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In Memory of Ruby

RubysMama

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jul 7, 2017
Posts
49
Joined
Jul 7, 2017
Messages
49
I guess it's time for me to move from the Medical/Vet Forum to the In Memory Of forum.
This is hard to write, but she deserves to be written about amongst friends who will understand.

Ruby came to us two years ago. We had NO clue what in the world we were doing. She came with a small cage, some pellet mix, and bedding. Her previous owners said "just clean up the bedding once every week or two, keep the pellets full, and water, and thats it." We did a little research on Day One, and realized that we had been given very bad intel by her previous owner.

So we quickly got her on track - fresh veggies, as much hay as her little heart desired, and a bigger cage. She blossomed. She went from shy and skittish with us, to wheeking when she knew Mama was up for the day and she'd get a salad. And boy, did she get a salad. Mixed greens, fresh chopped veg, cilantro and sometimes a sprinkle of a favourite fruit. She quickly became Mama's whole world.

She had a personality unlike any other cavy I have ever met. She was SO silly, and loved us so much. She'd stare out her cage at us and as soon as we'd reach in to give her a back rub, she'd pancake down and close her eyes. She loved her backrubs. She popcorned all day, and would come running at the sound of my voice because she knew she'd be getting treats, more hay, or cuddles with Mum.

She was a special piggy, that's for sure.

When we decided to try to find a second pig to adopt, we ended up finding a trio of sisters who desperately needed a good home. From the first moment they all met, Rubes made it CRYSTAL CLEAR that she was the Big Boss, and the other three fell in line easily. They loved her, and she was gentle but firm with them. Even in a four-pig herd, Rubes always stood out. She was just larger than life (literally and figuratively, she was almost 1.4kg at her largest!) and filled my days. As a stay at home parent who homeschools her kids, we got to be with our pig-pigs all day every day and Rubes and I bonded deeply.

When I realized one day she suddenly felt thinner than she used to, and no longer stomped around like Godzilla Pig, I knew something was up. It took me longer than I should have, to get her to the vet because she seemed otherwise fine. But to the vet we went, and we did everything in our power to make her better. Our vet was amazing, and she kept on keepin on with us but eventually she said "a day may come when her quality of life needs to take priority over our desire to have her around, but I trust that you'll know when we've reached that point".

I'm not sure why vets say that. I mean, I guess I knew on Monday May 6th that she had declined to a point that was no longer reasonable for her. As much as I didn't want to let her go, I knew in my heart that this was the end of her journey and she'd be starting the next leg. We called the vet, and they got us in right then. We got to spend the last moments with her in a beautiful small family room, we said our goodbyes. I told Rubes that I may not have been able to make her better, but I wouldn't make her suffer. At our vet, they don't allow family to be in the room for the actual euthanasia but we waited in our room while they did it. They lit a candle outside of our door to alert other employees and patients that a family was grieving and the whole place was silent. Right up until the very last second before I handed her to the vet, I was questioning if it was the right thing; if we could have hung on just a little longer and found something to make her better. I wanted to grab her and run back home. But that would have been selfish. She was very sick, and not getting better, and after all the love she gave to us it was time for us to give it back to her when she needed it the most.

They brought her to us, and I thought I was doing kind of okay but when they handed the box to me, I fell apart. They told us to take as much time as we needed and then we headed home.

We took her home from the vets, and transferred her to a box on which each of us had written a little message to her. Lined it with her favourite fleece, we transferred her into it. I was afraid of having to do that, but I didn't want to bury her wrapped in a vet office towel in a cardboard box. When I unfolded the vet's towel, she looked so peaceful. Just...sleeping. Her body was still warm and I just laid her in the wooden box, kept a hand on her, and felt absolutely shattered. I am so glad I got those final moments with her like that. It was so nice to see her laying on her fleece, no pneumonia sounds, no whimpering, no choking. Just Rubes.

We found an amazing place in the back edge of our property in a sitting area where I have my morning coffee. She's buried under a big maple tree, in a spot where clovers grow in abundance. Those were always her favourite.

RIP Rube-a-loo. I miss your furry face, your snuggles, and your entire crazy self. Your human family misses you, and your sister-pigs miss you. You were a force to be reckoned with, and one of the best parts of my day. I can barely breathe when I think about you.

