2008 is the year of the Rat so I thought I'd take a moment to talk about one of the most amazing rats I've ever known, Miss Bernadette. But rather than explaining it all anew, I'm just going to grab segments of my diary and emails to friends to illustrate Bernadette's entire saga.
2/25/06
As you all know, my rat Ichi died last month. Tony and I haven't gotten another one yet- I still miss him so much. He was such a charmer..... one of the cutest, sweetest rats I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.
Anyway, today, dh and I got home around 6:00 to take care of Disco dog. After she had dinner, I half-heartedly suggested we run to a local art supply store for some art supplies. DH and I hemmed and hawed a little- both of us being hungry and tired. But we decided to head out right away as the store closed at 7 and it was about 6:30 by the time we got motivated.
We arrived at the art store only to find out that they had closed at 6. So it was a pointless journey after all... or so we thought.
We started back home, hemming and hawing some more about what to eat for dinner and if we should bother stopping at Safeway tonight or not....
We got off the W. Seattle bridge and started home... only to find unbelievably bad traffic blocking our usual path. So we took a back route, one we don't often take. By this time, it was pretty dark outside.
Suddenly, Tony saw something white in his headlights.... "is that a possum?" he asked... we strained to look. It was a white rat and it had stopped right in front of our car!!
And it was walking oddly- I thought maybe it was pregnant. I saw a car coming from the opposite direction so I immediately leapt out of the car and ran out into the road, stopping traffic by flailing my hands like a madwoman.
The little rat hopped to the side of the road and I followed. I kneeled down and called it to me and did my usual "finger rustling" noise that rats are drawn to. It came right up to me immediately! I knew it had to have been someone’s pet at some point because it was so friendly. And of course the coloring gave it away- normally, wild rats are not white. This one was white with a black circle of fur around one eye and a black collar of fur around the neck. SOOO cute!!!
Sadly, I could see that it had 2 unbelievably large tumors, which presumably was why it had been walking so oddly. I picked it up- it squawked a little but let me do it. Once back at the car, I was able to more easily examine the rattie and determined it was a female…. And a very thin female at that. She immediately crawled to my shoulders and stayed there (common place for rat owners to "carry" their rats).
When we got home, I was able to investigate further....her tumors were so large that they had been dragging on the ground and were scabbed up from the dragging! It was horrible. I imagine that someone had decided they couldn't take care of a rat with giant tumors so they dumped her outside to fend for herself or die. I can't think of any other explanation for why she was wandering around in the cold… and the scabs on her did not come from just one day. (I am amazed she survived at all- she is not that agile or mobile w/ these giant tumors hampering her movements- a cat could surely have gotten her). I confess that I cried.
I cleaned her up a little and she nestled into my shirt and began to clean herself. (Rats are meticulously clean). We made up a ratty condo for her (of course we had kept all the rat items we had from when Ichi was alive). I gave her some cereal and a small strawberry dipped in peanut butter… (hey, she needs some fattening up!). She ate voraciously and drank like crazy!!
We plan on taking her to the vet tomorrow and hoping against hope that they can surgically remove the tumors and that she'll be OK afterwards.
This is where I need the MOJO. Please, if you can spare some mojo, send some this way for her… she is a sweet sweet rat and needs major mojo if she is to survive. As Tony and I sat there marveling at how wonderful she was it suddenly hit us both how utterly bizarre and perhaps miraculous this whole night had been. It was like we were meant to find her… I mean, who else can you think of that would stop and rescue a rat from the side of the road? And moreover, have all the necessary equipment on hand for rats, be old pros at handling rats, and having just lost a rat, were in emotional need of one??!
I decided to name her Bernadette- after "The Song of Bernadette"- a movie I loved as a kid. I'm not religious at all, but that movie made a big impression on me and I thought it just fit our little surprise visitor!
