After 15 or so minutes, she gave it a rest. There was no more gnawing sounds from her cage. I didn't think anything of it. This is her usual pattern. She gets a new Nylabone and goes chew-crazy for awhile (usually up to an hour) and then she goes and naps.
Ryan had been home that day, due to sleeping in late and just needing a day off. He was sitting at the computer playing games. I happened to walk past, but decided to see how little Tierna was. She wasn't hanging out in her box, she was low to the ground and kinda wobbling.
I look at her to see if she's playing with something I can't see. I squat down a bit to see she's kinda licking what appears to be a pea, a very slimy pea. I look closer at the "pea" to see it's really mucus that she has spit up. Rats aren't supposed to be able to throw up, or spit! What's going on?!
I tell Ryan to get over here and look at her. I am crying and I can't stop. I am just freaking out! What is that stuff laying on her bedding? Why is she moving so slow? Why is she breathing funny? What's happening to my baby girl?
Ryan looks over at her, and I try to pick her up, when I see it. She's got this HUGE growth on her neck... her throat. It's almost the size of her head! It's larger than her tumor. At first, that's the only thing I could think it was... a tumor. And then I thought she had something stuck in her throat because he breathing was different than normal.
I told Ryan to get offline and I called the vets. They told me to bring her in right away. It takes about 30 minutes to get there, so the lady at the vet's asked me if I could find a vet's that was closer. I said I didn't know of one that would treat rats, so we were going to come there.
Ryan prepared Tierna's "travelling box" and away we went. We got stuck behind a Muni that was going Soooo Slooooow. Finally Ryan darts around it when he gets the chance and it doesn't seem like we can get there.... Tierna isn't really moving. She's VERY sluggish.
My baby's windpipe is severly constricted and she's not doing well. I cry and cry. There's nothing I can do. I run inside the vets and let Ryan park the car. I race to the counter, and they take her away.
I stand at the counter, legs shaky, crying. I don't know what to do. They ask me if I need water, I decline. I sit down on the bench and just cry. I try not to think bad things, but that's all that's in my head. She's just gotten over her bacteria infections and now she's got a HUGE growth on her throat! I want her to get better so I can get her tumor removed. I want her to be healthy and happy.
Ryan joins me shortly and he asks if there is anything he can do for me. I just sit there. No... nothing can be done until I know how she is. Forever and a week go by, or so it seems, before one of the ladies at the front desk says that I can see Tierna and the doctor will be in shortly.
I sit in the exam room and wait for a shorter time than the lobby. The doctor comes in with Tierna (still in her box) under his arm. He sets down Tierna on the counter and he explains that he's been observing her (along with a fellow vet) for the last 15 minutes. In that time, she's gotten better, much better. It appears that she had an allergic reaction to the Nylabone (or at least that's what is suspected since that was the only "new" thing she has had).
Tierna's doctor and the other observing vet had never seen a rat have an allergic reaction before, so they weren't sure what was going on at first. By the time Tierna got to see me again, her lump on her throat was all but gone. She was acting like herself again and she even gave her doctor a few licks. He was amused by her. (I think he likes the fact that she's such a friendly rat even when she isn't feeling well).
The vet hospital didn't charge for emergency care, they just charged for a regular visit, which was cheaper, but still not cheap. I discussed Tierna getting her tumor removed and the doctor she sees has done several and he would doing hers. He has only seen one patient die from too much bleeding, because the tumor was too large. She'd have to stay at the vets for 2 or 3 days in an incubation chamber (is that what he called it? I can't remember now). The most dramatic thing about tumor removal surgery is having the little patient getting gassed. Their bodies are so small that it's dangerous for them... that's really my only concern as of now.
And then I'll have to pay again. Yikes! Tierna has turned out to be quite expensive, but I think she's worth it.
Carisa
Happy idea for today:
knowing your loved ones are okay
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