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Templeton, 2007-2010
Feb. 15th, 2010 11:48 amTempleton was a silver agouti variberk dumbo, extremely handsome. We got him when he was somewhere between six and eighteen months old, so we were never sure of his exact age. He came to us from Kim's Ark, the New England rat rescue. The name came with him, and because we already had two Templetons--the black Mercury Sable that we received as a gift from nellorat's youngersib, and the large plastic rat who rides on the car's dashboard--he was T3. (We also called him Tank.)
When we received him, Templeton had aggression issues--he had actually bitten the toe off another rat who was living in another cage. We kept him in solitaire for a while, but eventually had him neutered so that he could peacefully co-habit with the others, and he spent over a year as the eunuch of The Seraglio (the big cage in the living room which usually is home to several females and a neutered male). He was a fine rat, cheerful and affectionate, and was well-liked by his cagemates.
Templeton started having breathing problems in November, for which we administered tasty, tasty baytril (our go-to antibiotic for the everpresent respiratory problems to which rats are heir). He didn't get much better, and in December, our heroic vet diagnosed Templeton with "horrific Xrays end stage disease . . . complete collapse of L lung fields". But rats don't die easy, and with a combination of steroids, bronchodilators, and soft foods, we kept him happy and breathing for another two months. He lived in "the hospital cage" (a single-level in my study) with Vivian, who is dealing with cancer. Over the last couple of days, it became clear that Templeton was reaching the end of his race, and this morning he was breathing only in gasps, a sure sign that it's time.
I took him to Animal Specialty Center, and they euthanized him with a large dose of injected sedative. He definitely went gently--he was feeling no pain immediately, unconscious shortly after, and gone in about ten minutes.
On the way to the vet, I had on WNYC, which unfortunately was advertising today's episode of Soundcheck: "Deathbed Masterpieces":
And under that they played Zevon's last song, "Keep Me in Your Heart", with lyrics by Zevon and Jorge Calderón:
It's easier than you think to drive while crying.
Pictures from better days, below the cut.
( Beware of the cuuuuuuuute! )
When we received him, Templeton had aggression issues--he had actually bitten the toe off another rat who was living in another cage. We kept him in solitaire for a while, but eventually had him neutered so that he could peacefully co-habit with the others, and he spent over a year as the eunuch of The Seraglio (the big cage in the living room which usually is home to several females and a neutered male). He was a fine rat, cheerful and affectionate, and was well-liked by his cagemates.
Templeton started having breathing problems in November, for which we administered tasty, tasty baytril (our go-to antibiotic for the everpresent respiratory problems to which rats are heir). He didn't get much better, and in December, our heroic vet diagnosed Templeton with "horrific Xrays end stage disease . . . complete collapse of L lung fields". But rats don't die easy, and with a combination of steroids, bronchodilators, and soft foods, we kept him happy and breathing for another two months. He lived in "the hospital cage" (a single-level in my study) with Vivian, who is dealing with cancer. Over the last couple of days, it became clear that Templeton was reaching the end of his race, and this morning he was breathing only in gasps, a sure sign that it's time.
I took him to Animal Specialty Center, and they euthanized him with a large dose of injected sedative. He definitely went gently--he was feeling no pain immediately, unconscious shortly after, and gone in about ten minutes.
On the way to the vet, I had on WNYC, which unfortunately was advertising today's episode of Soundcheck: "Deathbed Masterpieces":
When musicians know they're about to die, they seldom produce their greatest work. But there are exceptions, including the late Cincinnati Pops conductor Erich Kunzel, jazz saxophonist Stan Getz, and composer Dmitri Shostakovich. We explore the phenomenon with Wall Street Journal drama critic Terry Teachout and Crystal Zevon, widow of the late rocker Warren Zevon and author of a biography about her husband, I'll Sleep When I'm Dead.
And under that they played Zevon's last song, "Keep Me in Your Heart", with lyrics by Zevon and Jorge Calderón:
When you get up in the morning and you see that crazy sun
Keep me in your heart for awhile
There's a train leaving nightly called "When All Is Said and Done"
Keep me in your heart for awhile
It's easier than you think to drive while crying.
Pictures from better days, below the cut.
( Beware of the cuuuuuuuute! )
