Rat Creature's Journal

I just let my rats out this evening and noticed a huge growth/bulge/something (about cherry-sized!) on the underside of Ignatz' throat. I'm fairly sure it wasn't there (or not nearly as large) yesterday, because I like to scritch him under his chin and would have felt it just like I did today. I don't see/feel any wounds, but I guess it still could be an abscess? I see an emergency vet trip coming tomorrow morning. I wish I had noticed it early this afternoon, then I could have gone the regular vet hours, which wouldn't have cost the extra emergency charge, and spared me a night of worry about something horrible happening to him with this. He seems okay, is eating and running around as well as usual (he is elderly after all), so that is something, but still, there is a cherry sized something on his throat. I just hope it won't impact his breathing and swallowing if this worsens.

Krümel
2.12.2006 - 18.12.2008

I had Krümel put down this afternoon. He was suffering, couldn't breathe anymore, and the meds weren't helping. I cuddled for nearly an hour with him early this afternoon, watching tv with him and petting him, just like I always used to do in the evenings. He kept having panic attacks though, when his breathing was getting too bad, but I wanted to have some time with him to say goodbye, and I hope it comforted him too.

Krümel was one of the most cuddly rats I've ever had, he was patient with being petted, and loved dozing next to me and sometimes on me and getting belly rubs, and he liked to keep me company. He'd come up on my bed to be petted and scritched. I think in part it was because he was alone with me for a while after Ben killed Krümel's brother Gonzo (in the awful socialization failure) before Emil and Ignatz joined him.

He was a great rat and I miss him.

( some photos of Krümel )

Krümel hasn't gotten any better, rather the opposite. He's gasping for air the whole time now, has sporadic panic attacks (i.e. he runs around crazily when the breathing is at its worst and he can't get enough air, and of course the thrashing and running doesn't make anything better, but who wouldn't panic from suffocation?), he still doesn't eat... If there isn't some serious improvement soon (meaning by tomorrow during the morning), I'm going to have him put down. Leaving him like this to die slowly if the meds won't help, is just cruel. And besides it being horrible for him, I just can't cope with hearing the suffocation noises all the time without being able to help him in any way much longer either. He still struggles when I try to get the medicine into him, but that is the only thing he does besides desperately trying to breathe.

So I brought Krümel to the vet this morning after all, and while the gasping was only slight on the way there, Krümel then obliged me with an attack of very labored breathing and gasping right in front of the vet, so he could at least see that Krümel was in severe respiratory distress. Anyway, the vet then listened to his lungs, but didn't hear the distinct crackling sounds of bad myco, which fit with the previous time.

He then asked whether I'd pay for x-rays to see whether it might be the heart, which I agreed to and they managed to get a nice picture of Krümel's internal organs. His heart however looked okay, and the vet didn't see anything obviously wrong in the lungs either, but Krümel's stomach and bowels were extremely distended (I looked at the picture and the stomach was scarily huge), so the likely cause of the respiratory distress is that the lungs just can't expand properly. The vet was quite surprised by this because rats aren't prone to gas like rabbits and he didn't think it could be from the food (especially since I'm careful not to feed them stuff like cabbages or pulses and such). He said it could be a bowel obstruction due to a small tumor, because Krümel is over two years now, which is an age when rats are quite prone to them, but he didn't see anything conclusive on the x-ray.

Anyway, he gave me two kinds of drops that help with gas, and an antibiotic (I'm not entirely sure why I got that too, I guess to be on the safe side if it was an infection after all, or maybe because they gave antibiotics last time and Krümel got better). So now I have three medicines that need to be given three times, twice and once a day respectively, and because right now Krümel doesn't eat I can't mix them into stuff but have to force feed them. Which is bad, because no matter how awful he feels Krümel is the opposite of cooperative when it comes to taking drugs. I asked the vet to give the first dose, and even he had trouble to get the medicine into him.

I hope that because Krümel had trouble like this before and it got better once, and he seems at least a little better today than yesterday, that it might turn around again. The vet however didn't seem very optimistic, and told me that Krümel might die in the next few days, if his bowel problems don't clear up fast. If he makes it through the next days,I'm supposed to bring him again at the end of the week.

The one bright spot is that the vet declared his broken foot healed enough that he could go back in the regular cage and be together with the other two again, so at least Krümel won't be alone in isolation, and miserable in a tiny cage.

All day yesterday my rat Krümel, the one with the broken foot, made horrible noises, because he somehow couldn't breathe right. It was some kind of gasping/choking noise, though he did get enough air to not suffocate at least even though he gasped through his mouth. He had incidents like that before the whole foot debacle (I think I mentioned those here too) and I had brought him to the vet for that back then, who couldn't find anything in his lungs and the antibiotics didn't do much, but those episodes never lasted this long, and then mostly stopped, so I could never show one to the vet.

Yesterday his trouble was constant which was hard to listen for (also he didn't even eat, I suppose because he couldn't manage that and still breathe), and unfortunately I missed the morning emergency hour my vet has on Sundays. Obviously I then decided to bring him to the vet this morning, however, when I woke up a while ago, the noises had just stopped. At first I had thought he died because I couldn't hear gasping from the cage anymore, but thankfully he hasn't. And don't get me wrong, I'm glad that he doesn't make this horrible noise right now, and can maybe eat and drink and recover, but if I bring him to the vet right now, the symptom isn't there just like before. I thought that at least this time I could show them, rather than futilely trying to describe it. I always feel like the weird pet owners version of Munchhausen-by-proxy when I describe horrible symptoms that suddenly have disappeared as soon as I bring my rat to the vet.

Of course he still needs a vet, but I needed to bring him anyway this week to have his foot checked at the four weeks mark. So now I'm not sure whether I still should rush to the vet right away this morning, even though the problem doesn't show right now, or whether I should let him be for now, and see whether he'll eat something at least now that there seems to be a respite on the breathing front. I mean, I know he still made that horrible sound around five (my sleep wasn't very restful, because I kept listening for him), but nothing currently (though obviously it could start again any moment).

My rats drive me crazy. You remember how two weeks ago Krümel broke his foot and I had to separate him into a small cage so he'd rest and not climb stuff? But for social contact I put the small cage inside the large one. He's still inside that small cage because the foot is still swollen as broken bones take some time to heal (especially as you can't stop him from walking on it completely). Of course Krümel is fairly unhappy in the small cage, and I only take him out briefly each day. And the other two don't quite get why he's behind bars either.

So now Ignatz has figured out how to open the wire door to the small cage, and broke into it. I heard suspicious squeaking and checked them. I know why my big cage has doors with actual locks rather than simple hooks.

Well, maybe not the absolute worst, but definitely not an easy one. Gah.

( rats really don't care for their doctor's orders )

*sigh*

Krümel has somehow broken his foot. Unfortunately the x-ray showed that the break is right in the ankle joint, which is a bad place for it to heal. Casts and such aren't an option for rats, because they'd only hurt themselves more getting things off, so the only thing is to wait and hope it'll heal on its own, by making him rest as much as possible for a few weeks, though the vet did give him something against the pain and swelling today.

The best case scenario is that the joint just gets stiff. Unfortunately the vet said that sometimes rats will gnaw or bite the places that hurt them, so I have to check that he doesn't chew his limb open too. And I can't let him climb stairs or anything else or the break won't heal at all. And he isn't the youngest anymore either.

My cage is large with six levels and I can only separate two level elements with the built in barriers, so I rearranged things to put a small hamster cage I still had as an isolation/sick cage inside one level of the larger cage. Krümel and the others can see and smell each other (so that there hopefully won't be any trouble when he rejoins them), but he can't move much, get into scuffles or climb anything (seriously how anyone could incarcerate a rodent permanently in a cage this small is incomprehensible).

Krümel isn't too happy with this turn of events, but OTOH I hope he won't mind too much because he hobbled very little yesterday evening anyway, just to get food and to the toilet corner, which is understandable, I wouldn't walk on a broken foot either, but both involved stairs from his favorite sleeping place, and obviously that couldn't go on. It's kind of unfair too that he now can't sleep cuddled with the others, but of course the others won't be careful with his foot and non-sleeping rat interactions don't really lend itself to keeping an ankle as still as possible.


Anyway, wish Krümel luck that his broken joint will heal without serious complications.

I just noticed that Krümel hasn't come out at all tonight during playtime, though I did see him eat briefly. And he's getting quieter with age but not that quiet, so I checked on him, and I saw that his left back foot is badly swollen. I didn't see an obvious wound, so I don't know what it is. He squeaks when I touch him there anyway and can't really walk. So I guess it'll be a vet trip first thing tomorrow. I hope he'll be okay until then. *is worried*

It's been ages since I posted photos of my rats, and it's just not right for my journal to miss out on pet picture spam for this long. *g*

( rat photos )

Wednesday and yesterday Ignatz got shots in addition to the oral antibiotics, and in combination these two seem to have finally pushed the myco infection back somewhat. There's still some quieter sounds, but the very loud rattling noise I could hear from across the room has been getting better and has been mostly gone since yesterday, so to my relief the vet said that I don't have to bring him back again. Now I just hope his breathing will stay okay like this for a while.

Krümel's wet sneezing still happens occasionally, but because I haven't witnessed any more of the odd episodes when he sneezes constantly and makes choking or coughing sounds, and his lungs are okay, he's been off his antibiotic since Tuesday. So I don't have to get foul tasting medication inside uncooperative anymore for now.

So it seems that Ignatz's appetite loss and apathy was indeed a side effect of the antibiotic. I brought him to the vet yesterday (a sign of just how bad he felt was that Ignatz barely reacted to getting a thermometer shoved in his butt, except that he peed in fright), and got a different antibiotic to give orally again, also Ignatz got some kind of booster shot for his metabolism.

And while his breathing still produces awful rattling sounds, likely from mycoplasmosis, he slowly recovered his general health yesterday, and this evening he seems okay considering. He's come outside to play, reacts to me and shows interest in things, and he is eating as well. It's only the second day on the new antibiotic, so it's not clear yet whether that will do anything for his breathing (many of these chronic myco infections rats get are just resistant to multiple antibiotics and hard to combat), but at least he doesn't act half dead anymore. So he's not better as far as his original respiratory problem goes, but recovered from the medication problems.

Side effects just suck. I feel kind of guilty that the medicine I forced into him made him so much worse instead of better, even though I know it's not uncommon even in human treatments to have such things happen and rats have fewer options for diagnosis and drugs, but still. Why is the Star Trek medicine not here yet?

I don't think the second antibiotic is doing the trick. Krümel isn't really better, but at least he's not worse, still running around and eating, but since I've been giving the medicine to Ignatz he has eaten very little, and today he's become lethargic, not coming to me and just sitting in his house. It's horrible. His breathing didn't seem to warrant that kind of decline on Monday. Maybe it's side effects from the antibiotic, I don't know. :(

So I'm bringing him back to the vet tomorrow, and hope he can do something. Really except for the rattling he was fine earlier this week, lively, eating, playing and cuddling with me, coming to me when I called, and now he's just sitting in a corner. He barely even touched the rice I cooked for him to entice him to at least eat something, just eating a few mouthfuls rather than scarfing the beloved cooked food down. It really worries me.

First, some art comm linkage (even though I suspect most interested people will already know of these):

Yuletart, a multi-fandom art exchange, has started with the nomination process for this year's fandoms. For the next couple of days only the participants from last year can suggest fandoms for this year, but soon it'll open up to new participants. Since I suggested fandoms I guess that'll mean I'm going to do a holiday exchange again this year. Meep.

Also, Paintedspires recently got an overhaul and reopened as an SGA flash art community. The first challenge has been posted, and you should all join or at least watch.

In less happy news ( rat health update )

I've had to bring my rat Krümel to the vet today. He has some sort of very wet sounding sneezing, and for a few days now weird episodes during which he makes sounds as if to spit something out, or maybe it's like the rat version of coughing (though I don't think rats really cough) or choking, it's hard to describe and not quite like any of the sounds of respiratory trouble I've heard before. When I tried to tell the vet he looked at me dubiously, so I'm not sure useful my description was, but it doesn't sound good, though the scary episodes only happen once or twice every day as far as I can tell, so of course the vet didn't witness one of those. (Why don't pets ever demonstrate their symptoms in a vet office?)

Anyway, he listened to Krümel's lungs, and told me that those sound clear, which is at least something, so it's likely an upper respiratory thing. I got some oral antibiotic to give him, and hope that it'll work against the infection. Krümel is still eating okay, and he's lively, so he can't feel too bad, but with a year and nine months he's not young anymore, and I worry.

