Doeylicious
Adult Guinea Pig
This morning at 9.40am, my beautiful, wonderful Whiskey closed her eyes for the last time.
I always regret not posting much about Whisks - but when you have as many piggies as me, the ones with problems always seem to get posted about. So not many of you may know her well.
You're never meant to have a favourite pig, you're meant to love them all the same, but if I am honest Whiskey was my number one girl. I got her five and a half years ago, from P@H, before we all knew any better...I got Noodles on Easter Monday, the last sow in the shop, then next Saturday when they had a new 'delivery' I was on the doorstep at 8.45am to get her a 'sister' as I knew she needed company (having had pigs as a child)
They had three sows - a himi, one I can't remember, then they lifted up the blue pigloo thing and there was this tiny ball of tri coloured fluff. She was so pretty and so small, when we put her in the hutch with Noodles we wondered if the hutch was too big - but obviously they grew!
Whiskey was 'one of a kind' - we had only had her a week and she fell off the top of a 3ft high chest freezer (!) and over the years managed to poke herself in the eye, have to have a claw removed when she got it stuck in the hay rack (hence why I no longer use hay racks!), and numerous other scrapes. She was the reason I found this forum, when her mysterious hair loss on the flanks led me here (yes, ovarian cysts/hormone issues) and then in turn led me to find the wonderful Ann O'Meara, the best vet I could ever wish for.
Four weeks ago, Whiskey suffered a worrying seizure, but recovered fine. However when examined by Ann we found a lump in her neck which, after having a needle inserted and cells drawn out and tested, was diagnosed as a 'malignant neoplasm' - so basically cancer.
The location of the lump, and the fact the results indicated the disease had already spread, cause Ann and I to decide not to remove it, but ensure Whisks had a lovely life before her time came. Neither of us ever imagined it would be less than a month away.
She started going downhill Saturday night, and yesterday got progressively worse, developing a head tilt. I spoke to Pebble, who has been brilliant considering I haven't phoned her for weeks, but didn't care, she just gave me so much support, and she passed on the words Suzy gave to her - 'Make the last day a good day'
My girl got a last run on the lawn, some last dandelions, a last goodbye to the herd she and Noodles were once part of. I held her in my arms for two hours til my OH forced me to eat, then sat back on the floor with her again. I spent the night in our lounge with her, checking on her every hour, until at 8.30am this morning she bravely climbed out of her hammock house and sniffed my hand...it was time to go...
Ann said she fell asleep with barely a whiff of gas, and was gone before she had hardly injected her. She was so brave and so strong, but now she is gone, and I feel like part of me has gone too.
She was my whole argument for 'they are NOT just rodents' - she would come when you called her name, she was the most vocal guinea pig I have ever had, and she could run so fast around our lounge. Three nights ago she was zooming round my mum's house scaring the cat. She helped Noodles through her spay, and was her eyes when her cataracts got worse. She was my pig in a million.
Sleep well my beautiful, gorgeous angel. I will never ever stop loving you, please wait at the bridge for me and Noodles. You will always be my very special girl.
I always regret not posting much about Whisks - but when you have as many piggies as me, the ones with problems always seem to get posted about. So not many of you may know her well.
You're never meant to have a favourite pig, you're meant to love them all the same, but if I am honest Whiskey was my number one girl. I got her five and a half years ago, from P@H, before we all knew any better...I got Noodles on Easter Monday, the last sow in the shop, then next Saturday when they had a new 'delivery' I was on the doorstep at 8.45am to get her a 'sister' as I knew she needed company (having had pigs as a child)
They had three sows - a himi, one I can't remember, then they lifted up the blue pigloo thing and there was this tiny ball of tri coloured fluff. She was so pretty and so small, when we put her in the hutch with Noodles we wondered if the hutch was too big - but obviously they grew!
Whiskey was 'one of a kind' - we had only had her a week and she fell off the top of a 3ft high chest freezer (!) and over the years managed to poke herself in the eye, have to have a claw removed when she got it stuck in the hay rack (hence why I no longer use hay racks!), and numerous other scrapes. She was the reason I found this forum, when her mysterious hair loss on the flanks led me here (yes, ovarian cysts/hormone issues) and then in turn led me to find the wonderful Ann O'Meara, the best vet I could ever wish for.
Four weeks ago, Whiskey suffered a worrying seizure, but recovered fine. However when examined by Ann we found a lump in her neck which, after having a needle inserted and cells drawn out and tested, was diagnosed as a 'malignant neoplasm' - so basically cancer.
The location of the lump, and the fact the results indicated the disease had already spread, cause Ann and I to decide not to remove it, but ensure Whisks had a lovely life before her time came. Neither of us ever imagined it would be less than a month away.
She started going downhill Saturday night, and yesterday got progressively worse, developing a head tilt. I spoke to Pebble, who has been brilliant considering I haven't phoned her for weeks, but didn't care, she just gave me so much support, and she passed on the words Suzy gave to her - 'Make the last day a good day'
My girl got a last run on the lawn, some last dandelions, a last goodbye to the herd she and Noodles were once part of. I held her in my arms for two hours til my OH forced me to eat, then sat back on the floor with her again. I spent the night in our lounge with her, checking on her every hour, until at 8.30am this morning she bravely climbed out of her hammock house and sniffed my hand...it was time to go...
Ann said she fell asleep with barely a whiff of gas, and was gone before she had hardly injected her. She was so brave and so strong, but now she is gone, and I feel like part of me has gone too.
She was my whole argument for 'they are NOT just rodents' - she would come when you called her name, she was the most vocal guinea pig I have ever had, and she could run so fast around our lounge. Three nights ago she was zooming round my mum's house scaring the cat. She helped Noodles through her spay, and was her eyes when her cataracts got worse. She was my pig in a million.
Sleep well my beautiful, gorgeous angel. I will never ever stop loving you, please wait at the bridge for me and Noodles. You will always be my very special girl.
huge hugs to you.