May you have neverending zoomies in clover fields, and I'll find you at The Bridge. See you on the flip side.

DSC_0016.jpg
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
I am so, so sorry. I went through something very similar last summer with my boy, who had also been ill for some time. Your story brings more than a few tears to my eyes, and brings back a lot of special memories, but also very painful ones. The pigs with big personalities, and the bonds that are intensified through the medical caretaking process, somehow seem to be that much harder to let go of.


Your family loved you more than you could ever know, Ruby. Take that love with you. May it keep you warm and happy at the Rainbow Bridge, where you can zoom all day and graze on greens until your heart's content. You will be missed, little girl, by your family and your sisters. One day you will all be together again.

Rest in peace, Ruby.
 

Spotakiss

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 28, 2018
Posts
60
Joined
May 28, 2018
Messages
60
So sorry to hear about poor ruby. You'll be together again and she will be so happy


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

SSLee

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Aug 30, 2017
Posts
276
Joined
Aug 30, 2017
Messages
276
Thank you for giving us an opportunity to get to know Ruby better. I am at work and still tearing but luckily it is still early for my company and I have a private office. What a sweetheart your little Ruby was and I am so glad she was able to enjoy two wonderful years with you and your family.
 

HunterRose13

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Apr 9, 2019
Posts
88
Joined
Apr 9, 2019
Messages
88
Ruby is a beautiful girl and you did right by her. Your selfless act of letting her go speaks to your love of her. She is on the other side of The Bridge and I hope she finds company with my Mumu and Bella.

Thank you for your post. While it brought me to tears it helped me know that I am not crazy for caring so deeply about little piggies with big personalities.
 

spy9doc

Well-known member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Oct 9, 2011
Posts
48
Joined
Oct 9, 2011
Messages
48
What a beautiful eulogy! It is so gut-wrenching to let our beloved furballs go because they capture such a big piece of our hearts. Be comforted by the knowledge that you gave her a wonderful life, but also knew when it was time to unselfishly let her go. Fly free over the Rainbow Bridge, sweet Ruby! :love:
 

RubysMama

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jul 7, 2017
Posts
49
Joined
Jul 7, 2017
Messages
49
Thank you, everyone.:love:

She was such a special girl. I thought I'd share a few photos I have of her (I mean, I have lots, but I won't share all eleventy-thousand of them haha).

Back before she got sick, she had her Bun-Bun (a stuffed animal she loved almost as much as she loved food lol). She'd find Bun-Bun and drag her wherever this wood tunnel was and arrange herself like this. She was so crazy. She was such a chubby piggie back then, and it did not stop her from squeezing her big ole self into her favourite tunnel with her favourite stuffed animal.

59909142_10161680833910024_3222828048852189184_n.jpg

I had just cleaned the cage, and didn't refill the pellets fast enough. If Ruby was waiting in this particular spot, it was either because I was sitting in the armchair (you can see sort of, beside the cage), or because she wanted food. Ah, my heart just aches when I see her pre-illness photos. I love her so much.

59537388_10161680833980024_8902738687960285184_n.jpg

Here she is, hanging with the herd, doing what they love the most:

57336179_10161616044780024_2188010061756891136_n.jpg

When she got sick, taking the meds was stressful for her. So I started giving her snuggles after the doses, and I would hum a lullaby while I rubbed her back. She got so used to it that as soon as I'd put her on my lap after her meds, she'd stare up at me and I'd start to sing her song and she'd scramble right up and put her head on my shoulder. If I stopped singing, she'd pop her head up and nuzzle me with her nose, and then I'd keep singing and she'd pancake herself across my shoulder or chest. She was some pig! lol

56606336_10161577057770024_7982230074332020736_n.jpg

And this is one of the last photos we took of Rubes. This was in the time between when I made the call to the vets, and when we left home for the last time. I snuggled her up and sang her her favourite lullaby, told her how much I loved her, and kissed her furry little face as many times as she'd let me. Which, thankfully, was very many.

59857035_10161680009835024_2681961361272995840_n.jpg
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
What a pretty little lady. And what a special pig. Heartbreaking loss.
 

