Just in case you were wondering what the Vet said, I'll tell you:
1) foot is okay
2) ears are okay (little scabs on them)
3) vote by the team in the back--'it's a girl'
4) I have no clue if she's pregnant. How long have you had her? (28 days is gestation)
5) Looks like the eye never formed. May have other congenital abnormalities
6) This rat has too much going on to be healthy--lots of little things
I brought her back. She is not really eating, and keeps drinking like crazy.
I think she's gonna die.
How do I handle death in a pet? Not well. With goldfish I flush.
When I had my snake and turtle die within days after spraying for ants in medical school (and yes, like an idiot I gave the turtle ham to eat--the salt probably did it). The snake went to Valhalla on the wood in the fireplace, and I was crying. And the turtle was buried in the yard near the apartment. My tarantula died of old age, after his last molt. I buried him. The snake appeared to me in a dream, with a mouth full of crickets like a gambler would hold a hand of cards. I had never seen him eat and was terribly worried. After the dream I had rest.
As a result, a lot of my pet-care is making sure the animals are still alive. My african fat-tailed gecko of about ten years stopped eating around the time my son was born. I felt like I had neglected him. I buried him too.
This whole Three-Blind-Mice thing came with my uneasiness about death required in snake-keeping. Although I have made great strides in acceptance of 'the snake needs to eat' and how to appreciate the circle of Life, for this one I spent the night with in my call room, it was tough.
I have a soft spot for misfits of all types. Why? On an unconscious level, I think that the stronger spirits selected to come here in altered form. For example, Nick Vujicic, from www.lifewithoutlimits.org.
No arms, no legs, he wanted to die until he found God. Really Found GOD. It will make you cry, watching him. A true inspiration.
I don't know what I will find downstairs in the rat cage. But I asked the Vet directly, 'Is she suffering?' and he said, 'No'.
My sister had to cancel our plans yesterday due to her son throwing up on Friday night. She asked us to 'send Reiki'.* My son is Reiki Two, and we practiced the distance symbol and sent it. Balancing chakras was fascinating. Many were out of balance. But then I taught him Reiki Three. With a child, it's quick. Here are the symbols, that's it. I had once attuned him to Reiki Three in his sleep. I felt guided. Now I attuned him for real. He wants to go Reiki Master, and then Karuna. Here are the levels and what they mean:
Reiki 1: can turn the Reiki power switch on and off. Hands on or hands in aura Reiki only. Can do Self-Reiki, a very powerful tool especially in Chronic Illnesses.
Reiki 2: learn three more symbols, and the distance symbol. Can send Reiki across distance and time.
Reiki 3: Four more symbols, including the Transition Symbol, that helps ease the passage of death. And Chakra Balancing and Toning.
Reiki Master: you can now teach classes and attune others.
Karuna Reiki 1: You learn four basic symbols and are attuned to a compassionate, stronger form of Reiki.
Karuna Reiki 2: Four more symbols.
Karuna Reiki Master: You can teach and attune others to Karuna.
Please note that once Hawayo Takata's classes stopped, traditional hands-on Reiki in the Usui system, with a long training period and very high expense, stopped in the states. There are weekend Reiki classes from all different lines of tradition. You should give yourself at least two to three months between levels to get used to the energy and to practice what you have learned every day. There are no certificates that are accredited. Reiki is all over the map.
Karuna Reiki, (TM) however, is trademarked by William Rand. He is the head of the world Reiki association. Everything Karuna is taught exactly to his specifications. Mr. Rand developed Karuna Reiki.
Wish me luck with Three Blind Mice. There will either be one dead rodent or like, twenty new ones in that cage.
Namaste,
Reiki Doc
* I started out the day with a stomach ache. It went away when I did self-Reiki. I asked my son to give Reiki, too. Instead of throwing up, I was able to get out of bed and start my day. (I wonder if the alpha particles from the solar flare are affecting the inner lining of the gut. Radiation does that.)
