R.I.P Trevor
Hello again, readers,
This is going to be a rather upsetting post about the tragic passing of one of our beloved resident rats - Trevor. We knew when taking on Trevor and his life-long cage-mate/sibling -Travis, that they weren't young rats. Sadly, like most smaller pets, their lifespan is only short. We were fully aware the bucks wouldn't be around for too long, but that doesn't make it any less sad when the day they have to leave you finally comes.
When Trevor arrived, he was obese (nearly 1kg) and desperately needed to lose weight. We actually feared he may have been diabetic, as he was also drinking excessively - we wrote a previous post on the topic.
Luckily, we did manage to get Trevor to lose weight, and after having some tests carried out, we learned that he wasn't diabetic either. Once he lost the weight we deemed "most harmful", we became less strict with his diet and allowed him to lose the final part of his weight in whatever time frame - though he was chunky, he wasn't in any danger by having a couple of extra grams on him. Basically, we weren't in a rush to get him to lose the last bit of excess weight.
All was well and good for some time, and each month Trevor continued to slowly lose weight and gradually got closer to his ideal weight range (with Trevor's size in mind, we would say he should've been around 650g - 700g).
However, one month, Trevor's weight loss seemed to be extremely drastic (80g in 6 weeks). We weren't at all happy with those figures, though Trevor was supposed to be losing weight, that was far too rapid for our liking. He was also developing a few concerning symptoms.
We took Trevor to the vet, and almost immediately the vet could tell that it was likely our Trevor had a pituitary tumour, especially given his symptoms; neuro-abnormalities, lethargy, hormone irregularities. With all other tests being unremarkable, it seemed as though a pituitary tumour would've been the most likely cause.
We were heartbroken. Although, all hope wasn't lost just yet. The vet said we could potentially prolong Trevor's life span by trialing him on Cabergoline (more commonly known as Galastop) which directly targets the pituitary gland, this was to be used alongside a Dexadreson (streroidal anti-inflammatory) injection to help with some of the inflammation, or even shrink the tumour. Trevor was also supported at home by making amendments to the cage (making it easier for him to access the essentials). We also introduced one of our all time favourite products - WUB porridge (any flavour - though our rats particularly enjoy the peanut butter/chocolate flavour, and strawberry/banana flavour) with added honey and oats to help keep his strength and weight up..
Trevor showed some response to the first dose of Cabergoline. Though, sadly, he showed no response to the second dose and only began to deteriorate further. We were then faced with the heartbreaking decision to have Trevor humanely euthanised. We didn't think it was fair to put him through anymore inevitable, and unnecessary, suffering.
Trevor was a gentle giant who had a real love for life. I loved nothing more than cradling him like a baby and massaging his fat - which I called his "squish" - whilst he cleaned his big white whiskers. He is very deeply missed.
Trevor crossed the rainbow bridge on 17th July 2018.
This is going to be a rather upsetting post about the tragic passing of one of our beloved resident rats - Trevor. We knew when taking on Trevor and his life-long cage-mate/sibling -Travis, that they weren't young rats. Sadly, like most smaller pets, their lifespan is only short. We were fully aware the bucks wouldn't be around for too long, but that doesn't make it any less sad when the day they have to leave you finally comes.
When Trevor arrived, he was obese (nearly 1kg) and desperately needed to lose weight. We actually feared he may have been diabetic, as he was also drinking excessively - we wrote a previous post on the topic.
Luckily, we did manage to get Trevor to lose weight, and after having some tests carried out, we learned that he wasn't diabetic either. Once he lost the weight we deemed "most harmful", we became less strict with his diet and allowed him to lose the final part of his weight in whatever time frame - though he was chunky, he wasn't in any danger by having a couple of extra grams on him. Basically, we weren't in a rush to get him to lose the last bit of excess weight.
All was well and good for some time, and each month Trevor continued to slowly lose weight and gradually got closer to his ideal weight range (with Trevor's size in mind, we would say he should've been around 650g - 700g).
However, one month, Trevor's weight loss seemed to be extremely drastic (80g in 6 weeks). We weren't at all happy with those figures, though Trevor was supposed to be losing weight, that was far too rapid for our liking. He was also developing a few concerning symptoms.
We took Trevor to the vet, and almost immediately the vet could tell that it was likely our Trevor had a pituitary tumour, especially given his symptoms; neuro-abnormalities, lethargy, hormone irregularities. With all other tests being unremarkable, it seemed as though a pituitary tumour would've been the most likely cause.
We were heartbroken. Although, all hope wasn't lost just yet. The vet said we could potentially prolong Trevor's life span by trialing him on Cabergoline (more commonly known as Galastop) which directly targets the pituitary gland, this was to be used alongside a Dexadreson (streroidal anti-inflammatory) injection to help with some of the inflammation, or even shrink the tumour. Trevor was also supported at home by making amendments to the cage (making it easier for him to access the essentials). We also introduced one of our all time favourite products - WUB porridge (any flavour - though our rats particularly enjoy the peanut butter/chocolate flavour, and strawberry/banana flavour) with added honey and oats to help keep his strength and weight up..
Trevor showed some response to the first dose of Cabergoline. Though, sadly, he showed no response to the second dose and only began to deteriorate further. We were then faced with the heartbreaking decision to have Trevor humanely euthanised. We didn't think it was fair to put him through anymore inevitable, and unnecessary, suffering.
Trevor was a gentle giant who had a real love for life. I loved nothing more than cradling him like a baby and massaging his fat - which I called his "squish" - whilst he cleaned his big white whiskers. He is very deeply missed.
Trevor crossed the rainbow bridge on 17th July 2018.
You can keep up with our residents on our Instagram.
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