In fact, thank you to everybody that has given me a positive response..š
So Harry and family are coming back!
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I have a new puppy patterdale cross with border terrier,16 weeks old (and I know his breed is a ratter) and he gets on very well with my young cat about 15 months old. My older cat George is nine he wants nothing to do with either of them. He will just sit and look very aloof if they are performing which they do rolling around in the grass with each other.
Anyway, I digress, Yesterday morning I let Duke out for his run around my garden,is quite big and even though the ground isnāt hot at this time of morning the Sun is still beating down so I will not take him out for a walk til about 9pm this. He can run around in the garden and come in when heās finished.
In the morning he was down the bottom of the garden and he was barking quite frantically. I knew he had something there when I went. It was a terrified little rat. I pulled Duke off and put him indoors went to get the rat picked him up. Was trying to walk him to safety and he bit me.I know he mustāve been terrified so I donāt hold a grudge against being bitten by him šµāš«
111 advised a tetanus the Hospital after being checked, I havenāt had a tetanus jab since 99
So I got two buses to get to local A&E long story short They basically washed the wound with iodine they put a dressing on. and gave me some antibiotics and that was it basically
I came home let the dog out and he went straight to the place he went before and that the poor rat he had moved at all. I donāt think he could move, so I picked him up again (I probably shouldnāt, but did it because I donāt like to see anything in a state of fear š° )
Anyway I put him in a little container with some grass and some water and thought he really not gonna make it, but Iād assume that he would pass away in peace and quiet and out being pounced upon by dogs and cats
I have been out this morning heās still alive, but his back legs are damaged and I donāt think heāll survive. I am going to ring my vet and see if anything can be done.
I know, I probably do have rats under my Shed and thatās my business before anybody jumps on me, I do have two cats and now a terrier as well, so Iām hoping that the head of the family will be talking to the family of rats and sayā Hey, it was bad enough with two cats now sheās got a blinking terrier. We really must move on.ā
I will not poison down or set nasty traps (I donāt want any creature to die in agony)Have seen him this morning and he seems very weak. I think his back legs have been damaged so like I say I will get hold of my vetā¦
a small container in my small shirt with a bit of grass and some water
In fact, thank you to everybody that has given me a positive response..š
Alwaysworrying
Well l think the OP sounds like a lovely caring sort of person.
The sort youād want as a friend and the sort you can rely on. Not much point in everyone telling her about all the grim diseases sheās at risk of getting.Thereās nothing that can be done about that or to give advice about bashing the rats brains in. Anyone who had gone to all that trouble to save the baby rat would not now be standing over it with a hammer in their hands ready to splatter it everywhere.
OP carry on being you! Hopefully you wonāt contract anything grim and nasty and hopefully your ratty chums will be zipping up their suitcases and wishing you a hearty āfarewell!āas they flip merrily to their next digs! Good luck! š
Thank you so muchā¦.š
Greciangirl
Do you really think a vet will be interested in treating a rat?
You are wasting their time and yours.
Iām afraid you have let sentimentality get the better of your good sense.
I truly hope you havenāt got a nasty disease.
If you have, will you think āoh that was really worth the troubleā.?
Will this suffice?
I'm frightened to snigger, in case I get told off... š¤
If you take your rat to a vet they will put it down
If you read the thread you will see that the rat died.
Itās an ex rat!
Therea a man on youtube who had mice in his garden.
His fsther enjoyed warching them, so he has built a beautiful little "village" where they now live.
His workmanship is beautiful, and he says it keeps the mice away from his house, as they have everything they need at the bottom of the garden.
I like rats. Have had pet Rats in the past but when we had wild rats in the garden that was just too much. Five of them sat around a bird feeder when I went out one evening so I had to put traps down. My cats caught some, the traps worked and I hate to admit but I was sad that they had to die. I did see a rat about a week ago and I am hoping it is alone. In the past I did get bitten by a mouse and ended up in A & E to have two tetanus jabs, so I am surprised you did not have a tetanus jab.
May I wish you well with your little dog and your bite. If you take your rat to a vet they will put it down, but if you need to help it on its way, push it into a large plastic bottle after cutting the end off (2 litre cola type) and seal the end. It will run out of air and go to sleep. A kind way to go.
