[Gpdd] [MISC] Why gp's don't live as long as people

[Brenda]

Hi everyone,



A good story that may make you cry but it is worth reading. This was a dog 
story but have replaced it with a guinea pig.



Hope it helps everyone who is mourning right now.



Brenda

MT, Frasier and Boo

http://www.dapigs77.blinkz.com/



Why guinea pigs don't live as long as people



Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a five-year-old guinea 
pig named Belker. The guinea pig's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and

their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker and they were 
hoping for a miracle.



I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family there 
were no miracles left for Belker, and offered to perform the

euthanasia procedure for the guinea pig in their home. As we made 
arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for the

four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane 
might learn something from the experience.



The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family 
surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the guinea pig for the

last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on.

Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed 
to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion.

We sat together for a while after Belker's death,  wondering aloud about the 
sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.



Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."



Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me.

I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.


He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life --  
like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?"

The four-year-old continued, "Well, guinea pigs already know how to do that, 
so they don't have to stay as long."