January 27, 2005
January 23, 2005
January 16, 2005
Ohana's lump
Victor felt a lump on Ohana today.
It appreared practically overnight...it may have been there yesterday, but earlier in the week, when I was holding the girls twice a day for their Baytril, I never felt a thing.
Based on our experience with Rizzo and Krycek, I'm fairly sure this is a mammary tumor, not at all uncomon in females of a certain age...and Ohana, who is at least 16 months, has hit that age.
The question now is whether to have surgery. The reason to remove it, of course, is to keep it from speading if it isn't benign, and to keep it from growing so large it messes up her quality of life. On the other hand, surgery itself is a risk. And with Riz and Krycek both, once they started getting lumps, the lumps kept coming...in Krycek's case, before she'd even had her stitches removed from her first surgery.
And the stitches...all our rats have been bad about chewing stitches.
Quality of life is the most important thing...these guys have such a short time here that I don't want them suffering through any of it, if I can help that. So which is a better quality of life, constantly dealing with surgery and recovery, or dragging around a growing lump?
We have decided to wait a bit and watch to see what Ohana's lump does, to see if it grows very aggressively, or if more lumps spring up, at which point she'll likely go in for removal. If this one is slow to change and doesn't bother her, we may let it go.
Here is our sweet berk girl:
You can see the lump under her left arm.
January 13, 2005
Pictures
This is a little blurry, but I don't usually get all the girls in one frame. Of course this only worked because Zoe was helping herself to a snack right under the hammock...
Misto just waking up.
Jack's tongue.
January 11, 2005
When you search for "rat cake"
...you actually get hits for this humble site. I know this because a friend of mine was searaching for a way to make a rat cake for a birthday, specifically mine. When she couldn't find a rat cake plan, she settled for icing a PEW:
He looks like a rex!
Another favorite animal of mine is the Canada goose, so they got me a second cake, too!
January 09, 2005
Rat in a Hat
We have found that childrens' winter hats, particularly the fleece ones, make great sleeping bags for rats. Bob was particularly fond of his, and rarely slept anywhere else.
Here Jimmy takes over as the next generation of rats in hats:
