# Did Someone Want a Rescue Story? Iris - No More Updates :(



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

My friend who runs a rescue got an email from a worker at a high-kill shelter who occasionally had rats go through, but it was an Animal Control and they didn't adopt out to the public any longer. The animals could only be pulled out through a rescue and rats were often euthanized after their stray period of 3 days was up (For anyone who remembers, Bronwen, Brie, Aura and her 4 girls all came from there). She heard about 2 single females who needed out, so she went to evaluate them since she was going to be in the area for a transport she was doing. One little girl was a healthy sweet mink hooded and she managed to find an adopter even before she picked her up, the other was Iris. 

Iris (my friend named her) was found on the side of the road by 2 kids on Fri., June 19th, and dropped off at the AC. She had blood coming out of her ear and fluids. My friend took some of my suggestions on what to look for, and when I asked if she would pull the wee sick beige hoodie, she told me "I don't know, I don't think anyone would adopt a sick rat sight unseen"...so I emailed back and said...Ummm..thats my failing. LOL

So she went and saw how sick she was, but the worker told her she had improved overnight, so we decided to give her a chance. I met her last night, and she is one very very sick girl. She has a small headtilt, a terrible ear infection that has likely gone systemic...blood poured out of her ear, she is soo weak and wobbly that she often just lay hunched in a ball on her side. BUT when you touched, held or cleaned little Iris she would brighten up, her ears would perk up and she would brux. Her body is so weak from this longstanding infection she also has a URI on top of it. The smell of the infection in her ear is horrifying.

I was sure she would pass last night, so I dozed and held her on my chest so she wouldn't be alone. This morning, she gobbled up a ton of ensure from the syringe and then I dropped her off at my vet's with exhortations to "really try to save her if possible". Iris is a young rat, she has baby feet and she's only 181 grams. She just looks old because of how ill she is.

My vet called me at work and we decided she would get her chance. She is already on baytril, but we are adding doxy, and tomorrow morning she will get 5 cc's of Ringers Lactate and a small dose of dexamethasone sub-cutaneously. I will take her to work and feed her as often as I can sneak into the bathroom. Her spirit is very bright and strong, we just have to hope it holds everything together until the abs can help her weak body.

Meet Iris, the tiny gentle fighter









Her ear









Able to scratch herself and make her ear bleed again :









Trying to groom

















She's too sweet :ratkiss:


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## adoraluna (May 9, 2009)

*Re: Did Someone Want a Rescue Story? Iris and her Battle*

It absolutely warms my heart that there are people like you in the world. Iris is a beautiful girl and I wish you and her the best in her recovery. Keep us updated!!!


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## Corpseflower (Jun 12, 2009)

*Re: Did Someone Want a Rescue Story? Iris and her Battle*

The poor girl.  It's great that you're giving her a chance and a loving home.


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## littlematchstick (Apr 12, 2009)

*Re: Did Someone Want a Rescue Story? Iris and her Battle*

aww, poor little girl. I wonder how long she was wondering around be for someone found her. You and her are in my thoughts.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

*Re: Did Someone Want a Rescue Story? Iris and her Battle*

Last night Iris slept in the hospital cage ON my bed (not on or near me)...I couldn't take the chance of her going walkabout. :roll: She figured out the cube very fast and was drinking out of a small waterbowl on her own. 

This morning she is tired, and wobbly. She only drank 3 cc's of the ensure/cat food mixture...and got her 5 cc's of RLS (ringer's lactate solution) and her dex. I am praying she's just not a Morning Rat...she seems to improve a lot after she's woken up.

Last night I had her on the couch with Mogwai, Molly and Valora...and I found her lying with her head over Valora's back...sooo sweet! Moggy would cuddle up to her sometimes and Molly just ran LOL.

She was even scratching with a hind leg, biting on the toenails and scratching again...a good sign! But maybe it was all too much for her body all at once. She's been sick for a long long time, and will have these periodic regressions, when she overdoes it. Like a person who had a long, virulent flu, it takes a while to recover.

I will pick up more Ensure on the way to work, and feed her soon after I arrive.

She's waking up a bit now...even let me have pics without heading back under the pillows...I bet she thinks its part of her treatment.  No bath needed this morning, she's not all mucky ;D


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## Siwain (Feb 25, 2008)

*Re: Did Someone Want a Rescue Story? Iris and her Battle*

Poor girl! :-[ She's so sweet and beautiful! And she's so lucky to have found you!!


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## ratastic (Jul 1, 2007)

*Re: Did Someone Want a Rescue Story? Iris and her Battle*

She's beautiful, I hope she will get better.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

*Re: Did Someone Want a Rescue Story? Iris and her Battle*

Iris was doing just great last night. She is much more agile and bright by far, the respiratory is diminished a lot, with teeny flareups of the sound, etc.
She is trying to climb things now









Last night I fell asleep on the couch and woke up to her sleeping...I am learning not to panic at HOW she sleeps








She will keep sleeping even in my hand 








but wakes up just fine in seconds...*whew*

This morning there was a setback. Woke up to her with an earful of dried blood, I am hoping she just scratched it again...she ate well (oatmeal, banana,soy milk and PB) her first more solid food. 









