Animal Welfare: I'm so completely livid

[geminiwave]

I posted this over on guinea lynx too, but uhg this made me so mad.

So my Pierre had a neuter a few weeks back and had some serious complications. I ended up paying out for vet bills and even though the pet ER and my vet cut the price in half for me (without me asking even. They just felt it was "fair." Thank you wonderful vets!) they were very very difficult for me to afford. I told my parents about everything that happened and how strapped I was and they were very sympathetic and said something along the lines of "just imagine when you have a baby of your own."

Well so I went to visit my parents recently and they told some neighbors about what happened. I got ambushed by neighbors who lectured me (why is this their business anyway?!?) about how I was horribly irresponsible and how could I spend $450 on an animal that only costs $25?! They basically said "look hes just a rodent. Wouldnt it have been more prudent to just buy a new one at the store?"

god...I tried to explain to them. One of them had a dog and I said "look even if it was free for a new dog of the same breed as yours, wouldn't you fight to let your dog live?" and of course they would. But no apparently guinea pigs are different.

I thought I knew these people too.

[Paula]

It's unfortunate, but the mentality that animals like guinea pigs and rats are disposable is greatly due to stores that sell them as merchandise and discredit them as the living creatures they actually are. They market them as children's pets, classroom pets, starter pets, and my all time least favorite, a hobby. All of this contributes to the greater mindset that they aren't worth a life-saving surgery, appropriate nutrition or proper care.

With Disney movies like Ratatoullie, this new G-Force farce coming out, games like Sonic the Hedgehog, and it's no wonder people view small animals in general terms, more as cartoons, than living beings that deserve humane treatment and respect.

Bless you for comparing their beloved dog to your beloved guinea pig. There is no difference in the value of those lives, and it would be nice if more people stood up and said so, in a greater hope that more people might wise up and realize so.

[geminiwave]

Well really I mean...You hold a guinea pig for just a few minutes and you can see how much personality they have. I actually hate to think what'll happen when Pierre passes on. I'd be a wreck. Good think he still has a long life ahead of him :-)

[fieryone]

I never thought that I would see a guinea pig (or three) as a wonderful, loving family pet. I always assumed that they were like hamsters, but bigger. Perfectly fine animals but not all that interactive (we loved our dwarf hamster who died about a year ago). But now that we have them, I see how wrong I was and now I can't imagine not having guinea pigs. My family will be distraught when one of the girls passes on. I now think that I will always have at least a pair of guinea pigs in the house from now until the end of my days. I just adore them much more than I ever thought I would! If these people who think of them as disposable pets or that rodents = vermin ever spent time with a properly cared for guinea pig, I think they would change their tune in a hurry.

[WheekiePiggy123]

I got the same lecture by my coworkers when I told them my piggy had pneumonia. She had to stay at the vet for 2 nights in oxygen and then go to a follow up app. for chest x-ray's. I was very worried so I told my coworkers about everything, including the cost of it all and instead of sympathy I was told I was "crazy" and that I should just put her down and get a new one. It's terrible! Just because they are smaller "cheaper" animals does not mean they don't deserve the same fighting chance a dog or cat does.

It's nice to know there are more people out there who wouldn't give up on there sick/injured guinea pig's!

[PiggieMom]

I got the same reaction recently when I shared with my family that I drove three hours one way to adopt another pig. Once I drove seven+. It's difficult for my father to understand adoption in general, he's always bought from breeders, and made a comment that I could have drove 2 miles to the petstore and saved myself a lot of money and headache. He supports me in my efforts and says it in a more "I'm both amazed and confused" tone. I was able to convince him to adopt his most recent pet: an older cat. It makes me think that maybe all my adoption talk has finally started to seep in.

Not much you can do but hold your head high, continue to mention your ways casually so that they don't think you have an 'attitude' and don't be over bearing. Our entire culture romatizies and reenforces the idea of vainity pets, breeding, showing and "children's pets" as paula said. It takes a while for some people to see the logic in differing ideals. Some never do.