I called my sister to tell her the story and when I told her I was naming her Bernadette, my sister said "OMG! I just got done talking to an old old friend of mine, and he brought up an ex-girlfriend of his that we haven't talked about in many many years…. Her name is Bernadette!". It was so funny!! How odd is that?
And then, of course, I thought of Bernie Berlin… I think she'll be flattered that I have a rat named Bernadette.
Anyway, I need major mojo because these tumors are so large, and she is so thin, ...she can't even sleep properly- she has to sit up propped on these tumors and keeps being jostled awake as her head and arms "roll off" the damn things. The tumors are, combined, the size of her entire body. Its so unbelievably sad.
So please send lots of mojo for Bernadette. I want her to live so badly. I have been trying these past few hours to not get too attached to her- to be realistic and plan for the worst. But of course the minute I had her in my arms out there on the road I fell in love. I'm pathetic that way... What an amazing night! Now I just hope I can get some sleep, dreaming good thoughts of her speedy recovery....
2/26/06
Well, the news is good! The vet said she was woefully thin, but that her lungs sounded good (rats are especially prone to a form of pneumonia). She said she felt that Bernadette had a fair chance to survive surgery (!), but that we needed to try to fatten her up a bit first to give her a better chance. The vet also said, and she was only half-joking at the time, that Bernadette would probably need a little "cosmetic surgery" to deal w/ all the excess skin once the giant tumors were removed! LOL!
Now for the bad news…. The vet said that it would cost about $492!!!!!!!!!!!! My jaw hit the floor. Not because Bernadette isn't worth it… but because Tony and I just had to spend nearly $1000 on car repairs (busted water pump and burnt out alternator among other things) and then on the way home we were shocked to find that our car overheated!! OMG- what next?!?! I guess trouble does travel in threes (or more)! Egads. When we finally got home, I just wanted to curl up in bed and feel sorry for myself.
But I have never been able say to myself that its just not financially feasible to do something for a four-legged friend, so after the requisite self-pity fest, I went into brainstorm mode... this was the perfect excuse to get off my rear and sell some extra art supplies and such on ebay!!
So I'll be working on that over the next week or so I think! Perfect excuse for some spring cleaning!!! :)
I'm also going to explore other veterinary options to make sure I get a vet with enough ratty experience to really help Bernadette.
One thing is clear- Bernadette is obviously meant to be in my house and heart! :) I'm a sucker for the underdog! :)
Speaking of which, Lovely Bernadette is trying to sleep a little right now (she's had a tough day of car rides and vet exams and such). I gave her lots of fattening foods tonight (!) and she ate like a little piggy!!!! I'm feeling like a giddy little kid with a new pet- I am trying really hard to let her sleep even tho' what I really want to do is take her out and give her lots of scratches behind the ear and little ratty kisses! LOL!
2/28/06
Well, Bernadette is still eating like a piggy. In my experience, however, the tumors often absorb most of the nutrients so I am not sure how chubby we will be able to get her before the surgery.
I talked to another vet today and a vet tech, and emailed them pics of Bernadette. The vet said that she also thinks the chance of survival is small... partially because of the risk of bleeding during the surgery (all the vessels connected to the tumors) and because Bernie's body may go into shock w/ that much of her body mass removed...The vet tech agreed. :(
We are bringing her in to see the 2nd vet so he can see her in person. I'm looking for someone who is willing to do the surgery but that person has to be someone I have faith in. I'm not going to trust dear Bernadette to just anyone!!
The 2nd vet (the one who said I should put her down) is actually someone I have faith in as a surgeon- he's done surgery on Disco (my dog) before. So I'm bringing her in to see him tomorrow in person. We'll see what he says when he gets his hands on her. Wish us luck!! :)
3/1/06
The vet looked at her today and said he thought the tumors should be more easily removable than he had thought based on the photos. (Yippee). But that he still feels there is a good chance she won't make it. And that she will need a lot of "plastic surgery" once the lumps are out because they extend even down some of her legs, etc. So now the question is if he can do it (he only works at the clinic once a week). He said he may be able to give me a better price on the surgery (wow!)... but I'll know more next week.
