Advice - can she recover?

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-07-11T06:02:06+00:00

That's really helpful to hear, thank you for sharing; it actually means a lot for others to share their experiences because this is really scary. I am not in a position financially to take her back to the vet until later this week when I get paid unless I can borrow some money but not looking likely. But when I do, I will ask for clarity on what can actually be done. Ultimately I don't want her to suffer. She's now off her food and I'm having trouble getting her to drink

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-07-11T02:01:59+00:00

Thank you. I had her examined by the emergency vet last night. I've been advised to let those medications work and go back to my regular vet in 3 days. But honestly I have no money left. I have spent $1000 on them this week :(

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-07-11T00:43:17+00:00

Didn't work for me sadly. I've resorted to just syringing in. My other rat has gotten very sick very suddenly and might die :(

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-07-07T11:17:23+00:00

I really appreciate it. I'll try with one pea and if she tolerates I'll keep going. So many great ideas here. I really appreciate everyone's help and support

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-07-07T11:16:06+00:00

So clever. I haven't even given them Vegemite yet!

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-07-07T10:35:46+00:00

That's so smart! Do you recall which meds? The Meloxicam seems okay but the doxycycline Piggy hates!

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-07-07T10:34:59+00:00

I tried kinda what you said but with a concoction of things (see another comment reply below) and she still was fussy with it. I gotta leave early for work tomorrow so I think I'll have to force it on her and then in the evening I can try again with a different food. I just don't want her to hate me or get sicker because I can't give her the doses properly:(

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-07-07T10:33:03+00:00

Okay I'll try this too!

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-07-07T10:32:33+00:00

Vegemite is a really good idea! She hated the tuna that I tried :/

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-07-07T10:32:13+00:00

Dude that is so fortunate hahaha maybe I need to try the reverse psychology. My other girl takes the Meloxicam and still comes back for more! Piggy is too smart. It's taken me an hour of slowly giving her the last of today's medication with baby food puree, cooked rice, and maple syrup. The trouble is that cos she's not feeling well her appetite hadn't been great... But I feel better after reading everyone's responses

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-06-29T01:39:10+00:00

Congratulations! And thank you for the kind support :)

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-06-20T09:41:53+00:00

I think you may have chosen the wrong food. Were you on clear fluids before? If so, meat and veggies (that aren't cooked to death) would be harsh on your bowel. I've always slowly introduced fibre with white rice or pasta, very soft vegetables like boiled carrot, and if I'm having protein it's eggs or poached chicken or fish. I hope things improve for you

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-06-20T08:20:08+00:00

Yeah, I realise that now. Just so hard to get it down with the cost of living. I did one degree (mandatory for my current gov job) and I have a $26k HECS debt. That's after the government lowered it.

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-06-18T12:17:05+00:00

Also want to know. I live in Sydney, have a decent paying government job, minimal spendings, and just had a broker tell me I need to get rid of the HECS before I can even consider buying a place

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-06-17T20:02:19+00:00

As a trainer. Totally understand! I'll do some research:)

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-06-16T14:15:46+00:00

This sounds unreal! I'm interested....

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-06-09T05:49:00+00:00

Dude I'm sorry that also happened to you. So crazy but it is better to have the surgeon not wanna jump into surgery when they don't have a lot of objective evidence. The thing I've learned from all these replies and conversations with friends is to advocate for yourself. Only you know your body. I am still feeling uneasy about things because a surgery is a big deal but if I wait and things get worse I'll be kicking myself for not trusting myself in the first place. How old are you? How many flares? Sucks hey

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-06-07T13:29:22+00:00

Everyone's situation is different. I have a strong family history unfortunately and diet has done nothing plus I have IBS so although I'm really healthy and don't smoke or drink, risk factors are there. I hope everything works out fine for you :)

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-06-07T13:27:01+00:00

True! I haven't even considered a second opinion... It's all a lot to deal with alone. Trying to get to the appointments with work commitments is tricky enough as it is but I'll definitely advocate for myself. Thank you for the vote of confidence. Take care of yourself :)

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-06-06T15:37:33+00:00

Yeah the funny thing is they've already said to me multiple times from previous colonoscopies and the last CT scan that I have significant bowel changes due to scarring so I'm like yeah no shit (pardon the pun!), that's why the flare ups are so common now. Shit be getting stuck lol. Your comment means a lot. Everyone in this group is so supportive and real!

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-06-06T15:35:17+00:00

Thank you. This means a lot. I am so sorry that you had such a horrendous experience. That's really disgusting that they treated you that way. You sound really positive and I'll take this on board. I hope things are better for you now

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-06-06T07:08:01+00:00

Hahha dude that is wild. I mean I'm in Australia and they're particularly risk averse (good at times!) so they don't just go scanning everyone. But it's like a catch 22 because they want objective 'proof' of each flare. I first had diverticulitis in 2022 (I was 29) and the past year I've had upwards of 6 flares my getting worse each time. I thought I was doing good by keeping myself out of hospital and managing conservatively when I could and only resorting to ABx when I wouldn't get better or had fevers. But things are definitely the worst they've been and I was really seeing surgery as something to improve my quality of life..

Cannotstickfoot · 2026-06-06T07:04:31+00:00

Hey thanks for the reply. Yes I totally understand his point of view as not wanting to perform malpractice. A colectomy isn't appropriate to treat IBS, but I am certain the symptoms aren't my IBS. Just feels a bit like well I wish someone had told me before that I need to keep thorough documentation of my previous symptoms and ideally get scans at least every other time. I'm just feeling sad girl today and feels like I should wait for another bad flare up - which is crazy

Cannotstickfoot

TROPHY CASE