His episodes of gasping for breath were getting longer and more frequent. Yesterday afternoon he had one which lasted over 30 minutes, and he’s had a couple in the last few days that were almost as long. He is clearly very distressed during these episodes. At other times he was mostly just lying down; he rarely walks around and explores things any more. I made the decision after his long gasping episode yesterday.
The vet was busy so we were waiting in the exam room for about 40 minutes. At first he was a little freaked out being in a strange place, but after a couple of minutes he settled down and rested in my arms while I petted him for the whole 40 minutes. His usual doctor wasn’t in the office so this was a vet I hadn’t seen before. She was very sympathetic and handled it well. After she gave him the shot, he climbed back into my arms and died there. Damn, I’ve had 14 rats die, but this doesn’t get any easier.
One interesting thing – when I’ve had the rats on the couch lately, Frodo has also seemed fairly lethargic, mostly lying down next to Bilbo. But last night and this morning, without Bilbo there, he’s been more active again. I think he was just keeping Bilbo company.
I’m so sorry to hear about Bilbo, but it sounds like you gave him a wonderful life. I’ve never known a rat, but the videos of yours are very cute! May he rest in peace.
And the other shoe has now dropped. I had Frodo euthanized two days ago. He was starting to have difficulty breathing, similar to what happened to Bilbo. He was also pretty lethargic most of the time, although he still seemed to enjoy sitting in my hand and getting squeezes. That made it hard to make the decision, but his breathing distress finally became too much. I am amazed that he lived as long as he did – 3 years and 5 months. That’s 7 months longer than Bilbo, who was born at the same time, and is the longest that any of my 15 rats have ever lived. Frodo had a very strong and distinctive personality, and it’s sometimes hard to believe he’s gone.
I’m taking a pet break for now to think about what I want to do. I’ve been thinking about whether I want a dog, but I love rats so much I think I’ll probably get a new set of rats at some point.
Rats are wonderful pets. I have very fond memories of my pet rats. They really don’t live long enough, it is just sad. My last rat free ranged in my library (not recommended for book lovers). Would emerge when I called her, from wherever, to come say hello.
My Aussie dog Bonnie will be 17 this month. She is still perfectly cheerful and sane if rather vague. I’ll sure miss her when she goes.