[Gpdd] Rainbow Bridge: Dillon

[scalabro3 at cfl.rr.com]

It is with great sadness that I have to report the loss of our beloved Dillon. 
It was a valiant struggle that ended at 8:35 am Thursday morning.
Up until his last day, I had hope that he would pull through.
His vet even came by our house the night before to try to help him (even though it was her day off).
She had planned to come by the house the next day to check on him, but it was too late.

I am so grateful to all of you who posted and emailed. 
I don’t know how I would have gotten through all of this without your help.  Thank you.

Over the past year, I’ve read stories of the loss of some of your dear friends.
I especially remember reading the stories of Snowy Bear and Hershey and crying while wondering how you must feel and unfortunately, now I know.

Little Dillon had a massive bowel obstruction. 
The vet said that it was most likely a result of the anesthesia. 
Because he didn’t totally stop eating at any point until his last day, she didn’t realize what was going on soon enough.  
I think that she is almost as devastated as we are.  
He was her first guinea pig in her new practice, and she did her best for him.  
I am very grateful for all of her efforts.

I’m just so devastated that a routine tooth trim lead to this. 
His teeth weren’t even that bad yet.  If only I’d waited. 
If only I’d found someone who could do it without anesthesia. 
If only… I’m driving myself crazy with if only’s.

I wish that I could turn back the clock and do things differently. 
I wish I could have my little Dillon back again with me.  
I miss him so much. 
He filled a hole in my heart when he came into our life, and I just don’t know if I’ll ever feel better again.

I know I have to keep on going for my husband and my three little pigs who still need me to be strong. 
It’s just so hard, but it is a comfort to have people who understand around me.

I wish I had posted sooner so you all could know what a wonderful piggie he was…how he would run to the side of the cage to greet him whenever my husband walked in the room, about the time he got stuck in a log because his little whiskers curved in and he didn’t have a mirror and no one wanted to be the one to tell him how big his little Dilly butt was…how he used to bicker with his brother Donovan, how they would wake us up each morning by banging their bowls together and how they would call us into their room at any time of day when they heard the refrigerator open or especially when they heard veggies on the cutting board.  He and his brother were so much fun together.  

Whenever one of us was having a bad day, the other would bring us Dillon and say “here, tell Dilly all about it,” and Dilly would sit with us and chirp while we talked with him, and somehow whatever was bugging us wouldn’t seem so bad.

Now we will have to keep an eye on Donovan and see if having the other two in the room will be enough company or if we need to find him another friend, though we know that no one could replace our Dilly.

When I woke up at 3 am to give Dillon his fluids on Thursday morning, I realized that his struggle was going to end that day.  
Every other time, he had gratefully taken the fluids, but this time, he just let them dribble out of his mouth. 
I sat on the sofa with him sitting on my chest, and I told him about the rainbow bridge. 
I told him about my husband’s father who had died two years ago and about my two cats that I’d had growing up. 
I told him that he needed to find them and stay with them until we could join him someday.   
Every other night before I put him to bed, I told him that if he saw the light, he should stay away from it. 
That morning, while he was sitting on my chest, I told him that if he saw the light, he should run into it.  

I put him back with his brother so they could have some time together, and I went to tell my husband that it was almost over.  
He said goodbye to our little Dilly and had to leave for work. 
After my husband had left for work, I was sitting with him on my lap. 
My mother called to check on him, and then my sister called.  
While I was talking to my sister, he tried to run off my lap, then he coughed, then he was gone. 
I hope that he went running over the bridge. 

His vet called and told me that they have a surge of adrenalin at the end, so he didn’t feel any pain. 
That comforts us.

My husband came home from work, and we brought our little Dilly to be cremated. 
We selected a lovely little wooden box for him that will have his picture on the lid.

Now our little Dillon will live forever with us in our hearts. 
While we miss him in our home, we take comfort in the knowledge that he’s over the rainbow bridge, munching on grass, eating tons of carrots, chirping happily knowing that someday, my husband and I, his brother, and all of his little friends here will be reunited with him.

For those of you who made it to the end of this post. Thank you, I know I can ramble when I’m sad, and it means a lot to me that you were here for us.

ME in New Smyrna Beach with Donovan, Puffball, and Cocoa Puff in our home, and Dillon forever in our hearts