "fix" them.

 

[EileenH]

I used to make hot oatmeal with Nutrical mixed into it for my old girlies when they would get old. They loved it.
I would also give them a teaspoon of ice cream every night (when they were old, not their whole lives).
I found those two things helped keep *some* weight on. I know it's a struggle.

You're ina tough place right now. Hang in there. I used to take solace in the fact that I knew I was making them feel comfortable and loved. I actually used to feel honored to get to help them at that time of their lives, and enjoyed the special time we spent together. When they are young & doing well, life gets in the way & you don't always sit down with them as much as you mean to. But, when they start declining, you realize how every moment counts.

One thing I often did was video tape them, even at the point Leo is now. I still sometimes pop in a tape and am wowed at how my heart rat, Agatha, was such a happy girl at 3 1/2 years old, in congestive heart failure, with a bladder tumor and having seizures. I made at least 3 appointments to have her PTS...and then she'd do something like try to stand up to see me, and her eyes were bright and cheery, and she LOVED to eat still. I knew everybody else thought I was nuts, but she just wasn't ready! And you know what? She passed away, on her own, at home, her own terms. (I know I was lucky with that - not so lucky with the other ones I had over the years).

Anyway, I still cherish those memories, the times, and the videos make me happy years later, knowing I did that.

This is a picture of her, the last time she was able to stand up. She had hind limb paralysis, and basically was balancing for a few seconds & I happened to get the picture:

 

[undergunfire]

Eileen, that is so sweet and now I am crying . It is just so tough.

I do know what you mean about how we don't take much time to spend with them when they are young, and then they age and we notice that we need to spend a lot of time with them. I feel very guilty about that and I can't believe it has been about a year since I brought Leonidas and Spartan home.

I actually think Spartan is older than Leonidas, but Spartie is still very fat and happy.


I took some pictures of Skeo and I will post them here. I regret not taking a ton of pictures of the rats over the past year, but they are so crazy and my camera always takes a huge blurry spot of them.



My little Skeo...

Enjoying food..

Happy with his friends...

In the hammock with Spartan and Ralphie...

On Wednesday (3/10/08)...

 

[XxMontanaxX]

Get well soon Leo ray: Poor guy, I hope he will still be with you for atleast a little while longer. You sound like you are doing a really good job. :hug:

 

[undergunfire]

Sorry, those last pictures were taken on 4/10/08, not in March.


Skeo was very happy again today to have his baby food and Ensure. He is doing well right now, just skinny. I am hoping the extra foods helps him keep strong.

 

[EileenH]

He's a very handsome boy! Crossing fingers he puts on weight.

Those pictures weren't blurry - great shots!

 

[XxMontanaxX]

undergunfire wrote:

Skeo was very happy again today to have his baby food and Ensure. He is doing well right now, just skinny. I am hoping the extra foods helps him keep strong.

Yay! Does he seem to be gaining any weight at all?