PitLuvs
Well-Known Member
It pains me to write this...
Yesterday we said Goodbye to the our boy Stewart. After 3 weeks of battling an aweful URI with lots of ups and downs, I finally made the choice to end the suffering for him. Could he have gotten better? Maybe, but doubtful. Could he have easily passed away at home, alone in his cage without his loving humans to hold and love on him during his last moments? Very possibly. It's a chance I could not take, so we decided together that it was his time, time to be free. We miss him oh so terribly.
Early November, shortly after getting our first rats Sam and Dean, we found an add posted by SQ here on the rat shack for a lone 6month old boy who needed a home in Halifax. Turns out, he was bought as a friend for another pair, but they would not accept him. He needed a new home, so we decided to attempt to give him a forever home. Tarrah (a member on this board) was in Halifax at the time and with the help of her rescue, she got Stewart to Truro for us to meet her and pick him up. That was the day we also met up with another young girl who rescued Shai, and we took him home that day as well. Tarrah LOVED Stewart, and why wouldn't she? Stewart was well socialized, healthy, bright and full of beans. He was so affectionate and continued to be until his last day. Stewart was also the push over, the one rat in our home that accepted everyone. If all males were as calm and accepting as Stewart, we would all have colonies of 20+ males with no issues. That day he made the 4 hour trip with us, curled up in the box Shai came to us in, as Shai has kicked him out of the cat carrier :giggle: From that day on, we knew we would be so happy to have him in our home, and we were very very accurate on that assumption. Stewart was everything you could ever want in a rat, plus more.
Early Dec 2010, Stewart starting having issues with an URI, he's had them before. We fought hard with up all nighters, using everything we could possibly think of to help him breathe better and I figured we were finally getting somewhere. He didn't have an issue for over a week. But yesterday morning, he started to panic again and once I picked him up I knew, it was time. We got the first available appointment to take him in and were on our way.
Stewart was sedated first, should that not be enough, we were willing to go with the gas. Due to his extreme respiratory distress, we both felt (the vet and I) that gas would only upset him and due to his lack of oxygen, he would have to be exposed to it longer. He was given a sedation, and 15minutes later he was gone. I spent that 15 minutes telling him how great of a boy he was, how he loved us so much and we were so thankful for that. I told him he wouldn't feel pain anymore, and he would finally know what a full breathe of air felt like again. I told him Shai would be there, and for the love of God don't let him boss you around! I also told him that Cas was there, and he would show him all the neat things over the rainbow. Stewart was always best friends with Cas, they had such a bond. And lastly I told him I loved him and my heart would always have him with me, because I would not be loosing a piece of my heart that day, but allowing my heart to become bigger to allow him in. After that I gave him a kiss, and as my teardrop fell and touched his nose, Stewart stopped breathing. Leave it to Stewart to have an ending fit for the movies.
Stewart, I will miss you hun. You have fought so hard, and I wish I was more like you. Daddy wasn't there with you and I know you wanted him, but he was thinking and sending his prayers to you. Daddy loves you more than you know, all those nights he stayed up after working, and going 48hours without sleep because he was so worried about you. Both Daddy and I would do this all over again, without a second thought because you were worth it hun. As Kaleb said when we walked out the door yesterday...
"Bye rats, luv you see you soon!"
Stewart in his hammock, and the hammock we took along with us yesterday. He will rest peacefully forever in his first hammy.
Stewart when he first came home :heart:
Last Christmas
Peekaboo!
My water rat, how he loved being in the tub
Nomnom water!
Many nights we spent on the sofa, just like this after he got sick
All for Stew!
More flat rat He was the best at this, and giving kisses.
Our last photo, Stewart curled up with Daddy, taking a bath on his last morning with us :heart:
Yesterday we said Goodbye to the our boy Stewart. After 3 weeks of battling an aweful URI with lots of ups and downs, I finally made the choice to end the suffering for him. Could he have gotten better? Maybe, but doubtful. Could he have easily passed away at home, alone in his cage without his loving humans to hold and love on him during his last moments? Very possibly. It's a chance I could not take, so we decided together that it was his time, time to be free. We miss him oh so terribly.
Early November, shortly after getting our first rats Sam and Dean, we found an add posted by SQ here on the rat shack for a lone 6month old boy who needed a home in Halifax. Turns out, he was bought as a friend for another pair, but they would not accept him. He needed a new home, so we decided to attempt to give him a forever home. Tarrah (a member on this board) was in Halifax at the time and with the help of her rescue, she got Stewart to Truro for us to meet her and pick him up. That was the day we also met up with another young girl who rescued Shai, and we took him home that day as well. Tarrah LOVED Stewart, and why wouldn't she? Stewart was well socialized, healthy, bright and full of beans. He was so affectionate and continued to be until his last day. Stewart was also the push over, the one rat in our home that accepted everyone. If all males were as calm and accepting as Stewart, we would all have colonies of 20+ males with no issues. That day he made the 4 hour trip with us, curled up in the box Shai came to us in, as Shai has kicked him out of the cat carrier :giggle: From that day on, we knew we would be so happy to have him in our home, and we were very very accurate on that assumption. Stewart was everything you could ever want in a rat, plus more.
Early Dec 2010, Stewart starting having issues with an URI, he's had them before. We fought hard with up all nighters, using everything we could possibly think of to help him breathe better and I figured we were finally getting somewhere. He didn't have an issue for over a week. But yesterday morning, he started to panic again and once I picked him up I knew, it was time. We got the first available appointment to take him in and were on our way.
Stewart was sedated first, should that not be enough, we were willing to go with the gas. Due to his extreme respiratory distress, we both felt (the vet and I) that gas would only upset him and due to his lack of oxygen, he would have to be exposed to it longer. He was given a sedation, and 15minutes later he was gone. I spent that 15 minutes telling him how great of a boy he was, how he loved us so much and we were so thankful for that. I told him he wouldn't feel pain anymore, and he would finally know what a full breathe of air felt like again. I told him Shai would be there, and for the love of God don't let him boss you around! I also told him that Cas was there, and he would show him all the neat things over the rainbow. Stewart was always best friends with Cas, they had such a bond. And lastly I told him I loved him and my heart would always have him with me, because I would not be loosing a piece of my heart that day, but allowing my heart to become bigger to allow him in. After that I gave him a kiss, and as my teardrop fell and touched his nose, Stewart stopped breathing. Leave it to Stewart to have an ending fit for the movies.
Stewart, I will miss you hun. You have fought so hard, and I wish I was more like you. Daddy wasn't there with you and I know you wanted him, but he was thinking and sending his prayers to you. Daddy loves you more than you know, all those nights he stayed up after working, and going 48hours without sleep because he was so worried about you. Both Daddy and I would do this all over again, without a second thought because you were worth it hun. As Kaleb said when we walked out the door yesterday...
"Bye rats, luv you see you soon!"
Stewart in his hammock, and the hammock we took along with us yesterday. He will rest peacefully forever in his first hammy.
Stewart when he first came home :heart:
Last Christmas
Peekaboo!
My water rat, how he loved being in the tub
Nomnom water!
Many nights we spent on the sofa, just like this after he got sick
All for Stew!
More flat rat
He was the best at this, and giving kisses.
Our last photo, Stewart curled up with Daddy, taking a bath on his last morning with us :heart:
