Animal care pop quiz.

[theweaselking]

You're a pro-life libertarian with a pet rat. Your rat gets cancer. You leave this cancer totally untreated until there is a tumour 3/4 the size of the rest of the rat growing out of its side, rendering its left rear leg completely unable to touch the ground, making the rat barely able to move at all. It has bedsores on this tumour. It is barely able to lug itself out of its own feces. Its entire world has been reduced to an area twice the length of its own body, with a food dish, water dropper, and its tumour sitting in puddles of its own urine.

Do you:
A) Pay for adequate medical care when you first detect the problem (almost six months ago), which will be expensive but within your possible budget, before treatment becomes hopeless?
B) Wait until the rat's quality of life is really untenable (like, several months ago) and have it humanely put down?
C) Do nothing. The rat should have better prepared itself for this eventuality, treating cancer in rats who can't afford to pay for it only encourages more financially insecure rats to get cancer, and charity should come from the family, community, and church, not the authorities.

Bonus hint: The rat is currently in my bathroom, being spoon-fed peanut butter, preparing for a final vet visit tomorrow evening, after torrain offered to buy it from the owner so that *she* could take the rat to a vet and get it treated. And by "treated", I mean getting a vet to look at it, determine if the quality of life as described above really is exactly as bad as it sounds, and then likely euthanised.

Comments

[bellacrow.livejournal.com]

I love Torrain and want to have her babies.

My husband does not understand why people have to do these things. I do. Go Torrain!

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

Ideally, A. Realistically the rat should be euthanased as soon as the problem is detected. The oldest rats only reach 3 years of age. I know this sounds heartless.

C is a case for the RSPCA to deal with. People who do that should be banned from owning pets.

[pope-guilty.livejournal.com]

D) Hurt the owner.

[felisdemens.livejournal.com]

YES.

[ladyfox7oaks.livejournal.com]

Seconded!

[camilla-anna.livejournal.com]

Thirded!

[unknownpoltroon.livejournal.com]

Combine b and d? Shoot rat out of cannon at the owners face? It would be quick(for the rat), and the rat might like to get his vengeance on.

[reyl.livejournal.com]

I concur.

[goblinpaladin.livejournal.com]

A), but in your case pope_guilty's D).

I can understand why one would think B), though.

[catlin.livejournal.com]

D: Put the rat down as soon as it is realised it has cancer, as 9 times out of ten the rats I have seen treated just relapse, and thus suffer worse over time. Than beat the heck out of the person who let it live and suffer through so long.

[flemco.livejournal.com]

Being a human speciesist, I put the fucker down quick. A .22 bullet should do it.

[mhoye.livejournal.com]

Seconded.

In my case, while I do regard my own species as occupying a position of privilege, as far as animals are concerned an important part of the duty of care for a pet is that they be put down quickly and as painlessly as possible when their suffering becomes obvious.

Keeping pets alive in comparable conditions for any length of time is basically trading their ongoing suffering against your own unwillingness to take responsibility for what needs doing.

Universal speciesm

[frith]

IMO the quasi totality of all living things consider their species to be the only things of importance. Animals cavorting about like princelings at a royal ball makes for great fairy tales, but a fox doesn't give a rat's ass for a rabbit's health beyond wanting the bunny to stop kicking and screaming while it's trying to eat it.

[stormfeather.livejournal.com]

I'd say A, then barring that B. Although pretty much right at the point where quality of life gets not worth living, which isn't necessarily "right at the point there's some slight pain/discomfort involved." Which is hard to gauge for an animal, but you do the best you can. But at any rate not waiting until it's already "untenable" and then going on a few more months.

[rinna-delenn.livejournal.com]

Some people should not have pets, children or other dependents. It's a wonder they're capable of tending to their own basic needs.

[gunpwdr-n-sky.livejournal.com]

I've actually had this situation. And opted for A. My dwarf hamster got a tumour right over her eye and it was growing. Vet found it to be benign but we went with surgury anyways in case it was irritating her eyes.
Bit expensive, but when you take an animal in, you are promising to take care of it. Or else, why get a pet at all.

[gunpwdr-n-sky.livejournal.com]

oh, I also went with A when another of my hamsters got a tumour on the cheek. He didn't survive the surgury. I will go with A, cause there's still a chance for everything to work out. Considering where the tumour may be, what kind it is, the vet you go to.

[singingnettle.livejournal.com]

Gods.

Ah, poor baby.

But if it's a fatty tumor and the attachment point isn't gigantic and it's removable, it's possible that the rat will recover once the tumor is removed.

Jeez.

[singingnettle.livejournal.com]

Is it possible to get a mobile vet to do a home euthenasia if euthanasia is necessary? It's less traumatic.

If it were a malignant turmor, I don't think the rat would not have lasted this long. But these fatty tumors, if that's what it is, can make life pretty much not worthwhile for the poor rat.

[frith]

Option A. Pet care is total commitment. I have no pets.

[psyco-path.livejournal.com]

Although I'm not a pro life libertarian I chose B.

[alienor77310.livejournal.com]

What did that rat do to earn his keep before? I mean, if the guy is such a libertarian, I'm sure he didn't let a rat mooch off him, did he? He didn't keep the rat in a cage, I'm sure? That would hamper the rat's ability to make a living and make his own way.
*cheek and tongue hurt*

[desdenova.livejournal.com]

If I'm a decent human being, then A. But if I'm a "pro-life" libertarian, then definitely C.

[chaosrah.livejournal.com]

A or B. B was what I did with my first rat, but only because my dad wouldn't let me take a rat into a vets office (he was an exterminator at the time..)

[kookiemaster.livejournal.com]

Frances, thank you. Thank you for doing the best thing that could be done in a bad situation. At least the little guy won't suffer anymore.

I can't believe that you had to "buy" the rat ... yet I'm not all that surprised either.

*shakes head*

Some people should never be allowed to own pets and most pet stores should be closed, because they sell animals as if they were disposable goods.

Location of the tumor sounds like a mamary one ... very common in unspayed females and very high rates of malignancy. The best option would actually have been D) don't get a rat if you can't pay for a vet or E) get female rats spayed.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

She didn't have to pay for the rat. She *offered* to buy it so that it could be taken to a vet, and was told "Oh, just take it".

[waterspyder.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to hear that she didn't actually have to pay... but holy crap!

[ladyariadne.livejournal.com]

Having had pet rodents before.. simply put it down... and if it is as bad as you say... and from how bad it is , the cancer is probably metaticized (sp?), even if it were a baby rat and would have a year or two more life if treated.... the treatment is harsh and can cause other problems... be nice to it and put it down immediately

[kookiemaster.livejournal.com]

True .. if it's the armpit is't likely in the lymph nodes but in female rats, spaying at a young age does wonders.

[ladyariadne.livejournal.com]

sounds a bit late for spaying at this point though... but yes. spaying and nuetering in many animals causes dramatic health improvements

[heraldofchaos.livejournal.com]

D) explain the concepts of karma and dharma to the individual while beating them with a three foot section of rubber hose while chained up naked in a basement. leave them there for three days in the same condition. Get a car battery and some jumper cables for the pop quiz and shock them for every wrong answer. If they fail the test, then its the rubber hose again and an other three days. Repeat until lesson learned. If the individual questions why you are doing it, just tell them your a licensed member of the Dharma collection agency.

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

You're a pro-life libertarian. . . .

You lost me there. Brain ground to a halt.

[jerril]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who went @.@ at that particular conflict of philosophies.

[atlasimpure.livejournal.com]

She is a saint.

[kait-the-great.livejournal.com]

I think I knew this rat. Can you confirm/deny the owner is on my friends list?

/gossip

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Why don't you just ask the person you know, who owns a rat like this? Wouldn't that tell you if it was the rat you were thinking of?

[kait-the-great.livejournal.com]

Too true.