threelittlepigs
Adult Guinea Pig
In April 2006 I adopted three 15 month-old guinea pigs from Lymm Guinea Pig Rescue. They were the original 'three little pigs'!
Poppet passed away from kidney failure in April 2008 and Treacle and Piggy Wiggin began to squabble so I adopted Sweetie and then Gorgeous George to improve the atmosphere in the cage. Further additions followed in Dec 09 and March 10 bringing my herd up to seven.
Treacle and Piggy Wiggin had been showing signs of aging for a while and Piggy Wiggin in particular was very skinny and bony and drank lots of water. Treacle greyed around the muzzle and in the past week or so her age really caught up with her. I wondered whether she had gone blind and was alarmed that she seemed to have a lot of difficulty moving around.
This morning there was an eerie silence in the guinea pig cage when I put the breakfast of pellets in. I lifted up the wooden hidey to find both girls in a bad way: not only was Treacle very much more poorly than she had been, but Piggy Wiggin was also clearly in terminal decline. Both girls had ruffled coats, laboured breathing and where sitting with their back to the other guinea pigs who were keeping their distance.
I was working from home and therefore able to keep a close eye on them during the day and I saw that they did not eat, poop or move. I put some cucumber in to see if I could tempt them but they were not interested. It really seemed to me as if Treacle had worsened and as a result, Piggy Wiggin had decided to give up her fight. I put a cozy in the cage to make them comfortable and they did not leave it for the whole afternoon. They had turned their backs on life.
I eventually took them to the vets who examined them and agreed that they both seemed to have entered a terminal state. She was amazed that Piggy Wiggin had kept going for so long as her kidneys were so small and she thought that Treacle had had a stroke. In any case she showed no interest in walking and was not able to hold herself up properly.
It has all been a bit of a shock, but having watched them all of today it really seemed to me that they wanted to leave this world together and so I felt that it was the kindest thing to help them on their way. The vet carried them away in the cozy that they had spent the day in together and took the time to make sure that they went at exactly the same time.
Treacle in a cozy at Christmas:
My nephew holding Piggy Wiggin in a cozy:
The whole herd at Easter: Piggy Wiggin in the front; a side-on view of Treacle.
It feels like the end of an era and to be honest I can hardly believe that it has happened, but seeing how poorly they were today and bearing in mind their age and ailments it really was the right decision.
Treacle had had very bad mites before she came to me and had had an open wound on her back which had been treated at the rescue. She was always a shy pig who liked her own company. She would give out great wheeks of complaint if you tried to pick her up and protested particularly loudly if anyone apart from me tried to hold her!
Piggy Wiggin was an amazing little character who was full of life right up until this morning. She lead the wheeking chorus and was everyone's favourite due to her inquisitive nature and her ability to stand on her hind legs to beg for treats. She was a vocal girl who always explored new things in the cage and she was very kind and caring to all of the new arrivals over the years.My whole family will be really sad at her passing.
Poppet passed away from kidney failure in April 2008 and Treacle and Piggy Wiggin began to squabble so I adopted Sweetie and then Gorgeous George to improve the atmosphere in the cage. Further additions followed in Dec 09 and March 10 bringing my herd up to seven.
Treacle and Piggy Wiggin had been showing signs of aging for a while and Piggy Wiggin in particular was very skinny and bony and drank lots of water. Treacle greyed around the muzzle and in the past week or so her age really caught up with her. I wondered whether she had gone blind and was alarmed that she seemed to have a lot of difficulty moving around.
This morning there was an eerie silence in the guinea pig cage when I put the breakfast of pellets in. I lifted up the wooden hidey to find both girls in a bad way: not only was Treacle very much more poorly than she had been, but Piggy Wiggin was also clearly in terminal decline. Both girls had ruffled coats, laboured breathing and where sitting with their back to the other guinea pigs who were keeping their distance.
I was working from home and therefore able to keep a close eye on them during the day and I saw that they did not eat, poop or move. I put some cucumber in to see if I could tempt them but they were not interested. It really seemed to me as if Treacle had worsened and as a result, Piggy Wiggin had decided to give up her fight. I put a cozy in the cage to make them comfortable and they did not leave it for the whole afternoon. They had turned their backs on life.
I eventually took them to the vets who examined them and agreed that they both seemed to have entered a terminal state. She was amazed that Piggy Wiggin had kept going for so long as her kidneys were so small and she thought that Treacle had had a stroke. In any case she showed no interest in walking and was not able to hold herself up properly.
It has all been a bit of a shock, but having watched them all of today it really seemed to me that they wanted to leave this world together and so I felt that it was the kindest thing to help them on their way. The vet carried them away in the cozy that they had spent the day in together and took the time to make sure that they went at exactly the same time.
Treacle in a cozy at Christmas:
My nephew holding Piggy Wiggin in a cozy:
The whole herd at Easter: Piggy Wiggin in the front; a side-on view of Treacle.
It feels like the end of an era and to be honest I can hardly believe that it has happened, but seeing how poorly they were today and bearing in mind their age and ailments it really was the right decision.
Treacle had had very bad mites before she came to me and had had an open wound on her back which had been treated at the rescue. She was always a shy pig who liked her own company. She would give out great wheeks of complaint if you tried to pick her up and protested particularly loudly if anyone apart from me tried to hold her!
Piggy Wiggin was an amazing little character who was full of life right up until this morning. She lead the wheeking chorus and was everyone's favourite due to her inquisitive nature and her ability to stand on her hind legs to beg for treats. She was a vocal girl who always explored new things in the cage and she was very kind and caring to all of the new arrivals over the years.My whole family will be really sad at her passing.
Sleep peacefully Treacle and Piggy Wiggin. I hope that you have found Poppet. Three little pigs reunited again xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
