In a bit of shock right now (two new rescues)

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Happi Wolf

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2008
Messages
204
Location
CA
Hi everyone! :wave:
Wow, it's been a long time since I posted on this forum. I believe the last time I was active was in 2009. I have two new rescues right now; Opal is a burmese and Madeline is a siamese. I was looking for a female to bond to my 1 year old girl who lost her cagemate a few months ago. They are 4 months old. I got them for $5 from a lady I found on craigslist. They are both super sweet and I'm so glad I stumbled across them.

I wish the story stopped there, but that is just the beginning.

The lady said her apartment was being fumigated and she needed them gone that day. She had a lot of rats and they were outside in cages which she claimed was temporary. She told me Opal was being picked on and had chewed up ears. I saw a picture and it seemed to be the case. I agreed to take her because I have a soft spot for special needs animals. Then she mentioned Opal is very bonded to Madeline and I could have her for free :sad-p: So I had to take her as well of course.

I noticed pretty much immediately when I got home that Opal's ears are not from being chewed on. They have crusty mounds on the outer edge but not rips or tears. I looked online and it seemed to be caused by a certain kind of mite. With her ears as bad as they were and painful I decided I would take her to an exotic vet instead of trying to treat it on my own.

Here is a picture of her poor ears:
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Fast forward to today, the girls were seen by a vet. Little did I know that Madeline is in the worst shape. She is thin (quite a bit more than Opal). During examination she pooped on the vet who became concerned due to how runny it was and went to look at it under a microscope. She came back and said Madeline has "the most Giardia I've ever seen." :sad3: That explains her poor condition. She also has a bit of the crustiness starting on one of her ears. Poor Opal doesn't just have mites apparently. The vet believes the state of her ears are a combination of mites, flystrike and infection. She likely has giardia as well.

To be honest, I didn't even know rats could get giardia! You never hear about it. So after $230 I now have a pharmacy of medications for them. Here is what has been prescribed:

*Revolution - for the mites
*Flagyl - for the giardia
*Clavamox - for skin infection
*Benebac - probiotic for the giardia and flagyl treatment
*Silvadene - for Opal's very sore ears

I'm going to send the previous owner a text and tell her the condition they are in. I really hate confrontations but I feel it needs to be done. Other people have taken her rats and they are probably completely oblivious to the fact their new ratties likely have giardia and mites. It's pretty sad because apparently this lady used to breed and show rats. I wonder what changed? Now they are in such poor condition.
 
This is so sad. Her ears bring a lump to my throat. I'm so pleased and happy that they're with you now - safe, loved and well taken care of. Thank GOD for people like you! Give them scritches from me and I completely agree 100 percent about telling this lady that her actions are just not acceptable. Who knows, it's entirely possible that she will take your words on board and snap out of it so no more rats are suffering under her 'care'. She needs to be told and while I would hate to do it, I would with no hesitation. It's unacceptable.

I don't know how the rules work where you are but is it possible you can report her for neglect so these rats are removed from her residence? Here in the UK, the RSPCA would investigate and take them away from her. She would possibly face prosecution too and a ban on having any more animals for years. Good luck! Someone's gotta speak up for these poor babies.
 
Oh my goodness...those poor rats! These two sure are lucky you came along for them. Sometimes revo doesn't work on ear mites and you might need ivermectin, just keep that in mind. Hopefully you'll get those girls back in shape in no time.
 
This is so sad. Her ears bring a lump to my throat. I'm so pleased and happy that they're with you now - safe, loved and well taken care of. Thank GOD for people like you! Give them scritches from me and I completely agree 100 percent about telling this lady that her actions are just not acceptable. Who knows, it's entirely possible that she will take your words on board and snap out of it so no more rats are suffering under her 'care'. She needs to be told and while I would hate to do it, I would with no hesitation. It's unacceptable.

I don't know how the rules work where you are but is it possible you can report her for neglect so these rats are removed from her residence? Here in the UK, the RSPCA would investigate and take them away from her. She would possibly face prosecution too and a ban on having any more animals for years. Good luck! Someone's gotta speak up for these poor babies.

Well, I did send her a very lengthy text detailing all that is wrong with them, the amount of money I had to pay and how saddening their condition is. She responded just now. It wasn't the super apologetic response I was hoping for. The one where she acknowledges her wrong doing.

Instead I got: "Ok thank you. I got her from a breeder not to long ago. I sorry. I will get a hold of the others"

:pffft:

I'm not sure I believe this story of recently getting Madeline from another breeder. It's very convenient. Also, I'm pretty sure I remember her saying she was the breeder of Opal and Madeline. I distinctly remember her telling me they were born pretty much at the same time but were from separate litters. They are so bonded because they were raised together. That would mean that both girls would have been from this other breeder, but she only mentions one.

I was planning on contacting animal control if she didn't respond or was defensive and rude. Now I'm not really sure what I should do. She did respond and apologize, but I don't really feel like it's genuine or even truthful.

Oh my goodness...those poor rats! These two sure are lucky you came along for them. Sometimes revo doesn't work on ear mites and you might need ivermectin, just keep that in mind. Hopefully you'll get those girls back in shape in no time.

Thanks for the heads up! Hopefully the revolution works. They will get it once every 2 weeks for 3 doses. The vet said if there isn't any improvement in 3 weeks to bring them back for a re-check. I hope I can get them better. They are so sweet... they deserve to be happy and healthy. It's so sad to watch Opal's little ears quivering out of discomfort. Thankfully the Silvadene seems to be offering her some relief.

I will try to get a picture of Madeline. She's a very curious girl so it's hard to get one that isn't completely blurry. :laugh2:
 
I think that you are very brave! Planting seeds can be very powerful and it sounds as though you certainly did that. Well done. Keep us updated with pictures on your babies. That little one with the poorly ears is just so precious, I've been thinking about her sweet face all day! She's got a much to look forward to and enjoy now and so do you. Thanks so much for taking care of this sweet girl xx
 
Opal has had quite the transformation already!
One dose of Revolution, 1 week of antibiotics and silvadene applied to her ears daily and they look normal again. Still a bit red in the places where the crusty mounds fell off. I'm super happy! I didn't expect to see such amazing improvement so quickly.

With her transformation comes a new name; Tootsie! :cloud9:

28343523996_0e5ee41c76.jpg
 
Tootsie :lotsohearts: Your ears are so pretty and dainty now. This is a great update - thanks so much for posting! I've been thinking about her actually. Really is down to your kindness and love, you've done a seriously great job, well done!

She has the most pretty little face too. Love her name, suits her perfectly. How did you come up with it lol?
 
She looks like a cute fuzzy little Tootsie Roll! So adorable :D And you've done such a great job with her. Congrats on the happy rattie!
 
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