[Gpdd] Miscellaneous Re: Rainbow Bridge-Timothy

[Guineapigfilms at aol.com]

Dear Julia,

I am so sorry for your loss.  Please believe me when I say you are only 
guilty of loving your piggy so much that you wanted to do everything possible for 
him.  If Timothy had lumps under his chin the size of golf balls, then the vet 
was right---they would soon have affected him.  He might have died a very 
prolonged, painful death if he hadn't had the surgery.  I feel very strongly that 
you did the right thing.  But I know how you are feeling right now, because I 
had a lovely pig named Waldo, who looked a bit like a very small Yorkie, 
because of his long hair.  He was extremely intelligent and had loads of 
personality, and used to run all around the kitchen, stopping to drink water out of the 
dogs' bowl.  He would come when you called his name.  He knew the words 
"Mommy" and "Daddy" and if someone said "Go to Mommy," he would run to my Mom.  He 
was a very lively, extremely loveable little guy.  One day he just stopped 
eating.  My mom and I took him to the vet several times, and each time we were t
old the same thing---that he was fine, his teeth were fine, he was healthy, and 
maybe we were imagining it.  (Our regular exotics vet was on vacation, and her 
partner---who seemed to know nothing about guinea pigs---was temporarily 
taking her place.)  Finally we insisted that the vet do something to help Waldo, 
as he was losing weight.  The vet agreed to take X-rays, but said he'd have to 
anesthesize him.  He made us leave Waldo there while he put him to sleep and 
took the X-rays.  We came back later that day to pick Waldo up, and he was 
totally different---a very depressed pig.  I think he was missing us so much and 
was so scared to be away from his home that he just sort of gave up on life.  
The vet told us that the X-rays showed that Waldo was "fine" and told us to 
take him home and "give him some more hay to perk him up."  We were extremely 
upset, and very worried to see Waldo looking so miserable.  We took him home, and 
he didn't live for more than a few days.  (About a month later my mom 
happened to see the "substitute vet" in the grocery store, and he asked her quite 
cheerily how Waldo was doing.  My mom told him that Waldo died.)  Of course, my 
mom and I felt very guilty that we had taken Waldo to the vet in the first 
place.  We felt that maybe the stress of the anesthesia plus his weakened 
condition and homesickness contributed to his death.  He was never the same pig after 
we brought him home from the vet after his X-rays.  But now even though I 
still feel bad about it all, I know that we were trying to do the best we could 
for the little guy.  We KNEW he was sick.  We have had more than 23 guinea pigs, 
and we KNOW the signs of illness.  The vet dismissed our concern, thinking we 
were "pet hypochondriacs."  Julia, what I am trying to say is that you will 
realize, in time, that you were a wonderful "mom" to Timothy, and that you did 
everything you could for him.  It wasn't your fault that he got the lumps. 

The other suggestion I have is about burying Timothy, as you said you had to 
move from your flat.  When one of our Yorkies died, we had him cremated, as we 
were living in a temporary apartment.  I made a ceramic urn for him in a 
Crafts Class and we keep the urn in our kitchen (surrounded by our Yorkie's 
favorite toys and also a vase of artificial flowers).  We see it all the time, and 
keep Winston forever in our memory.  Our vet (a different one, that we go to 
with our dogs and cat, but who knows very little about guinea pigs) had him 
cremated by the Animal Shelter.  Again, I am so very sorry about your loss, but 
please find consolation in the fact that Timothy surely knew you loved him and 
cared for him the best you could.

Love and (((HUGS)))xxx and Wheeeeeeeps,

Alyssa and the guinea pig movie stars
http://hometown.aol.com/guineapigfilms