rat update

[ratcreature]

I brought Ignatz to the vet this morning and it turns out the huge, fast growing bulge was both from bleeding into the wound and beneath that the tumor also had returned. I probably didn't notice that earlier, because I thought the smaller, remaining bulge was still the previous internal bleeding slowly returning to normal and that made the tumor less obvious. The vet only noticed the more solid core after he drained quite a bit of blood from the poor guy.

The vet offered to put Ignatz down right away, or to inject him with spider venom which sometimes can slow down tumor growth and put him on antibiotics again for the myco, to try to push the breathing problems back and buy him a little more time.

Because I can't bear to put my pets down unless they are not just old and/or incurably sick but also seriously suffering from that sickness, I decided to wait for now and try the antibiotics and the venom. He's still eating after all, and the breathing problems are not so bad yet that they are distressing him, and when I asked the vet whether the tumor itself was hurting him, I was told that the bulge of the tumor may be uncomfortable if it chafes on the ground and such, but not painful itself.

I want Ignatz to have as much time as possible -- to sleep, eat, cuddle and all the things he still does even sick as he is -- and also have a little more time myself to say goodbye and let him go. :(