Eriathwen
Senior Guinea Pig
Back in 2020, amongst the confusion and upheaval of the pandemic, I was scrolling through the rehoming ads, as I'd done a fair bit that year. I came across a lovely cream peruvian with an eye injury, straw bedding with shavings that were too clean, and freshly shaved hair...hinting that the photographer didn't want to take a photo of the filthy, matted version he had likely been not 10 minutes before.
I reached out to these people, I didn't really have space for another boar, but he clearly needed somewhere to land safely where he would get the care he needs.
This was Oliver, Ferns brother. During discussions, I was asked "Do you want a female too? His sister also needs a home but we haven't listed her yet?" Of course I immediately said yes. I didn't know what you looked like, I didn't know what physical condition you were in, but I didn't care. The second I knew you existed, you were mine.
The day arrived, November 5th, last minute we learned of the lockdown but decided to risk it. We had good reason and I managed to square it with myself with the wording and fine print of exceptions of who could go out and what for, should we get pulled over.
Luckily no one was around, and we arrived to a pretty hands off exchange where we held out open carriers and they dumped you in. We learned you had given birth to 4 babies after Oliver turned out not to be a girl. The boys had beaten him up and the girls had died. They claimed due to fireworks but given the condition you both were in, myself and the vet were pretty certain they'd just plain starved to death.
You were skin and bone (first pigture), you had lost the ends of all your front toes, once I found them amongst the caked on balls of dried poo that took SO many soaks to clean off.
You refused to gain weight, you lost a tooth, and worst of all, although best for you..you passed a load of mucousy blood. A very early miscarriage. I struggled so hard to get weight onto you, I feared you would be my first failure..you grew to be my greatest success. I sat and read protocols on how to refeed severely emaciated horses and began putting this into practice with you, and slowly you rallied. To this day I remember when you first hit 1kg and I scooped you off the scales to give you kisses, while you licked my face, probably after the tears
our little team had made it to the milestone we were aiming for and you ended up surpassing it!
We loved house, you came out of quarantine and joined the big herd, Shelly accepted you immediately although you did make a bit of a failed mutiny attempt as she aged
Things were uneventful until 2 years ago when you developed ovarian cysts, during recovery you developed terrible pneumonia, I woke up to you gasping for air. I was told you weren't going to make it and after a day on oxygen I even opted to have you put to sleep, once I had come to say goodbye. But out you came, full of attitude and ready to come home. I changed my mind, you wanted to fight and I was going to let you prove them all wrong.
I spent almost the entire week awake supporting you, getting 12 hours sleep in total over 7 days, in 10-20 minute naps. You had barely any working lung tissue, you poured blood out one nostril off and on, I gave you nebuliser treatments 4 hourly night and day, waited for the antibiitics to kick in and gasping to subside after 24 hours to not aspirate on food then began the job of reversing your gut stasis. We battled a blockage overnight where you stopped swallowing, I cleared it, and got you eating 0.02ml of food and liquid at a time. 1ml took hours. I wiped your bottom, cleared mucous from your nose, kept you warm and probably prayed to every god whose name I knew of. You rallied once again after the 7 worst days of my life and as quickly as you went down, you were back again, right as rain! We did it
You were always such a character with your friends, a bit of a grumpy, always making Olivers life difficult..quite often standing on the poor man if in a carrier together. Determined to be the boss with no idea how to actually do the job
Your little life was good until only 2 weeks ago when you developed a whistle when you breathed, which became gradually more effort. Straight back onto antibiotics in case of a reoccurrence 2 years later of your pneumonia. Sadly nothing we tried made any difference and after you passed away, quietly and peacefully, asleep in your corner, we discovered you had cancer, starting from the heart into your left bronchial tube, the inflammation so bad it pretty much sealed it shut, all the surrounding tissue and lymph nodes adhered together and unhealthy looking.
The fact you made it so long with only one working lung shows what an absolute little warrior you were.. you were so grateful for your second chance in a new home, you took it with all 4 paws!
