Tyrion's Heartbreaking PT diagnosis! :(

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Its steadily slow. Each day he's less balled up when I wake him. He hasn't ended up somewhere hr can't move from since early in the week. He's able to walk a straight line in more then 3 steps.
The Dex is definitely helping. He ia groggy the first day and then slowly improves again over the next 4-5 days and then sort of plateaus.
I'm just happy I've gotten more time with him. Its been almost 2 weeks since the official diagnosis and he's still fighting. This is the longest I have had one go once I knew there was a problem.

I'm just waiting for him to tell me he's done. Today is a nice warm day so he's going for a drive with me. He loves to visit my coworkers at work and it may be his last chance so we're going to go!
 
I've been debating taking pictures of him in this state. I want to remember him as the big dumbo boy not this fragile scraggly boy. But he took a nap on my chest and I've never been able to take pics with him he's always been too busy to sit still with me!
So I jusr had to take advantage of this chance. My poor sleepy boy.
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Thanks all! Today we are losing this battle. He is mentally gone today. Just barely fighting to breathe. So the vet is on his way with the gas and injection to put him to sleep. The vet said its free of charge as Tyrion has become a very special patient and his first lifelong rat patient. He's just happy to have known him and learned a lot from him. He's happy to allow him to pass at home with us and his rat family.
I've said my goodbyes and shed my tears. We're all sad to see him go but glad we got 2 extra weeks with him!


UPDATE:
The vet came around 3:30 and came prepared for 2 things. He had one last trick up his sleeve. He gave Tyrion a SubQ injection as well as another shot. It was a bit of an experiment but so far its working. It was a dextrose type shot. Basically sugar water. Tyrion has been drinking his pedialyte and even urinated! He does have penis plugs now so thats another obstacle but he's still with us! He just sort of snapped out of it! He's having a nice nap now :)
 
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His furious appetite was back this morning and it made me think I should share my new favourite "tool" I learned this from the wildlife rescue. The disposable syringes aren't easy to eat from for such a weak sick rat. So using a nipple from a kitten/puppy nursing kit fits right on the end. Its easier for them to take a little at a time and slows the flow of both liquids and more solid mushy foods. This is Tyrion's

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Sadly but peacefully surrounded by all that love him Tyrion passed away last night around 9:15. He was pretty listless all evening and didn't even attempt to eat. My fiance went to the bathroom around 9 and checked in before coming upstairs. Tyrion was unresponsive and shallow breathing. We picked him up and sat with him. As we all kissed and scritched him he had one last moment of snuggles and passed away. Boots ever by his side. He was kissing his face and grooming him in my hands. Was very sweet. I will have to watch Boots closely for signs of depression and/or change in behaviour. I left the towel Tyrion had been sleeping in for Boots to snuggle with tonight. I know he'll miss him most.
Thank you all for your help through this tough time. I am happy to have had him 2 extra weeks for lots of special 1:1 time.

I will miss him so much! He was my first rescued baby (with Boots) and I have had him the longest! Rest well my sweet little Prince!
 
I feel so bad for Boots. He's just lost without his best buddy. Odin has been barbering him to half baldness. I've gotten him a few new chewy toys to see if he just needs a stress outlet. Poor Boots is bald behind his ears and along his spine. I have caught Odin doing it, that is how I know its him not self-barbering.
Should I intro a young/teen boy maybe with them and see if that helps drive Odin's attentions away from Boots and balance out their dynamic again? Or would that maybe make everything worse? I would likely intro Neo from the litter of 5 Boys I picked up from that attempted live freezing situation. He's 3 months, a tough little dude and they have all played before during free range. Odin is great with baby rats. Boots really could care less about any other rat, he's a Momma's boy and just sits in my lap these days when everyone else is hanging out, playing. I would obviously do it very slowly and ensure its a good happy fit for the group. Just feels off balance right now.
 
I have some shuffling of groups to do. I think Yoshi and Wally need to be separated now. When in a group of 4 they were fine and non-aggressive toward anyone outside their cage. But day 2 of just the pair and I got nipped hard this morning trying to hand out breakfast as well as Wally' s eye got a nasty scratch, well his eye area where it should be.
Looks like an eyelid slit again but scabby.

Boots liked playing with Neo on the couch. Odin just sniffed at him and went about roaming as he does now. He is getting more privilege to free run anytime someone is home. Though now he's too brave and heads for the back door. Which has been left open in the nice weather for the dogs to come and go as they please. He didn't go out but he was contemplating it.
So hoping in a week or so Neo can have some sleep overs with the big boys.

Yoshi (assumed to be an Atlantis Rat) may have to be a solitary rat unless he shows gentleness with the youngest boys. Otherwise he's unsociable. Wally will join Krieger the nakie as they have always gotten along in nakie brotherhood :) as well as Porter who just loves everyone as long as he gets his cut of the food! Haha
The 5 freezer babies are getting huge. I'm sending their Mom's rescuer an email update this week with pics so I'll post some as well in their thread! They are brave and gutsy and always hungry haha. Like 14 year old boys, only more like 14 weeks.
The 4 girls are all cheeky little ladies. Always looking for an adventure where they aren't supposed to be. They love red pepper which I give to the guinea pigs all the time for vit C, I have to remember how often they have ut because Bella started to turn a bit too pink. Being a nakie it shows! Too much red food. So this week was a red free week. Only greens and yellows. Had spinach, zucchini (yellow), and carrot tops.
Not sure what splurge/treat night will hold. Maybe some leftovers from wherever hubs and I go for dinner.
I always save my side of veg :)
Feels odd having only 19 rats in the house. I know for some thats a lot but for me being used to 25-35 usually 19 is a quiet house. But some recovery time is needed. And maybe some intros will make better use of the big cages and free up some smaller cages for newbies in a few weeks after I'm sure no one else is sick.
 
He is not. We contemplated it when he came in but he calmed down away from girls. I don't know his age and don't want to put him thru the surgery if he's near 2
 
If he is healthy and you have a good vet, a neuter might allow him to live with other rats.
Or you could try introing him to spayed girls.
 
The vet guesses he's almost 2. And doesn't feel comfortable doing a neuter at that age. He is still living with Wally as the introduction of him and Wally to Porter and Krieger went horribly. And he never stopped trying to pin the other boys and Porter seemed super depressed being moved into that cage. So we're just going to do some casual play dates in the playpen to get a sort of 'cage type' feel, as Yoshi is only aggressive toward other rats when its inside the cage. I even changed which cage he is in to see if that helped but he immediately went super territorial.
BOOTS loves Krieger and he had a sleep over lastnight with Boots and Odin and all went well. He was snuggled with Boots in Tyrion's old bed this morning. So Porter is having a playdate in that cage right now to see and so far not one peep and already seems more relaxed. He's buddies with Krieger.
Neo and Ashur are living with Kanunu , Batman and Danzig. And thats going so well. :) Kanunu and Neo are adorably friends now my Keanu Reeves boys.
I'm hoping this works out because that means we can empty some smaller cages and get rid of my least fave cage. Either make another cage out of it or donate it to the wildlife rescue. I hate cleaning the big cage I have. Just awkward and its not well built for how much I have to move it around. It gets pushed aside too often and I feel defeated trying to clean it.
Thought it would be my fave cage but its not. It was the one the SPCA donated to me.
I'd rather the cage go to the wildlife rescue then to destroy it.
 
I donated three cages to our local wildlife rescue when I purged recently. They came with some rescues, and I didn't want to sell them in case someone decided to keep rats in them - two were too small for rats! I was quite happy they could go to a good cause and get used.
 

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