Update on Jasmine

Jasmine made it through the night, and was doing very well when the vet came in today. She didn't eat too much during the night, but as soon as they put Blossom back in the cage with her, she ate immediately. What a bond these two sister's have! Jasmine looks good still, and is just doing wonderfully. Her incision site is not bleeding at all, and it looks good. Being as light as she is however, I can see the bruising under her skin. Poor thing! She flinched when I touched her near her wound. She is on metacam for 3-5 days for pain. She will take time to heal, but I am very grateful I still have Jasmine here with me. What will I do if she gets another tumor? I don't know, but I do know what I won't do: surgery. I know that means a death sentence for her eventually, but I am all about quality of life, rather than quantity. Flower, my rat who died of an intestinal tumor, had a chance to be operated on. I debated it, and the vet and I seriously discussed it. The vet said that they could open Flower up, and then not be able to remove the tumor, because it could be so vascularized and attached to organs. Also, in rats, those types of tumors are in a very tight spot and very hard to remove. On the other hand, we could have opened her up and removed the tumor successively. However, the risks of surgery outweighed the benefits of surgery. The tumor was compromising Flower's immune system, and any type of surgery was dangerous. I chose not to put Flower through surgery. We put Flower on prednisone, probiotics (since long term antibiotic use kills good bacteria, too), and antibiotics (since prednisone suppresses the immune system). The prednisone worked for a while and shrunk the tumor enough to give her more time. But, inevitably, the prednisone stopped working, the tumor grew again, and Flower had a few bad days (only 2 throughout the whole ordeal). Then one day, Flower was being her incredibly outgoing self, and extremely active self. I put her back in the cage after letting her freerange, and she suddenly started having a very bad day. Flower had tricked me with her active, social, outgoing personality. I suddenly noticed how much weight she'd lost, and that I could actually see the tumor growing; it had started growing a different way. My husband (he was my fiancé at the time) and I had plans that we couldn't really get out of, so still went. By the time we got home, Flower had passed on to the Bridge. I lost her early (at a year and ten months), but her quality of life was really good until the end. I never regretted not putting her through the surgery. Of course I wished she had more time with me, as I have never ever met a rat like Flower; she was amazing! But, putting her through an invasive procedure where the vet may not have been able to do anything about it anyway? No way!

I have put Jasmine through 2 mammary tumor removal surgeries now. Yes, they are not very invasive, but look what Jasmine went through this time! Do I want to put her through this again? Nope! We will find alternate treatments, but not surgery. It is too hard on my little Jasmine. My Jasmine who acts tough, my Jasmine who throws temper tantrums, my Jasmine who comes to find me when she is out, and crawls up my leg all the way to my shoulder so she can be with me, my little Jasmine who sits on my shoulder and plays with my hair with her paws, and then takes it upon herself to start chewing my hair with her teeth and playing with my hair with her paws at the same time to give me a new hair style, lol. That little Jasmine who rely's on me to do the right thing for her, and to take care of her. I am going to take care of her, to the best of my ability and do what is right for her. Surgery is not right for her! I am very grateful Jasmine made it through this. The vet said today she was so grateful as well. Jasmine lost a lot of blood for a rat. She may act tough, but be fragile, but she is a fighter all the way! Fight on, Jasmine, fight on!

Jasmine

I had debated on whether to post this until I had more information, but decided I needed to post for my own sanity. Here I sit in my house, on the computer at 11:02pm, while Jasmine, and her sister Blossom stay at the vet over night. Jasmine was supposed to come home with me tonight, but had surgery complications. I was more worried about this second surgery, and her, for some reason. I am not sure why, but maybe it is because I knew something wasn't right. I only wanted to do what was best for her, but it may not have been what was best after all. Jasmine went through surgery fine. However, after surgery, she oozed and bled a little more than is normal for a rat in these types of situations. They put a wrap over the area, but Jasmine being Jasmine found a way to get it off, lol. Once she calmed down she stopped bleeding. However, when I went to pick her up, when they just transferred Jasmine from one cage to another, she started really bleeding and oozing again. The doctor was not happy about that. We discussed options and came to the conclusion that the best option was to open her up again and make sure nothing had happened during surgery. The other possibility was clotting issues. Upon opening Jasmine back up, they found no evidence of anything bleeding inside, or of anything that would be causing the bleeding. She retied the blood vessels again just to make sure. What the vet did notice though was bruising in the tissues, which is uncommon with this type of surgery, except in rats with clotting issues. They had stopped the bleeding for the mean time, but if Jasmine continues to bleed like this throughout the night, there is a possibility she might not make it. : (

