A
short word about megacolon
Though three of the babies in this litter are affected by the
congenital illness megacolon, the rest of the litter is completely healthy.
What is megacolon and is it contagious? No, it is a genetic disorder commonly
associated with a particular coat spotting pattern. Megacolon happens during
fetal development when a gene that produces heavily white spotted fur interferes
with a gene that controls development of the colon. This means that the nerves
that cause the colon to contract and properly process waste don't develop
properly and thus the rat has great difficulty in defacating, causing the
belly to swell and severe constipation to result. There is no cure for it,
but there is evidence that some milder cases can be managed with a combination
of drugs, diet and belly massage. Not all rats with high white spotting will
have megacolon - most will not. Megacolon currently seems to be associated
most with a type of rat called a "husky." Most huskies can be very
safely bred with little to no incidence of megacolon. Of course, anytime you
deal with genetics, things that you never predicted can happen, for good or
for ill. We have retired both parents of this litter from breeding and these
babies are going to pet homes, so no more babies with megacolon will come
from this line.
View Tree Babies: The Motion Picture - a quicktime video clip of the babies at play
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| WWR Tree says "Don't touch my babies!" | KHR Solo, proud papa enjoys a "cigar" |
The Girls
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ROUS Willow • Blue berkshire velveteen • Reserved Ashleen
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ROUS Magnolia•
Black banded husky split cap
Maggie has a mild case of megacolon and so far is developing
pretty normally thanks to cisipride twice a day
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ROUS Madrona• Blonde beige berkshire • Reserved Taira
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ROUS Maple• Black berkshire velveteen • Reserved Eric & Kerri
The Boys
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ROUS Birch •
Silver berkshire
Birch has megacolon but so far is responding to treatment
with cisipride
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ROUS Walnut • Black berkshire • Reserved Renee
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ROUS Rowan • Two-tone beige banded velveteen • Reserved Tim and DJ
ROUS Baobab • Silver self velveteen • Reserved Synneva
ROUS Cedar •
Black berkanded with head spot
Cedar had a severe case of megacolon and died on January
7
He will be very much missed and was very loved in his short time here
ROUS Gingko• Black self with white front paws • Reserved Synneva