I posted this on a Facebook support group:
“Planning on re-bonding my two girls tomorrow. Couldn’t pass them up about 1.5 months ago at a pet store (I know - I’ll never again shop at one, and I honestly wasn’t aware of the animal abuse that goes on). I adopted them as sisters and couldn’t pass them up.
I need some encouragement! I am so nervous. My heart will absolutely break if it doesn’t work out.
Attached is the first picture I ever took of them. I couldn’t believe they were sleeping with their eyes closed, cuddling, inside of a horrible pet store fish tank.
Well... both were horribly sick. At only 3 months old. Peppa (gray and white) had a ringworm, a URI, and intestinal gas issues. She had also stress eaten her leg hair off entirely. It still to this day has not grown back.
Cashew had ringworm, significant hair loss, a gas ring in her stomach, and two large abscesses. At 4 months old she had an invasive surgery to remove one of the abscesses after lancing didn’t work. It was attached to a lymph node, which was affecting her ability to eat. She was mute from the day we got her until the day we brought her home after surgery. Her vocal cords had been restricted by the abscess and she tried to talk but literally couldn’t. The abscess surgery was risky since (none of us knew before the surgery) the abscess was growing in a way that pushed her jugular vein outward - it would’ve been fatal if surgery hadn’t occurred then.
For the past MONTH AND A HALF straight, we have spent about three hours of every single day feeding a lineup of medications and Critical Care to both of the girls. We really tried and tried for these girls.
Yesterday, there were cleared. Finally. I’m still very weary as Cashew’s GI seems messed up and her defecation is nowhere near normal - yet, the vet told me I could stop Critical Care. Peppa still has a weird whistle that happens when she looks up, but the x-rays and thorough examinations aren’t showing anything to be afraid of. Maybe my girls will never be ‘perfect.’
Neither of them had ever had a vegetable or vitamin C in their short lives prior to me adopting them.
I’ve watched every video and read every forum post I can on bonding. I know my Peppa is a teeth chattering, dominant, aggressive little thing (who hates humans and wants to be left alone haha). She can and has been so sweet to her sister though.
They are tired of being alone. They’re bored. They’re stressed. I want them back together. My poor girls.
***Second/third picture below is Peppa going to her sister under their hammock (made by Carla M Tait) the night before we had to hospitalize Cashew. Cashew was in a lot of pain and Peppa made sure she was okay, even though Cashew could barely lay on her side with the abscesses. They haven’t ‘seen’ each other in over 3 weeks now, which means they’ve completely forgotten the other exists.
”
Sorry I forgot to mention rare flying ball of fur fights in girls. Have a read of the links above, especially the one about sows.