[Gpdd] Gpdd (Rainbow Bridge) (Hina'u)

[Ellen Garrison]

Aloha all Gpdd Friends,

I am sorry to report that our sweet Hina'u has left for the Rainbow Bridge.

The last of the 4 babies born in my home almost 6 years ago.

I noticed he was not eating on his own, except last week Tuesday, after we came home from the vet. He ate a little hay on his own. But he would not want me to feed him critical care nor water.  I of course was devastated, as you know how hard it is when a piggy is sick. 
I did not mention he had a cyst on his testicle. This is the same thing that had happened with Angel, his dad, only Angel's went away, I believe like the vet said, Angel must have had a cyst that was there for a little while, on his testicle, then was reabsorbed. I noticed Hina'u had something very similar but since we did not x-ray it, we didn't discover what it was, although the vet thought it was a cyst. 
 
I honestly felt--when giving him the critical care-- I was prolonging his discomfort as he really would fight me about it. He did not want to eat. I thought, well, is it one of the three major things, going on, that had him not wanting to eat?  1) oral thrush;  2) cystitis; or  3) bloat..? Well then he did have bloat. We went to the vet again this past Monday. We got sub cues again, cisapride, and a piggy bowel irrigation thing something of a piggy enema. I had also given him simethicone, and the bloat went away. 
But ever since last week, Wednesday, he had just seemed to be on his way, getting ready to depart from the physical world, as in, not responding to anything, not moving much, and not eating or drinking. I work full time so that makes it harder. When I came home last night he was warm under the fleece blanket in their cage, but he still was not even responding to anything, so after about 5 syringes of critical care and about 5 of water, I gave him metacam for pain, and placed him back in the cage, where this morning, when I woke up, he had passed. All I could do was call upon Saint Francis of Assisi, and the archangels, to assist with him. I feel rotten that I was so selfish I tried to keep him alive when he was ready to go.  I mean, I did not want to starve him or dehydrate him to death, either. I told the vet on Monday that I of course did not want him to suffer.  In a way I feel like I made it worse but I do not want to blame myself. No, too many
 people in the world will blame someone, even if it's themselves, and I have to know I did all I could. I gave him a happy, beautiful life.  I enjoyed him fully. I know he is in a better place now, no longer suffering. I can ask him to visit me in my dreams. 
He is no longer here, but that does not mean he is gone. I firmly believe in reincarnation, and that there is no death, that we are all eternal beings. It is a more spiritual way of looking at it.  It relieves me to believe that no one ever really dies. And when you really think about it, how does anyone know, anyway, so why can't we just think what we decide we want to think, and not get all bogged down in the depressing idea of endedness? There is no such thing. There is impermanence, yes, but death? It's a falsehood in my opinion.
I love you, Hina'u, and now you are with your brother and sisters and mom. I love all piggies and others who have gone on, all of you. RIP at the Rianbow Bridge...
~Ellen