Degenerative Disease - Advice Please
Hello, I'm new to this forum, not normally an internet person, But I could do with some advice for my poor little boy Merutio.
He's just been diagnosed with degenerative disease / possibly some neurological cancer (agreed with vet that its not worth starting to prod & poke to find out exactly what, when there's nothing they can do about it.)
He's already lost strength in his back legs, & doesn't hold his food any more. Vet said that its not time to have him put to sleep yet, as he is still quite bright in himself & takes an interest in his environment, but will only get worse. We're hoping that the anti-inflamation steroid injection he's been given could give him a bit of strenth back.
It seems that this is unfortunately quite common in rats, & I was hoping someone could give me advice: How can i make him more comfortable or his last days? Also what can I do for his poor Brother & cage mate Yorick? At 1 1/2 years old I don't think I'll be able to introduce another rat to him, so i'm kinda worried about how he'll be when Merutio does go. Is there anything I can do now to make it easier for him?
Any help would be appreciated.
Firstly, I'm sorry about your boy, Merutio. By how you describe his symptoms, especially that he can no longer hold his food, suggests to me that he may have a Pituitary tumour; most often called a PT. I've had 3 boys (all related) develop a PT, but my vet wouldn't commit himself to call it that. Much like your vet, he called it a degenerative neurological condition, as a PT can only be accurately diagnosed following a brain scan, which vets generally don't carry out on small animals. Do you know the name of the steroid given to Merutio? Dexamethasone; most often called Dex, can be a useful steroid given to a rat showing PT symptoms, but unfortunately it has very limited effect on boys, whereas girls can often respond well.
Loss of "hand" grip is a classic PT symptom, as well as what I can only describe as a chin-to-chest movement, especially when eating, because this type of neurological condition can also cause difficulty in swallowing hard food.
Really all you can do for your boy is to keep him clean and as comfortable as possible. If it is a PT, he will probably have an increased appetite but will need to be fed on liquid food like baby food. It's also important to try to keep him hydrated, as all 3 of my boys refused to drink by themselves, so I syringed small amounts of water into their mouths at regular intervals. Any neurological condition, whether it be a tumour or cancer, is horrible to witness, and if it is a PT, sadly Merutio's condition could deteriorate rapidly. I wish you well with your boy.
Also, sadly there is a genetic link to PTs, but I hope your other boy, Yorick will be OK. I have a fourth boy who is still doing well, although now on his own also.