Anonymous
Need /an/'s help... D:

My friend's rat just had a seizure. The rat's two years old ... Now most of her 'claws are missing' (?), her fur is looking wiry, and she's skinnier than normal.

Apparently she's been skinny for a while, but the claws and fur was just noticed today. She also says that the rat's been hiding out in her hut for the past 3 days.

What d'you suppose this could mean anon?

in b4: just go to the vet (she can't afford to take the rat to the vet, she's 16)

Pic not related, this is serious business.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
The birthing plague is working. CHAGAS LIVES.
>> Anonymous
Um, get another rat? Those things are pretty cheap.
>> Anonymous
If your friend couldn't afford vet care, she shouldn't have gotten an animal in the first place. Age is a pretty stupid excuse, too. Sixteen is 1) too young to buy animals without a parent's consent in some places, 2) old enough to get a job. Vets will usually have payment plans available, yaddah yaddah..

If she's unwilling to take the animal to the vet there's really nothing that can be done past trying to make its life more comfortable. Or you can look into some kind of home euthanasia, because it sure does sound like that rat's quality of life has gone down the tubes.
>> Anonymous
>>220988

What they said.

You promise you're not a troll?

If claws are truly missing, then the seizures have likely been happening for a while and she has snagged and pulled them off or she has bitten them off in neurosis. I don't see how fur can magically become wiry overnight, that is a typical sign of rat aging.

Since she's dropping weight, she's probably gone past the point of getting help. Call a vet about euthanasia (a lot of vets will only charge you about 20 bucks - what kind of 16 year old can't bum 20 bucks from their parents?).
>> Jams
Most rats live 2 to 3 years, it might just be suffering from old age, but it might have gotten into something poisonous when she let it out of it's cage.

Lots of clean water, healthy food is good too.
Take it to the vet whether she thinks she can afford it or not. Just having a vet look at an animal isn't expensive, especially if it's a rat. Medicine might a bit expensive if they even have medicine for rats.

Have her get a loan from her parents. Or you. Or your parents.
Then have her go get a job. I'd had a job for years by the time I was sixteen. If she's going to have an animal she needs to be willing to shoulder the financial burden or her parents need to.

Labor laws don't apply to pushing a lawn mower even if she does live in some state run by people stupid enough to think 16 is too young to work. Unless she's crippled or mentally deficient it's time to start getting used to earning independence.

Just take the critter down to the vet and explain the situation, there are options available.
>> Anonymous
In Britain there are vets surgeries which are run by a charity called the PDSA where unemployed prople can get treetment for sick animals for free or comparatively cheeply. I'm sure there must be similar things in the USA.
>> Jams
Good point bad spelling anon.
Another thing the veterinarian's office could tell her.
Her rat repair journey begins by visiting or at least calling the vet.

She needs to prepare herself for the fact that when the vet finds out the animal is two years old they're not going to want to treat it because it's almost too old to bother with now, to be honest.