I would have done just as you have Shinamae. I can't bear any animal to be in pain and we have a second cat who is regularly killing young field mice and fledglings so we now cannot feed the birds as it is too upsetting. We have a wild life hospital about 50 minutes away and from time to time take injured birds we find on the roadside or at home. I'm pleased to find others who are kind to animals as there is so much cruelty in the world. I know it's nature and have buried 2 birds recently. I would rather see that the cat has finished them off than find them injured but would always try to get the cat to release them if alive. I once found a terrified frog under my sofa and drove to the nearest stream to release it. I hope your bite heals well.
watermeadow
This happened to me years ago. I was advised to get a tetanus jab but knew that the real risk is leptospirosis. The GPās surgery had never heard of that and couldnāt spell it so I didnāt bother.
My dog has an annual vaccination for that! I know when I worked at another surgery the doctors didnāt seem to know about Weils (sp) disease even though weāre surrounded by canals
This happened to me years ago. I was advised to get a tetanus jab but knew that the real risk is leptospirosis. The GPās surgery had never heard of that and couldnāt spell it so I didnāt bother.
Do take it to the vet, I once did this with a rat who was dragging himself along the road because his back legs werenāt able to move. The vet put him to sleep humanely and wouldnāt let me pay. Like you, just canāt bear to see any animal suffer.
MT62
My friend had a rat in the loft, maybe a couple. Anyway council used a sticky pad. I think idea is that they get stuck on this pad & struggle to set themselves free.
Her rat had literary tore off its leg, which to me sounds very cruel.
I donāt actually think they use this method anymore.
I'm pretty sure those sticky traps have been made illegal now, unless you are a professional pest controller.
I donāt like the idea of animals fighting with vermin & then later the owner letting that pet lick their faces š©
Please do something to get rid of rats. If any of your cats or dogs are bitten, the bite can be very dangerous for them. I had one cat bitten so near his spine that the vet said it was a very good thing I had reacted so promtly with regards to making an appointment with him. He gave the cat a massive dose of antibiotics immediately and a ten day course of them as well.
Check your by-laws - depending on where you live, you may have a legal obligation to report rats to the council rat-catcher.
Well l think the OP sounds like a lovely caring sort of person.
The sort youād want as a friend and the sort you can rely on. Not much point in everyone telling her about all the grim diseases sheās at risk of getting.Thereās nothing that can be done about that or to give advice about bashing the rats brains in. Anyone who had gone to all that trouble to save the baby rat would not now be standing over it with a hammer in their hands ready to splatter it everywhere.
OP carry on being you! Hopefully you wonāt contract anything grim and nasty and hopefully your ratty chums will be zipping up their suitcases and wishing you a hearty āfarewell!āas they flip merrily to their next digs! Good luck! š
Oh dear a dilemma indeed. When I lived in New Zealand I had to brick an injured mouse, finish off a badly injured Possom that had been run over and a dying goldfish at work that nobody would put out of it's misery. I hate suffering so did the right thing, horrible as it is\.
Spot on
Hear hear Hannah! š why would anyone want to save rats š¤š¤
Do you really think a vet will be interested in treating a rat?
You are wasting their time and yours.
Iām afraid you have let sentimentality get the better of your good sense.
I truly hope you havenāt got a nasty disease.
If you have, will you think āoh that was really worth the troubleā.?
Janejudge. Iāve managed to shed my cat for now. Iām sure sheāll be back later.
Thanks for vaccine info, Merlot. I doubt Iāll ever have another dog, though I do like a lot of dogs, the non-scary ones!
My friend had a rat in the loft, maybe a couple. Anyway council used a sticky pad. I think idea is that they get stuck on this pad & struggle to set themselves free.
Her rat had literary tore off its leg, which to me sounds very cruel.
I donāt actually think they use this method anymore.
Blossoming
Sorry, I would have let the dog finish it off. Iām a hard hearted Hannah when it comes to vermin. A good ratter will do the job quickly.
Agree. The rat has now suffered in pain for a time when it could of died quickly. The instincts are in the dog and you should of encouraged the dog to finish the rat. Its a lot quicker, less pain and fear for the rat. I've always thought rat poisoning/ traps are cruel and harmful other animals. A small pack of ratting terriers or dogs does the job a lot better.
My dog is on top of me as well and Iām menopausal
Oh, interesting, I didnāt know there was a vaccine
Itās part of the cocktail of meds that all puppies should be vaccinated with and make up the annual booster all dogs should receive.
* inherited
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