Emx93
Adult Guinea Pig
Caramel 
How do I say goodbye to my last herd piggy?
Caramel joined us during lockdown in May 2020 along with her sister Flower (rip 2021) to bond with my very fear aggressive fluffy (rip 2021) after she lost her soul mate princess during lockdown. A miracle occurred and fluffy raised those babies with all she had before popcorning off to join her princess just before she they turned 1.
Caramel and Flower:
Caramel, Fluffy and Flower:
After fluffy died Caramel and flower who were both quiet passive souls seemed a little lost and I'd always seen Nugget (rip2022) as a herd leader so we attempted a group bond which was mercifully a success and we had our very own herd of 5! (Nugget, Marshmallow, Mal, Flower and Caramel). They thrived together but as the herd began to shrink, caramel started to struggle herself. We thought we would loose her just before she turned 3 to mystery weight loss, she had every test In the book, many medication trails including thyroid medication and nothing came to light. But after months of support feeding she did turn a corner.
Herd vs mini pumpkin:
Christmas just after loosing flower:
I often referred to caramel as tiny but mighty as she averaged around 600g for most of her life after the weight loss yet she was the most stubborn piggy around. 600g of pure sass! She would not bond with another piggy after loosing marshmallow in 2023, try though we did it seemed she did not want new friends. She watched 5 of her previous friends leave for the bridge and seemed unwilling to bond again after that.
Nose boops:
Early last year she developed an issue with her girl bits. We weren't entirely sure what it was, one vet thought a prolapse or mass and another thought it was just an overgrowth. She was on metacam from then but she never let it stop her. Although she was one of those piggies who ‘slept like they were dead’ so she gave me many heart attacks.
Her last Christmas and Halloween:
I think in the end it was a heart attack that took her, there was hay in her mouth like she'd been munching hay one minute and then the next she was gone. A shock but not unexpected, we had started to wonder if we should be having a quality of life talk about her when she made that decision for us, on my birthday as one final act to ensure she could never be forgotten (she never could anyway, i hope she knew that.)
Caramel had a stubborn, feisty yet gentle nature. Stubborn in that she knew what she wanted in life, feisty in that she put up a fight in everything she did and gentle in that she was so sweet with her humans. I got upset a few weeks ago, I could sense her time would be soon but there was nothing concrete enough to merit making the decision, and she gave me the biggest snuggles and nose boops.
Feed me human!
We brought in the new year 2026 with her in our arms. We knew it would likely be her last and wanted her to be involved in every moment.
If you'd have told me 3 years ago that my teeniest girl would live till 6 I would never have believed you. Caramel you truly were a gift. Bringing light after loss and Hope to lockdown. I love you so much and I'm so grateful for the time we had together. The other piggies are very quiet today.
Run free with all your friends and your sister at rainbow bridge
the herd is reunited again.
2020-2026
Baby caramel:
How do I say goodbye to my last herd piggy?
Caramel joined us during lockdown in May 2020 along with her sister Flower (rip 2021) to bond with my very fear aggressive fluffy (rip 2021) after she lost her soul mate princess during lockdown. A miracle occurred and fluffy raised those babies with all she had before popcorning off to join her princess just before she they turned 1.
Caramel and Flower:
Caramel, Fluffy and Flower:
After fluffy died Caramel and flower who were both quiet passive souls seemed a little lost and I'd always seen Nugget (rip2022) as a herd leader so we attempted a group bond which was mercifully a success and we had our very own herd of 5! (Nugget, Marshmallow, Mal, Flower and Caramel). They thrived together but as the herd began to shrink, caramel started to struggle herself. We thought we would loose her just before she turned 3 to mystery weight loss, she had every test In the book, many medication trails including thyroid medication and nothing came to light. But after months of support feeding she did turn a corner.
Herd vs mini pumpkin:
Christmas just after loosing flower:
I often referred to caramel as tiny but mighty as she averaged around 600g for most of her life after the weight loss yet she was the most stubborn piggy around. 600g of pure sass! She would not bond with another piggy after loosing marshmallow in 2023, try though we did it seemed she did not want new friends. She watched 5 of her previous friends leave for the bridge and seemed unwilling to bond again after that.
Nose boops:
Early last year she developed an issue with her girl bits. We weren't entirely sure what it was, one vet thought a prolapse or mass and another thought it was just an overgrowth. She was on metacam from then but she never let it stop her. Although she was one of those piggies who ‘slept like they were dead’ so she gave me many heart attacks.
Her last Christmas and Halloween:
I think in the end it was a heart attack that took her, there was hay in her mouth like she'd been munching hay one minute and then the next she was gone. A shock but not unexpected, we had started to wonder if we should be having a quality of life talk about her when she made that decision for us, on my birthday as one final act to ensure she could never be forgotten (she never could anyway, i hope she knew that.)
Caramel had a stubborn, feisty yet gentle nature. Stubborn in that she knew what she wanted in life, feisty in that she put up a fight in everything she did and gentle in that she was so sweet with her humans. I got upset a few weeks ago, I could sense her time would be soon but there was nothing concrete enough to merit making the decision, and she gave me the biggest snuggles and nose boops.
Feed me human!
We brought in the new year 2026 with her in our arms. We knew it would likely be her last and wanted her to be involved in every moment.
If you'd have told me 3 years ago that my teeniest girl would live till 6 I would never have believed you. Caramel you truly were a gift. Bringing light after loss and Hope to lockdown. I love you so much and I'm so grateful for the time we had together. The other piggies are very quiet today.
Run free with all your friends and your sister at rainbow bridge
the herd is reunited again.2020-2026
Baby caramel:
She knew she was loved dearly. Big hugs to you. 
6 years ago today I brought you home for the first time 
She was a very special girl. 