As I said in the previous post, this was Jasmine's second surgery for tumor removal. The vet and I discussed pre-surgery that continuing to put a rat through tumor removal surgery over and over again is not good. Because of the complications this time, I have decided if Jasmine makes it through this and gets another mammary tumor, there will be no more surgeries. This one has been incredibly hard on her and she will be lucky to be alive if she makes it through this. I will find alternate methods of treatment, but no more surgeries!

I will keep you all updated on Jasmine's condition!

Jasmine's Upcoming Surgery

Well, my dear Jasmine is going to the vet tomorrow to get her large mammary tumor looked at. If she is healthy in all other ways, she will undergo surgery tomorrow. Jasmine did well in surgery last time, but it took her a while to bounce back from the surgery (2 days, which might not sound like a lot, but it is a lot for a rat). Blossom, her sister and cagemate was wonderful. She took such good care of Jasmine, and I really think that helped Jasmine. The vet had told me to separate them after surgery so that Blossom wouldn't chew on Jasmine's suture's or wound. I decided instead to watch them closely and see if Blossom would leave Jasmine's wound alone. She never touched it. I am truly glad I did not separate the two. I truly think separation should only be done in cases where the other rat is inhibiting the healing of the wounded rat by chewing on the wound, or trying to take the sutures out. Taking rats away from each other in an already stressful situation does not help encourage the healing process. I am very proud of my Blossom and know she will come through for her sister again. She also stayed with Jasmine at the vet last time and helped her through that process as well.

My other pet rat, Izzie had to have a tumor removal as well while she was still here. I was worried about her, but not the way I was worried about Jasmine. Izzie was a very sweet, sensitive and tender hearted rat, but she was a tough as nails, physically. She went through a lot physically after Flower died, and came out the other side. When it was time for her to go to the Bridge, she refused to let go, I had to help her. My Jazzy Jazz (her nickname) on the other hand, puts on a tough act physically and personality wise. She wants everyone to think she is tough as nails. She can be a real brat, and act like a child if she does not get her way (if you ever want to see a rat throw a temper tantrum, come to my house and watch me take something away from Jasmine that she shouldn't have, but really wants. Watch me stop her from doing something she knows she should not be doing. Then you will see a rat throw a temper tantrum, LOL). Anyway, Jasmine's tough as nails act is all an illusion. On the inside and outside she is just a big softy. That's why I worry about her undergoing surgery. She's had respiratory infections twice, and a tumor removal already. I worry about her more than the other rats health wise. Last time she underwent surgery, I worried all day. So, I know she will be okay, but tomorrow will be another worrisome day! Good luck my little Jazzy Jazz!

Choking in Rats

Well, I thought I'd take this opportunity to talk about choking in rats, since I had my own issue with a choking rat last night. I had let the rats out to free range, which means they run around in what I term, the rat room, as it is where their cages are. Anyway, when I went to put them away, I couldn't find Jasmine in any of her normal hiding spots. When I finally found her on the bed in this room, she was drooling. She also had labored breathing. I had another experience with this, where I was letting Izzie run around with me while I was eating dinner, she stole a chip off my plate and had a bite before I could take it away from her. She "choked" on it, too. She was fine after about an hour, but in my panic I rushed her to our local emergency vet who doesn't even see rats, lol. Anyway, so I knew the signs. In my calm, but panicky on the inside way, I looked choking in rats up on the internet.

I thought I would share with you what I found out. I give Debbie. D. full credit for this, as I am taking this all off her site:

Because of the arrangement of the rat’s throat, true choking is rare. If your rat appears to be choking the most likely cause is a piece of food or other substance stuck in her throat. This can cause gagging and drooling. A rat who is gagging will open her mouth wide and pull her ears back.

