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Guinea Pigs Gone to the Rainbow Bridge |
April 2000 - May 2000 |
It is said that when we lose a friend, there is a new star in the sky at night. On these cold, bleak Winter nights I look up, and through my tears I see the stars of a constellation twinkling in the sky. I hope your spirits run free, dashing and playing in meadows of sweet timothy grass, with cool waters to sip and sweet fruits to nibble and play with. May you have places to explore, treats beyond measure, and cardboard to nibble. To all our gentle beloved piggies, we will always love you.
- T. Green, 1996
This is Midnight. She is a little mixed breed sow I had that I just fell in love with when she was born...she was not quite American and not quite Silkie....but very beautiful to me. She had just turned 5 months old..and been in breeding with a rescue piggie I had taken in who had not been with another cavy in two years. Chance was very skittish and needed company..this Midnight provided. They were very close and she helped him calm down alot. Sadly, after being together only a little over a month Midnight passed away suddenly..she will be missed.
My sweetest "fluff-butt",
Today I did one of the hardest things I have ever had to do...send you
on your way to the Rainbow Bridge. You spent the last month fighting hard
and valiantly against first an inner ear infection, then a bladder/kidney
infection. You were so good about eating from the syringe, and taking
your medicine, and you so lovingly purred as I fed and held and petted.
But the illness was too much. I watched it weaken you until you were unable
to walk, I watched you waste away no matter how much or how frequently
you ate. Yesterday, I knew it was time; that "life" would be better for
you on the other side. I realized that it was selfish of me to try and
keep you any longer. And so we took that final trip and I held you and
cried as you quietly moved on.
Thank you for our year and half together my baby girl. You were the most gentle girl and the most willing cuddler. You were my first piggie, Karma, my most special and loving darling, and you will always, always be in my heart and soul.
Several years ago we aquired two guinea pigs which soon became parents. One of the piggys that was born was quite handicapped. Everybody we knew told us to put him down as he would only suffer, but I could not do that. As time passed I became quite attached to our little guy who we had named Handi (due to his handicaps). I bacame his primary caregiver and we became quite good friends. He slept in my bedroom and lived in the laundryroom during the day. When I would come home from work he would become quite excited and wheet hello to me. Despite his handicaps he was active and happy. Whenever somebody opened the fridge he would wheet in excitement as he knew that his very special treats came from there. Over time we lost both of his parents as well a two of his siblings. Although these events were traumatic his loss was the worst. On mothers day 2000 he was brought to me at about 4:00pm and I knew right away that something was wrong. There was no obvious trauma; however, he was listless and very weak. I spent the next 5 hours force feeding him, giving water, medication, vitamins, holding and talking to him. I prayed to God not to take my little friend and I believe that he held on for as long as he could possibly hold on. About 8:00pm I took him to bed with me. We sat and talked to him and cried together about his impending death. At 8:45pm he began gasping for air and by 9:00pm he was gone. He is awaiting burial until this weekend when we can have a proper ceremony for him. Handi fought a valiant fight to the end. Life wasn't easy for him and he fought death until he could fight no more. I believe that he held on as long as he could. He was a very special piggy and I look forward to the day that I will see him again. Although I am saddened by his loss, I am happy that he is in a better place. Ciao Handiman I miss you with all my heart and hope to see you again someday.
Our most precious treasure Hapa Pig passed away in my arms on March 10, 2000; he was 3 years 2 months & 2 days old. Hapa brought more joy to our lives then anyone can imagine, he & I had a very strong bond. He has been gone for almost 2 months but every evening my husband & I light a candle in his garden where he is buried and I ask God to give him a good night kiss for me, I miss he so very much and always will. I've loved many animals & I know I will love many more but none will have my heart like my sweet Hoppy.
