My poor rattie...

[halfwaynowhere]

I just got back from the vet. Watson's head has been tilted since thursday. I thought it was an ear infection, but his ears are fine. The problem is in his brain. We are treating him for a bacterial infection and for a protozoal parasite that could cause this. If its not one of the two, its not something we can treat.

Watson is the best rat I've had.. I've only had him about two months, but he's just an awesome little monkey. I'm so worried about him, I don't want to lose him... Hopefully the treatment will work. The vet said the tilt could be permanent, but hopefully will get less severe with the treatment, or else he's going to have to deal with vertigo all the time...

 

[xBurntBytheSunx]

i hate that, rats are such awesome pets but they seem to always have some kind of health problem.

 

[kitty_b]

i also had a rat who developed a head tilt. i think her problem was a tumor, though.

i have my fingers crossed for little watson.

 

[halfwaynowhere]

thanks.

All my previous rats have been rescues, some of them had preexisting health issues when I got them, so they were all short lived. The two boys I bought young, so I could hopefully avoid this... I'm really hoping that the meds fix him, it would suck to lose him, I just got him last month...

 

[antbebo]

I will be praying for your baby. I have had 6 rats and lost three to tumors after having them surgically removed, one to a stroke, and the others of old age. Of all of my pets, they were by far my favorite because they are so much more affectionate toward me and had cute ways to show their affections. Unfortunately, they die way too soon. It is hard to develop such a bond in such a short amount of time and then they are gone. Good luck!

 

[OldHag]

My rat got a bad cold once. After she got better she had the head tilt. I figured it was a permanent ear trauma from the cold.... Shes 3 yrs old now and still running around so yours could be good for a long time in his tilted new life..
Gosh Im gunna miss my rat when she dies. Shes a sweetie. Cute little double rex..

 

[halfwaynowhere]

Well, the meds don't seem to be working... the head tilt hasn't improved, and he's been losing a lot of weight. Hasn't lost his spirit, though! He still loves running on his wheel, and is very enthusiastic about food, although he's eating less... I gave him a cracker, and he usually sits and eats the whole thing... This time he grabbed it immediately, nibbled on the edge a bit, then set it down. He's getting so thin. I don't think he'll make it to the end of the week... Guess it wasn't an infection, maybe a pituitary tumor or something... poor little guy.

 

[OldHag]

aww poor little guy! Im so sorry...

 

[halfwaynowhere]

I woke up yesterday and found that he had passed during the night.
I've decided that getting more rats isn't the best option for me. I don't want Mycroft to be alone, and I'm pretty sure he won't get along well with other males at this point, so I'm sending him to live with my sister where he can be a breeder in her colony. That way he can have interaction with other ratties, and will be happy.

 

[Gesticulator]

So sorry to hear about your loss. Rats are such awesome creatures and have such short life spans. Watson sounds like he was a real fighter. Poor little guy. Best wishes to him at the bridge!