in shock

[ratcreature]

I just found my rat Silas dead in their cage. I had noticed that he hadn't come outside this evening, but hadn't thought anything about it, because he doesn't always come outside. Then when I locked them up, I could only count three, and no Silas when I called for the count, so I searched the cage, and at first I didn't find him, so I searched the room again, and still no fourth rat. Finally I looked more closely in the cage again, and there Silas was, lying dead under some stairs. To think that I didn't even notice for maybe hours that he had died. I don't even recall whether I'd seen him this morning. I mean, I think so, but didn't pay that close attention. I feel like a horrible person.

He hadn't even been sick, aside from his sneezing having come back a little even after the antibiotics, and now he's suddenly dead. No visible injuries either. He wasn't even a year old. I still can't quite believe it. It hasn't sunk in yet that Silas is dead. I hope it was a heart attack or something, and not anything contagious I never heard of that makes rats drop dead so quickly. I know certain types of acute pneumonia can kill rats suddenly, but I think even the fast ones show some symptoms. I mean, my other three seem fine, but it is very disconcerting. That's the first time I had a rat die at less than a year without an obvious reason.

Comments

[lilacsigil]

Oh no, I'm so sorry!

[ratcreature]

Thanks. It's just so awful, because it's so unexpected and I don't even know why. I mean, when the vet examined him last time his temperature was unusually low, despite the infection, so maybe his circulation just wasn't good? I had a rat with a heart defect before, but that one deteriorated slowly (i.e. it died kind of like a human with congestive heart failure with fluid in his lungs and such). I suppose I could get him autopsied to be sure, but I suspect that would cost quite a bit of money (and I'm actually not even sure whether my vet offers this) and it won't help him anymore.

[sholio]

Oh, I'm so sorry. *hugs*

[ratcreature]

Thanks. It's just so sudden and inexplicable. I guess sometimes animals, like humans, just die like that, without anything being visibly wrong before, and I probably couldn't have done anything, but I keep thinking that I ought to have noticed something was wrong. It's just awful. I just hope my other three will be okay.

[talitha78]

Oh, that's terrible. I'm so sorry for your loss.

[ratcreature]

Thanks.

[rosaw]

I'm so sorry. What a shock. Be kind to yourself, you are a wonderful companion and caregiver to your creatures.

[ratcreature]

Thanks. I'm trying the best I can, and hope he enjoyed the nine month he had. I just awful to suddenly loose an animal with no warning or time to brace for it. An uncomfortable reminder that death can at any time, I guess. :(

[killabeez]

I'm so sorry. *hugs.*

[ratcreature]

Thanks. *hugs back*

[giandujakiss]

I'm so sorry.

[ratcreature]

Thanks.

[marinarusalka]

I'm so sorry. That's an awful thing to happen, especially when you always take such good care of your pets. {{{hugs}}}

[ratcreature]

Thanks. A sudden death like that is quite unsettling.

[laurajv]

I'm so sorry.

For what it's worth, I had a rat die young and suddenly like that, once. Apparently healthy the night before, dead in the morning. My vet's guess was that the rat either had an aneurysm or a heart defect.

[ratcreature]

Yeah, I guess sudden, unexpected death because of things like that can always happen, after all it does with people too. He had been the smallest of his siblings, and there was the unusually low temperature the vet noticed, so maybe it was that his heart didn't work perfectly.

[laurajv]

I am sure he had a lovely life with you. You obviously care very well for your ratties, and give them interesting, comfortable lives. Not that it makes it easier to lose him, but I am sure he had a good time while he was alive.

[anotherslashfan]

I'm so sorry.

Losing a pet is always hard, most of all when you don't see it coming.

[ratcreature]

Thanks. And yeah, it is hard to see them sick for a while, but at least then you aren't totally ambushed by their loss, and can prepare yourself a bit.

[astridv]

That's really sad. I'm so sorry.

[ratcreature]

Thanks. I just arranged with my brother that where it'll be okay to bury Silas in his garden. :( It has still not quite sunken in yet, because it was so unexpected and sudden.

[marcelo]

God. *hugs* I'm very sorry.

[ratcreature]

Thank you. It's quite unsettling that he died without any warning signs I noticed.

[kass]

I am so sorry.

[ratcreature]

Thanks.

[madripoor-rose.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

[ratcreature]

Thanks. It's just so awful. I just hope my other three will be okay.