# Lost Reston :(



## ponderosa (Oct 13, 2014)

This week we lost Reston, who was our black Berkshire male. During most of the time we had him, Reston was very shy and anxious and didn't seem to want much to do with people. Once, he bit me. We figured that he might have been handled roughly before we got him. However, in recent months, Reston seemed to start liking people more and was better tolerating being held. 


Warning: below is a discussion of somewhat disturbing veterinary/medical issues. 

Reston developed some sort of facial abscess very suddenly. It pretty much swelled up overnight. During multiple visits to the emergency vet, Reston was given antibiotics, which seemed to have no effect on the abscess. Since my regular vet was away at a conference this week, I ended up taking Reston to another veterinary office that had experience with exotics. By this time, Reston was lethargic, unkempt-looking, and smelling pretty bad... he smelled like an infection. The vet tech told me that they would probably try to lance the abscess. However, when the vet came out, she told me I might not want to look at him because she had tried to remove the abscess, and it left Reston's jawbone exposed. I was horrified. I was given the option of bringing him home with an E-collar and meds, or euthanizing him. I was also warned that especially if it was caused by a dental problem, the abscess would likely recur. And they said the abscess wasn't like anything they'd seen before. Sending him home in the state he was in seemed like it would leave him in a lot of pain and be an infection waiting to happen. I spoke with my husband on the phone and we decided to let him go. 

Before it was time to say goodbye to Reston, they brought him back out to me. He was raising his head up and wanted to be petted. So I was petting him gently on the head and trying not to look at that side of his face. And then I didn't want him to be hurting any longer.

Since then, the whole thing has been on my mind... and it makes me question that vet and whether there was any way to help Reston without removing that much tissue. They said they gave him something for pain but the thing still haunts me. Also, I think his two cagemates are grieving... they haven't been grooming themselves all that well and they've been bickering.


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## ponderosa (Oct 13, 2014)

I forgot to add that when I came home with Reston's body, my husband said that he'd rather not get any more rats for a while. Sadly, I think I'm inclined to agree... they make great pets, but they keep breaking our hearts by getting sick and dying (or in the case of one of our rats, suddenly dying without explanation).


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

I'm sorry for your loss, you did your best for Reston. Whether the vet could have done better, that I don't know. However, you did your best and that is all you could have done anyway. You had to trust that vet, as Reston needed you to give it a shot. Have you let your other rats say goodbye to Reston?


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## ponderosa (Oct 13, 2014)

Thank you. Chances are the vet was trying her best too and may not have seen how much damage would have been done to his face. My other rats haven't seen Reston after we brought the body home (I wasn't sure that was a good idea), but they were together in the cage before I took Reston to the vet that last time. They were acting protective of him because they knew he was sick. And I think Reston knew he needed help, because even though he was the shyest, squirmiest rat, he came up to the cage door and let me take him out without a struggle.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

Some rats gain from seeing their dead friend. They seem to understand death well, and that helps them understand that their friend won't come back. When my rat died, I let her sisters check her body- they groom it for about 20 seconds and moved on.


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