[Gpdd] (Bridge) Tigger

[Stacy Harvey]

It is with a heavy heart that I must announce the passing of my sweet little Tigger. 
 
Some of you may remember that she was one of the 240+ piggies that was rescued from a man's garage in Maryland by the GPDD. She was missing a back leg, most likely from having been kept in a rabbit cage. She was small, but spunky, and got around like she didn't have an infirmity at all. I was one of the volunteers that helped clean cages and I knew I had to have her as soon as I first saw her. Had to wait almost a year until the trial was over (and what a joke that was...) but she came home with me in August of 2004.
 
She never had any health problems, until the past few months when she started losing weight rapidly. She was eating and drinking like a horse, but still the weight kept coming off. She was tested for diabetes and everything came back normal, as did her radiographs. I finally called the exotics doctor in Raleigh, NC and he mentioned that she might be hyperthyroid. We (the vet that I work for and I) took some blood and, sure enough, her thyroid levels were almost three times the norm. We got her on medication, and while she didn't gain back a whole lot of weight, she at least stabilized and started acting more like her old sweet self--she was one of my "kissy" pigs, and she loved to give kisses on your hands and face. She had been on the anti-thyroid medication for about 2 1/2 months.
 
She was fine Thursday night, gobbling down her greens and baby carrot as usual. When I got up to feed everyone on Friday morning, I knew something was wrong. She went over to her greens but then wouldn't eat them. She also wouldn't eat any Critical Care (which she loved), nor the little baked treats that she liked. When I sat her in my lap, she just kind of flopped down like she was so tired and she really didn't want me to bother her. I considered taking her in to the clinic with me, but then I thought if she was going to die I at least wanted her to be comfortable in a clean cage with a nice soft bed, instead of stressed out in a carrier around all that activity, and the barking dogs and such. She didn't seem to be in pain, just very, very tired. I knew she wanted to go and I told her it was okay but that I didn't want her to, and I loved her and hoped she had enjoyed her time with me as much as I enjoyed mine with her. Then I kissed her, put her in
 her little cavy cozy and went to work.
 
I called my husband to tell him that she was sick and if he got home at a reasonable time to maybe bring her in right before we closed. Instead he showed up at about 6 p.m. with her little body; he said she was still warm when he got home so she had most likely passed right before he got there. I hope I did the right thing in leaving her at home. I know they hide their pain well, and I worry that maybe she was really suffering but just didn't show it.
 
She had such a bad start in life; I hope that I was able to do right by her for the few years that she was with me. Goodbye, Sweet Tigger. I'm sure that you are running free on all four legs, whole and happy, in the clover fields beyond the Rainbow Bridge. Please say hello to the other members of the Squee Squad who are there, and the other precious piggies from the GPDD who have gone there too.
 
-Stacy and the grieving Squee Squad