[Gpdd] CARE: "Best care" for piggies

[Conklin Kacee]

I just wanted to remind everyone that sometimes the best of care will
not result in a piggy living a really long time.  The average life span
is 5-6 years (rather than 5 - 8 as some people claim).  Having a piggie
live beyond 7 is relatively uncommon.  In some cases, you will lose a
piggie long before it turns 5 and the best care would not change that.
In the wild, piggies probably would not suffer these ailments because
they probably wouldn't live that long as they are prey animals.  Piggies
are like people -- as we get older, things break down, tumors grow, etc.
It is just a sad fact of life for people and piggies and other animals.
We just need to do the best we can and hope our piggies are with us for
a long time but not beat ourselves up when our best efforts do not
result in a long life for our piggies.  I've had a piggy live to be 7
and I've had one live only until 2.  Both had similar care but sometimes
their bodies, like our own, betray them and they don't live as long as
we think they should.

It breaks my heart every time I read that someone's piggy has gone to
the Bridge.  But for whatever reason, piggies have made a special place
in our hearts and losing them in such a short life span to our thinking
is part of loving them.  It could be worse, hamsters and rats have an
even shorter lifespan! So, yes, give the best care you can and enjoy
every day that you have with them and consider it a gift no matter how
many or how few those days turn out to be.

Kacee and the Munchees 10