[Gpdd] Rainbow Bridge: Hope (January 15, 2004 - August 14, 2010)

[ME]

I really don't know what to think or feel right now.  Liberty last November ... Grace in May ... Melody in June.  Besides that, Providence has a UTI and Harmony's lost weight for an unknown reason.  Hope had a URI a couple months ago and a foot injury last month (that I thought was bumblefoot, but the vet said it was just a cut or something, not infected).  I was thinking it might be the beginning of the end with the URI since she's hardly been sick and she has been slowing down for the past year ... sometimes sleeping so soundly that I have to shake her to wake her up ... but she's been either maintaining or gaining weight and has been very vocal about her carrots, so I thought she was getting back to normal.

Based on our webcam, which takes still pictures every ten minutes, it looks like she passed away between 11:45-11:55 Saturday night.  I found her lying in the food bowl this morning a little after 7 a.m. ... which seemed strange since she never sat in the bowl.  But looking at the webcam photos, it seems she just moved there when she knew she was going to go ... I don't know why.

Hope was a small pig, hardly ever above 800 grams, but she had a strong will and a loud and persistent voice.  She always called for carrots, even when they had already been given.  She seemed quite satisfied when she'd scream for them (mouth wide open in the shape of an "O" and ears flapping back), I'd hand her one from the pile, and she'd promptly drop it and go find herself a more appropriate one.  She loved being scratched on the top of her head and nose, with her head tilted to her right, a remnant from an ear infection she had when she was about 3 years old.

She started out as a fairly skittish pig, always running away from human hands ... but the last few years, she's enjoyed human contact and started enjoying cuddle times.  It took quite awhile for me to recognize her as the alpha pig ... I had thought Grace was since she seemed more outgoing ... but it was really the quiet and unassuming Hope that everyone, including Grace, acknowledged as the #1 pig and spokespig for the herd.

I really don't know what to think.  All the deaths and illnesses have been unrelated.  Sure, my pigs are all 3+ years old ... except the new babies (who are fine) ... but I've never had so many in such a short time ... it's been a bad year (Liberty got sick in September, which started this horrible streak).