Toffee & Tomato have passed away

Sadly our family took a terrible blow within the space of two days we lost both Toffee and Tomato.

Tomato & Toffee

Our big guy Tomato had been suffering from weakness in his back legs for a couple of days, but we had been keeping a close eye on him making sure he got plenty to eat and drink and were happy he wasn’t in any discomfort. We were concerned his condition may have been linked to his weight problem because he was very large. We didn’t know his age, but judging by Pickle they weren’t young guys, so we felt it was best to take care of his immediate needs rather than try any medical treatment.

Our baby, Toffee, has always been a very sensitive rat and has suffered from respiratory problems in the past. These were usually stress related, often linked to his brothers health, and they always seemed to clear up when whatever was upsetting him had passed. A few days after Tomato began to show signs of being unwell Toffee began having problems with his breathing, though this time was different and his condition seemed to deteriorate very quickly.

Taking little rats to the vet who are not feeling very well, particularly when it involves their breathing, is very difficult as they can get terribly stressed, even so, we had planned to take Toffee to the vet first thing on Monday. Unfortunately Toffee took a sudden turn for the worse on Sunday and passed away peacefully while we were with him.

While this was going on with Toffee, Tomato’s condition had also deteriorated and he lost all strength and did not even appear to be aware of his surroundings. We were left with no choice but to take him to the vet to be put to sleep so the day after losing our beautiful Toffee, we were also forced to say goodbye to Tomato.

Cuddling my boys in happier times

This has left Pickle on his own, but he is such a sweet and loving little guy it is not difficult for us to give him lots of extra attention, and yummy treats. If some suitable guys become available at our local RSPCA we will consider getting him some new friends, but until then we are going to give him all the love and cuddles he can put up with.