My little girl who kept bouncing back from her PT, just couldn't do it one last time.
She died at 1:15 am on the bed with me. I had her cuddled into some fleece on the bed with me while I dozed. I woke up to check on her every 1/2 hour, and I had just missed her. She went very very peacefully, and I am happy for that at least.
I really do hate PT now!
Ariel was a week old when she, her mom,and her siblings (including her surviving sister Portia) were found in these conditions in an outbuilding at the edge of the park, a 10x8 room filled with racks of lab-style bin cages of mice and rats. They were terribly overcrowded, with up to 8 adolescent rats in one bin (and these bins were, by cage calculator standards, too small for even one rat). One bin held three mothers and their litters of a week or so old babies. To make matters worse, the staff charged with keeping them clean hasn't been dumping the litter, just adding more on top of the soiled stuff, so the poor rats have only a scant few inches of space in the bins between the litter and the lid. Most had no food in their bins. They were feeding them seed mix, when they were fed at all. I fed them and refilled any empty water bottles. There has to be at least 70 rats in there. I have no idea how many mice. It stinks of pee and feces, and all the rats were sneezing from the ammonia build up. These poor, mistreated, abused creatures are there only to feed the fox, owl, etc. and their lives are brutal as well as short.
A huge rescue effort brought Ariel and Portia into my lives at 4.5 weeks old.
She and her sister Portia were introduced to my big adult PEW girls Selene and Soma, and later on the wonderful Sebastian. They lived happy lives until fate intervened at a very young age for Ariel. She developed PT at 15 months of age.
And of course her educational saga with PT can be found here...and was one of the first figures on www.ratguide.com for PT as well as the first videos as well.
http://ratguide.com/health/figures/pituitary_tumor_figure_2.php
My lovely little girl fought bravely for a lot longer than most of us thought. She wasn't quite ready to go those other times, but I think she had had enough this time. I am glad she went with me at home, peacefully and quietly...I will still cry for her but its tears of thankfulness as well.
Run free at the Bridge with Soma, Luna and Sebastian...you are reunited once more.
Just arrived, as a brave little baby
Portia and Ariel at 7 months of age :)
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