As long as the rat can breathe, don’t do anything accept try to comfort her. Anything you try to do to stop the gagging may make the situation worse. The offending food will eventually pass down in most cases. You might try offering your rat a small piece of bread to see if that will help push the food down, but do not use doughy bread which might make things worse.

If your rat is having real trouble breathing, and not just labored breathing, you can try doing the Heimlich maneuver, by pressing sharply up and in underneath your rat’s ribcage. Or you can do a procedure called “the fling” which uses centrifugal force. Hold your rat firmly around the neck with one hand, and by the base of the tail with the other to hold her securely. Make sure there are no objects within an arm’s length. Lift the rat overhead and bring her down in a rapid arc, so that at the end of the path she’s tail up and head down. This can be repeated 3-4 times, then give the rat a rest, check her breathing, and see if anything is visible in the mouth. This is extremely effective in dislodging objects or mucus in the throat.

If neither of these techniques helps, you can put your mouth over the rat’s mouth and try sucking the obstruction out. Be sure you do not cover the rat’s nose. If the rat is still having trouble breathing, try a shot of dexamethasone.

If choking or gagging persists for more than 6 hours, take your rat to the vet. There may be an object lodged in the throat too big to pass down, or there might be a tumor or some other problem. Sometimes respiratory disease can cause gagging and choking due to swelling of the airway and/or too much mucus.

If your rat gags frequently, she may have mega-esophagus, a problem where the nerves to the esophagus are defective. In this case the rat must be put on a liquid diet. Offer free choice of Ensure adult nutritional drink or a similar product. Also give the rat a liquid vitamin B supplement to supply 1 mcg of B12 daily. Be sure keep all paper away from the rat as eating paper can cause a fatal blockage.

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Okay, that is Debbie D.'s advice on choking. A major thing of importance should be noted here: The way to tell if your rat is having real trouble breathing is to check their extremities, nose, tongue for a bluish color. If your rat looks like they are having a hard time breathing, but they are not turning blue, they are getting enough air, and are probably just uncomfortable. It is not advisable if they are getting enough air in a choking situation to do the Heimlich or The Fling, as it could make things worse. These situations are for the true emergencies where the rat is not breathing. If in doubt, contact your vet immediately.

Also, a serious story about choking from the Rat and Mouse Gazette website:

One afternoon, I fed my rat, Shoes, a bite sized Nutter Butter cookie, as a treat, before we left for the day. Unfortunately the peanut butter got packed all the way down her throat and up into her nose. Later, I found out from the vet that the cookie dries out their mouth and the peanut butter is already very dry, which makes this a dangerous combination. I believe that rats are unable to vomit, which make this situation that much worse. My husband and I found her very weak and struggling to breathe when we arrived home that evening around 6:00. We went to your website and searched for choking. Your information was great, so we took your advice and brought her to the vet. We stayed there for many hours with little improvement. The vet even took Shoes home with her that night, so she could keep a close eye on her. She died at around 2:00am. Please pass this warning about Nutter Butter cookies on to your readers. It may save someone else the agony and guilty feelings I experienced as a pet owner.
~ Elizabeth R. Swanson
(added August 2002)

Well, my story with Jasmine had a happy ending. She made the gagging type look, and continued frothing (which as scary as it is to watch, is actually good, because it aids in eventually helping the food to pass) and did have labored breathing. It did scare me, as she got lethargic at times and it was obvious she was uncomfortable. I continued to check her extremities, nose, mouth, etc. and she was not turning blue at all, so I knew she was getting enough air. She was just probably very uncomfortable. By the time I went to bed, she was doing much better, and by this morning, she was completely back to herself. I have no clue what she choked on. The only thing I can think of, is at one point I heard someone rustling around in the rat food bag. Maybe she got a piece of food and was so excited, she inhaled it. : ) It's neither here nor there, she is okay and that is all that matters. : )

Shariville - By Shari Wells

This is a great story about the different animals that show up at Shari's, with wonderful pictures of the animals! Enjoy! This is written by Shari Wells.
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This is an example of some of the wild guests I have at my patio restaurant I named SHARIVILLE.

