Unepuce
Well-Known Member
I had been petless for a long while, and around 2006, I got a urge to have a pet again, and after finding out I wouldn't be allowed owning a dog, I started reading on rabbits and guinea pigs. (Please note this was long before I got really educated on rescuing...)
After quite a few visits to a petshop I then trusted in my area, in September 2007 I visited a petshop close to where my parents lived and it was love at first sight - beautiful and sweet Mira and her beautiful and determined sister Maya stole my heart away, so both piggies came home with me.
Mira turned out to be pregnant and gave birth to 3 beautiful boys, two of which I found homes for, the third one I fell in love with and got neutered so I could keep him - I named him Charlie.
All was perfect in piggy world, beside a few UTI issue on Mira's part. Things started going downhill 2 years ago. In May 2005, Mira developed huge bladder stones that required surgery... and died in recovery in the hospital the day after surgery. About two weeks later, I came back from work to find her son Charlie dead... that was a shock, he was perfectly normal that very morning when I left for work.
So Maya remained alone... my Maya that never ever got sick. Since I am allergic to piggies, I thought I would try to find her a friend the same age, but rescues I contacted didn't have piggies that old (she was 5 years old), so I turned to kijiji... and against all odds found a beautiful piggy just 3 months younger then Maya being given away for adoption by a wonderful family... and sweet social Praline (then Trails) moved in with us.
Sadly, Praline left us in September and Maya was left alone once more. Considering my recent experiences, I figured she wouldn't remain much longer, so I decided to let her live alone. That's when we really bonded and I started fearing that day she would be leaving me. She got more and more digestive issues, but we always got her through that. She started getting minor teeth issues, she ended up with really bad arthritis which led to minor bumblefoot, but she keep trooping along, screaming for fresh food and purring when I would provide it to her, and even when I would just pet her.
Then she started losing weight at a very alarming speed. Nothing we tried could help her - X-rays showed nothing, biochemical tests came back totally normal, force feeding Critical Care didn't make a difference, she kept losing 50g to 60g a week. On Thursday, the outside temperature got really high, and she went downhill a bit... but yesterday morning, she a bad case of diarrhea and I rushed her to the vet. She was deeply dehydrated, to the point that she would need to go under perfusion to have a the slightest chance to rehydrate, and my vet really wasn't convinced she would remain long even if it worked... so I had to play that horrible God game again, and decided it was time for her to go back to her sister and friends, that she didn't deserve suffering any longer...
She left this world 7 years after entering it, and a little over 6.5 years after moving in with me. She was a strong, pig headed, hot tempered girl that proved me that there are guinea pigs out there that actually are fighters and she totally earned my respect for showing such spirit. She used to me my biggest piggy at 1.3 kg at her peak... and when she left me yesterday, she was under 600 g... lighter than my rat Jay. I am going to miss her dearly.
Run free by the Bridge, sweet Maya, bullying Charlie and Praline like you always did, enjoying your sweet sister's company, eating all the dandelion and parsley your heart desire. Run happy, now that arthritis is no more stopping you, and please, please remember your mommy really loves you and will never, ever, forget you.
After quite a few visits to a petshop I then trusted in my area, in September 2007 I visited a petshop close to where my parents lived and it was love at first sight - beautiful and sweet Mira and her beautiful and determined sister Maya stole my heart away, so both piggies came home with me.
Mira turned out to be pregnant and gave birth to 3 beautiful boys, two of which I found homes for, the third one I fell in love with and got neutered so I could keep him - I named him Charlie.
All was perfect in piggy world, beside a few UTI issue on Mira's part. Things started going downhill 2 years ago. In May 2005, Mira developed huge bladder stones that required surgery... and died in recovery in the hospital the day after surgery. About two weeks later, I came back from work to find her son Charlie dead... that was a shock, he was perfectly normal that very morning when I left for work.
So Maya remained alone... my Maya that never ever got sick. Since I am allergic to piggies, I thought I would try to find her a friend the same age, but rescues I contacted didn't have piggies that old (she was 5 years old), so I turned to kijiji... and against all odds found a beautiful piggy just 3 months younger then Maya being given away for adoption by a wonderful family... and sweet social Praline (then Trails) moved in with us.
Sadly, Praline left us in September and Maya was left alone once more. Considering my recent experiences, I figured she wouldn't remain much longer, so I decided to let her live alone. That's when we really bonded and I started fearing that day she would be leaving me. She got more and more digestive issues, but we always got her through that. She started getting minor teeth issues, she ended up with really bad arthritis which led to minor bumblefoot, but she keep trooping along, screaming for fresh food and purring when I would provide it to her, and even when I would just pet her.
Then she started losing weight at a very alarming speed. Nothing we tried could help her - X-rays showed nothing, biochemical tests came back totally normal, force feeding Critical Care didn't make a difference, she kept losing 50g to 60g a week. On Thursday, the outside temperature got really high, and she went downhill a bit... but yesterday morning, she a bad case of diarrhea and I rushed her to the vet. She was deeply dehydrated, to the point that she would need to go under perfusion to have a the slightest chance to rehydrate, and my vet really wasn't convinced she would remain long even if it worked... so I had to play that horrible God game again, and decided it was time for her to go back to her sister and friends, that she didn't deserve suffering any longer...
She left this world 7 years after entering it, and a little over 6.5 years after moving in with me. She was a strong, pig headed, hot tempered girl that proved me that there are guinea pigs out there that actually are fighters and she totally earned my respect for showing such spirit. She used to me my biggest piggy at 1.3 kg at her peak... and when she left me yesterday, she was under 600 g... lighter than my rat Jay. I am going to miss her dearly.
Run free by the Bridge, sweet Maya, bullying Charlie and Praline like you always did, enjoying your sweet sister's company, eating all the dandelion and parsley your heart desire. Run happy, now that arthritis is no more stopping you, and please, please remember your mommy really loves you and will never, ever, forget you.
