Marty ???- August 2nd 2013

:sad3: I saw Marty and his cage mate Hamlet at the pet store a little over 2 weeks ago and they both stole my heart. I brought them home and after bringing them home it appeared Marty was very ill. I tried asking for help on the forum and also brought him the vet in a last effort to save him. He has paraphimosis and was infested with lice. My vet gave me advantage multi for a kitten and told me to use 1 drop every 2 weeks. I gave him his first dose the other day. The Paraphimosis was the worst problem. I used ky Lubricant and polysporine for kids with anesthetic in it to try to get his penis back inside. I did this under vet advice and she told me to do it every time I saw it come back out. His penis would not stay in no matter what I tried. She gave me a steroid cream and told me I could also use a cream for hemorrhoids on him also along with infant ibuprofen to help with the pain, so I did what she said. Last night I spent a couple hours with him he lied on my hands breathing heavily and was in so much pain after I tried to gently get his penis back inside him again as it was drying out and irritated (very red). He was in so much pain he was breathing rapidly to the point he was convulsing. I called the ER vet and they told me there was really nothing they could do after I explained the situation and there was no exotic vet on call or in the after hours (this was at 2 am). He started to get up and walk around so I figured he was okay and I put him back in the cage with Hamlet. I went to go check on him first thing this morning and he had passed. :'( I am so crushed, I tried everything I could to save him. RIP Marty. We loved you very much even though we only had you for a short time. :sad3:

Rest well Marty.... Play hard at the bridge.

:heart: :sad3: RIP beautiful baby :sad3: :heart:

I am very sorry for the suffering Marty endured.
I offered you meds several weeks ago for Marty when he was suffering re respire. issues
and many people on here told you that he needed to see a vet and get meds.
You decided not to get the meds from me and not to take him to see my vet.

You posted about his paraphimosis but did not post that there was a continuing problem or ask for more help/info when the situation did not resolve.
It is not uncommon for boys to get that and with proper treatment they recover.

I am sorry that Marty suffered so much.
It sounds like he died from the untreated URI, likely gasping for breath

I am very very sorry Alex
I hope that you find a better vet and that you provide any other rats with immediate vet care when they need it.

RIP baby Marty

You need to change vets Alex. Marty should not have died. I'm very sorry this happened.
Poor little Marty.

Play hard at the bridge, sweet baby.

This makes me so sad. Marty was way too young to die and no rat should have to suffer like this. Rest easy sweet Marty. You were just beautiful. :sad3:

SQ said:

I am very sorry for the suffering Marty endured.
I offered you meds several weeks ago for Marty when he was suffering re respire. issues
and many people on here told you that he needed to see a vet and get meds.
You decided not to get the meds from me and not to take him to see my vet.

You posted about his paraphimosis but did not post that there was a continuing problem or ask for more help/info when the situation did not resolve.
It is not uncommon for boys to get that and with proper treatment they recover.

I am sorry that Marty suffered so much.
It sounds like he died from the untreated URI, likely gasping for breath

I am very very sorry Alex
I hope that you find a better vet and that you provide any other rats with immediate vet care when they need it.

RIP baby Marty

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I brought him to my vet a couple of days after I spoke with you. She is not a exotic vet and she is not very good with rats. I put out over 400 dollars in vet bills just in two weeks for him and sold my own personal things to try to save him. I did everything in my power and knowledge to save him. Please do not judge me. I tried and this has been extremely hard for me to deal with.

How is Hamlet doing? I imagine he misses his buddy.

AlexandraBoo said:

I did everything in my power and knowledge to save him. Please do not judge me. I tried and this has been extremely hard for me to deal with.

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No, unfortunately, you did not.
You decided not to get the meds I offered and you decided not to take him to my much more experienced vet,
I assume it was because it would have required you to drive two hours to get here and not the cost since you say you did have the money to take him to a vet in Moncton.

I told you what meds it sounded like he needed. If you did take him to the vet after you spoke with me, I do not understand why you did not make sure he was given the meds I suggested - particularly since you don't believe your vet knows much about treating rats. Anyway, it is much too late now ....

As Jorats said, Marty should not have died and I too hope that you change vets.
I also hope that when there is a problem you will post if it doesn't clear up
and that you will follow the suggestions made by more knowledgeable rat owners.

I hope Hamlet will be ok, he must be lost without his brother.
and I am very sorry that Marty died. :sad3:

I hope Hamlet is doing okay? I am sure he misses his brother. I know how very hard it is to lose your baby, and I send my sympathies to you. I know how sad you must be right now. Marty was just such a sweet looking boy. At least you know he is resting easy now and playing free at the Bridge.

:hugs: to you.

I'm really sorry that you lost your little baby and that he endured so much suffering because your vet wasn't sure how to treat him. Sometimes we learn lessons the harder way, although we never intend for it to be that way. I'm sure that Marty knows how much you love him and tried to care for him. He is at peace now. His little brother will need lots of TLC from you at this time. Please heal soon - we learn as we go along. Take care.

