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Rat adventures
I have just returned from taking Nathanial, my gorgeous black berkshire, to the vet for his post-surgery checkup. He is okay. Healing well, in good spirits, has no idea what any of it was about!
What it was about was a huge carcinoma under Nat's left arm. I found it on Wednesday before Easter and it was already large enough to make me wonder how I missed it before, though I'd been concentrating a lot on Jeremiah, Nat's geriatric foster-father. Next chance to get him in for an exam was the following Monday and by then the damn thing had swollen noticeably. They said surgery asap.
I hadn't brought the hospital cage along and would not have wanted to add to Nat's distress by leaving him there overnight anyway. Much better for him to spend the night at home and then come in the next morning. Better for him. Not necessarily good for the human! I had to take him on the train and the only way is to go *before* peak hour. 6^C outside. I must already have had a cold; anyway, began to feel ill.
Left Nat with cuddles, warm ratty blankets, food (rats don't have to fast before ops) and water bottle, to survive a day at work with my entire pharmacy by my side or inside. You could catch the plague and work would never notice unless you stopped typing. After work it was back to collect Nat. He was groggy, they said. Huh. So was my debit card. Nat's bill reached $183 counting the antibiotic which was also for some of the other rats. The bugger woke up halfway to the train. Stuffed the patient back inside pack. Definitely not healthy (me, not Nat!) by the time I got home but had to do rat room service, feeding AND having Nat in my bedroom overnight in case he needed anything.
Considered taking the next day off work, genuinely ill, but thoughts of that vet bill encouraged me. So I survived work - I believe the phrase is "doped to the gills" - and again no notice taken as I did not stop typing. Today Nat had to go back for a check. Nat had decided he did not enjoy travelling in the backpack and broke out while I was riding down the road. A rat deciding he wants OUT NOW is like a little furry explosion, there is no stopping it. Pulled over, stuffed Nat back into the pack, returned to the house and got the dreaded Rat Carrier (like a cat carrier but rat-sized) and stuffed Nat into it. See, it can get worse!
We've just got home and Nat is back in the hospital cage and asleep. I must be due some sort of award for successfully smuggling him on the train six times in the last four days. The vet was pleased with the healing of the operation site - Nat hasn't bothered it - and he can go back with his brothers soon so long as they don't help him remove the stitches. Basically this means as long as I'm watching the little sods. Nat's next checkup is next Wednesday. I hope he's forgotten all this by then!
I can't say I've had fun over the past few days but my cold is a bit better now and I'm so relieved that Nat survived the experience and will hopefully be okay. If I was supposed to be doing anything else, I will now get to it.
What it was about was a huge carcinoma under Nat's left arm. I found it on Wednesday before Easter and it was already large enough to make me wonder how I missed it before, though I'd been concentrating a lot on Jeremiah, Nat's geriatric foster-father. Next chance to get him in for an exam was the following Monday and by then the damn thing had swollen noticeably. They said surgery asap.
I hadn't brought the hospital cage along and would not have wanted to add to Nat's distress by leaving him there overnight anyway. Much better for him to spend the night at home and then come in the next morning. Better for him. Not necessarily good for the human! I had to take him on the train and the only way is to go *before* peak hour. 6^C outside. I must already have had a cold; anyway, began to feel ill.
Left Nat with cuddles, warm ratty blankets, food (rats don't have to fast before ops) and water bottle, to survive a day at work with my entire pharmacy by my side or inside. You could catch the plague and work would never notice unless you stopped typing. After work it was back to collect Nat. He was groggy, they said. Huh. So was my debit card. Nat's bill reached $183 counting the antibiotic which was also for some of the other rats. The bugger woke up halfway to the train. Stuffed the patient back inside pack. Definitely not healthy (me, not Nat!) by the time I got home but had to do rat room service, feeding AND having Nat in my bedroom overnight in case he needed anything.
Considered taking the next day off work, genuinely ill, but thoughts of that vet bill encouraged me. So I survived work - I believe the phrase is "doped to the gills" - and again no notice taken as I did not stop typing. Today Nat had to go back for a check. Nat had decided he did not enjoy travelling in the backpack and broke out while I was riding down the road. A rat deciding he wants OUT NOW is like a little furry explosion, there is no stopping it. Pulled over, stuffed Nat back into the pack, returned to the house and got the dreaded Rat Carrier (like a cat carrier but rat-sized) and stuffed Nat into it. See, it can get worse!
We've just got home and Nat is back in the hospital cage and asleep. I must be due some sort of award for successfully smuggling him on the train six times in the last four days. The vet was pleased with the healing of the operation site - Nat hasn't bothered it - and he can go back with his brothers soon so long as they don't help him remove the stitches. Basically this means as long as I'm watching the little sods. Nat's next checkup is next Wednesday. I hope he's forgotten all this by then!
I can't say I've had fun over the past few days but my cold is a bit better now and I'm so relieved that Nat survived the experience and will hopefully be okay. If I was supposed to be doing anything else, I will now get to it.
no subject
Did you get any odd looks from people?
Best healing wishes to Nat.
no subject
Come on, you're always talking about how they're well brought up, not *that* sort of girl and so on; won't they keep their heads down on the train? Nobody's even seen Nat, the most trouble was the pack moving slightly and nobody seemed to notice that.
Ratfan