I do serve breakfast and full course dinners each and everyday of the week, from 8AM until 8PM. I normally have a full house each morning, including squirrels, ravens, many varieties of birds, chipmunks, groundhogs......in the evening the same guests arrive at different times, and the guest list expands to the larger guests, raccoons, skunks, opossums, and lately wild turkeys (morning only, forgot to mention that).

I do not have much overhead as my guests rarely use the napkins I used to put out there, now I do not. Just a waste of money you know. I have a joint fountain sometimes called a large cake pan filled with water... all share this, sometimes even a waiting line. I must remember to put an extra finger bowl around.......and of course the furniture is for the few humans that dine here. No direct lighting, which really helps with the electric bill. My atmosphere is casual. I use hanging plants and potted plants. They are lovely even when the furry squirrels dig in them. Of course, no carpeting.

SHARIVILLE's RESTAURANT

owner/manager
Shari

Litter, Bedding and Rat Health

I am sure most rat owners are aware of this very important health tip in rat health. However, it is always good to post it for those new to the rat world, and as a reminder to those of who already know this, and who have had rats for a long time.

Rats have a very sensitive respiratory system. Almost anything in the environment can cause respiratory issues in our rats. Dust, the build up of ammonia in the cage, scented candles, aerosol sprays, etc. Another thing that can cause respiratory issues in our rats is the litter/bedding we use in our rats cages. Pine and cedar shavings have oils that are toxic to rats and can cause serious respiratory issues for our furry friends. On top of the oils, they are dusty, and any type of dust can hurt our rats respiratory systems. Why these types of litters are even still on the market today is completely beyond me. However, they are, and we need to avoid them like the plague.

There are other litters that can be used in place of pine and cedar. Here is a list:

- Aspen shavings: while these shavings do not have the oils that are toxic to rats, they are still somewhat dusty in my personal opinion. My rats sneezed with this litter.

- Carefresh: I have never used this, but know people who do, and who like it.

- Soft Sorbent: I used this one for quite some time. I liked it, and it does not have oils that are toxic to rats. And it is virtually dust free.

- Eco Bedding: This is the litter I use now. It is completely dust free, and the rats love it! They burrow in it, they bring it up to the top of their cage, they build nests with it and sleep in it. It is fun for the rats, though sort of messy for the human, as it just shredded paper and it gets everywhere! : ) Beware of the odor control version of this bedding though, as it has some chemical in it to control odor, and my ratties sneezed with it. My vet recommended me to use only the one without the odor control. On that same topic, it is not as absorbent or odor controlling as other litters out there, but I don't have the heart to change back to soft sorbent, because my ratties LOVE this litter so much. : )

I know there are other litters out there that I am missing. The biggest things to check for in a litter is to make sure it does not have the oils that are toxic to ratties, and that it is dust free.

Only Rat Lovers Would Understand...

My husband and I are big tea lovers and buy tons of different teas at a time. We went to Target today to buy tea, and there staring me in the face was a tea named Jasmine Blossom! My two rats, Jasmine and Blossom are sister's from the same litter and cagemates. Well, of course I screamed to my husband, "Oh my gosh, LOOK! Jasmine Blossom tea! We have to buy it, we just HAVE to!!!" He just shook his head, knowing how I am. Suffice it to say, we came home with the Jasmine Blossom tea! : ) I have no clue if it is good, or what it tastes like, but at least I have tea with my ratties name on it. Only fellow rat lovers would understand, lol.

Rats! Rats! Rats!

