[Gpdd] [BRIDGE] Adrian has gone

[Dr Kay Dudman]

I was very worried about Adrian on Sunday as he was trying to eat his
food, but didn't seem able to swallow it...the critical care would mostly
fall from his mouth.  I was lucky that my very kind manager let me take
Adrian to the Vet yesterday.  I was there with Adrian for about two hours.
He had loads of food in his mouth (bran, a piece of dandelion, a piece of
bean).  The Vet spent ages getting the food out of his mouth (hoping that
it was just food that was stopping him from swallowing).  He had an X-ray,
and it showed that his upper teeth were growing outwards towards his
cheeks, and his lower teeth were growing inwards towards his tongue, but
at such an angle that the biting surfaces couldn't possibly hope to meet,
and that his molars were preventing him from shutting his mouth properly,
so his incisors couldn't meet either and he couldn't close his mouth.  He
also seemed to have something behind his teeth (not a tonsil) that was
affecting his ability to swallow, and probably his breathing too.  Adrian
had had his teeth burred only 10 days earlier, so they had grown very
quickly in that time.  Also the teeth on the upper left side seemed to be
distorting the orbit (eye socket).  The Vet showed me the X-rays, and also
let me help by holding him as we cleared the food from his mouth.  As he
was under anaesthetic from having the X-rays taken, the Vet said it would
be kinder to put him to sleep while he was still under anaesthetic.  She
was very kind and understanding both to Adrian and to me, and was very
generous with her time and expertise.

My little Adrian was such a sweet, dear little boy.  He loved to cuddle,
really ***loved*** to cuddle.  He had been having problems with his teeth
for months, having them burred down every month or so.  As he hadn't been
able to eat his salad food like he used to (even though I chopped it up in
to bite-sized pieces for him) I had been feeding him Critical Care; he
really enjoyed this, and would eat his fill before running up to my
shoulder under my fluffy cardigan (his favourite cardigan) and having a
cuddle and dozing off, having little piggy dreams.  A little while ago I
was able to get him some Oxbow Cavy Performance, and I found he could eat
and enjoy that, which was great, because it meant he could eat by
himself, when he liked as well as having the Critical Care.  The Cavy
Performance and the Critical Care together helped him to put weight back
on again.  On Saturday I got him a Chube and a Cuddl-E-Cup, and he liked
these (I also got some for Bess and Pearl as well).  Then, suddenly, on
Sunday he started to lose weight and had trouble swallowing his food, so
on Monday I took him to the Vet hoping that the problem could be cured.
He had been through so much, but he was always sweet-natured, gentle and
loving.  He would run out of his cocoon to greet me when I came down in
the morning, or came into the room, and would wait to be picked up with
his hands on the bars of his cabin.  A meal followed by a cuddle was what
Adrian liked best.   And now he's gone.  There wasn't anything else the
Vet or I could do for him, other than give him a peaceful, comfortable
end, and to be with him so that he knew he was not alone.  My little
Adrian piggy was very special, and very much loved.  I do miss him.

Missing my little Adrian,
my special kissing and cuddling pig

Kay