I am honoured I got 5 years with you, the majority of your 6.5 years and I hope you forgot the trauma of your first home.
Sleep well my beautiful girl
I reached out to these people, I didn't really have space for another boar, but he clearly needed somewhere to land safely where he would get the care he needs.
This was Oliver, Ferns brother. During discussions, I was asked "Do you want a female too? His sister also needs a home but we haven't listed her yet?" Of course I immediately said yes. I didn't know what you looked like, I didn't know what physical condition you were in, but I didn't care. The second I knew you existed, you were mine.
The day arrived, November 5th, last minute we learned of the lockdown but decided to risk it. We had good reason and I managed to square it with myself with the wording and fine print of exceptions of who could go out and what for, should we get pulled over.
Luckily no one was around, and we arrived to a pretty hands off exchange where we held out open carriers and they dumped you in. We learned you had given birth to 4 babies after Oliver turned out not to be a girl. The boys had beaten him up and the girls had died. They claimed due to fireworks but given the condition you both were in, myself and the vet were pretty certain they'd just plain starved to death.
You were skin and bone (first pigture), you had lost the ends of all your front toes, once I found them amongst the caked on balls of dried poo that took SO many soaks to clean off.
You refused to gain weight, you lost a tooth, and worst of all, although best for you..you passed a load of mucousy blood. A very early miscarriage. I struggled so hard to get weight onto you, I feared you would be my first failure..you grew to be my greatest success. I sat and read protocols on how to refeed severely emaciated horses and began putting this into practice with you, and slowly you rallied. To this day I remember when you first hit 1kg and I scooped you off the scales to give you kisses, while you licked my face, probably after the tears
our little team had made it to the milestone we were aiming for and you ended up surpassing it!We loved house, you came out of quarantine and joined the big herd, Shelly accepted you immediately although you did make a bit of a failed mutiny attempt as she aged
Things were uneventful until 2 years ago when you developed ovarian cysts, during recovery you developed terrible pneumonia, I woke up to you gasping for air. I was told you weren't going to make it and after a day on oxygen I even opted to have you put to sleep, once I had come to say goodbye. But out you came, full of attitude and ready to come home. I changed my mind, you wanted to fight and I was going to let you prove them all wrong.
I spent almost the entire week awake supporting you, getting 12 hours sleep in total over 7 days, in 10-20 minute naps. You had barely any working lung tissue, you poured blood out one nostril off and on, I gave you nebuliser treatments 4 hourly night and day, waited for the antibiitics to kick in and gasping to subside after 24 hours to not aspirate on food then began the job of reversing your gut stasis. We battled a blockage overnight where you stopped swallowing, I cleared it, and got you eating 0.02ml of food and liquid at a time. 1ml took hours. I wiped your bottom, cleared mucous from your nose, kept you warm and probably prayed to every god whose name I knew of. You rallied once again after the 7 worst days of my life and as quickly as you went down, you were back again, right as rain! We did it
You were always such a character with your friends, a bit of a grumpy, always making Olivers life difficult..quite often standing on the poor man if in a carrier together. Determined to be the boss with no idea how to actually do the job
Your little life was good until only 2 weeks ago when you developed a whistle when you breathed, which became gradually more effort. Straight back onto antibiotics in case of a reoccurrence 2 years later of your pneumonia. Sadly nothing we tried made any difference and after you passed away, quietly and peacefully, asleep in your corner, we discovered you had cancer, starting from the heart into your left bronchial tube, the inflammation so bad it pretty much sealed it shut, all the surrounding tissue and lymph nodes adhered together and unhealthy looking.
The fact you made it so long with only one working lung shows what an absolute little warrior you were.. you were so grateful for your second chance in a new home, you took it with all 4 paws!
I am honoured I got 5 years with you, the majority of your 6.5 years and I hope you forgot the trauma of your first home.
Sleep well my beautiful girl
I'm sure she loved every second she was with you. 
