Amy
Amy came to us on the 30th of June 2008.
Amy was a little girl that had suffered a lot of stress in a short amount of time when she arrived and we could see that she was going to be a tough cookie to crack.
Amy had lived for 6 months with her sister however 48 hours previous to her being surrendered to us her sister lost a battle with a severe respiratory infection that unfortunately was never treated in any way. Poor Amy was also dealing with a respiratory infection when she was surrendered to us with the telltale signs if heavy breathing, wheezing that could be heard from a distance and lethargy. Poor Amy was very stressed as she had watched her sister slowly and painfully suffer and then was with her sister when she died, all of could understand Amy’s behavior as grieving is very normal for Rats.
I started treating Amy for her respiratory infection ASAP because I knew that she had been displaying these symptoms for a while and knew that I was on limited time with this little fighter. Amy was so small, the foods that she was being given were not appropriate for rats and she was not getting the nutrition she needed for growth and health. Amy was also a biter, she liked to snap and nip, had I not been able to move as quick as I did she would have done some damage but I was always one step ahead, although she reacted differently with men. We can not be sure why she accepted men but our guess is that because her owner was a teen girl we suspect men did not pose such a threat to her.
Amy went to the vet and it was confirmed that she was indeed suffering from a respiratory infection and we would need to continue to treat her for this until it cleared. Amy did not like this diagnosis as it meant she would have to continue taking the meds, like Rella she was not keen on that stuff that came from a syringe after the first couple of days.
Amy went into foster care (the same day that Rella and Merlin were adopted) with my parents and got some serious one on one time with my family. Amy slowly started trusting people enough to stop her nipping, Mum and Dad were making steady progress and we were all delighted when Amy started adding on some weight also. Amy was such a character, she had and still has “grabby hands”, Amy like to put her arms out of the cage and grab whatever she can.
Amy’s behavior did a full turn and she loved being out with people, she was being spoilt rotten and loving all the attention. Amy eventually got better and was emotionally more stable and so ready to start her new life with an adoptive family. Amy needed friends like her to play with so we knew exactly where she would fit in as a family that we knew had been watching her journey and had fallen in love with her.
On the 2nd of August Amy was adopted by Peta to go and live with Rella and Merlin. We were so happy for this little girl but my parents found it very difficult to let Amy go as they had a special bond with her. They were her guardian angels and had it not been for their love, care and understanding Amy may never have gotten over her losses.
With thanks to Mum (Lynne) and Dad (Joe) for giving Amy the most precious gift anyone ever could….. Your Love.