One of our rats (Tejasa, the fawn-colored one) has been in declining health this last week. She’s got her third and fourth benign mammary tumors — very common in female rats — and has started having trouble walking. Rats’ life expectancy is only between 2-3 years, and Tejasa is approaching 2 1/2 so it may be that her time is ending. It’s agonizing watching a beloved pet suffer, but even more agonizing to make the decision about what to do to end the suffering.

It’s watery-eyed moments like this that make The Rainbow Bridge seem like not such a silly thing. I realize that I’m linking to a page with an animated picture of a rat in a meadow under a rainbow, but sad times call for what some might consider embarassing displays of grief.

Update:
RIP to our beloved Tejasa. Andreas took her to the vet this morning, and it turns out she was experiencing kidney failure — another common rat problem. The vet recommended she be put down. Poor Andreas had to deal with it by himself. Now I’m sneaking off to the bathroom at work to cry.

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