- Joined
- Jul 30, 2006
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It all began in June 2005, when Poppet, Skye and Toffee came to live with me, to be a friend for Hannah! Within a very short time it became apparent that they intimidated Hannah, who went from being a lively, happy guinea pig to a quiet, withdrawn little piggie, who didn't venture out of the corner of her cage. At this point the three girls were moved out of Hannah's cage!
Poppet, Skye and Toffee loved one another, but wouldn't tolerate any other piggie friends. At the end of March 2008, Toffee sadly died and Poppet became very quiet. Her and Toffee had always been best friends and Skye had just got on and done her own thing. Poppet slowly started to lose weight although no obvious illness could be found, and by the end of June had stopped eating! Her teeth were growing out of control and for the next six months she had weekly vet visits so Simon could file her teeth little and often, and I syringe fed her all of her food! She loved Critical Care and would screech her head off until she was fed! I would feed her just before I went to bed and would be woken during the night by her shouting for food. She got louder and louder until I went downstairs to her. At this point Simon had suggested that I separate her from Skye, as he was concerned that Skye wasn't letting her eat and maybe bullying her a little. Pops would hop out of her cage and dash across to visit Skye, jumping in to see her, stay a while and then go back home to her own cage. She did this for quite a few weeks, until one day she went visiting and stayed! From then on she lived with Skye again, as she had made it clear that was where she wanted to be! She loved to jump in and out of the cage, and on one occasion I was upstairs on the computer and could hear her shouting. I went to the top of the stairs and she was standing at the bottom shouting her head off! She would follow me everywhere, and it looked so cute to see her dashing along behind me, but really it was because I was her source of food! Finally after almost six months she started to eat mushed pellets and then a few weeks later she began to nibble on a romaine lettuce leaf. From then on there was no stopping her. She began to gain weight and needed her teeth filing very slightly, fortnightly. Then one evening I noticed she had a bit of a headtilt. The next morning we dashed to see Simon, expecting him to diagnose an ear infection, but instead she had a growth in her ear that required surgical removal. She bounced back from this and it didn't deter her from eating lots. Her weight just went up and up until she stabilised around the 950g to a kilo range. She was always so full of life but suddenly became very lethargic. Her sister Skye had a heart problem and had been taking medication (Fortekor) for about a year, and it looked likely that Pops had developed the same condition. As soon as she started on the medication she went back to being the lively piggie she had been.
Towards the end of 2009, Skye began to develop neurological problems and deteriorated rapidly by the new year. On 2nd January she was put to sleep and Pops went to the vets too so she could say goodbye and see that Skye had gone. I always worried that her problems started because she didn't know what happened to Toffee, as I didn't put her back in the cage after she had passed away. I felt it was important that Pops knew her sister had gone. She spent a few minutes licking Skye's face and then cuddled up to her. As I put Poppet back into the carrier to come home she made an awful crying sound and then was completely silent for about two weeks.
Sheila went to live with Poppet, but it was clear she really missed Skye. She never regained her zest for life. I regularly weighed her, worrying she would start to lose weight again, but instead her weight steadily increased. Up and up it went, but it wasn't true weight, it was fluid retention. Poppet's heart was failing! Despite trying various medications, my special girl passed away in my arms at 5.15 pm on 21st February. I was heartbroken! In fact I've only just been able to post this in Rainbow Bridge, as by doing so it makes it all real!
All my pets are special, but there are few who are that little bit extra special. Badger, Schmichael and Pops!
Sleeping with her special sister
Does my bum look big in this?
Helping herself to her syringe food
On the way to visit Skye!
These look a bit more tasty than cabbage!
With Toffee and Skye
Poppet lived her life to the full, and overcame so many problems, due to her sheer determination and the skill of her special Uncle Simon!
Poppet, Skye and Toffee loved one another, but wouldn't tolerate any other piggie friends. At the end of March 2008, Toffee sadly died and Poppet became very quiet. Her and Toffee had always been best friends and Skye had just got on and done her own thing. Poppet slowly started to lose weight although no obvious illness could be found, and by the end of June had stopped eating! Her teeth were growing out of control and for the next six months she had weekly vet visits so Simon could file her teeth little and often, and I syringe fed her all of her food! She loved Critical Care and would screech her head off until she was fed! I would feed her just before I went to bed and would be woken during the night by her shouting for food. She got louder and louder until I went downstairs to her. At this point Simon had suggested that I separate her from Skye, as he was concerned that Skye wasn't letting her eat and maybe bullying her a little. Pops would hop out of her cage and dash across to visit Skye, jumping in to see her, stay a while and then go back home to her own cage. She did this for quite a few weeks, until one day she went visiting and stayed! From then on she lived with Skye again, as she had made it clear that was where she wanted to be! She loved to jump in and out of the cage, and on one occasion I was upstairs on the computer and could hear her shouting. I went to the top of the stairs and she was standing at the bottom shouting her head off! She would follow me everywhere, and it looked so cute to see her dashing along behind me, but really it was because I was her source of food! Finally after almost six months she started to eat mushed pellets and then a few weeks later she began to nibble on a romaine lettuce leaf. From then on there was no stopping her. She began to gain weight and needed her teeth filing very slightly, fortnightly. Then one evening I noticed she had a bit of a headtilt. The next morning we dashed to see Simon, expecting him to diagnose an ear infection, but instead she had a growth in her ear that required surgical removal. She bounced back from this and it didn't deter her from eating lots. Her weight just went up and up until she stabilised around the 950g to a kilo range. She was always so full of life but suddenly became very lethargic. Her sister Skye had a heart problem and had been taking medication (Fortekor) for about a year, and it looked likely that Pops had developed the same condition. As soon as she started on the medication she went back to being the lively piggie she had been.
Towards the end of 2009, Skye began to develop neurological problems and deteriorated rapidly by the new year. On 2nd January she was put to sleep and Pops went to the vets too so she could say goodbye and see that Skye had gone. I always worried that her problems started because she didn't know what happened to Toffee, as I didn't put her back in the cage after she had passed away. I felt it was important that Pops knew her sister had gone. She spent a few minutes licking Skye's face and then cuddled up to her. As I put Poppet back into the carrier to come home she made an awful crying sound and then was completely silent for about two weeks.
Sheila went to live with Poppet, but it was clear she really missed Skye. She never regained her zest for life. I regularly weighed her, worrying she would start to lose weight again, but instead her weight steadily increased. Up and up it went, but it wasn't true weight, it was fluid retention. Poppet's heart was failing! Despite trying various medications, my special girl passed away in my arms at 5.15 pm on 21st February. I was heartbroken! In fact I've only just been able to post this in Rainbow Bridge, as by doing so it makes it all real!
All my pets are special, but there are few who are that little bit extra special. Badger, Schmichael and Pops!
Sleeping with her special sister
Does my bum look big in this?
Helping herself to her syringe food
On the way to visit Skye!
These look a bit more tasty than cabbage!
With Toffee and Skye
Poppet lived her life to the full, and overcame so many problems, due to her sheer determination and the skill of her special Uncle Simon!
a real inspiration 
