Caring for pets after death (D)

Warning for: Pet death discussion, frank death discussion in general

I own rats. I've previously owned more than I currently do. Four to be exact, all girls, all of who are over the age of two which... If you know anything about rats, you'll know is about the time they tend to pass. Between ages 2-3 is typical for their end of life care.

One of my girls died a month ago due to natural old age, which is uncommon for rats. They tend to pass from some sort of complication, but my girl simply got too old. She reached her limit and when she was no longer able to eat or drink or climb on her own, I knew it was time.

Three days ago I had to help another girl pass because she had pyometra. Not exactly common, but not exactly unexpected either. She was older and wasn't a good candidate for surgery, so we tried some antibiotics to see if that would help, and it gave me another week with her. Once I noticed she was in too much pain, was not getting better, but was instead starting to avoid food and water just like her sister did, I cancelled her checkup appointment to instead schedule a euthanasia for her too. It was time.

So, two girls remain. One of them has a mammary tumor which is really common in female rats, but she isn't showcasing any pain. She's getting scanned tomorrow to see the extent of the tumor growth inside, but I suspect it'll be a case of monitoring until it's time. And my other girl is completely fine, no health issues to note.

As a pet owner, this is the first time I've ever had to confront death so head on... As well as making the decisions regarding death. Deciding when to euthanise is never easy as such, but I do not feel guilt for helping them be pain free. I read a lot online about people worrying over their decisions and/or being unable to make that decision, but I haven't struggled with this. I would much rather my emotional pain as opposed to their physical pain, y'know?

And the two times I've decided to euthanise, the vets doing so have affirmed my decision. "It was absolutely the right time and thing to do."

But it's strange having to be in control of these decisions. Difficult dealing with the death after the fact.

My other two girls will pass soon, I think. One from the tumour, and the other from heartbreak or some other health complication that I might not be able to see yet. They're just at that age, right?

So I've been thinking about what to do once they're all dead. There are a few options, but for now I have my two current dead girls in the freezer. Wrapped up in parts of old shirts they kept in their cage for comfort, double bagged up in air tight ziploc bags, and then placed into an air tight container. It feels weird talking about them in these terms, but it's the reality of death I think. I want to keep them safe and frozen until I can help them all be together again.

They deserve dignity, even in death. I'm careful with handling their dead bodies, cradling them, placing them on the shirt as comfortably as I can given their circumstances. One of my girls curled up nicely, and the other had already started to turn rigid in my hold. I try to let them rest naturally, making sure not to clip their skin when I cut off a tuft of fur as a momento. I never squeeze them into boxes, simply looking for a bigger size if necessary. I kiss them before they go in the freezer. I make sure to document their death with a final photo, placed somewhere safe so that they know that I still love them and that I'm not afraid of their new state.

The issue is I have no idea what to do once they all pass. I have a few options, but I can never settle on anything that feels right.

• A garden burial is an option, but I worry about wildlife getting in about the grave no matter my best attempts to persuade them otherwise with a slab of concrete over the disturbed ground and some lye. The thought of nature taking its course (my girls being food for another animal) doesn't scare or upset me, but I worry that their state of death would harm another animal if consumed, and I don't want to do that to another animal.
• Saving up for a private cremation may be my best option, but I don't like the idea of them burning. I'm already uncomfortable with the idea of them freezing, despite understanding that they're dead and won't be feeling anything. Burning them makes me feel guilt more than anything, even if this may be what I go for in the end.
• Planting them in a big garden pot full of flowers is something that gets recommended to me a lot. The smell isn't too bad, and you can introduce efforts to lessen the smell. They'd naturally decompose, and I'd be able to get parts of their body back if I wanted to, like bones, skulls, etc, depending on the level of decomposition. This idea is nice, but I'm terrible with plants and I worry that if (when) the plant(s) were to die, it'd feel like I killed my girls personally. And I don't think I could deal with that emotional weight.

There are other options that I won't consider, such as placing them in a dumpster which is legal but omfg no hate to anyone who does that but I could NOT do that to my girls...

I have a sneaking suspicion that my girl with a tumor will need euthanised soon too, leaving me with one girl left. Rats are supposed to be kept in preferably groups of 4 at least, but the more the better. She is, however, old... And sometimes it's best not to put them through the stress of moving to a new home, learning a new group dynamic, etc. They can sometimes pass from heartbreak too.

It's a little selfish, but I hope my last girl goes quickly after her sister passes. I don't want her to suffer. I will, in the meantime, become the other rat for her!

This is, obviously, NOT medical advice. The best way to smoke after a tooth extraction is to NOT smoke!!!

But, from one smoker to another, I understand.

