[Gpdd] [RAINBOW BRIDGE] Condolences for Caramel and Ophelia

[DebJonSara at aol.com]

Please forgive me for sending condolences for two piggies in one post - I  am 
just rather behind with my emails.
 
I was so sorry to read of both Caramel's and Ophelia's passing to The  
Rainbow Bridge. Both their losses will be keenly felt by their slaves, I know,  and 
I am so sorry that in both cases, the devoted slaves are left with a  
lingering feeling of guilt, wondering whether they should have done things  
differently towards the end. I know that feeling only too well, because I think  I have 
had it after every pet death I have endured, of which there have been  many.
 
The only grain of comfort I feel I can cling to in such a situation is the  
conviction that I did my best, I gave them the best life I could and that the  
piggies knew they were loved. I don't believe there is one regular subscriber 
to  the gpdd who could not lay hand on heart and vow that they meet all three  
criteria for all their piggies.
 
The question of whether to aid the final departure will always be a  
difficult one. I have had piggies die after many stressful vet visits, and I  have had 
them die quietly at home without any veterinary intervention. I have  never 
actually had a vet help a piggie to The Bridge, but did have to ask a vet  to 
help a rabbit once, although I had gone to the vet looking for a way to make  
him well. I think what others say is correct - a loving slave will know whether 
 the piggie needs help to go or not. I was contemplating seeking veterinary 
help  to let my very first piggie, Bafreur, go when he slipped away on his own. 
By  this stage he was struggling for breath, and the injections I'd been 
giving him  were obviously not helping him as had been hoped. I think we know when 
our  piggies are suffering, and if they are suffering, we want that to end. 
But my  older piggie, Cannelle, really did not seem to be suffering, although 
her heart  was failing - she was eating until the end. A vet visit would have 
terrified  her.
 
Grief is the price we pay for having loved, and I don'r believe anything  can 
take that pain away. But I hope you can both look back and smile at your  
memories of Caramel and Ophelia, and know that they understood all you did was  
motivated by love. Know also that their story touched hearts all over the 
world,  including us over here in Northwest France.
 
Debbie and the 16 Dolly Mixtures