# V passed away from late onset Megacolon (or so we think). (Warning Graphic Story!)



## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

I was going to post this sooner, but I needed some time, and my two other boys needed it too. V passed away last week and two and a half years old, and it's probably one of the most grusome ways I've ever had a rattie pass away. The week before I did notice that he was getting chubbier and more round in the middle, and he was losing weight and muscle everywhere else. I didn't see him on the litter box as often (he's a super clean rat and one of the very few rats that always uses the litter box). I was going to be in Gainsville on Easter weekend, and due to V's condition, and my older rat I took all three rats with me so I could keep an eye on him. He still ate and drank normally. I came back on Sunday, and I went to work on Monday. I was planning on putting him down on Tuesday, but he didn't make it that far.

Warning: Graphic Story Ahead!

When I got home I saw him gasping for air and covered in his own feces. He was really cold, and I gave him a warm bath to clean him up and keep him warm. It was then that I noticed that his feces wasn't coming from his rear, but it looked more like his mouth. I did grab some Q-tips, and I cleaned out his mouth, but the stuff just kept on coming. It was a mixture of blood and what looked to be feces. That might have been the reason why he was gasping for air. He did pass away not too long after, and my boyfriend and I buried him outside next to Lynn, Evy, and the others. My boyfriend and I's guess is that something may have ruptured, and was causing everything to come out backwards. I was not going to take his body to the vet. The vet down my street isn't very knowledgeable when it comes to anything other then a URI with rats.

(Graphic part end.)

I just wish I could have come home from work and hour earlier. I might have been able to rush him to the vet and put him down there instead of having him pass away the way he did. I know his sister and him were probably overbred. They came from someone who dropped them off at my work place, and I know the guy who bred them had all sorts of colors and varieties. He had rats with tumors and feeders. I did try to Google V's case, but I couldn't find anything related to what he experienced. I know this may be a long shot, but has anyone had this happen to their rats with megacolon before? 

RIP V
You were my bipolar rat that trusted no one, and protected his sister dearly.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

I'm sorry for your loss. You did all you could, but if he had bad genetics because of overbreeding then there was absolutly nothing that could have been done. Feeder rats are very prone to genetic defects as you mentioned it- don't feel bad for being at work- none of it was preventable. So sorry


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## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

We once had a high white rat that was most likely one of two survivors of a litter that went south due to megacolon. She lived about two years and died of a mammary tumor. For the most part, genetic megacolon begins at or about the time that rat pups start to eat solid food. Sometimes, and somewhat rarely, megacolon can start after a couple months. Also, megacolon is typically associated with high white traits. That's not to say that all or even most high whites will get megacolon, but I can't think of a single case where I have seen it in rats that were not high white. I have also never heard of a case where the onset of megacolon took 2 1/2 years. That's not to say it can't happen, there are probably lots of things I've never seen or heard of, but it would be unusual, to say the least.


2 1/2 years is a pretty good lifespan for a rat. There is absolutely no doubt that something went terribly wrong with your rats digestive system. It could've been a tumor, and I'm sure the rat health experts here can come up with any number of other reasonable explanations. I think if you're rat was 2 1/2 years old you did a great job of taking excellent care of him.


Sadly, most rats with megacolon don't come from feeder bins or pet shops. They come from any number of otherwise ethical breeders. Frankly, our high white rat Amelia was spectacular. She was huge and anyone that saw her would instantly fall in love and try to touch her. Even people that didn't like rats were enchanted with her. We adopted Amelia at seven months old breaking every rule that we have about only adopting rat pups. So I know that I am not immune to high white charm. I think that some breeders just don't know better, where they think they are going to get lucky or worse yet, they think they are going to be the first breeder to breed megacolon out of their particular line of high white rats and perhaps, some breeders don't care about the rats that die because they can sell the ones that survive for top dollar. Feeder breeders aren't likely to mess around with high whites. It just doesn't make sense to breed snake food that isn't going to survive long enough to be fed to a snake and snake owners don't pay extra for pretty rats. Again that's not to say that someone who breeds feeders might not mess around with high whites too if they sell rats as pets too. V doesn't look high white from the photo, but I'd have to see his siblings to know for sure if he has high white genes.


To be honest, when you describe the place you are rat came from, I think you got pretty lucky and I think you must have really taken excellent care of him when you consider he wasn't bred for longevity.


I'm very sorry for your loss. V sounds like a very special rat and I'm sure he was loved. You did a wonderful thing by rescuing him from his terrible fate. I wish I could say I knew why he died, but the two things I would rule out is improper care and megacolon. And of course I mean megacolon as a genetic predisposition.

This was Amelia...









For the most part you would want to avoid any young pups that look like this or from litters with parents or pups that look like this, (there are other telltale signs of high white which you can research, if it matters to you) but once the rat is over a few weeks old, you are pretty safe... after a few months, a high white is just about always going to live a perfectly normal and happy life.

Again, I'm saddened by your loss.


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