Darwen the rat

He fought so hard to stay with me because he saw I was crying.

We got Darwen’s look-alike plushie in the mail today! <3 I’m over the moon, it’s absolutely adorable and I’m so glad I decided to get one!

Darwen’s getting old.

I know I haven’t posted much to this blog in... almost a year, I’d say. But I do hope to eventually get all the photos I did take together and post them eventually. 

At any rate... I noticed a bump on his face right before Christmas. I kept an eye on it, but it looked like it was growing, so I took him in to the vet. The vet was very confident that it was a type of cartilage tumor that was inoperable. It’s apparently possible to treat it with radiation therapy... but even that rarely works, and it’d be tens of thousands of dollars to pursue that. Even if I had that kind of money, I can’t justify that for an old rat. 

So really, there’s nothing I can do. His old age is now in a race against the tumor; If his age wins, he dies peacefully in his sleep or something. If the tumor wins, he survives long enough for it to grow big enough to affect his eyes, airways, and/or mouth until he’s basically suffocating and unable to eat, and I have to have him euthanized. 

I’m watching him slow down. He’s eating less, sleeping more--and he can’t quite open his eyes all the way, and he snores loudly when he sleeps. There’s always gunk in the corner of his eyes, and he’s itched at his tumors so much, he has big bald patches in his fur with bloody scabs on his face. 

It’s not easy to watch... but he’s still the same old Darwen underneath that mess. He goes for car rides with me and bruxes the whole time to let me know how happy he is to be on an adventure--and I take him with me every time I leave, because God knows how many adventures we have left together. 

I’m so sorry for the extreme lack of any content lately. It’s been goin kinda rough over here, and there aren’t a lot of opportunities for cute photo-ops. 

But Darwen is doing great! 

And today marks his second birthday! They grow up so fast ;w;

Darwen is such a wonderful blessing, and I deeply appreciate everyone who has shown support of him over these past two years. I’m so glad I could share his little light.