Why medical testing and medical research is important, for humans and for animals.
Long before I got into rats and mice, my mother became a vet tech in 2009. Shortly after that, she started working for a medical research facility taking care of colonies there. Rats and mice that were being used in medical research. She found her passion. Her mother, my grandmother, the previous year, had passed away from a battle with colon cancer. A terrible cancer that left my grandmother a shell of the woman I knew, it tore her apart and in the end, she was ready to go. This changed my mother, she graduated wanting to pursue a career that would benefit other daughters, her own, from experiencing the same heartbreak or at least, give some relief to those affected by cancer and many other diseases and disabilities. I have always been so proud of my mom, proud of her dedication to her job, to the animals in her life, to the cause, to medical advancement. She worked with pigs, one of her favorite animals and almost two years ago, she adopted her first rats from me. A pair of boys, father and son. The two girls. She now has two new boys from me and one new girl as her rats aged and passed away. My mom has always been an animal lover. I learned so much from her. So when we were about to move the Denver area, I applied for a job at the facility she worked at. And I got it. Me, the rat breeder, the person who I’m sure many of you least expected to work in a facility such as this. But here I am. I have been working there since May of 17. I personally work with over 1000 mice and just around 300 rats. This job has taught me so much about caring for rats that even my own experience would have never been enough. The best part of my job is actually saving lives. I am the lifeline of these animals, I am constantly involved in their lives. Be it something as simple as proving soft food for an elderly rat to eat or warming up an animal after a surgery. The second best is watching the science at work. From colon rectal studies in mice to Alzheimer studies in very elderly male rats, watching the doctors and scientists work hard and care so much. Watching the rats play with their cagemates or the mice rear their litters. Little moments that make you know that what you are doing is important, honorable and life changing. Medical testing not only saves human lives but saves animal lives too. The amazing advancements that are being made not only guide us to human health but to animal health. The use of mice and rats in research have mapped genes of many varieties, mapped the brain, behavior is incredibly understood, illnesses and diseases, viruses and bacteria have been thoroughly tested and well researched. The medical research community also widely publishes their findings and make the information readily available for those who wish to see it. We, as rat owners, owe so much to the research community, for helping us understand our rats. I wrote this today because three male rats in my room are turning two today. So happy birthday boys, thank you so much for your hard work, for your sacrifice.
