That'll Do, Pig. That'll Do.

RIP Penny

Penny was with me for only four short months. She taught me a lot about guinea pigs. It took some time, but we really started bonding and I got pretty attached to her. I never knew Penny's history except that she'd been passed along to various homes. She was not getting very good care by the owner just prior to me, so I feel good that I gave her good quality of life.

Penny was doing very well up until this morning when she showed signs of serious illness. Guinea pigs hide their symptoms until they are very ill, so I had a feeling it might be bad. We saw a new, compassionate vet. Penny had an enlarged heart or a tumor in her chest with very little lung capacity. She's always had labored breathing and this might explain the respiratory event she had last month. It was a hard decision I had to make, but I know I made the right one and that she is no longer suffering.

I miss her already.

The Day The Guinea Pig (Almost) Died

The day was Monday. Well, it was evening, or maybe even night. I'll start by saying that Penny is absolutely fine. You'd never even know she had some sort of respiratory 'event' in which she turned blue and required a breathing mask followed by a quite a bit of time in an 'oxygen chamber.' Nope, you wouldn't guess. She's perky, her lips and nose are pink, she squeaked for her veggies last night, and had a blast during her playtime while running in and out of cardboard tubes and boxes.

It was quite a traumatizing experience. We simply went in to the for a claw trimming. The next thing I know, I was being told, "Well, she got stressed, turned blue, and is trying to die." That is an actual quote. Who knew that Dr. House was now practicing veterinary medicine? Luckily, she pulled through just fine, clearly having had some sort of anxiety attack. I appreciate doctors giving me the facts, even to the point of worse case scenario, but I also like it to be handled in a caring, non-abrasive manner. Maybe my expectations are too high or I'm just spoiled by my dogs' vet, who is more wonderful than most human physicians I've encountered. In the end, the outcome is what matters. We'll just leave the claws a little long for now or have her walk on sand paper.

I think this experience taught me how attached I am to this little piggie.

A Penny For Your Thoughts

In case you missed it on flickr, I'd like to introduce you to my new pet:

Penelope the Guinea Pig, aka Penny

A friend asked me last week if I'd be willing to come meet this adorable piggie who her neighbor took in from another neighbor. I have reasons to believe Penny (who was named 'Veronica' before--just didn't seem to fit) was not well-cared for and therefore has a couple of issues. I'm taking her to the vet this week and hopefully all will be well. She's curious & adorable.