[Gpdd] [HEALTH] Apollo - Rainbow Bridge, Dante Wigglebottom health issues

[Jocelyn Anderson]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks so everyone that sent in advice about Apollo. Unfortunately, he was
breathing hard on Thursday (he had gone into the vet on Wednesday), so we
took him to the emergency vet. He was on oxygen for 18 hours and getting
meds/food (he was not getting by himself) and was getting worse. The vet
said he had inflammation of the lungs and congestive heart failure. We made
the very hard to decision to put him down. He was always the curious piggy
and quite a ham for the camera. He is very sorely missed. I will have to
post Thanksgiving pigtures of him on Undercover Guinea Pigs, his
personality really comes through on those shots. He was a handsome fellow
and he knew it.

To give you an idea of his pigsonality; last week Apollo wanted another
treat and was chattering his teeth. My husband told him he was being
ungrateful. As soon as Apollo heard this, he stuck his nose straight as if
to say "WHAT!", and then ran over to the side of the cage that was closest
to my husband, stood up on his hind legs, and started chewing the bars. It
was if he was trying to get at my husband for suggesting such a thing! Also
he ended up getting another treat.

I am now worried about his piggyfriend, Dante Wigglebottom. He doesn't seem
to be eating much, so we're weighing him. He also seems to be the one
drinking a lot the water (although he hasn't done so today.) He was
sneezing at the vet when I took Apollo in, so Dante is on Baytril for a
week.  Dante is a very shy piggy and Apollo was a bold explorer, and Dante
always followed Apollo's lead. Now Dante spends most of his time sitting in
one of two corners. We want to get him a piggyfriend, but will wait until
the medicine has taken its course. Dmitri is in a cage next to him, but
he's a loner pig and likes being alone.

The vet I really like is on medical leave until at January, and when I took
Apollo in to have his teeth filed, the vet place couldn't figure it out. If
I do need to take Dante in, I feel like I will need to go in saying exactly
what I need, like asking for the Daktarin gel. I will ask for a full-body
x-ray next time I go in (they didn't do this for Apollo, but the emergency
vet did), but who knows if the vet we see will know enough to diagnose.
It's tough when the best piggy vet in the area is out!

Jocelyn, Dmitri, and Dante Wigglebottom