healthy 7 month old male
WARNING: THIS PAGE CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES OF A RAT DISSECTION
* Health history of subject
This boy has appeared to be healthy and free from Mycoplasma infection during his life. No rattles or sneezing were noted
* treatment history
No treatment of antibiotics or Bisolvon were ever given.
*Symptoms prior to death
No Symptoms pertaining to ill health were noted or recorded prior to death. This rat was culled due to his size for food purposes. He appeared to be of good health, weight and size.
This boy has appeared to be healthy and free from Mycoplasma infection during his life. No rattles or sneezing were noted
* treatment history
No treatment of antibiotics or Bisolvon were ever given.
*Symptoms prior to death
No Symptoms pertaining to ill health were noted or recorded prior to death. This rat was culled due to his size for food purposes. He appeared to be of good health, weight and size.
Above: The liver. It is worth noting that this rat was culled via a method of dislocation. In the top image you can see in part the heavy clotting under the skin towards the rats shoulder area. When the spinal chord was severed it caused massive hemorrhaging under the skin. The organs by comparison to the other subjects are of a different colour. I suspect that this is due to hemorrhaging that removed much of the blood from settling within the organs. This subject was not left deceased before freezing for any longer than the others.
note: despite how graphic this method of culling might seem as I have vaguely explained it here, death is instantaneous and is by far the most humane method used.
note: despite how graphic this method of culling might seem as I have vaguely explained it here, death is instantaneous and is by far the most humane method used.
The kidneys. Note the fat stored around them by the body. This rat was by no means overweight but lean and healthy. Diet up until death consisted of Lab Blocks. Sugary treats were unlikely to have been given. Lab Blocks are specially formulated and contain all the dietary requirements of rodents in one easily managed food. Earlier I mentioned the harm that can be cause to organs when a rat is very overweight. The body will naturally store some amounts of fat around organs. This is a good example of fat stored around the kidneys in a healthy fully grown male rat. More fat begins to put pressure on the animals organs and body.
A healthy spleen
A healthy stomach. Subject was eating well, you can also see waste passing down through the bowels.
The heart (top left) and the lungs. This rat was seemingly healthy however at 7 months of age scar tissue is still visible on the lungs. These lungs are much healthier by comparison to other subjects such as 'terminal 7 week old'. This rat still had good use of his lungs.
A cross section of the right lung shows here that the 'healthy' rat has small amounts of fluid. The lung tissue is a much healthier colour and texture however it is far from being devoid of infection.
