I know I haven't been posting anything lately, but I've been around.
We had a very hectic week, but the worse thing is one of our boys, Alvin Ehor, passed away on Tuesday, May 19th.
My husband hurt his back again (he is borned and exposed to easy injury and throwing out his back), the roof problems got worse, we repaired 2x, so you can imagine the amount of money...And then there is Tuesday, the day I wish we never had to experience. Woke up, gone to the gym, came back, took a shower, and prepared to feed the kids, the usual. It was about 7.30am, and Alvin and Theodore were running around wheeking for food. So I picked up Alvin, who was wheeking around his empty food plate, and went to the fridge to get the food, him sniffing around of course for all the goodies. And suddenly I felt him faint in my arms. I panicked, I knew something was wrong. He started shaking a little, and I yelled at my husband to come and help me. We immediately called the vet, got the number for an emergency vet, and rushed there. It was a matter of seconds when we were already out the door, pj's, slippers, you name it.
That road seemed endless, but Alvin was not responding anymore, he was lethargic. We rushed through the vet's door, but it was too late they said. He didn't make it. Me and my husband were in shock. Last night he was perfectly fine, this morning he was ok, happy wheeking for food, and all our world crashed all of a sudden. Although we had so many money issues lately (a trip to plan - oh great now is the worse moment, doctors, and the roof) we wanted a necropsy done. When we adopted the boys (Oct 2008), their birth date was unknown, Alvin might have been 1year, 1 1/2, and Theodore younger. They were checked by the vet after we got them, and they were in perfectly shape, very healthy. What might have happened? Filled huge amounts of papers for the vet, then saw Alvin for the last time. I checked him out, and his belly looked very bloated, something that a day before wasn't the case. I haven't fed him anything wrong, he had lettuce (romaine& green leaf), celery, a little tomato, green pepper, nothing that might cause bloating, he ate very much as he usually does. A last glance, a last goodbye. He had the same eyes like my first piggy, Mikey, whom I had for 7 years. We are going to miss those eyes every single day!
We reached the other vet, to come see Theodore if he's ok, he seemed healthy too, but now I am paranoid by every little thing. We ordered blood tests for him before we knew the results for Alvin. Poor baby, he is such a complainer that the vet had to put him to sleep for 30seconds, after 1h of carefully trying to get a sample. The results are very very good, everything is functioning ok, no infection, he's healthy.
The necropsy for Alvin showed an abdomen full of blood, so he died fast, in shock. Further investigation showed a large defect in the left liver lobe. The doctor said that it came from a big trauma, like a big hit, or a drop, or throwing around. That rupture could have happened anytime, sooner or later, after that trauma. It was just a matter of time. The rest looked o.k, so he was healthy and well taken care of in his last months.
I asked about the trauma, because the only trauma I knew about was before the adoption. They were saved form a family who had kids throwing them around. I have handled them very carefully, I am really excluding that part, that I have done something wrong, though I have many bad thoughts and remources about doing something wrong. The doctor said it was possible, and rare, for the liver to rupture, and heal, remain very sensitive, and then again, even at wrong movement from the piggy, to cause the rupture and death. Now I am thinking maybe he was popcorning (a 3lbs popcorn is not easy), or he might have been trying to get on their hidey box, and fell, cause he never could get up there, like Theodore. Any other dangerous toys, unsafe things were removed from their cage, I was very careful in preventing that. Or again, am I guilty of doing something wrong? It is a daily torment.
All I can say is I did my best, best food (even KM hay shipped to Fl, more expensive then the hay itself), a whole collection of food variety on the fridge, best bedding, a good cage, lots and lots of love and spoil. They were our masters. Even our vet that comes at home and sees everything, calmed me down on that matter. But the words of the exotic vet who did the necropsy, still sound fresh in my head "I don't know the exact circumstances".
The pain never goes away, time doesn't heal, I know that from my dear Mikey. I am hoping Alvin is playing with him now, happy, with lots of food as he enjoyed, and lots of space to explore together, without anyone, like me, crawling after them. And I hope they'll have a good laugh on how their eyes resemble.
Beginning with Saturday, Theodore is going to be pet sited by the guys they saved him (while we are gone on our trip). I know it is soon, it is painful, but we have to think at his best, not ours, and me and my hubby already agreed on adopting a new cage mate. The fact that he looks around in every corner, is not active so much in the last days, and his wheek for food is very low (though he was the loudest in a contest with Alvin), tells us he is very sad. I have cleaned everything in the cage very well, and changed some items around for him to concentrate on the new things, not what is missing, but that is not enough for my baby. The guys that will pet sit him have healthy saved piggies all around, waiting for a home. So no troubles of illness and such. He is going to be introduced to some and we are hoping Theodore is going to bond with one. We are going to let him choose his friend, because I really want to see him running around like crazy again,and wheeking like no other, full of joy.
So that is our sad story, I am sorry for the long post, but I felt like I owe one to this forum that has taught me the best. We are still in shock, and we are waiting for more explanation from our vet. We are looking for more answers of course, because I will not rest with "it is just one case in a million, something very rare". I hope when we get back, things won't be so hectic anymore. Once again, we just have to learn how to live with it, because we'll never forget.
05-22-09, 12:15 pm
Not Ranked. Helpful AND tactful post? : 0 