SQ said:

AlexandraBoo said:

I did everything in my power and knowledge to save him. Please do not judge me. I tried and this has been extremely hard for me to deal with.

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No, unfortunately, you did not.
You decided not to get the meds I offered and you decided not to take him to my much more experienced vet,
I assume it was because it would have required you to drive two hours to get here and not the cost since you say you did have the money to take him to a vet in Moncton.

I told you what meds it sounded like he needed. If you did take him to the vet after you spoke with me, I do not understand why you did not make sure he was given the meds I suggested - particularly since you don't believe your vet knows much about treating rats. Anyway, it is much too late now ....

As Jorats said, Marty should not have died and I too hope that you change vets.
I also hope that when there is a problem you will post if it doesn't clear up
and that you will follow the suggestions made by more knowledgeable rat owners.

I hope Hamlet will be ok, he must be lost without his brother.
and I am very sorry that Marty died. :sad3:

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The first vet I saw for his myco was an exotic vet, she put him on zithromax, she advised me to use the polysporin to gently get his penis back inside him with some lube if needed. I did what she said. After a few days of it not getting better I had to bring him back and I was short on money this time so I was only able to see a normal vet who offered to look at him for 60 dollars. I brought him in and she gave me a steroid cream for his penis. 2 days later he was a lot worse. I did everything I was advised to do and I feel really awful with you trying to make me feel worse. It all happened very quickly and it was very late at night when he started showing signs of discomfort (he was seeming to do better the day before) and there was no exotic vet on call. It would have cost me 250 bucks to see a vet in the early am of the morning. I comforted him and was with him most of that night and I did all I could. Please do not tell me I didn't. You offered me medication at a 2 hour drive (would have cost me over 50 dollars in gas in the SUV) I asked advice from an exotic vet who told me Zithro due to his age would be better for him and work quickly. You told me I would need to put him on another medication other than baytril. I would have had to drive a 2 hour drive, pay to see your vet get meds from you and it would have cost me about the price I paid to see the exotic vet the first time at elmwood vet. So please do not tell me I refused help. I chose to go to a vet I thought was good. The second vet I saw was not experienced with rats and was not able to help much other than offer me the same treatment they used in dogs for paraphimosis, I would also like to add that this was not a normal case of paraphimosis, I was told he was not swollen and it was a genetic condition she said it may be mega colon, it was not easily treatable as far as what I was told (this was very hard for me, I felt helpless). His penis was ALL the way out all the time. She said she could do surgery but because he was in such frail condition when I got him he had a high chance of not making it through, he was very thin (when I got him), I gave him ensure to thicken him up and it worked a little. Which is hemorrhoid cream and topical steroids. Every time I post on here I get extreme judgment and I feel its a bit cruel due to the fact I was very attached and loved Marty very much. I cried for a long time and I am still feeling terrible about it. I swear on my sons life I did everything in my power to help him!

Vladina said:

I hope Hamlet is doing okay? I am sure he misses his brother. I know how very hard it is to lose your baby, and I send my sympathies to you. I know how sad you must be right now. Marty was just such a sweet looking boy. At least you know he is resting easy now and playing free at the Bridge.

:hugs: to you.

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Hamlet was grieving the loss of Marty. A person I knew from Halifax had a couple of males she was trying to give away for snake food to another person I knew and I went and got them. Hamlet and the other 2 are getting along great. I sanitized the cage and washed everything in vinegar and water, all the hammies, and bathed hamlet before introducing them yesterday. I didnt want hamlet to go without a friend but I also didnt want to separate these two guys and have one be given away for snake food. One of them is a biter but he seems okay with me. Both adults.

Oh that is terrific that Hamlet has some company...I bet that makes you feel a bit better that he is not lonely right now. I am glad he is settling in with his new brothers.

I am sorry for your loss. play hard, little boy.

Alex, I am sorry you had to go through this. But please let this be a lesson to not go to a vet that doesn't know anything about rats. Even if it is cheaper it will likely cost you more in the long run, as it clearly has.

Zithro is a good medication for younger rats, but since it was not enough it is likely he should have been on Zithro + doxy. If you had requested that within a few days of the initial vet visit you likely would have just had to purchase the meds or pay a smaller fee for a "follow up" visit.

As for his penis issues, I've never heard of megacolon presenting that way, and you would have seen an obviously distended abdomen and he would have had trouble pooping. I'm not sure which vet told you megacolon was an option but if it was the second, I would throw that advice out the window.

That said, please start putting money aside for your remaining boys for vet emergencies. You know that this sort of thing happens with rats all the time and you of all people should have been prepared to have very very sick babies since they were quite young and purchased from a pet store. If, some how, megacolon was a factor you will have to keep an eye on Hamlet as well - if you truly think there was a genetic issue at play be prepared to have a hard road with him.

Finally, the only medications for topical parasites that are recommended for rats are Revolution and Ivermectin. If any vet recommends advantage again, run away.

I am so very sorry for your loss of Marty :heart: He is now playing pain free at the bridge! I am so glad to hear that Hamlet now has new friends hope all is well with everyone :hugs: