I was hoping there would be a more happy ending to this but sadly, there isn't.

Due to issues, my boyfriend had to suddenly leave his rats in Canada. The person (let's call him Joe) already had two female rats as well. We figured perfect and all would be good. He had them for about 6 months since I was in Kansas, the rats in Ottawa, My boyfriend couldn't go get them and they couldn't stay at his house due to his animal aggressive dog. So, in the process of moving to MA where once I settled I was going to plan on getting the rats, Joe messages me on facebook. Get the rats at the end of the next month or they are going to a shelter. He proceeded to call me a terrible pet owner since I was struggling to find a way to move the rats currently in my possession with me on my move instead of figuring out how to get them. I offered to pay for compensation for the time he had spent caring for them (since it was longer than anyone would have guessed). I scrambled to figure something out. I had people lined up to take them for me until I could get up there. I found a way to get up there and well...

The night before the trip he messages me again on facebook saying Cake isn't doing so well. She is losing weight, lethargic and aggressive towards the other rats. I try to get info from him, any other symptoms, how long, etc. He says nothing else and that this has been going on for about a week. We get up there to pick them up and...I thought she was dead. She was curled up in the corner of the box, nothing but skin and bones, barely breathing. I picked her up and she just flopped about but was still alive. Not to mention it was Cookie, not Cake, who was sick. He had these rats for 6 months and didn't even bother to learn who was who. We left and decided to try to find an e-vet the moment we had cell service and were in the states. We didn't think she would make the car ride home without a vet visit. However, by fucking luck or some miracle, we passed a 24/7 vet on the way back. They treated rats. We took her in and the vet gave us some baytril, baby food and syringes to give her the food and water since she is too weak to eat on her own (unless it is a grape it seems). Thankfully she survived the trip home. She has a SEVERE pneumonia and when I mentioned to the vet that I was told it had been going on for a week, she looked at me like I was crazy.

On another note, the one rat Cookie 'attacked', Kipper, has the last bit of her tail degloved to the point the bone is showing. This apparently happened a couple of days ago. When Joe said Cookie attacked another rat I just figured it was a scuffle. I didn't know Cookie's condition at the time either. Kip has since had the tip of her tail amputated and is doing well. If I had known these things sooner everything would be so much easier right now... I would have dropped any amount of cash for these guys to get seen, day before, week before, month before, etc. However, I was kept in the dark about the condition of the rats despite this person having all my contact info. I probably should have been more proactive on checking on them myself as well...

Anyway, Cookie was doing leaps and bounds better. She was walking, she was eating (not solid foods yet), she was starting to be a rat again. She was such a little fighter up until the end. She was on the road to recovery. We were amazed at how well she was doing in such a short amount of time... Until last night. Last night she started to go down hill again. She took a tumble off my bed so we thought she was a little spooked. I made a note to call the vet in the morning if she wasn't acting like normal. Her leaps and bounds were slowly deteriorating. She kept trying to walk but her front legs weren't helping. She just scooted along on her chest. I was woken up in the morning by her heavy wheezing and labored breathing. Called the vet and scheduled an appointment an hour and a half later.

We get there and she had lost more weight (First visit she was 230g, then she was 210g, this time she was 203g) despite us feeding her critical care. Not good. The vet took a listen to her and the pneumonia hadn't left her lungs yet. I guess it was just laying in wait to spring up again. The vet said she may be developing a immunity to the baytril or had underlying immunity issues. She gave us another antibiotic and told her to call on Monday. She said if she wasn't getting better by then to start thinking about putting her down. We get home and I put her in her carrier with her heating pad and her blankets and let her rest. I laid down to take a nap..

About 30 minutes into my nap, she woke me up with those same raspy wheezing sounds. They sounded worse. The vet closed at three and we are in the middle of a snow storm. She got over them earlier so I figured she would get over them soon again. I was dead wrong. About an hour later she was making deep, troubled breaths. Then she was gone. In a day she had declined so badly that she is now no longer with us... All that progress, gone. My only solace is I hope she didn't suffer and at least she died with someone who gave two shits about her... I gave her an extra 3 weeks that she wouldn't have had otherwise.

Two days ago, I laid down to take a nap. Cookie, of her own free will, came up and placed her head on my arm and slept with me. I now wonder if she knew her time was coming... I hope you find comfort, happiness, friends and yogies on the other side of the rainbow bridge. Please do not forget that you are loved. We'll miss you...

In Cookie's honor I made this FA group.
 ratlovers