Axe - heart condition Update 1/1/15

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We have lost 2 more from that group, Kya same litters and momma Faith. Faith was Olivers momma. Sophia every so many weeks goes through a horrible gasping or open mouth breathing fit and irish is looking old. I have moved the handicap rats down to the living room so we can watch them more closely and spend more time with them since the 2 year mark is 2 months away. But they have mostly lved normal lives :) which i am shocked at. Even going at this age, it is a good thing considering how handicapped they are.
 
It's wonderful to hear that those babies are still with you, and have gotten to live a 'normal' life.
One of my girls had horrible lung issues, and as a last ditch effort she was put on Pred. It made a huge difference for her. Maybe it would help Sophia too?
Sorry you have lost Kya and Faith. :(
 
We have lost 2 more from that group, Kya same litters and momma Faith. Faith was Olivers momma. Sophia every so many weeks goes through a horrible gasping or open mouth breathing fit and irish is looking old. I have moved the handicap rats down to the living room so we can watch them more closely and spend more time with them since the 2 year mark is 2 months away. But they have mostly lved normal lives :) which i am shocked at. Even going at this age, it is a good thing considering how handicapped they are.

Oh wow, I had not even realized the boys are going to be 2 in two December.
 
Poor Axe is losing weight so fast, he is becoming a boney boy! However, he is still full of so much energy.... I have started grinding up oxbow and mixing it with baby cereal, powdered soy formula, and ensure. He seems to eat more if its mushy rather than hard... Of course, I have to try and sneak it into the cage before Peanut notices or the chunk monk makes his way to it...
 
It seems our boy is coming to the end. I thought I noticed a lump on his tummy yesterday and of course he was not having anything to do with me looking at it. I did think I felt a small bump, but it took both of us to look. I tried looking for a plug, but couldn't get his winky out, but there was some brown/black liquid that came out. He fought the whole time and ended up biting (yes biting, blood, hole in hand) daddy. After the ordeal his breathing was bad and his tail was cool. I don't know if he was hurting or felt suffocated with us holding him. Poor baby I just wish he'd pass peaceful at home....
 
Oh dear! Perhaps his bladder is blocked. Brown/black coming out of his urethra is very bad. :(

We're going to try and get him into the vet tomorrow. He is still active and eating though. I thought about putting him in the travel cage and see if he's urinating, but I hate to stress him anymore than he already is.
 
Give him some metacam if there is any swelling in his penis it should take it down so you can check it.
 
I don't think there is, but there might be some next to it. He's looking rough lately poor guy. If its a blockage he's not a surgical candidate - he won't make it. Throttle isn't doing good either he's actting the same as Popper and Axe with his breathing - guess all the brothers were doomed.
 
Axe went to the vet and no bladder problems. Of course, in his mood he had to be sedated to be examined. I have noticed he jumps and leaps a lot (shelf to critter pod/shelf to hammock) so perhaps his fragile body got injured. He is now on metacam in a higher dose and tramdol along with all his other meds. We will now modify his cage for a geriatic rat. He's lost 180 grams since August and is down to 548 grams.
 
He's still very energetic which makes this harder. We're hand feeding now since his brother's keep eating his baby food, etc and I thin he gets bumped out of the way. Peanut is just starving as you guys know he NEVER gets feed! I got him some probiotic yogurt to keeo things moving now that we added two pain meds. Vet said they won't interfer with the antibiotics.
 
Axe is still hanging in there, but he's looking a bit rough. He loves hanging out on top of the rectangle cube sent to us - in fact, I rarely see him off of it. He has trained daddy, when daddy is home he goes in there about every couple hours and finger feeds him baby food or cereal. He'll try to use the spoon, but Axe is insisting on the finger method only. I however, am not letting him get away with that - I am only up to holding the dish up to him so he can eat out of it. He is being quite the lazy pampered rattie.... Unfortunately though, I don't think he'll make it to Christmas, but since Thanksgiving is tomorrow our next goal is his 2nd birthday 12/20.
 
Axe is still hanging in there. He has daddy trained and is insisting on being finger or spoon feed. When I put the food in his cage he will jump down off the hammock to see what it is - if there is baby cereal or food the brat will jump back into the hammock and wait to be fed!!!! That doesn't always work with mommy since I know he can feed himself and is spoiled by the daddy man... He still fly our of hammocks and run for yogies stepping on and over his brothers... so all in all he's not doing to bad. Still losing weight though - he's all bones... We don't get them out much for out time because the freak and claw and we don't want to stress them - oh, and pee.... they just don't want to be held..
 
I know this might sound strange, but Axe seems more relaxed now that Throttle has passed. He's still a very sick boy, he's depressed, and he's not eating as much, but he's more relaxed. He was always watching over Throttle and taking care of him. So he just calmer now.
 
I wish he would eat!! Doesn't appear he touched anything in his bowl of veggies/fruit last night. He did eat a grape (handed to him), yogurt (bowl held for him), baby food (finger feed to him by daddy), yogurt covered raisin (handed to him), and yogies (handed to him) all while he laid in his hammock!! (made by Petunia) hmmmm, I think we're being played by King Axe ....
 
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