Bowie, Bonzo, and Brian

Today we wanted to discuss three rats, Bowie, Bonzo, and Brian. They came into our care after their previous owner contacted us via social media. Sadly, they could no longer care for their beloved pets. We were happy to accommodate them in our property to provide reassurance that their rats would be well looked after.

Once their owners were content, the boys were officially handed over to our care. We performed thorough health checks on the approximately 1-1.5-year-old rats. 

Bonzo:

Bonzo was in good health but did have a small abscess located on his back. Fortunately, no surgical intervention was required and the issue resolved on its own. We hope the abscess stays away but only time will tell. 

Bowie:

Bowie was in full health.

Brian:

Brian had a more concerning problem. He had a very prominent limp with his back-left limb. The limb appeared visibly swollen - suggestive of trauma/injury. We believed we were dealing with a possible break, fracture, strain or sprain. The most likely cause of Brian's symptoms was a sprain: described as the stretching, tearing, wrench, or twist of ligaments (tough bands of fibrous tissue connecting two bones together in a joint) enough to cause pain and inflammation without dislocation. The most common place for sprains to occur is an ankle.

Video demonstrating prominent limp.

He was introduced to a high dose of 1.5mg:1kg Metacam/Meloxicam (NSAID) once daily to relieve pain and inflammation. Brian was often reluctant to put any weight through his problematic foot. Improvements were observed within 24hours of initial administration. Eventually, non-steroidals were able to be discontinued once the injury healed. We didn't suspect any osteoarthritic changes or HLD (hind-leg degeneration).

Adoption:

Our long-term friend had unfortunately recently lost their 2 pet rats. They offered to give Bowie, Bonzo, and Brian a forever home as they deeply missed having the companionship of their departed rats. We knew they were highly knowledgable and experienced with rat husbandry. We were more than happy to adopt them out.

They've now lived happily and healthily with their new owner for several months in their own bedroom!

We're very pleased these wonderful rats got the happy ending they deserve.

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For any inquiries, conact us via email: bacchusresidents@outlook.com