Nala has lost function in her back legs

[piggylove]

It appears that my rat, Nala, may have suffered a stroke or her old age might just be finally catching up to her. She is no longer able to use her back legs. I have never had to deal with this with a rat or a guinea pig. It came on quite suddenly which is why I think it may have been a stroke. This is some information I found on paralysis:

www.rmca.org/Articles/oldrats.htm

She drags herself slowly across the cage and is still able to get food or water. I moved all the necessary items to the bottom of the cage and near each other so she only has to go to one place for food and water. She continues to try to groom herself which is a good sign. I'm struggling with when it might be time to help her along to the Rainbow Bridge. She is still alert, eating, drinking, and grooming so I don't think that time has come yet. It's just painful to watch her lack of mobility.

Please think happy thoughts for us.

[3piggles]

Lots of happy thoughts for you. Remember, our pets have a much stronger sense of self preservation than we have, and will try to survive even when it's past their time. She has you to care for her, but really can't function anymore. Is there any chance she has hurt herself and might heal, or is it definitely a stroke, no feeling or use in her legs? Lots of hugs for both of you. Keep us posted!!!

[anaira]

Ugh. How suddenly did it come on? So you don't think it's hind leg degeneration? Can she still use her front paws? Strokes are just horrid, Corin had one and died in my hands a few weeks ago.

Boys being more prone to spinal degeneration, I've had my fair share of that, too. Keep baby wipes(non-scented) on hand, they are really useful for cleaning; keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't get urine burn. Lucky you she's a girl; penis plugs are NOT fun.

[poshpiggy]

I hope she continues to get better. Feel better Nala

[jolovespiggies]

I am so sorry love, I hope she is better soon and please keep us informed. Healing vibes on their way.

Hugs

Jo xx

[yodelpig]

In guinea pigs, a sudden drop in calcium can cause overnight lameness. We recommend osteocare in those cases, and they most often come right again.

I don;t know about rats, though!

[piggylove]

Thank you for the happy thoughts. Nala started to get a little dehydrated so we have been trying to give her water. She doesn't seem too interested though. She has stopped grooming herself so we are using some unscented baby wipes to help her out (thanks Anaira!).

Anaira, the loss of function in the legs came on pretty suddenly. She was definitely slowing down from old age (she's over 2 years), but the legs happened suddenly.

My other two rats are in their golden years as well so they have all slowed down quite a bit. I've been keeping a close eye on them to make sure they aren't picking on Nala. So far they have been very gentle with her and even go to wherever she is in the cage to make a rat pile and sleep with her.

3Piggles, I'm definitely thinking about their self-preservation skills. It's so hard. She is losing weight and doesn't seem to be too interested in eating or drinking anymore. The vet said all we can do is try to help her with food/water, but we can't force it down her throat.

[newpig]

I am sorry to hear about Nala's decline. Thinking of you.

[anaira]

If you aren't already, get lots of soft baby foods; easier for her to eat. You may need to hand-feed(very messy!) it, especially as she gets more feeble. Also, mashed avocado is the bestest thing ever for sick rats, 'cos it's high in calories, and they love it.

[jolovespiggies]

How is she today love, I do hope she has improved?

Hugs

Jo xx

[piggylove]

Just wanted to update that Nala has improved a lot over the last couple days. She's even climbing up the ramps and sleeping on different levels. She has gone back to using the water bottle rather than me having to syringe water into her mouth. She also is very content eating the rat blocks again. She's still quite wobbly, but is more mobile now. I'm not sure what happened but I'm so glad she's doing better!

[weesilvie]

Great news!

[3piggles]

Really!!! Do you think she had a mild stroke? Sounds as if she's improving, which also happens after a stroke. Glad to hear she's on the mend!!!

[piggylove]

It could have been a mild stroke. The vet says it's kind of a guessing game when they get older like this. There aren't a lot of diagnostics for rats. They tend to treat and see if things improve as a way of diagnosing. I've been very hesitant about treatment though. I was taking care of a friends rat a couple years ago and she developed a head tilt. We took her to the vet and he gave her an antibiotic injection. The vet talked to my friend on the phone and she approved it. I guess the injection had a bad reaction and her rat started having seizures and couldn't stand up anymore. I ended up having to rush back to the vet and my friend made the decision to put her to sleep. It was so horrible and I can't help but wonder what would have happened if we wouldn't have treated her.

Nala seems to do better some days than others. I'm just happy that she's eating, drinking, and able to go up some of the ramps occasionally! I don't think she's ever going to go back to being 100% so this is still a waiting game. She's doing well enough to the point that I know now is not the time to help her to the Rainbow Bridge. It's hard though because every day is so different for her.

[jolovespiggies]

Bless you both, healing and loving cibes are on their way.

Hugs

Jo xx

[3piggles]

I'm glad the decision is that clear. It means she is recovering and still wants to live her life. That is really good news!!!

[missmissy]

I hope she makes a complete recovery!

I had a guinea pig who had a mild stroke. She made a complete recovery and ended up passing away due to old age.

[jolovespiggies]

This is great news, please give her a hug from me and tell her well done.

Hugs

Jo xx

[piggylove]

I'm sad to say that Nala passed away early this morning. I knew something was different with her last night. She was slowly going up and down the ramps, but her ratty sisters were treating her differently. They were being much more affectionate than usual. I took her out and her breathing was slower and deeper than usual. I think she finally felt like it was okay to go. I checked on her in the middle of the night and found that she had passed. We buried her in the yard next to our other pets who have passed.

I'm glad that her passing was peaceful and that she's running free over the Rainbow Bridge with her sisters. I'm also glad that she regained most function of her back legs so I didn't have to make the terrible decision of whether or not to help her pass. It gave us time to have a few more good weeks with her.

I'm not sure I told the story of how I got Nala, but she was up for free on Craigslist for awhile as her owners were moving and couldn't take her and Nikki. No one responded to their ads so they finally just put the sisters up as "snake food." I couldn't stand to see someone give away their pets as snake food so I decided to add them to my little rat pack. She lived a long and happy life and will be missed.

[yodelpig]

I am so sorry that Nala has passed away - but at least she did so on her own terms in a peaceful way. You have given her all the love and chances that she needed.

RIP Nala