[Gpdd] ANNOUNCEMENT: Nugget's tribute, Part I

[bunny rabbit]

My tribute to Nugget is late but is close to the anniversary of when we adopted him (February 2, 2016), so maybe the timing is fitting.
 
We adopted Nugget as a friend for our crested pig Eddie after our Texel Ethan passed away January 1, 2016. (Yes, what a way to begin a year.) We told our vet we were looking for a new buddy, and a woman who works there called to tell me about her young male pig she had taken in to help someone else. She and her husband were concerned they didn't have time to socialize him properly due to their jobs, their children, and their other animals.
 
When we met Nugget, he had had a bath and a nail trim and looked quite debonair. We introduced him to Eddie on neutral territory, and they didn't notice each other! Finally we put them in their large cage together and Nugget engaged in some mounting behavior but soon calmed down.
 
You might remember that, named by a child, Nugget's original name was Chicken Nugget. We thought of completely changing his name, but everyone here liked Nugget, so we kept that part. He was a tricolor shorthair, who was white from his waist down, if guinea pigs had a waist, and had black and caramel markings on his face that resembled a mask.
 
He was nervous at first but soon settled in. He was a wonderful brother to Eddie, who had had bladder stone surgery in 2014 and needed it again in 2017 then continued to have problems. Often Nugget was just inches away from Eddie, providing support.  Later he did the same for Stuart Little, whom we adopted when Eddie passed away. Sadly, Stuart Little developed a jaw or teeth problem after only a year, and despite many vet visits, we weren't able to save him. Nugget stayed by his side.
 
Nugget had his own surgery in January 2020, shortly before the pandemic began. Unfortunately he had developed an abscess under his right eye, and his eye had to be removed. One of the vet techs told us, "He is a strong pig" -- and he was. During his after-surgery care, we had to change antibiotics and I thought we might lose him. The antibiotic hurt his stomach, despite a probiotic, and I got permission for us to reduce the dose. Fortunately the lesser dose worked. By then we had adopted Scottie, but the two boys had to remain separate until Nugget's course of antibiotics was finished, just in case Nugget had anything contagious. Scottie had his own little house and both boys could see one another. That was a long month!