# Will have to have my 3 year old boy PTS probably this week..



## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

My boy Charlie is 3 years and 3 months old. He and his sister are the last surviving members of their family (mom and litter mates). After he is gone, just his sister will be left. He's beaten so many odds against him because he was born with Megacolon and has been having lifelong treatments and enemas since he was just a teeny tiny baby to manage his condition. I thought he'd live to be only a few months old at the most, but here he is, the oldest rat I've ever had/known! 

And the worst part is that the reason he's being pts could have been prevented. He had a tiny tumor start growing on his back before he hit his 3 year birthday. I figured he was going to pass away before the tumor ever became an issue, but now the tumor probably weighs as much as his body or more, and it's getting to be a huge burden for him. I wish I had taken the chance and had it removed while it was still small.. He is neutered and even though he was only about 3 months old during that surgery, he recovered wonderfully and in general is a very resilient boy, I think he could have pulled through the surgery just fine despite his age and I feel terrible now.. The tumor is so heavy and he has hind leg weakness which makes it even harder to get around. His breathing has been a little labored for a while now, and he's on ABs, but I think it's just a systemic strain from the huge heavy tumor he's forced to drag around.

I feel awful and I wonder how much longer he might have lived if I had just gone ahead with the surgery. The vets thought he would pass away long before it got to this size too so I agreed, but we were all wrong.

I just finished his enema for today and he did awesome like he usually does. Now he's bundled up in a towel on my chest as I type this. I'm sorry my little guy.. I should have given you that chance to try surgery since it's still the only tumor you have now. You probably would have recovered quickly and maybe even been one of those freak lucky rats to make it to 4! I'm still amazed you've made it all the way to this age. You're such a good boy. I'll always remember those bright happy red eyes, like firey little gems. They've dulled now and gone a bit cloudy from age, but I still see that shine from inside when you're feeling good and happy.

Born July 17, 2013 at home. I'll update when the day comes that he's pts. It just depends on how he's feeling, but it feels like it's going to be soon.


----------



## Asteria (Jul 6, 2016)

Don't blame it on yourself, getting to that age when he has with megacolon means you must have taken very good care of him. Surgery on rats certainly comes with complications, especially when it's elderly rats going under anesthesia.

Make sure you give him lots of cuddles and give him all his favorite treats, it's never easy watching an animals health deteriorate. Cherish all the memories he has given you ♡


----------



## Grotesque (Mar 19, 2014)

I'm so sorry to hear this and I know this is so hard for you.


----------



## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

I had Charlie put to sleep this morning. It was tough. Normally my husband is able to come with me and does the talking because I'm a mess and I cry in waves where I'll be sad but able to pull it together to talk and be ok, and then suddenly I'm just overwhelmed and I can't help it when this wave of emotion comes over me and I do the cry face and have to choke back everything and am not be able to speak.. I felt bad because I wasn't able to hold it back a couple times while talking to techs.. I'm sure they understood, but I still felt bad.

But Charlie definitely was ready and I always wish I had done it a day or two sooner. But now he doesn't have the labored breathing and the burden of dragging around that huge tumor anymore. He was such a great little guy. It's hard realizing that his bright eyed little face won't be looking up at me anymore when I poke my head in to say hello. And now just the sister Aoife is left alone out of the whole family. I will try to integrate her into the group of 4 younger rats we have and hopefully they will be ok. I bought Charlie's flower pot today after his appointment and will bury him tomorrow or this weekend. Thanks everyone for the well wishes. I can't believe my little family is almost all gone now.


----------



## Munchies (Nov 23, 2014)

My late rat, Burtney, had a tumor removed last week. A week later, she suddenly couldn't walk very well, stumbled, couldn't hold her food. She was perfectly fine the night before. It looked like symptoms of pituitary tumor. She was pts the next day. Had I known she would pass away in a week, I would have never brought her in for surgery and go through that pain and suffering from having to recover in the last week of her life. I also wonder if removing the tumor may have led to seeding of the pituitary tumor somehow. Had I not opt for surgery, however, I would've thought that removing the tumor may have saved her from developing a pituitary tumor. We don't have a crystal ball. Had you chosen to have the surgery, things could have gone wrong or sideways. Your boy lived to a very old age for a rat so don't blame yourself for not opting for tumor removal? Maybe this was the better choice - you'll never know. As for the crying in waves thing, I did the same yesterday when I had to put the girls down. I burst into tears and managed to muffle a "sorry!!" and felt rather embarrassed.  But I'm sure the vet and vet techs have seen it many times. 

I'm so sorry for your loss.  I'll be doing the flower pot burial soon too. Right now, the girls' bodies are in my freezer. Their sweet little souls are somewhere else, happily playing and exploring their new home. Maybe meeting Charlie for the first time!


----------



## Grotesque (Mar 19, 2014)

I'm so sorry.


----------



## Asteria (Jul 6, 2016)

You really did the best thing for him, he's in a much better place now. I'm so sorry for your loss, I can't imagine what you're going through.


----------



## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

I'm very sorry for your loss. You did the right thing for Charlie. You took exceptionaly good care of him; with his condition he was pretty much doomed to die very young but didn't thanks to you!


----------



## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

Munchies said:


> My late rat, Burtney, had a tumor removed last week. A week later, she suddenly couldn't walk very well, stumbled, couldn't hold her food. She was perfectly fine the night before. It looked like symptoms of pituitary tumor. She was pts the next day. Had I known she would pass away in a week, I would have never brought her in for surgery and go through that pain and suffering from having to recover in the last week of her life. I also wonder if removing the tumor may have led to seeding of the pituitary tumor somehow. Had I not opt for surgery, however, I would've thought that removing the tumor may have saved her from developing a pituitary tumor. We don't have a crystal ball. Had you chosen to have the surgery, things could have gone wrong or sideways. Your boy lived to a very old age for a rat so don't blame yourself for not opting for tumor removal? Maybe this was the better choice - you'll never know. As for the crying in waves thing, I did the same yesterday when I had to put the girls down. I burst into tears and managed to muffle a "sorry!!" and felt rather embarrassed.  But I'm sure the vet and vet techs have seen it many times. I'm so sorry for your loss.  I'll be doing the flower pot burial soon too. Right now, the girls' bodies are in my freezer. Their sweet little souls are somewhere else, happily playing and exploring their new home. Maybe meeting Charlie for the first time!


 You did well to take care of the tumor. Removing the tumor didn't cause the PT. Sometimes PT comes very suddently and the rat goes down hill before you can do anything at all about it


----------