[pigsmakemesmile]

Good lord I couldn't agree more. There's no camparing when it comes to animal friends. It's not size, looks, or activity that determines what animals are valued more or less. It can't be compared. Every animal on earth is unique in its own special way...personality, behaviors..they have their way of living. I absolutely place no lesser value on my guinea pigs and treat them equally as I do my dog, rat and rabbits. They to experience pain, fear happiness, hunger. It's amazing how each of my 5 boys are so very much different from each other. I also have a Bassett hound named Fred and a dog we are fostering for Save-a Pet who's a female beagle/rat terrier mix. Even they are so amazingly different. Just because an animal can't communicate in the "english" way doesn't make them less valued. Animals have their own unique "code" they live by... something they understand. I have a greater respect for animals than I do for people. Animals live and do their own thing. They don't pollute the earth, they don't create garbage, they don't endanger the environment..I could go on. I would spend 100, 500 or 1000.00 dollars to care for my piggies. I'm blessed that I have the ability. One of my pigs passed away last summer and I'm still grieving over his loss. I'm very lucky to have my boys and I love showing them off and teaching unpiggy owners the joys that they bring.

[geminiwave]

Its just sometimes so frustrating. I can tell that Pierre loves me and my girlfriend very much. And I love him very much. He and I even have a trust now. He is EXTREMELY skittish see...his previous owner rescued him from a shelter that said he had been badly abused by his previous owners. Then his last owner (the rescuer) had crushing school debt and needed someone to take Pierre. My girlfriend took Pierre and we've been very loving and gentle with him, but hes always been so skittish. Then with his medical problems post-neuter I have had to man-handle him so much. At first he shrieked and struggled and bit but after I talked to him gently and told him everything was okay he finally let me do what I need to do. Now he lets me inspect him and clean him out every day with no argument. I can see in his eyes he HATES it but he trusts me. Some people would say I'm anthropomorphizing him but I know I am not. He has moods and opinions and the capacity for love.

And when he was lying on that vet table fighting for his life how could I not fight to help him? Really spending that cash was the LEAST I could do. His fighting to hang on shows that he made a choice to survive. How could I take that choice away from him?

[Sponge]

This is going to sound horrible but I'm so glad it's not just me who gets this kind of abuse (thats what I'm going to call it) from family and friends, co-workers and nosey neighbours!

When I was first looking into getting my boys I did days and days of research. I found out which was the best food, hay and bedding and began to buy them.

One day my boyfriend found me buying the food and hay (which came to about 50 quid-I was buying the big bags that I know will last a while) and demanded to know why I was spending so much on a couple of "rodents". My jaw actually dropped. He started demanding to know how much I was going to spend on them and how far I would go. My response was "As far as I need to to care for my guinea pigs!". We didn't speak for a week.

I don't think he has apologised yet either. But of course, when it comes to his dog it's "different" because she is a dog, a companion.

What are my guinea pigs then?? Scotch mist?!

GRRRRRR. I think he is slowly coming to realise though that my word is final when it comes to my piggies and he may as well not argue because I'll never budge on giving them a good and full life. It is incredibly frustrating though to be hammered down at every step.

It's about time the human population started valuing the life of every living thing, not just our own and that of our dog.

[pigsmakemesmile]

Sponge, I couldn't agree with you more, people do need to take time to smell the coffee and realise there are other beings on earth of value besides ourselves. It seems unpet owners are missing out on the joys and wonders of animal-friend companionship. I was raised with dogs, horses, mules, ducks you name it. I just love animals and hope they love me too. I believe everything deserves the right to live and be free and be respected. I get the rolling of the eyes from co-workers when they hear me talk to my kids about the pigs, I just blow it off. If I want to spend 50 dollars on quality pellets and hay...so be it!

[geminiwave]

There is one really good thing about guinea pigs being seen as "disposable pets" that just live in glorified litter boxes. One thing that has saved my neck a few times. Land lords dont get a ::bleep:: about guinea pigs. They are like "oh they're like hamsters. They just live in their cage all the time and never come out. Cool you can have them"

I don't ever correct them on that. Let em think that...it means I can keep my babies in an apartment. And why shouldnt I? They really don't cause damage.

[suzilovespiggie]

I once got the same lecture when I took my hamster Sammy to the vet. The vet said "why bother me with this when you can get a new one for a couple of bucks." I found a new vet.
They just don't get it. I get it, I taught my children to get it and now my grand children to get it. We are not the only ones on this earth that deserve to be treated with love,dignity,compassion, health and a good life. All living creatures deserve it!!!! End of story!

[LilFamily]

Originally Posted by geminiwave

"look hes just a rodent. Wouldnt it have been more prudent to just buy a new one at the store?"

Where could we buy a new neighbour!?

[geminiwave]

hahaha. wow though I'm glad I have support on this. So many people have come out and told me I'm crazy. I hate it.