I have gotten two wisdom teeth out, and I'm about to get the remaining two removed soon, so I'm writing this out both for my own reference and for, potentially, yours if you're also struggling and are tired of conflicting information online!

First of all, again, I am not a professional and this is not medical advice. This is simply what I've found to work for me. You may still end up with horrible dry socket even if you follow these tips, so don't blame me for anything lmfao. The best way to smoke after a tooth extraction is to not smoke! However, addiction doesn't really care for consequences, so below are tips and tricks I personally follow to try and minimise as many consequences as possible, and I have not gotten dry socket once.

• Do not smoke for at least 2 days following the extraction. Difficult, I know, but this will save a lot of hassel and give the blood clot enough time to form and stabalise enough. The first 48 hours is the absolutely minimum amount of time I'm willing to wait, but of course, if you can wait longer then that's better! There's lots of conflicting time limits online, but I think most of it comes down to personal experience. I've found that two days is usually as long as I can last, and it's sufficient enough.
• Do not use guaze to cover the clot when smoking!!! I see this recommended all the time online, but it's pointless! The guaze is not protecting the clot and/or wound from the smoke, and you run the risk of accidentally dislodging the healing clot as it may attach to the gauze and then you'll get dry socket. Do not use guaze for smoke protection, it's useless.
• When first smoking again, do not regularly inhale. It's difficult to try and explain this point, but you basically do not want to create any suction. Suction will exponentially increase your chances of dislodging the clot. So, in an effort to not cause suction, you should not wrap your lips tight around the cigarette/vape but instead loosely hold the end between your lips and keep your mouth halfway open. I then will simply breathe in, a little deeper than normal, rather than sucking/inhaling sharply. I hope this makes sense! You just want to be as light as possible for at least the first two days (day three and four post op) to try and minimise any sucking action going on. It's not very satisfying, but it does give you a slight comfort until you're able to smoke normally again.
• Salt rinse after every smoke! To be honest, I don't know how much this helped, but it eased my mind a bit. After every cigarette, I recommend salt rinsing to try and cleanse the area as much as you can, just like you would after every meal. I stopped doing this on day 5 post op, but you can do it for as long as you feel is necessary. It's not harmful. Just remember that when you salt rinse, gently tilt your head from side to side instead of swishing, because swishing can dislodge the clot too!
• From day 5 onwards, gradually introduce more suction. If you can, I highly recommend waiting a whole week of no suction smoking before you try to smoke regularly again, but I couldn't wait that long and started smoking more normally on day 5. By day 6, I was smoking like I was before the extraction with my lips wrapped tight around the cigarette. This is a case by case basis I feel, and will require you to test the waters yourself before committing to smoking again. You'll know if you can't apply more pressure because you'll feel a throb at the extraction site, in which I recommend you remain light with your suction. Really though, past day three, you can generally stop worrying about dry socket! There are, obviously, outliers regarding this assumption, but this is the generally accepted viewpoint of every dentist I've spoke to, both online and offline.
• One week post extraction, you should be able to return to normal. I remember I asked my dentist when I could smoke again, and she said one day later LOL. I didn't trust her, which is why I waited as long as I could (two days) before attempting light smoking. After one week post extraction however, you should be able to go back to your normal habit and routine, without accounting for the extraction site.

Again, not medical advice and I am not a professional. I am not liabel for anything that happens to you if you follow these tips. I just want to share what works for me! Tooth extraction is an exhausting process, and extra stressful if you're a smoker. I've had friends smoke an hour after extraction and then all throughout healing and not once get dry socket, and I've had non smoker friends get dry socket despite their best efforts and not smoking at all.

If you're on fem birth control, you're more at risk of dry socket. If you get a lower extraction, you're more at risk of dry socket. Sometimes it doesn't matter how many precautions you take, luck isn't on your side... But the above is what I always follow for my own peace of mind, and it has served me well, so it may help you too!

Good luck and try to stop if you can!

My first entry... Hello world! The most generic title too, but I feel like it's fitting.

I debated for a while as to whether this page should be called "blog" or "diary" because they each evoke different feelings, right? A diary feels far more intimate than a blog, and I would expect to read more informational posts on a page titled "blog"... Alas, sorry to disappoint, but it's a mix of both. A Dog. A Bliary. I simply enjoy yapping too much to pick between the two, so you're being forced to pick and choose which entries seem appealing at the time.

Perhaps I'll title each one with one of the two themes? Like for example, this one would be more diary focused? Maybe then you can more easily make a decision between entries. D for diary, B for blog. Okay, yeah, I'll do that!

Anyway hello! I just wanted to say hi. Get the first entry out of the way, otherwise I'd be stuck wondering what to write about for my first entry forever. Now that this is written and posted, I no longer have to worry about making the first post perfect. So long as it's done, it doesn't have to be perfect!