[Gpdd] Announcements: 2004 in review

bethany keiper at hiwaay.net
Sun Jan 30 15:58:51 EST 2005


Hello to all, I am sorry I haven't been keeping up with posting very well, especially
messages of sympathy for all of the dear little ones who have passed on.

2004 was not exactly what you'd call the greatest year for my crew, even though I
have access to a very good veterinarian. I posted a while back that Teddy died of a
really fierce form of cancer, and then Honey had dental problems which led to her
being syringe fed for a very, very long time. She would lose weight overnight, she
had many problems, and passed away in the hospital. 
The doctors said it just seemed to be her age coupled with the dental problems. Of
course, when I purchased Honey she did not even know what lettuce was, so I'm sure
poor nutrition in her formative times helped shorten her lifespan. I can't see a
carton of blueberry yogurt without thinking of her (it helped her stomach flora and
also made her want to eat her critical care).

Right before the holidays Precious was diagnosed with bladder stones. She passed
several small ones with the aid of some pain medication and Baytril.

But then we went back to the vet last week (no pain symptoms, very alert and eating
well, but just blood in her urine) and there was one huge stone stuck in her urethra?
not sure how to spell that. She had surgery on Thursday of last week to remove it and
flush her bladder of the remaining small stones. She is doing really well now. I
wasn't sure she would be able to make it through surgery. She is a trooper.

The stone they took out was about the size of a pencil eraser. Huge. I could not
believe it. They are going to test it to see what it is made of, so we can adjust her
diet accordingly. This happened even though alfalfa is not in her diet or pellets. 

I am officially broke now! Teddy's combined visits, ultrasound, and extended hospital
stays and other treatments were around $500, Honey's were around $300, Precious' end
of the year visit with x-rays and meds was about $60, her emergency room visit last
Sunday was about $100, and her surgery was about $500. Of course, they are worth it.
Where else in the world can you find such little loves that squee, kiss, snuggle,
coo, and tinkle on you all in one lap visit?

Silky and Sooty are doing okay, although Sooty is too... too... too... fat. She is
darling, though, she looks like a little black bowling ball. It is hard to get a
guinea pig to exercise. She doesn't get a lot of junk, either, just the good
lettuces, hay, and pellets. Silky is still such a cutie, and is finally getting used
to having her long hair trimmed.

I really need to update my website with all of the changes. Until then, if you want
to see the whole crew, they are at:

http://home.hiwaay.net/~keiper/happyeaster.jpg

-- 
bwk  *  http://home.hiwaay.net/~keiper  *  http://www.arkinc.org/
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