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Goodbye Autumn 24 August 2006 ~ 12:33 I had Autumn put to sleep on Tuesday morning. She just wasn't right and the vet agreed, said she probably had a cancer somewhere she couldn't feel.She was OK up to a couple of weeks ago, very good for her age, glossy coat and bright eyes. But then she started acting out of character. I gave her cereal and she drank the milk greedily but didn't eat the actual Cheerios. She seemed to still want to eat and devoured chick peas with relish. On Sunday night she tackled a huge buttered corn on the cob and I got a great photo of her eating it. However she seemed like she couldn't get to the top of the cage any more nor hold her food in her hands, instead she was eating like a cat or dog with the food in a bowl and holding the edges of the bowl. She could walk but her toes were curled on one of her back feet and she seemed lopsided. She just seemed restless like she was in pain. It's hard to explain but you know your own rat and know when they aren't right, just like a mother knows her own baby's normal behaviour. Autumn was a fighter to the end. She had three injections - three times the normal euthanasia dose. The vet wanted to put her to sleep with a chemical on cotton wool but she struggled and I didn't like it so I insisted on the injection. One injection right in the heart would have put her to sleep straight away but this is cruel because it is very painful. The vet kept saying the cotton wool would be quicker. However I didn't care if it took a long time, I was bothered about Autumn's comfort not the speed. Now she's gone to join her sister Summer. She took a while to trust us, Mark longer than me, but in the end she realised we loved her and no longer hating being picked up. She beat cancer twice earlier in her life so she did well. Rest easy little one. 
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