The waiting is killing me because I want those things out now! But she needs time to fatten up and get healthier to give her a better chance at survival. None of the vets want to do the surgery yet. So I have to be patient.... and give her some more fattening treats! I'm optimistic today. :)
OK, so here's a cute story: Bernadette must be getting so spoiled by what we give her that she's getting picky! (A good sign!). She dumped her bowl today of dog and rat food (fatty food for her to chew) and covered the food with the bowl and bedding as if to say "yeah, right- where are the strawberries dipped in pb?"
Now, having had rats for years I can say honestly that rats do do this sometimes... their favorite foods are either devoured or taken to their "nest box". If they don't like the food, they'll dump and cover it or just cover it in the bowl. Is that funny or what? :) Spoiled rat!
3/5/06
OK, so Tony and I are still dutifully trying to fatten her up (to little avail). Meanwhile I have been talking to more vets. The latest word is promising. The vet that I mentioned that I have a lot of confidence in as a surgeon said he would be willing to try to talk his boss (clinic owner) into allowing this surgery as a "teaching surgery" for a 4 year vet student (who happens to be an acquaintance!). So that means the surgery will be less than the original estimate of $500!!!!!
How much less exactly, I don't know yet. But the most important thing is I have a lot of faith in this vet as a surgeon (having entrusted Disco to him this last time she had all those lumps removed). So, it'll be a vet I know AND trust AND it may be cheaper than $500!!
The downside is- Bernie didn't look all that well to me tonight and I don't know why. I have to bring a fecal sample in from her tomorrow so they can look for parasites (since she was living outside for awhile).
But I'm hoping I'm just being uber paranoid mama. She did eat her baby carrot dinner tonight semi-enthusiastically, so..... Disco, who is a wee bit jealous of the new "baby", was sitting in front of the cage eyeing the baby carrot. (Disco is addicted to them). Of course we had give her one first, but I think just because we had the temerity to give one to the "new kid" we are on her "#*$( list" for awhile. LOL! That damn dog! She is so spoiled its pathetic. Tony's dad calls her "ruined". :)
3/11/06
Bernadette had her surgery today!!! It took 2 hours!!! A lot of work. The vet student was absolutely superb... he did a wonderful job. And the vet was there guiding him and was just terrific as well. The whole staff at that clinic were just incredibly generous and kind and thoughtful- Tony and I were so impressed! Bernadette is tired. The lumps were humongous- they weighed 100 grams of her 396 gram weight. They were the size of her body! The talk at the clinic was "Hey, we removed a rat from some tumors today" instead of "hey we removed some tumors from a rat today". LOL.
One of them was very close to some nerves so there is some concern that she will lose some mobility in one leg. But so far, she seems fine in terms of movement. Also, there was some major blood flow going to the tumors so they had to work carefully. They ended up not doing too much of a "nip and tuck" of the skin because they were afraid it would impede her movements too much. So she may be a bit baggy in certain areas!
One of them was very close to some nerves so there is some concern that she will lose some mobility in one leg. But so far, she seems fine in terms of movement. Also, there was some major blood flow going to the tumors so they had to work carefully. They ended up not doing too much of a "nip and tuck" of the skin because they were afraid it would impede her movements too much. So she may be a bit baggy in certain areas!
They had to do two incisions instead of just one, so she looks like frankenrat- she has sutures, staples and glue holding her together right now.
Here are the cute stories of the day. When we brought her in to the vet, we were holding her until it was time for them to take her, at which point she suddenly kissed both Tony and I!! Something she hasn't done before... when we get rats as babies,we often encourage them to kiss but we hadn't had her for very long so we didn't necessarily expect it. But she did it right before the surgery! I was hoping that was not a kiss goodbye.
