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Rats to the Vet
Jul. 26th, 2014 04:18 pmLast Wednesday I needed to take Elijah (black berk) to the vet. Eli is not the best traveller there ever was, so I had to take him with moral support: Finn and Coconut, both of whom were a bit wheezy and could use a check, though on their own they probably could have managed. I normally stuff the patient into a small rat carrier inside my pack, but for this trip it was the hospital cage [the one Coconut arrived in, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
prk!] strapped to the back of the mountain bike with occy straps.
Readers, relax; I wasn't planning to ride to the vet, only to use the bike to help me carry the load on and off the train. No guards in sight, thank goodness, because a polar-fleece covered boxy shape is a bit more obvious than a rat hidden inside a backpack. Hauling a bike thus laden on and off train platforms also not the easiest thing in the world, but at least the lift at Subi station was working for once.
Eli's stress levels were quite good and he was who we were worried about, not the human. He's very ill, poor guy, and the vet was not sure what with, since he was too congested to get a good listen to his heart. This is very often the case. Had he been a larger creature, blood tests would have been ordered, but even for a rat he's small and underweight. So it's cortico steroids to help any inflammation and back on the antibiotics. I assured the vet he *would* drink and take the medicine!
Finn was judged doing well on *his* cortico steroid, given towards the end of last month, and Coconut a bit wheezy - keep her on the antibiotic course she's already on. She has general fur thinning, but no mite bites. Again vet not sure but her skin seems clear and we could only put this down to age; Coconut being about two and a half now.
Home again and the human in need of a snooze! Rat stress levels still reasonably good, even if I did take a couple of tries to secure the cage firmly enough on our way home. Sorry, guys. There was plenty of nice soft polar fleece to land on, wasn't there?
Eli is cooperating with taking his medicine hidden in soy formula and eating some baby food, but nowhere near enough. Still hoping he can improve.
prk!] strapped to the back of the mountain bike with occy straps.Readers, relax; I wasn't planning to ride to the vet, only to use the bike to help me carry the load on and off the train. No guards in sight, thank goodness, because a polar-fleece covered boxy shape is a bit more obvious than a rat hidden inside a backpack. Hauling a bike thus laden on and off train platforms also not the easiest thing in the world, but at least the lift at Subi station was working for once.
Eli's stress levels were quite good and he was who we were worried about, not the human. He's very ill, poor guy, and the vet was not sure what with, since he was too congested to get a good listen to his heart. This is very often the case. Had he been a larger creature, blood tests would have been ordered, but even for a rat he's small and underweight. So it's cortico steroids to help any inflammation and back on the antibiotics. I assured the vet he *would* drink and take the medicine!
Finn was judged doing well on *his* cortico steroid, given towards the end of last month, and Coconut a bit wheezy - keep her on the antibiotic course she's already on. She has general fur thinning, but no mite bites. Again vet not sure but her skin seems clear and we could only put this down to age; Coconut being about two and a half now.
Home again and the human in need of a snooze! Rat stress levels still reasonably good, even if I did take a couple of tries to secure the cage firmly enough on our way home. Sorry, guys. There was plenty of nice soft polar fleece to land on, wasn't there?
Eli is cooperating with taking his medicine hidden in soy formula and eating some baby food, but nowhere near enough. Still hoping he can improve.