Poor Laurel, my throw-in girly from Moncton. Only 1 year old this month. This poor girl could abscess from the smallest scratch so when her face swelled up over a week ago, I figured “blech, here we go again”. I put her on baytril and it started to go down. I took her to Dr Munn’s who found a scratch on her cheek and said since its improving just keeping doing what you are doing. Well it didn’t really improve, and on Christmas Eve, her poor face swelled up badly. I had her on metacam, and was feeding her soft foods on her own morning and night. I switched her to dexamethasone for maximum inflammatory effect on the tissues and it didn’t work. This morning I took her to Dr. Munn, hoping there was something we could do. But there wasn’t. Her eye was about to pop out or rupture any time now, she wasn’t able to close it anymore, the swelling around her eye and under her jaw was rock-hard. We discussed eye removal but because it got worse even on antibiotics it was likely a tumour or a really bad infection, and we opted sadly to have her suffering end.
Laurel wasn’t on my radar at all of the Moncton rescues needing homes. She was a picture of Milo the beige hoodie girl in Cage 3. Godmother was going to take another tilty girl and tacked on Milo as a companion to Mocha. Mocha ended up staying at her foster mom’s now renamed Serraphim, and Milo was coming to me instead.
Poor Laurel, she was soo timid, she was beaten up by the 5 hoodie gals, then Pea and Calla would take turns making poor Laurel abscess.
I finally found my sweet timid girl a group she would fit in. Goli and his ladies eventually accepted Laurel as a member of their extended family, and Laurel finally relaxed and was abscess free :)
But not for long enough. I have never had to make the decision for a young rat to be pts, I have come home and they were suddenly gone from a stroke or heart attack, but there was no choice in the matter. I took Ashe/Monkeyface as Laurel’s companion today and after I handed Laurel over Ashe cuddled into my cheek, as if to say “Don’t worry I am here.” I cried into her fur.
I loved sweet Laurel, who even in her discomfort gave me kisses and cuddled into my arms happily in the exam room. But I did take her for granted. I assumed that she would be around for a long long time, but it was not to be.
So everyone, don’t take it for granted our ratfriends will be around forever, and go cuddle your babies for me.
Sweet Laurel always said Thank You
Happiness is finally having good friends
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