[Gpdd] HEALTH: Cinnamon Bear's problems

[Michael Tanaka]

Ultimately, we don't know.  Cinnamon Bear had a penchant for getting things 
stuck up his penis and bum so I took to checking there every day or so. 
That's when I saw a small red lump on his penis on Thursday.  On Friday, it 
had grown.  On Saturday, it had grown more and by night, we couldn't extrude 
the penis to check on it.  We went to an emergency clinic on Sunday and the 
vet gave us metacam (after I'd asked for it) and sulfatrim.  They also sub 
q'ed him but it was leaking!   We're not sure if he benefitted from it or 
not.  I asked several guinea pig people and they said the metacam dose 
seemed rather small, so I increased it a tad (from .1 to .15).  Once the 
sunday vet's office found out they said by my doing that, I damaged his 
kidneys.

So we found a vet on Monday who gave Cinnamon Bear  sub Q and baytril.  We 
pointed out three tiny black and blue spots on his left testicle and left 
leg.  She said it was nothing to worry about as it looked like he could have 
fallen.  Well, Cinnamon Bear improved with the sub q and baytril.  But by 
that night, mere hours later, he wasn't eating on his own and was quite weak 
and those black spots had now covered both testicles with a sort of liquid 
filled sac on one side and his left leg was swollen and the skin was black. 
I can't really describe it, but it smelled sort of  'metallic.'  We rushed 
him to an emergency vet at 5 a.m. on Tuesday but by 5:15 a.m. he was gone. 
A least he went while in my arms.  The vet had just examined him and said 
she has no idea what that is.  I was INFURIATED that she said, right when 
she was looking at him, 'He's going to die so you can do the humane thing 
and put him to sleep or let him suffer.'  Seconds later, he went.  What kind 
of a vet talks like that?  I've never known one to sound so cold.  I was 
crying and screaming because I didn't want Cinnamon Bear to leave.  "Don't 
leave me Cinnamon Bear!  Please!  NOOOOO!!  I can't live without you! 
Please, I love you so much!!"  I was hysterical especially after what the 
vet said.  So we brought him home and presently, he's lying in his pen.

Needless to say, he shouldn't have had to suffer like that, with three 
different vets who didn't do much right.  He didn't deserve this.  If 
there's any way to get Cinnamon Bear back, I'm sure willing to do it.

With a vet's office blaming me for what happened, other offices saying 
they're booked and can't see us, our vet had retired which we didn't know, 
and other negative vet experiences, well, neither of us can let a vet cut 
open our little baby for a necropsy.  In some ways, I may regret this.  But 
our hearts are telling us, don't do this.

Thank you for listening.  We love you Cinnamon Bear and will welcome you 
back with open arms at any time!

Love, your mommy corrine and daddy michael