A dying pet....

[Hamadryad]

Well,
One of my beloved pet rats, Snoopy is finally dying of old age.She is exactly 3 years and 4 months old and I have had her since she was exactly 28 days old.I picked her out of a friends litter of rats...she has had a very good life, she has always had yummy stuff to eat, lots of other pet rats to cuddle and play with, plenty of fresh clean water and toys..and I have lavished affection on her.But alas, 3 + years is a long time for a rat to live and I have been mildly surprised that she has lasted as long as she has.She has lost all her fur almost and has cataracts.This morning I could tell that the end is near and I have taken steps to make her as comfortable as possible...I have put her in a small cage with soft rags and one of my shirts and I have given her water with an eyedropper and comforted her as much as possible....it is sad that she is finally going to die but I feel good in that she has indeed lived a peaceful happy existence while under my care and that she did not have to lead the precarious,dangerous existence of a wild rat....she was always a real kissy girl and wouldnt have made a good wild rat anyways...
I think by this evening she will be gone.

:8o The Evil Spider Hunter

 

[Henry Kane]

Damn! That really sucks. It's good to hear she had a good life. That said, I'm really sure she'll pass peacefully. I definitely hope so.


Hope you feel better soon.

Atrax

 

[Hamadryad]

Thankyou Atrax

Atrax,
Thankyou very much...you are a good guy.Like I said it is good that she indeed had a good life free from danger and peril and spent her time playing, being played with, eating scrumptious goodies and sleeping all cuddled up with her buddies...playing with her toys...and she certainly has lived a long life for a rat...over 3 + years which is really stretching it for them..a good life and what I hope will be a quick humane death..I do not think she is going to last very much longer...I have wrapped her in my shirt that smells like me to keep her warm and I frequently check her and pet her and talk to her...what more can I do you know? I am going to have her cremated at the animal hospital ( they provide that service ) and I will keep her ashes..she has indeed been a great companion animal and was well worth the $5.99 I paid for her at PetCo a long time ago.

The Spider Hunter

 

[Immortal_sin]

I know how you feel. We recently had 2 of ours die of old age....very sad.
My Siamese rat, Diamond, lost lots of fur towards the end, and I told Shelby to be prepared. He was very fragile, but I'd put him in my sweatshirt and carry him around. I held him the night before he died. We still miss him. Same with Mystic, he died in his sleep too...of old age.
The only bad thing about rats is their short lifespan.

 

[krystal]

hey spider hunter--

instead of cremation, have you thought about mummification? i believe that wrapping and a bronze mummiform is included in the cost. here's some info for you: http://www.summum.org/mummification/pets/

 

[D-Man]

RIP

Sorry about your rat. You're a good keeper.

Peace

 

[JDK]

Originally posted by krystal
hey spider hunter--

instead of cremation, have you thought about mummification? i believe that wrapping and a bronze mummiform is included in the cost. here's some info for you: http://www.summum.org/mummification/pets/

Don't want to sound rude but, thats retarded . I am not throwing this at you, but at the company. I give them 6 months before they go bankrupt. Cremation is just as good and won't cost up to 5,000 dollars wich is 70% of my disagreement. Though it is always good to have an open mind, and I believe in mumification, something makes me really angry and disgusted when I read that site.

I hope your pet isn't suffering.

 

[Tranz]

If they can map the human genome, why can't they figure out a way to make a rat live 20 years?

 

[Bry]

Tranz, that sounds like a cool idea. Unfortunately, mapping a genome is time and money-consuming. There just isn't enough interest in making rats live longer because there are other "more important things at hand."

SpiderHunter, I'm sorry to hear about your rat. I hope she has/had a peaceful and painless death.

Bry

 

[Hamadryad]

Well, she finally passed on

Well, Snoopy the rat finally passed away about late afternoon yesterday...as I said I anticipated that she was not going to make it to the evening....it appears to me that she might have suffered a stroke as she lost all coordination to her limbs but fortunately she did not suffer for long....she just seemed to go to sleep and did not wake up.I really appreciate everybodys comments and sympathies as Snoopy was really a delightful little companion animal and provided me with three years of kisses and fun...I must admit that I really love rats as I got into them just after my divorce 7 years ago and they have seen me thru some dark and depressing days...they are like little puppy dogs to play with - esp.in an apartment building like mine that does not permit cats or dogs....

Snoopy is now in that big cage in the sky - I believe that I once read something about their being a heaven for pets where they wait for their owners to cross a bridge and join them again...perhaps snoopy waits for me someday.....

The Spider Hunter:rolleye:

 

[Immortal_sin]

Rainbow Bridge

http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm

Spider Hunter...here's a link to the poem you mentioned.
It always makes me cry!

 

[Hamadryad]

Yes, Holley - The rainbow Bridge!!!

Yeah, that is exactly what I was talking about Holley!!! It was good to read it again as I think that is where my beloved Snoopy Rat is now playing and waiting for me to rejoin her someday...she was such a special little ball of fur and provided me with many happy hours of play and companionship..I used to let her scamper around on my computer desk while I was online and she would groom herself and play with pencils (she loved to push them off onto the floor and to chew on them ) and she would also sit in my lap and sometimes fall asleep....such a small trusting animal she was.She was a GREAT pet....I am just glad that she lived as long as she did and that the end was swift and I did my best to make her comfortable up till she died.I am taking her to the Vet hospital tomorrow where she will be cremated and I will have her ashes.I guess it is silly to make such a fuss over a rat but there you are...Im a silly guy sometimes....esp.in regards to animals...
:8o The Spider Hunter

 

[Immortal_sin]

it's not silly at all....
Rats are one of the most misunderstood pets out there.
Anyone who's had them can tell you that the *only* bad thing about them is their short lifespan. I love my little guys, and will be devastated when they go.....

 

[avicularia_reig]

sorry about your pet:-(

me and my boyfriends pet rat just died recently about 2 weeks ago. we noticed about a week before halloween she wasnt the same.she was still limmie, but not quite.she held on pretty good for a while, although we had to feed her from a dropper, but she still seemed happy. then about 2 or 3 weeks ago we came home and checked on her and she was walking around and seemed almost better. she ate some food and drank a bunch of water and was giving kisses ad everything,then she looked up at us and died. it ws sooo upsetting, but i know she was happy when she left.i made a little box for her and cut up a pink satin night gown and put some cotton in the bottom and made a little bed, pillow and blanket for her and we burried her under the magnolia tree.it was a sad day, but i know she live a happy life