Please save Zylius and help other disabled rats

Hello, good people.

My pet rat Zylius may have a serious, life-threatening tumour on his spine and I want to do everything to save him. However, due to my own poor health as well as a bad financial situation, it is quite difficult to get him properly tested (MRI scan is very expensive).

I remember when I brought Zylius home for the first time with his brother – at first, he was scared, but soon he ended up being the one who was the most curious, active and healthy. It was a pure joy to see him enjoying his life to the fullest, every single day. He kept me company when I was having a hard time and was lonely – he made my life so much happier and more exciting. But now, he’s in pain and his hind legs are very weak. Vets don't know what's wrong with him. He was checked by 5 different clinics, the last one was the one who suggested to check his spine. The other clinics just provided different treatments. He's been on medication since September. I purchased a custom-made, 3D wheelchair for him, but Zylius is not very eager to use it – he wants to walk on his own legs no matter what, even if that means sliding, just like on skis.

What is more, Zylius already had two surgeries where the vets removed a huge abscess and during the second one, they removed a large tumour on his left testicle. Of course, they then removed both testicles too. My big boy survived them both. Vets also claim that despite the tumour on his spine, he’s still not too old and healthy in general, so another, a more difficult and expensive surgery may give him another year to live.

The first surgery and the wheelchair, sadly, cost me €400 and the vets told me that the spine tumour removal + MRA test would cost €600 more. I would never ask people online for this kind of sum, but currently I feel helpless…

To my knowledge, a lot of rats tend to lose the use of their hind legs when they get old. However, there’s a recent helpful innovation – 3D printable wheelchairs for rats that help to support their hind legs so their movement isn’t that limited. If this campaign is successful, I’d like to investigate the possibility to produce more wheelchairs for rats/small rodents so they could be used by pet owners or vets. It’s very sad to see vets euthanizing rats that have difficulties controlling their limbs, so such wheelchairs could help a lot.

If there’s enough interest and support, I would like to try to get in touch with 3D modelers who could help mesimplify the wheelchair design and make it more affordable and easier to make. Please message me if you can help me with 3D design or 3D printing – I’d be very grateful for this.

Although some say that every rat is a heart rat, Zylius is the one which stands out above all and I love him so much.

Your help is highly appreciated,

Monika