A little over a week ago, I drove 500 miles to San Diego, to rescue 20 guinea pigs who were going to be euthanized at shelters. They were all in fairly good shape except for a young boar that I called Doodle Bug. He was very ill and had a large mass in his abdomen. We hoped that it was an obstruction and tried to get it to pass with fluids and motility drugs. It grew larger so we took him to surgery. We were shocked and horribly disappointed to find that his intestines had torsed (twisted) and that the contents of the intestines were trapped. More alarming still, was the fact that much of his intestinal tissues were dead. We spoke of euthanizing him then, but the vet (my boss) thought that there might be enough healthy tissue to resect the bowel. She removed part of his colon, and sewed it back together. He woke up from anesthesia, which was a miracle in itself considering the length of the incision as well as the amount of time he was under anesthesia. He seemed to be perking up a little but had to be force-fed. He was not passing any stool. 40 hours after the surgery (he only had a 25% chance of surviving 24 hours) he began to seizure and go into what is known as agonal breathing. I could not bear to see him go through any more pain so I euthanized him at home, and held him as his young little spirit gently floated toward the heavens, away from the little body that could not sustain life on earth. It always seems to hurt worse when they are young. I still wonder if I shouldn't have just not let him wake up from surgery in the first place. He just seemed like he wanted to live and with his age, he could perhaps recover. He would have died without surgery so it had to be done. I do find comfort in knowing that we did everything humanly possible to try to save his life. Unfortunately, it was not enough and Doodle Bug is now an angel, soaring above the heavens with all my other little angels who left me. I love you little Doodle Bug. I know that we only knew each other for a few days but I hope that in that time you felt loved, perhaps for the first time in your life after being taken away to a shelter from that horrible place. I know that you have treats beyond words and lots of little girl piggies who want only to sit by your side while you show them your strut and perhaps share a sprig of parsley. I promise to take equally good care of the other 19 piggies that you came with. I suspect some of them are related to you because they look just like you. Some of the sows are pregnant...could you be a daddy from heaven? I miss you little guy. I don't have to worry anymore about whether you need medicine in the middle of the night. I keep waking up, looking for you, to see if you need to be covered up again, but you aren't there. I will never forget you and how hard you fought and how brave you were in the face of a terribly painful condition, and then the added stress of a major surgery. You deserve to rest now. Your spirit is free from pain now. When I feel a warm breeze on a sunny day, I will think of you, strutting for the girls and munching on that sprig of parsley. Good bye my little angel.
Your loving mama always,
Sharlene
Sweet Jezebel crossed the bridge on Friday morning, while lying in bed with me. She came to me as a rescue, about a year ago. Her eye was badly infected and had to be removed. It ruptured during the surgery and the tiny bit of glandular tissues that remained would sometimes ooze a bit of discharge. Last week she formed a huge abscess which pushed her jaw out of alignment. She tried with all her might but could not eat. We drained the abscess but the jaw never went back into normal position. I force fed her all day and all night but she died anyway. She was gentle but fiesty. I don't have a picture of her but will always remember the way she looked up at me with her one beautiful eye. She could squeak louder than any of them. After she died, I fell asleep, holding her little body and had the most wonderful dream. I dreamed that Jezebel had wings and flew up into the bluest sky I have ever seen. She had two eyes and the ugly abscess was gone...and she was smiling. Good bye little Jezebel. I hope your time with me was enjoyable and that you really are a little angel in heaven. I hope they save the biggest, fluffiest, sprig of parsley just for you little friend. It won't be the same without you.
Sharlene
The bravest and the wisest of all, the leader of his herd (mom, dad, Wilma).
He came to us one sunny spring day and was our only piggie about 2 years. He was so special, acted like a dog (didn't bark). He used to follow us at our apartment or at summer cottage, he jumped to the sofa -especially if mom was on the phone and didn't pay _all_ the attention to him, was potty trained (he figured it out by himself, didn't need any training). In fact he was so clever, that he cheated us pretending peeing to the box (you know, bottom down etc) and then came to have his premium (and the box was still clean and dry!). If we wanted him back to cage- just call him and he came. Unless he had not came to us before, standing on our toes telling "Pick me up, I'm tired". He knew how to ask for hay/pellets/treats/water or whatever in different ways. Our friends used to ask "Is _that_ cavy" when they first met him.
