The first week

Megacolon is a whirlwind. One day, you have a perfectly healthy rat. Then some minor complications and the next thing you know, you're at the vet dishing out $200 and buying baby food and yams and other easily digestible food.

For me, it started on a Saturday. I took the boys out and noticed that Harry seemed a little constipated. I made a mental note to keep an eye on him, but when I did a last goodnight cuddle, I saw a couple of big, fat poops in his cage. I thought that was the end of it. But the next night, it was obvious he hadn't gone since and I was starting to get concerned. I went to bed with plans to call the vet the next day. When I woke up, Harry's colon was large and curving out of it's natural path so I could feel and see it sticking out his side. I phoned the vet and took the first available appointment at 3:40pm. I spent the next hour or so reading through different articles, finding out all I could about late onset megacolon (just in case) and what things I could do to help him while I waited for the vet. I also went to goosemoose.com. My regular vet left the practice recently, so I didn't know the vet I was going to be seeing or how much experience he or she had with rats. When this happens, I like to go to goosemoose first and get an idea of what I should expect. That way, if I go in and my vet gives me wrong information, I know then and don't have to make a new appointment or whatever. It's just better to know beforehand. They confirmed my worst suspicion: Harry had late onset megacolon.

We headed off to the vet, and I was expecting to euthanize my dear boy. But I got there and the vet didn't even bring up euthanasia. She gave him two enemas (and let him run around the examination room in between), prescribed us some medicine and advised me to switch his diet. The plan is to see how he does on that, and go from there. Harry felt absolutely awful after he got the enemas. She did warn me he would feel cruddy, but I didn't realize how badly he would feel. I went to bed that night with low thoughts. I'm pretty sure I cried myself to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up and went to see my poor boy. And he popcorned out of his little sleeping bin and was as bright eyed and happy as ever. In his cage was a nice big poop :) I was overjoyed. The night before I had called in sick to work (though, to be honest, I didn't think I was going to get back in time for work. I was in the vet office for over an hour!), and cooked up a nice yam for Harry's dinner. Tuesday, I went to school, and cooked him some carrots when I got home. Microwaved some frozen peas, and voila! A wonderful, megacolon friendly meal. School was cancelled the next day for snow, so I dragged my mom out to do some grocery shopping. I purchased five jars of baby food (a couple of meals and some fruit ones. It was hard getting meals, because I didn't want to buy 2 of one flavour, in case they didn't like it, and so many of them had onion powder! I know rats can't have onions, so I assume that carries over to onion powder too. I bought some more carrots and yams, as well. I have read that soy milk and soy baby formula are good for making things like mashed potatoes (which should be very soft and buttery (margariney), so it's easily digestible) or powdered baby food. However, I didn't by any, as the store I was at only sold large containers of it and I hated the idea of buying it and my boys hating it. Everything is soy because dairy is harder to digest and everything needs to be nice and easy. I'm following Woody's megacolon diet, for those who are wondering. My dad also bought me a can of pumpkin and I just added that in today (Friday). They like it and it's supposed to help with the digestion.

For a few days, this diet and the meds didn't seem to be helping much. Twice a day, I would have to help Harry poop. He is able to get everything down to his anus, but then it's too big for him to do it on his own. It's also really dry and hard, which is painful for him to pass. I have infants Tylenol, but that's not good for him for long time use. I was going to call the vet today and ask for something else, but his poop was really soft and I was able to massage it out of him really easily! I'm so happy, I can't even describe it. It's still really big, but the fact that it's so soft and moist (like, more so then a normal rats poop) makes me really happy. I cried myself to sleep again last night, because I thought I was going to have to take him in again. But now I'm really filled with hope. I know he won't ever have a normal life and I know his life won't be long. But at least he's alive today, right?