Also, on our way back Krümel was admired by a horde of children who were on some sort of class trip. Thankfully he's not really scared by loud noises as long as he knows they are outside of wherever he is (in this case his safe transport box), so he didn't really mind all the staring and the shouting that much as thirty or so elementary school age children were crowding around me while I was waiting for the train, all asking questions about rats as pets. He didn't even hide beneath his towel. Anyway, I tried to impress on them that rats need large cages, need to be kept in groups, and that they may need considerable vet care (as I was on my way back from there that came up, and it's not like I don't still remember the expensive eye operation he needed last winter), and so on, and thus to do my bit for the promotion of responsible pet ownership.

Unrelated to my rats, I've been getting the impression that I still get friended in periods when I barely post, but more readers unsubscribe when I'm updating more regularly. I guess it makes sense in that readers notice more easily that interests have diverged or that my LJ is boring or whatever when I actually post, whereas it doesn't matter whether or not they have subscribed while I'm quiet, but still. This kind of pattern is not encouraging... *frets neurotically*

Earlier I had mopped up some spilled coffee with with a tissue, which I then -- being a slob -- just left lying around next to the mug. Just now my rat Krümel grabbed it and rather than using it for nest purposes as my rats usually do with all kinds of paper products they get their paws on, he proceded to eat the bits of tissue with coffee soaked into it. It wasn't even sugary coffee. Then again he always noses empty coffee mugs as well.

Attempting to draw while rats have their outside playtime in the same room is impossible. They keep trying to grab and eat my kneaded eraser for one thing. I guess I'll just waste some time on the internet instead...

It turned out that the ongoing problem with Krümel's eye was likely caused by one of the stitches from the cornea that was still in and had grown attached to the inside of the lid, which irritated it. In a prior appointment the vet had removed those stitches that held the eyelids together, but the stitches on the cornea were supposed to be of the type of thread that dissolves on its own as the wound heals. Only this one didn't and instead grew into the lid or something. I'm actually a bit unsure how that worked exactly. Also it was in a place that apparently wasn't visible with the normal checkup exam, but only under sedation when the eye could be manipulated and looked at without Krümel fighting him, so they didn't notice right away.

Anyway the vet has now removed that stitch yesterday, which caused the inside of the lid bleed a little again afterwards, so Krümel still has to get one type of gel three times a day for another two days, but after that the vet expects it to be okay. He said that the cornea itself had healed, and if the eye still stays withdrawn further back, it's likely just a cosmetic problem, since Krümel doesn't act like he's in pain, and it might still normalize over time.

So the end of many weeks of administering eyedrops to a struggling rat several times a day is in sight, and hopefully I shouldn't have to bring him in again for this. *crosses fingers*

To counter the longish and boring details about the health of my rat, here's a cute photo of Krümel curled up with Ignatz behind my VCR -- you can also see the rodent damage to the (unplugged) cables, indicating that I'll probably have to buy some new ones, should I want to watch something on my tv rather than my computer again.

( cute dozing rats )

I'm at home rather than at a party, mostly because I'm not much of a party person but it also has the advantage that I can soothe my rats through their first New Year's Eve explosions experience. So far they seem thoroughly unconcerned with all the loud noises and flashes outside, but then they usually are pretty good about distinguishing sounds outside that don't bother them and ones coming from the inside, that may pose a threat. Actually I'm wincing far more often than they at some of the sudden really loud fireworks.

So I thought I'd occupy myself with listing the stuff I drew this past year. Overall I have posted even less art in 2007 than in 2006, especially full fledged artwork. However I managed to draw a bunch of drawbles and such on request, and also did some drawing exercises, though the latter not as regularly as I intended to. I guess my New Year's resolution will be to restart posting exercise suggestions to slothsdraw, and to actually do them regularly myself this time around, rather than just one or two in a haphazard fashion.

Anyway, here's a chronological list of all things I've drawn this year:

( list of all fanart, drawbles, icon creature doodles, and exercises I drew and posted this year )

So in conclusion, if I extend "drawing" to include all doodles, icon sketches and drawing exercises, no matter how quick or lame, I have drawn and posted something almost every month. If I only count "proper" artwork, my output was far less, but at least I tried a couple of new things, especially digitally, and I made an attempt to practice more regularly, even if my slackerdom caught up with me again quickly.

I noticed that all my recent rat posts have been either complaints about rodent damage or rat health related, and that it has been quite some time since I posted photos of my rats just being furry and cute.

( several photos of my rats )