How and When to Euthanize Your Pet Rat

If you’ve had or have rats you know how sweet and lovable they are. You also know they don’t live very long. Rats usually live to three or four years. Before you buy a pet rat you should find a Veterinarian close to you that will be able to take care of any ailments you pet has and one who knows how to humanely euthanize your pet rat when the time comes.

Some rats will get tumors early on in their lives, but just because they have a tumor doesn’t mean they can’t live a pain free life for a few more months. The hardest thing for a pet owner is to know when to have their pet euthanized. A good Veterinarian will be able to tell you when the time is right.

If your pet rat is weak, has a hard time walking around, won’t eat or drink and seems like he is in pain. That’s usually a good indication that it may be time to talk to your Veterinarian about Euthanasia. The last thing you want is for your pet to suffer, which brings us to the question of how to euthanize your pet rat.

Before you need to Euthanize your pet it is best to talk to your Veterinarian and find out what method they use and if you will be able to be in the room when the Euthanasia is given. If the answer is no, then you should find another Veterinarian. The usually method used for dogs and cats by injecting the euthanasia drug directly into their vein, does not work in smaller animals such as rats because their veins are so small and hard to find.

Therefore the method used is either an injection directly into the heart or into the belly of the rat. What some Veterinarians do not tell you is that these injections are extremely painful. To make sure your pet does not suffer you should ask that he is anesthetized using an inhalant anesthesia before being given any injections. In most cases the anesthesia will put your your pet to sleep and he won’t feel the injection.

Above all you should be able to be with your pet when the injection is given. After your beloved rat is anesthetized you will be able to hold him and talk to him as your Veterinarian gives him the injection and he slips away peacefully.

If you research rat euthanasia online, then you surely will see other methods that some say are humane. Using Dry Ice for instance is used by some snake owners to kill their feeder mice for their snakes. This method is no at all humane because the mice die from lack of oxygen while it’s locked in a container with dry ice. There is always the potential for the mice to get burned from the dry ice as well. Freezing is another method some people say is humane. This method is neither pain free or quick, thus making it extremely inhumane.

The best thing you can do for your pet is to research what you will need to do in case your rat becomes sick, before you buy a rat. If you are not willing to spend the money to take him to a Veterinarian if he gets sick, then you should reconsider buying a rat.

Remember it is quite natural to be upset after your rat has been euthanized. You may not think you will be upset over losing a rat, but because these little creatures are so lovable it is easy to see why you may feel great grief and loss after losing your little friend. You can ask your veterinarian for the phone number of a nearby pet loss specialist if you need to talk to someone who will understand.

Reference:

• www.rmca.org/Articles/euthanasia.htm