Sam

Sam – Nov. 2011 to May 13, 2013

Sam was being rehomed by his owner as she was moving. He was supposed to go with his 2 cagemates but the woman told me that “I know 2 of the 3 are healthy and fine but one of them just started acting kind of strange.

He isn't really using one of his front paws right. To walk he is fine and uses all 4, but for holding food he only uses one, and he can't climb or anything.”

I suspected PT and since he had no chance without treatment, I went out late at night that night across the city and met the woman to pick up Sam (formerly Horace).
He was a big floppy black hooded boy, with confused eyes, bruxxing constantly and pretty wobbly. When I got him home he showed the classic symptoms of PT, along with head bumping, stiff forelegs, inability to grasp with front paws (but he REALLY wanted that cheerio), and he had edge behaviour (meaning he recognized edges of things and stopped but was so uncoordinated he would just slide off anyways) so I g ave him steroids to help the inflammation pressing on his brain. I also gave him soft food which he had very little interest in…I was concerned.





The next day sweet ol’ Sam was not much improved so I started him on the bromocriptine (a prescription medication used for humans and other animals for PT but recently more in use with rats) hoping he was just one who didn’t respond to steroids but really would respond to bromocriptine. A tiny bit of improvement over 2 days but not enough. L I put him in with my sweet young baby boys so he wasn’t alone as he was terrified of adult rats (he had come in with some horrible scabs on his body and bite wounds on his ears), and overall he seemed very content, sleeping on fleece inside the igloo with baby boys taking turns sleeping with him. Especially one sweet boy. :D
Not moving at all even when I moved the igloo…he was deep asleep.

 





This little guy stayed with him a long time once he started declining in the evening


Sadly but the next day I found him on his side and pulled him out. He cuddled him and tried to feed him, but he didn’t want anything, so I laid him down on my soft fleece blanket on his side, and he yawned and stretched and went to sleep. I gave him a kiss before I left for work, and he was gone, in almost the exact same position when I got home. I really really would’ve loved to get to know this lovely big boy for longer but it was not meant to be. He was comfortable, and it was a very quiet passing, and that’s all we can ask for at times. Rest well Sam, until we meet again.