In 1997 he got a tooth root infection. It took almost 3 months before he was cured. His weight went down to 630 grams, we syringe fed him, he got lots of antibiotics etc. Then he got an abscess to the jaw. Finally he had no lower incisors, and we cut all his veggies into sticks. But he was so brave and lived more than 2 happy years after all that. Last times he was in a good health.
He was running outside at Saturday (22.4.) with Wilma (his pal), on Sunday morning (the day he died) he was still living and demanding himself. We found him laying on his side. He looked almost like sleeping, eyes half shut, little hands and legs beautifully placed. He looked so peaceful and beautiful we couldn't imagine he's dead. And still can't. Not a day goes by without memories of you, our dearest Igor.
-mom, dad and Wilma
Long Life
By Krishna
[This is a real story]
Once there was a kid named Krishna he wanted a pet so bad. One Christmas morning he was so surprised he got a guinea pig. He thought of a name for a while and he named it Linus. Krishna’s brother Ashok got a guinea pig too and he named it Arnold . They had to stay in the bath tub. Later they let them stay in the padio. Linus squealed a lot and he had golden brown hair and red eyes and pink ears. Arnold has tanish brown hair, pink eyes and a white stripe down has forehead. Linus weighed 1 pound when Krishna got him. He only ran away 2 times with Arnold. When Linus was 1 year old he moved to Lathrop where he could run around. Linus’s favorite place to hide is behind the garbage can. In the winter he and his brother Arnold got to stay inside the house. Arnold broke his leg and he got all the food. About 2 months later someone pushed Krishna’s big brother on Linus and broke his spine 2 days later he had to be put to sleep. Linus’s body was cold and his eyes where all cloudy. Krishna’s family dug a big hole and made a grave stone and made a heart out of a bead lizard. Every one wished they could of said goodbye to him. Krishna’s friends miss him a lot too. Krishna was very sad he cried every night since that happened.
The End
I lost my darling sweet SNOWFLAKE today, April 12, 2000. She was so loving and happy. She always made me laugh and smile. She had complications giving birth. Snowflake gave birth to 5 babies but only one survived. I will always remember her as she brought so much love and joy to my heart.
Our darling little Bo, short for Beauregard Dahmer. You were such a surprise, as you were supposed to be a boy....the little defect you had as a baby kept us mistaking you. So, in with the herd of boars you went, and valiantly made your place, even tho you were so little. What a huge and sad surprise to discover, at 3 months old, that indeed you were a girl, and indeed you were pregnant. Oh Bo, my daughter watched you be born and waited for weeks to bring you home! We tried so hard to do all the right things for you, and yet, on April 5th, after trying to deliver babies that were too large, and after an emergency C-section to try and save all of you, we lost you all....I miss your wheeks and little white blaze, keep Mo company at the bridge....I love you, little one...
Linda, Loren, Sammi and Jake, your human family and the rest of the herd......
In a recent post a young lady faced up to the fact that her boyfriend was an abuser. Unfortunately, it took the death of a sweet innocent guinea pig to open her eyes. So to Manly, who is now safely in the meadow at rainbow bridge, we salute you. Your sacrifice has saved a human life.
As I prepared to write about Manda, I realized that I had never said my formal good bye to Honeybear. Each, in their own way, got me involved with cavies. Manda started it with her most adorable pink nose and sassy personality. I figured any pig that could be like that certainly could have a place in my heart! Honeybear was bought at a pet store and, no surprise here, was found to be pregnant. My desparate search for assistance on her behalf lead me to warm and caring people, more than willing to help me become a "piggie midwife." Both of these girls, in their own individual way, with their own wonderfully differant personalities, have made me a more compassionate person. I have also learned that there is a lot to learn about pigs, and many other animals that I had never known or even suspected I needed to know. So I will be eternally grateful to my two darling girls - they helped their daddy grow up.
Dale and the Marauding Horde!
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