My rattie Popeye - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**Ly&Pigs** · #1 06-01-09, 03:09 am

My beloved Ratty Popeye crossed the Rainbow Bridge yesterday in the early evening. He wasn't walking so well late Friday night and there are no Emergency vets anywhere within a 2 hour drive so I kept a good eye on him this past weekend and had planned on taking him to my regular vet this morning.

Yesterday I was cage cleaning and lifted their fleece and there was a rather large spider. After looking Popeye over a little more carefully near his back end, I can only assume that it may have been a spider bite as the tissue under the skin seemed as if it was necrotizing. (Several years ago my now ex-husband had a dog that was bitten by a snake and the skin necrotized so it reminded me of that.) He had pretty much completely lost the use of his hind legs yesterday afternoon and had loss of bowel/bladder control too. He was near 2 years old. I had taken him in because I didn't want him to end up as snake food seeing as he only had one functional eye. The other eye was missing and closed probably due to a birth defect.

After I cleaned the cages, I wrapped him in a towel and brough him in my room to spend some time with him. I cried and told him it was ok if he needed to go because Mommy didn't want him to be in pain anymore. After about an hour, I put him back in the cage with Eddie and Sam and he died shortly after.

He was a very loving, gentle boy and will be so very greatly missed. He was my favorite of all my animals.

**keehnle** · #2 06-01-09, 05:22 am

I am truly sorry for your piggie loss. May he rest in peace..

**blessedbeingmom** · #3 06-01-09, 06:39 am

What a loving tribute to Popeye! I'm so sorry for your loss!

**xxlizzybordenxx** · #4 06-01-09, 09:46 am

I am so sorry for your loss. That post brought a tear to my eye. Your little piggie Popeye is in my thoughts.

**Amsley246** · #5 06-01-09, 10:22 am

Oh Ly, I'm so sorry for your loss. It took me a half hour after reading that to type this because I cried, and usually I don't! He had a good life with you and you gave him a good send off to the bridge. May he rest in peace and enjoy his new life with the rest of the Guinea Angels. It almost seemed like he was waiting for you to tell him to go, which means you were good to him and he was loyal to you. My sympathies to you!

**Peggysu** · #6 06-01-09, 10:27 am

I'm so sorry for your loss. It's so hard. You gave him great life.

**Deb's4Pigs** · #7 06-01-09, 10:38 am

I'm so sorry. I know you loved him very much.

**fieryone** · #8 06-01-09, 11:06 am

I'm very sorry for your loss of Popeye. How scary that a spider did this

**NicholsS10** · #9 06-01-09, 12:03 pm

It also scares me that a spider could do this, especially since I have arachnophobia. I'm so sorry for the loss of your rattie, Popeye... However, it is because of you that he got as long as a life as he did. Bless you for taking him in! Take comfort in knowing that he had a wonderful life because of you. May he now be happy and pain free over the rainbow bridge... RIP Popeye...

**wigglesgiggles1** · #10 06-01-09, 12:09 pm

That is so sad. My best wishes to popeye. R.I.P popeye

**Ly&Pigs** · #11 06-01-09, 12:16 pm

Thanks. Your condolences were much appreciated but some of you said piggie and Popeye was not a pig, he was one of my ratty boys.

**wigglesgiggles1** · #12 06-01-09, 01:47 pm

I thought I was cracking up when nearly everybody said pig. I knew somewhere you said rattie.

**Ly&Pigs** · #13 06-01-09, 10:19 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by wigglesgiggles1

I thought I was cracking up when nearly everybody said pig. I knew somewhere you said rattie.

It's in the title and I edited earlier to put it in my post too.

I still am having spells where I cry because I miss him so very much. His brother and best buddy Sammy is lost without him. I have two male ratties left but Eddie is a very shy, timid guy. Sammy is outgoing. Popeye was one in a million.

**Paula** · #14 06-01-09, 10:21 pm

I am very sorry, Ly. It's so hard to lose them when you get so close to them while they're here. He had a wonderful life with you and no doubt you are better off for having shared the time with him you had. He was loved, and I'm sure he knew that every day he spent with you.

**xxlizzybordenxx** · #15 06-02-09, 12:51 am

Sorry i thought "rattie" was used as an adjective! In a loving way tho like "my little rattie boy" inferring that he was scruffy maybe? Anyways let me re-state my previous post. I am very sorry for your loss of popeye (the rat)!

"Thank you, Ly&Pigs, for this useful post," says:
wigglesgiggles1 (06-01-09)