On a side note: I build a C&C cage (well the coro is on the way so big black trash bags line the bottom for now) for my pigs. Bedding is fleece and towels. Oh my god they LOVED IT! I put them in and they immediately started running around in circles playing. I will NEVER EVER trust regular cages every again. And you know what is crazy? It takes up about the same square footage as this one cage i bought, but the bottom is so TINY in that cage that it ends up being about half the size.

[pigsmakemesmile]

Originally Posted by suzilovespiggie

I once got the same lecture when I took my hamster Sammy to the vet. The vet said "why bother me with this when you can get a new one for a couple of bucks." I found a new vet.
They just don't get it. I get it, I taught my children to get it and now my grand children to get it. We are not the only ones on this earth that deserve to be treated with love,dignity,compassion, health and a good life. All living creatures deserve it!!!! End of story!

I got it a long time ago!

[Peggysu]

My mom is an animal lover and because of her I have a great appreciation for my pets and animals. I grew up with a dog and cat. Eventually I got a hamster, from a petstore unfortunately before myself or my mom knew any better. Well he ended up getting a tumor in his mouth after I had had him for about three months. I was about 8. I had my mom take me to the vet with him and paid with my own money to have it removed. My dad was very proud about the dedication I had to my pets. He also loves animals. My hamster lived five years. People thought it was the weirdest thing to have a surgery for him, but being a kid I was proud about what I did and told everyone about it. I got some not so welcome reactions about I could go buy 20 of them with the money I spent on his surgery. My point was that I couldn't get the same hamster and he meant a lot to me. I took him everywhere with me. I think that is when I accepted that not everyone would understand my appreciation for animals.

I started dating my boyfriend in 2004 and in November of 2007 I brought home a 14 week old puppy that had been left in a horse trailer. My boyfriend and I had been together for quite a while at that point. We don't live together and nor did we at the time. He told me to get rid of the dog and that it was him or the dog. I told him to hit the road. So he came back a couple hours later and I think that is when he realized that I have a big heart for animals. One thing he has learned about me is that I don't bring home an animal unless I can take care of it for the duration of it's life.

[pigsmakemesmile]

My husband says if it were'nt for the fact that I started with 2 guinea pigs, my daughter would of never had the interest in getting her rabbits. One day, she walked in the door " hey mom, meet Toby and Annabel". These poor buns were abandoned and found in a small cage sitting at a rest area off rte 611 in the Delaware Water Gap (PA). Someone found them and brought them to the spca were my daughter volunteered before they closed down. I'll tell you..the amazing power of animals....Sarah's irritable bowel completely resolved....she's only been struggling since the age of 7. She hasn't had a flare up in a really long time. Now we have 5 buns. All from rescues. I also had a hamster...his name was Mr. Cuddles. He lived a good long 3 1/2 years. I was so grief stricken when this tiny little ball of fluff passed away...the joy he brang me, the many nights I loved watching him sit on his tiny little hidey, filling his cheeks with food to the point the puffed like a ballon....was priceless. As tiny as he was...I just loved and respected him.
Sorry. I went a little off topic.

[wheekers01]

My neighbor is like that. I also compared it to his dog. Then I compared it to his girlfriend. If she needed a surgery, wouldn't you help her? Or would you just go find a new girlfriend. We don't like her. She is a rich, snotty, "my parents will buy me anything" type of girl. =\ That is not our neighbor. He was born and raised in Wyoming, all country. He swam in college than went on to coach at university's. Thanks for sticking up for your pig! or pig(s)?

[wonderwhiskers]

I'm a college student and now im on holidays I work 5 days a week, and volunteer one day.
People always say to me ''why do you waste time and money volunteering at an animals shelter? Those animals are only a couple of pounds each anyway!'' (I have to pay over 10 pounds in travel money every week) ..
And I always say, you cant put a human life, why should an animals be any different?

People who talk like that are just ignorant and naive ..
They obviously have never put the money time and effort into looking after a pet ..and therefor havent got all the joy out of a pet, so they just don't understand.

[dra&pigs]

Originally Posted by LilFamily

Where could we buy a new neighbour!?

Lol, this isn't exactly on topic but a couple months ago, after I brought back little Jasper from a street corner, my neighbor got pretty mad because I was making a lot of noise constructing his new cage (oops!), and came over and was like "Oh, whats the big deal anyway?? You could have gotten a nice NEW cage at the store?!!" like she was obviously supieror in this knowledge. I hadn't had the best day, and I cocked my head and asked her "Do they sell replacement neighbors there to?". To say the least, she got mad. But it gave me a good laugh and she hasn't bothered me since!