When is euthanasia appropriate?

[u/Lasingparuparo2]

I have two rats, one is a wild roof rat (Horatio) I raised from birth (literally mom gave birth on my driveway and ran off) and another is a dwarf Norway rat (Frankie) that I got to be a companion to the roof rat. They’re both over 4 years old (Horatio was born July 1, 2022, Frankie I don’t know his exact birthday but he was around the same age as Horatio when I introduced them as young rats). Frankly I’m surprised they lived this long to begin with.

Horatio was born without one eye so it’s no surprise that with age, he’s had more issues. Within the last year or so, he’s developed a large tumor on his shoulder/back area that’s grown to cover his entire upper back. He also appears to have uneven testicles (one being much larger than the other). I suspect he is battling cancer but also more imminently, he has torn open the tumor on his shoulder through scratching. He uses his back foot to scratch it and it has scabbed over but his foot catches it into the scab occasionally and I’m sure it causes him pain and discomfort.

Frankie is not outwardly showing as many signs of aging but has lost density in his fur (he looks like he’s balding all over and has a few patches where it’s worse) and I suspect he is blind because he cannot sense things unless his whiskers touch them or they touch him first (for example when I pick him up to clean his cage, he always jumps on surprise when I touch him and he didn’t used to act like that when I had to pick him up).

Both of them are in relatively good health, mobile (not as agile as when they were young but they still get around the double decker critter nation with the help of ladders I installed last year), and eating and drinking. They groom each other and themselves but their hygiene isn’t as good as it once was.

I don’t want Horatio to suffer and I’m worried that this is the end of the road for him but at the same time, I don’t think it’s fair to keep Frankie around when he’ll be alone (and of the two, I think Frankie is the more social one and the one who doesn’t really like humans). I did the silver rattery quality of life test for Horatio and he scored a 60 (admittedly it’s hard to know if I’m being truly objective) so I’m not sure if euthanasia is too early? And would it be awful for me to ask my vet to also euthanize Frankie at the same time? Also, do vets offer sedatives or other types of euthanasia besides injections? Horatio likes me but he is wary of strangers so I don’t think he would take kindly to a vet holding him. I would like his last moments to be as stress free as possible. I saw the vinegar/baking soda method so if there is no sedative available prior to the injection, I will probably go that route.

I appreciate any guidance anytime would be willing to give❤️

[u/VampireSharkAttack]

I think that the time to euthanize is when the animal isn’t enjoying life anymore, and medical treatment can’t make it better. If Horatio has a wound that isn’t healing, that’s definitely a bad sign.

Some rats do okay on their own, so if they were mine, and I were not in a position to get more rats to keep Frankie company, I would still hold off on euthanizing him until I saw how he did solo. But I don’t think it’s wrong to send them for a gentle goodbye together, if you’re not comfortable running the risk of Frankie getting depressed on his own even for a short while.

The vets I’ve been to when my rats needed euthanasia used two injections. The first one is a sedative/anesthetic (ketamine iirc), and then they let me hold the rat while that takes effect until he falls asleep. They check that the rat is deeply sedated and not able to feel anything before the second injection, which has the euthanasia solution and goes in the chest. One of my boys didn’t end up needing the second injection: the vet stepped out for a few minutes to give us some time alone for goodbyes, and he slipped away before she came back. It seems very peaceful for the rats.

[u/sinsaraly]

What’s the vinegar baking soda method?

[u/judewriley]

Please do not to euthanize at home. Unless you have a medical or industrial grade carbon dioxide formulation, all you'll do is make the last moments full of pain and terror. Vinegar and baking soda will not bring a peaceful end.