Hello and welcome to the The Flower and Izzie Spot - Everything Pet Rats! This blog is meant to be informative and fun! It will have information regarding rat ownership, such as health issues, information on veterinarians who will see rats, bedding, food, cages and rat hierarchy and personality. It will also be a lot of fun as well. I plan on posting fun stories about rats, pictures, links to videos, etc. If you have any stories you would like to post about your rats, or just stories about rats in general, have any health tips, have information on the vets in your area who see rats, would like to tell us about the funny antics of your rats, please e mail me at: flower.and.izzie@gmail.com, and I would be more than happy to post them on this blog! Don't forget to send in pictures of your rats as well! : )

A little about me and how I got started in the world of rats. Growing up, I had hamsters. I always loved my hamsters and it gave me a love of all small rodents. In 1992, I became a pre-school teacher. The administration asked that we all had a class pet (a small one). My mom had a friend who's rat had had babies. They were giving away the babies for free after 6 weeks old, and my mom asked if I would be interested in a pet rat for my classroom. I had never had rats before, but I loved rodents and was willing to try rats. My rat was a PEW (pink eyed white) rat, and just as sweet as could be. She was wonderful with the kids, and they adored her. She never tried to bite them, and she let them all hold her and play with her. I let the class name her, and being that I had a class of four year olds, they named her Whitey. : ) At the end of the school year, I took Whitey home with me, and she became my pet rat. She was wonderful!

Five years later I got an itch for another rat. I went to the local pet store and picked out a rat and brought her home. I named her Cappuccino due to her coloring. Unfortunately for both Whitey and Cappuccino, I was young and did not know that rats really needed a cagemate, so both were lone rats. I also did not know about pet store rats. Cappuccino was sick from day one with mycoplasma. I had a wonderful vet, and Cappuccino spent a lot of time at the vet's office and on antibiotics. Unfortunately she only lived a year due to her severe mycoplasma. She was just as sweet as Whitey and I adored her.

In 2007, after not having rats for about 9 years, I wanted to have rats again. This time, with the internet being a wealth of information, I did my research. I found out about pet store rats, and I found out about how social rats are and that they really need a friend. I found a good breeder about an hour away from me, and went and picked up two wonderfully sweet girls that I named Flower and Izzie. They were sister's from the same litter. They both stole my heart immediately, and I became a proud rat mom again. These two girls made me realize I never wanted to live my life without rats again (as heart breaking as it can be at times). Flower got sick early with an intestinal tumor, and died at one year and ten months old (our wonderful vet did a lot for her, but there is only so much that can be done with a rat who has an intestinal tumor). Izzie hung in there for quite some time after Flower passed. She died just shy of two and half years, due to complications of a stroke. I miss both girls very much, and thus, am dedicating this blog to my lovely girls who brought me back into the world of rats, and who made me very happy. I will tell their stories in another blog post.

While Flower was sick I started to look around for new rats who could keep Izzie company after Flower had passed. A friend had rescued some rats and was looking for a new home for them. I took them in just days after Flower passed. I named them Jasmine and Blossom in honor of Flower. After a two week quarantine, I did intros, and unfortunately, it didn't work out. Jasmine is a sweet rat, but very rat aggressive (not to Blossom, because they are sister's from the same litter and already lived togther) and injured Izzie so badly, she needed sutures. I still kept Blossom and Jasmine, and am very glad I did! They are sweet, and very funny. : ) In talking to some people on a rat list I belong to, I was told that adult lone rats sometimes do better with baby rats. Off to the breeder I went again and got 2 dumbo rat girls who were sister's from the same litter, whom I named Hoku and Nani (Hawaiian names, as my now husband and I got married in Nov. of last year and we were planning our honeymoon to Hawaii. Hoku means star and Nani means beautiful). Unfortunately that did not work out either, as Izzie was aggressive toward the babies. So, unfortunately Izzie lived the rest of her life solo. My husband and I gave her a lot of attention though.

So, I now have Jasmine and Blossom together in one cage and Hoku and Nani together in another cage. Jasmine and Blossom are one year and two months old and have been with me since August of 2009. Hoku and Nani are ten months old and have been with me since September of last year. Jasmine and Blossom are both all beige, though Blossom does have a white tummy. That is the only way I can tell them apart; their faces look identical. : ) Hoku is a black capped dumbo, with a white body, and Nani is a grey hooded dumbo.

That is my rat story! Thanks for reading my novel, and be on the look out for more posts here at The Flower and Izzie Spot - All Things Rats!!