Then, after the surgery the vet student came in holding her- she was quite out of it still, but the minute she smelled or saw me, she perked up and came trotting over to me. I held her and she curled into my shirt immediately and kissed me again!!!
The vet had been about to say they couldn't release her yet because she was too groggy when suddenly she perked up!
Anyway, on the way home she was sleeping on my chest and periodically I would stick my head down and kiss her on the head, and then she would groggily give me a kiss back. :)
When we got her home just now, we gave her a bit of baby carrot w/ some peanut butter (yes, this was OK'd by the vet!) and she chowed down and then gave me another kiss. I think she's happy!
She'll be sore for awhile and now the tricky part is getting her to heal and not go after her stitches, but she seems to be doing very well!!! Tony and I are so happy!
The vet care she rec'd was excellent, and we weren't charged for labor which would have been close to $600 alone if we had gone to the first vet (they were asking $296 for one hour of surgery and this took 2 hours).
And the tale of Bernadette had everyone at the vet clinic in awe. YEAH!! So I will write more later- gotta go make sure she's nice and warm tonight. Much much love and thanks to all of you for your love and support!
P.S. Well, Bernadette is definitely awake now and showing no signs of pain. :) The bad news is she's already licking/nibbling at her staples... I'm trying to discourage her. Rats have very little by way of a neck so its almost impossible to fit them with little "collars" like you can dogs. Egads!! OK, I'm sleepy... will talk more later!
8/9/06
Miss Bernadette has tumors again- two of them now. She goes in to the vet on Saturday. And although its too late, maybe you can send some mojo to the puppy I saw hit (and run) by a car yesterday. Tony and I rushed her to the vet but in the end she had to be euthanized. I'm so crushed I can't even tell you. :( I can't talk more about it without crying again.
At least she is free of pain. So maybe the mojo should be sent to all the dogs in the world to keep them safe from harm. sad in Seattle, Rita.
8/13/06
Bernadette made it thru the surgery OK. Our vet said that he would not recommend another surgery for her however because it is so hard on her and she's getting older. There were two tumors- one was quite difficult to get out. She's at home and on pain meds now. She's such a trooper! I just love her.
8/23/06
OK, I had to share this bit of sweet news! There was a picnic at work last week while I was gone (while I was in Texas). Part of the picnic was a pet photo contest, just for fun. Before I left for Tx, I entered a picture of Disco dog and a picture of Miss Bernadette.
Well, I came back to work today to find a 1st place ribbon on my desk, attached to the picture of Bernadette I submitted. She won for "Most Exotic"!!!! :) Isn't that awesome?? :)
Years ago, Disco won first place in a pet store photo competition! Ah, my Diva Pets!
Miss Bernadette is doing great- sassy as can be. Her latest sutures are nearly completely healed already.
10/2/06
I feel like all I do lately is ask for Mojo but I'm hoping I can squeeze some more of this precious mojo from you all.
Miss Bernadette apparently had a stroke while we were gone and lost a lot of weight. I have her at work with me now as she's on an emergency feeding schedule of every 30 minutes. I need to get her weight back up. At this point, I don't know if she will recover or if we will have to put her to sleep.
Our vet is awesome and has even stopped by today to check on her. Obviously, the most important thing is to make sure she's not in any pain. Sadly, she also has another tumor growing. :( Dearest Bernadette could use some mojo!
10/29/06
I am sorry to report that Miss Bernadette had to be put to sleep yesterday. She had had a stroke about a month back and she had yet another tumor growing. Tony and I tried our best to rehabilitate her from her stroke, but the combination of stroke, another tumor, and her advancing age were too much to overcome.
I have consoled myself with the fact that we were blessed to have been in her life at all- she was such an amazing rattie adventuress!!! I am so thankful that she stepped in front of our car! :)
I will never ever forget that twist of fate that brought her to us and I will always miss little Miss Bernadette.
This last page is done with fabric... the white bunch in the middle is a bookmark of sorts, done with gauze/mesh material. It looks better in person! (I hope!)