But now that I am at work with her, she's cleaned up her ear nicely and thesmell of infection is even less..woohoo!!

I guess I will just have to get used to regular mini-heart attacks with this girl LOL


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## CaptainFlow (May 16, 2007)

*Re: Did Someone Want a Rescue Story? Iris and her Battle*

What a cutie! That is an alarming sleeping position, but that picture of her waking up in your hand is just too precious!
Good luck with her, she sounds like a fighter.


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## Lea (May 15, 2009)

*Re: Did Someone Want a Rescue Story? Iris and her Battle*

Poor little thing, I'm rooting for her!


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## Corpseflower (Jun 12, 2009)

*Re: Did Someone Want a Rescue Story? Iris and her Battle*

Yay! Go Iris!


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## Maple (Jun 9, 2008)

*Re: Did Someone Want a Rescue Story? Iris and her Battle*

awww poor little girl...thats wonderful you are giving her a loving home.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

*Re: Did Someone Want a Rescue Story? Iris and her Battle*

I finally got the pics from a friend of mine. The rescue who picked her up on last Saturday and was half-way through her cleanup.

Wow I just got the pics from my friend of little Iris the day she was pulled from the shelter, and halfway through her cleanup.  (JUNE 20TH NOT TODAY) 


























And here she is sleepily trying to eat a bit of banana for me this morning...










I do have some concerns about Iris. Her eye is not getting better, I am using the ointment and keeping it moist but it may need removal or something later on. About food, she's very picky and only will take about 3-4 cc's every 3-4 hours during the day at work and only a little baby cereal/ensure/catfood at night, and nothing in the AM (she needs to sleep in).

She was 181 grams and is now 174 grams a week later, thats not too bad is it? :-\

So I ended up taking her to my vet after work

Well Dr. Munn is actually thrilled about her! As you know wee Iris loves to be held so when he came in the room and I was cuddling her, his heart sank. But then I put her down and she was moving around and acting normalish, he was relieved. He saw her almost on death's door 5 days ago and then today, so was ecstatic about the improvement.

We have switched her meds up, she is being pulled off baytril, we are going to continue with the dex and adding gentocin...giving her 3 cc's of RLS morning and night now, still taking the doxy, going to give her tramadol (mild opiate he's been using for rabbits and GP's lately) for a pain med...plus an eye lubricant to slather on that poor eye. She didn't get her dex this morning, and stayed more lethargic all day, plus pain may be making her not want to eat. Today there was definite signs of discomfort.

The ear was definitely a burst eardrum, and that is where all the issues lie. The front incisors are resolving themselves which we thought was neat! And her eye...its been lacerated and its hard and there's a protrusion, so Iris and I *may* be looking into an enucleation in the future but hopefully the eye will just shrink...its basically dead now. There is a smaller possibility of a surgery where he makes an incision down the ear so he can get to the inner ear, lances it and drains all the pus. He did this surgery (had a cool name I cannot remember now) on a rat years ago. Rat ended up having a tumour unfortunately.

I am going to move Iris to Valora and Moggy's cage since they will take care of her and keep her company and they are older so they sleep a lot like she does.  She's been having hours and hours of out time with them on the couch the last 4 days and they cuddled up to her and even licked her


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## Corpseflower (Jun 12, 2009)

*Re: Did Someone Want a Rescue Story? Iris and her Battle*

Those first pics are so sad.  Poor girl. I bet she's been through alot of pain. She's in my thoughts!


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

*Re: Did Someone Want a Rescue Story? Iris and her Battle*

She got all her meds including the gent and dex in last night's fluids, the new lube for her eye is amazing and works better than the medicated ointment (I will be using both). She perked up slowly over the evening.

She went in with her new friends last night with me anxiously watching for awhile.

This morning she's a new rat...less wobbly, back to bright and perky, and she gobbled down a whole pile of Ensure. She is now sleeping in the fleecy corner retreat with old Valora (not much longer for her, seems to have a hard growth starting up near her bad eye, giving her metacam ).

Iris ATE a lot of Ensure this morning, she had her nose stuck in the bowl for ages. Do you think the combination of pain, and possibly depression (no friends, and being sick) was the reason for lack of appetite?

Well here you go, nice morning pics

Her eye just looks better now









Her new home









Sweet nursemaid Valora (you can see her eye) and Iris









Mogwai (2 year old ex-feeder breeder, she wasn't producing so it was time for a snake's snack ), Valora, my old THS girl (amost 40 mo) and wee Iris 









;D


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## Whinnie (Mar 29, 2009)

*Re: Did Someone Want a Rescue Story? Iris and her Battle*

Aww Iris! I check this thread every day, the first thing I do on this forum. So wonderful of you to help a poor little rattie in need! She is adorable!


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## sk8rat (Jun 28, 2009)

*Re: Did Someone Want a Rescue Story? Iris and her Battle*

so cute


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