Please Do Not Do What I Did (Wispa) :/

[lilspaz68]

I feel wretched and guilty and I deserve it. Wispa is one of my Sugah's who has the worst lungs of the bunch, she also has tumours and early in July had a marking on her tail that I thought was a scrape. So I figured it would heal and since this little girl always ran at me, spinning to see me, and take her daily abs I never really looked at her tail...when I should've. Mistake #1.

Doesn't look like much does it?

She was acting the same, happy go-lucky little girl running around the livingroom...I saw a flash of red and grabbed her

So I thought maybe it was an infection, and since she was already on abs I started putting my beloved ointment Fuciderm on it.

July 18, the big scabs come off, and it seems like their is healing pink skin underneath. Notice the marks on the tail on the top right? :sad3:

Soon after then, I started thinking...hmmm...I wonder if its ringtail? I have never seen ringtail here (lack of moisture in the air or bedding that is too absorbent and pulls the moisture from the tail causing ring-like constrictions in wee babies and occasionally adults). I realized that my A/C has been running 24/7 recently due to the heatwave and it's been sucking the moisture out. So I started running a humidifier under their cage and using oil at night. And pain meds of course.

I was so worried about putting her through the stress of a vet trip, but I so wish I had MUCH earlier. Mistake #2. Its spread, so there's no chance of an amputation, her breathing precludes the surgery anyways.
I have decided that she is to be dropped off for euthanasia on Monday morning, as she cannot keep going this way. :sad-p:

this morning it is MUCH worse.
[spoiler:3rrg3bpj]

[/spoiler:3rrg3bpj]

IF you see an unhealing mark on a rat's tail, run him/her to the vet. It may end up needing to be amputated but if you get it before it spreads then you may be saving your rat's life. :cry:

 

[jorats]

Oh Shelagh, I'm so sorry. Many of us would have done the same as you. I have seen sores on tails and figured a bit of polysporin would clear that up, I was lucky and it did but I won't be risking it anymore. Wispa has helped us learn that tail injuries can be quite serious.

 

[mamarat]

How sad, I'm so sorry.

 

[Moon]

It doesn't look like any of the pictures of ring tail I've seen, I wonder if it could be anything else.

I'm so sorry Shelagh. Those Sugs are causing you so much heartache lately

 

[lilspaz68]

It doesn't look like any of the pictures of ring tail I've seen, I wonder if it could be anything else.

I'm so sorry Shelagh. Those Sugs are causing you so much heartache lately

The pics on ratguide are very minor...which is why I got fooled. In person you can see the contrictions/rings...I showed it to Dee yesterday and she thought it did too

Whatever it is, it's spread and is incurable now.

 

[Moon]

It doesn't look like any of the pictures of ring tail I've seen, I wonder if it could be anything else.

I'm so sorry Shelagh. Those Sugs are causing you so much heartache lately

The pics on ratguide are very minor...which is why I got fooled. In person you can see the contrictions/rings...I showed it to Dee yesterday and she thought it did too

Whatever it is, it's spread and is incurable now.

:sad3:

 

[Godmother]

I am so sorry. I had never heard of ringtail, and I would have thought as you did -- some kind of minor injury. Poor sweetie.

You mustn't blame yourself. There are so many unusual diseases that rats are prone to, and most of them I learn about only on this Forum. At least it sounds as if she is not in any real discomfort.

Thinking of you and your sweet Wispa. ((hugs))

 

[SQ]

Horrible that this has happened ... it is so hard when doing our best isn't enough.
I think anyone would have done exactly what you did.

I guess another lesson from this for people would be to keep a device that measures the humidity in the rat room and monitor the humidity level.

I am so very sorry. Please give Wispa a treat and a cuddle from me.

:hugs:

 

[Zooy]

Oh Shelagh! I'm so sorry!
Please don't beat yourself up over this.
Sometimes we see things after the fact.
Love you!

 

[Cigar]

Zooy's right, you can't hold yourself accountable for this. Any one of us would have popped her on abs and assumed it would heal up.. hugs to you and your baby. <3

 

[Fidget]

I'm so sorry hon. Had I seen that in one of mine I'd have been watching for it to bleed or fester and if it didn't I'd be thinking it
was in the process of healing.
I know the agony of learning later that something I didn't do earlier could have made a difference when I truly thought I'd done the
right thing all thru,..
So this is 'ringtail'? I've never even heard of it. And it's that deadly to them that it can kill a kid?
I'm so sorry for you & Wispa, and saying that some of us are shocked into watchfulness & education helps neither of you now, but Wispa might
give a re-birth to some kid whose person has seen this.
I hate to say, when you are grieving, but considering her overall condition this was a kindness that might otherwise have been withheld while
she suffered til death from another problem where you couldn't see her pain. Maybe god gave her a gentle 'out' and gave you a mission.
Noway is anyone gonna post a pic of a tail like that thinking it's a little owie without you telling them about Wispa, eh? I hope you see here
one day that someone got their kid to the vet cause they remembered reading this.
Run happy & unencumbered in Heaven now little Wispa. No doubt a healthy young kid or a few will get to have some good time here because
your mom will warn their mom about this. Let your mom know you were happy to go gently rather than suffer til death, ok?

 

[LA]

Aw hun I'm sorry, as everyone says it's a lesson for all of us, because we would have done the same.

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

:hugs: I'm so sorry Shelagh. I'm glad you posted this for a warning for us all.

 

[lj]

:hugs: So sorry Shelagh. I would have done the same thing.

 

[Maple]

Sorry for your loss Shelagh. I'm sure Wispa is feeling alot better now.
RIP

 

[rat.charmer]

I am so sorry

 

[Dahlas]

I am very sorry Shelagh. i have noticed marks on my rats tails and have never given them another thought. More times then not they are nothing....no one could have predicted this.....sometimes things just happen.

 

[violet976]

I am so sorry hun. I, too, would have done the same & overlooked it until it was too late. I cannot think of better hands for poor Wispa to have been in & unfortunately many of the lessons we learn come at all to high of a cost. I'm happy for the time she had with you, & her story is definitely one I will not soon forget.

Rest easy, sweet Wispa.

 

[BranwenR]

2 cent addition--I would consider the possibilty that this was just symptomatic of overall system failure. Any degree of heart failure, perhaps worsened by uri, will decrease perfusion and healing. I had an older boy rat that I failed to pick up on early heart failure with. The first thing I saw was a large non healing tail lesion. I really didn't realize what was going on until I was at the vet, who pointed out that the tail issue was the least of his problems :emb: Hindsight is always 20/20<<sigh>>

 

[Joanne]

So sorry that you lost your girl. I would suspect cancer. Did you get a confirmed diagnosis?
Ditto that I would have just watched it to see if it would heal...