Tail Amputation

[lizmo1221]

It looks like its healing well. Tail amps heal easily.

And Liz your rats LIKE metacam? It may smell nice but there's some nasty aftertaste to it and rats often will give me "metacam face" and rub their chin and their paws on things so they don't have to lick it off themselves. When I meet a rat who likes metacam I thank my lucky stars!!!

I guess I will count them! I have had very very good luck with medicating here. Whenever I have had to medicate anyone with baytril, metacam, doxy, baby advil, what have you, I have been met with enthusiasm. Rats grabbing syringes like they were treats, gobbling them up, etc. Actually, I have had to take rats out of the cage to medicate sometimes because all the rats in the cage will all go for the syringe, and everyone gets a little medicated lol.

The only exception to this is when Libra was very sick in December. She refused all meds and food, no matter what I did. All her life she was awesome to medicate, but I think at that point she had given up the fight

 

[Joanne]

Her tail looks awesome! I love the blue sutures - makes it easy to tell if they're still there and easy to take out.

 

[Exodog]

I just read this thread!
Oh the poor sweetie! I would looooosseee my STUFF if that happened to any of my ladies, but I think I'd end up in a sort of panicked pseudo-calm to get them through it.
Also, SCISSORS?!?!?! WTF!?! How can someone DO THAT?!?! The thought alone turns my stomach!

Anyway, I'm really glad to see she's doing so excellently. Top notch rat-Mum job!

 

[Dazzle87]

Yeah it is nice that they're hard to miss, I'm amazed they're still there to be honest though! They're actually dissolvable although they show no signs of dissolving quite yet.

Aww thanks, yeah it was terrible, I was a wreck, but it is all good now at least Missy has adapted just fine, she's probably wondering why I'm doting on her haha. Hopefully you never have to deal with this though.

 

[Exodog]

I hope no one ever has to, but unfortunately, accidents happen. At least I now know what would need to be done should something like this happen.
That's what I love the most about this forum; you learn from the experiences of others, whether they be excellent or terrible. I think we're all a little better off (and our kids too) for being a part of a community like this where everyone is so willing to share tips and helpful advice.
Three cheers for the shack!

 

[Dazzle87]

So true. I've learned more from people's experiences than the research I've done (not that that isn't helpful too.)

:drink2: to ratshack!

 

[lilspaz68]

What a lot of people don't realize is that most knowledge is stuck in rat owners heads, which is one of the reasons I love the Shack, we all share our experiences and others learn from it. If you are dealing with something new, someone could give you a direction to research in (like when Selene had pyoderma). or tell you their experiences with it. Rats are On the Job Training :laugh4:

 

[Exodog]

I totally agree. Even though research has done me pretty well, I would be nowhere near the rat-Mum I am today without the help of other rat owners.
Hopefully I can even broaden my vets' knowledge with what I learn on the shack, seeing as they're pretty open for suggestions when I go in with a suspected problem (Yay! Victoria Road Animal Hospital, they've been so good to me and my furkids!).

Back on topic though ...
How's Missy doing now? Are her stitches all out?

 

[Dazzle87]

Thanks, she's doing amazing. They are dissolving, but still there somewhat.

 

[Dazzle87]

It looks beautiful!! Just one stitch left, the rest dissolved, if this last one isn't gone in a day or two I'm bringing her back.