SSLee

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Aug 30, 2017
Posts
276
Joined
Aug 30, 2017
Messages
276
Thank you for sharing these wonderful pictures of Ruby!
 

FudgeThePiggy

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jul 25, 2022
Posts
5
Joined
Jul 25, 2022
Messages
5
I guess it's time for me to move from the Medical/Vet Forum to the In Memory Of forum.
This is hard to write, but she deserves to be written about amongst friends who will understand.

Ruby came to us two years ago. We had NO clue what in the world we were doing. She came with a small cage, some pellet mix, and bedding. Her previous owners said "just clean up the bedding once every week or two, keep the pellets full, and water, and thats it." We did a little research on Day One, and realized that we had been given very bad intel by her previous owner.

So we quickly got her on track - fresh veggies, as much hay as her little heart desired, and a bigger cage. She blossomed. She went from shy and skittish with us, to wheeking when she knew Mama was up for the day and she'd get a salad. And boy, did she get a salad. Mixed greens, fresh chopped veg, cilantro and sometimes a sprinkle of a favourite fruit. She quickly became Mama's whole world.

She had a personality unlike any other cavy I have ever met. She was SO silly, and loved us so much. She'd stare out her cage at us and as soon as we'd reach in to give her a back rub, she'd pancake down and close her eyes. She loved her backrubs. She popcorned all day, and would come running at the sound of my voice because she knew she'd be getting treats, more hay, or cuddles with Mum.

She was a special piggy, that's for sure.

When we decided to try to find a second pig to adopt, we ended up finding a trio of sisters who desperately needed a good home. From the first moment they all met, Rubes made it CRYSTAL CLEAR that she was the Big Boss, and the other three fell in line easily. They loved her, and she was gentle but firm with them. Even in a four-pig herd, Rubes always stood out. She was just larger than life (literally and figuratively, she was almost 1.4kg at her largest!) and filled my days. As a stay at home parent who homeschools her kids, we got to be with our pig-pigs all day every day and Rubes and I bonded deeply.

When I realized one day she suddenly felt thinner than she used to, and no longer stomped around like Godzilla Pig, I knew something was up. It took me longer than I should have, to get her to the vet because she seemed otherwise fine. But to the vet we went, and we did everything in our power to make her better. Our vet was amazing, and she kept on keepin on with us but eventually she said "a day may come when her quality of life needs to take priority over our desire to have her around, but I trust that you'll know when we've reached that point".

I'm not sure why vets say that. I mean, I guess I knew on Monday May 6th that she had declined to a point that was no longer reasonable for her. As much as I didn't want to let her go, I knew in my heart that this was the end of her journey and she'd be starting the next leg. We called the vet, and they got us in right then. We got to spend the last moments with her in a beautiful small family room, we said our goodbyes. I told Rubes that I may not have been able to make her better, but I wouldn't make her suffer. At our vet, they don't allow family to be in the room for the actual euthanasia but we waited in our room while they did it. They lit a candle outside of our door to alert other employees and patients that a family was grieving and the whole place was silent. Right up until the very last second before I handed her to the vet, I was questioning if it was the right thing; if we could have hung on just a little longer and found something to make her better. I wanted to grab her and run back home. But that would have been selfish. She was very sick, and not getting better, and after all the love she gave to us it was time for us to give it back to her when she needed it the most.

They brought her to us, and I thought I was doing kind of okay but when they handed the box to me, I fell apart. They told us to take as much time as we needed and then we headed home.

We took her home from the vets, and transferred her to a box on which each of us had written a little message to her. Lined it with her favourite fleece, we transferred her into it. I was afraid of having to do that, but I didn't want to bury her wrapped in a vet office towel in a cardboard box. When I unfolded the vet's towel, she looked so peaceful. Just...sleeping. Her body was still warm and I just laid her in the wooden box, kept a hand on her, and felt absolutely shattered. I am so glad I got those final moments with her like that. It was so nice to see her laying on her fleece, no pneumonia sounds, no whimpering, no choking. Just Rubes.

We found an amazing place in the back edge of our property in a sitting area where I have my morning coffee. She's buried under a big maple tree, in a spot where clovers grow in abundance. Those were always her favourite.

RIP Rube-a-loo. I miss your furry face, your snuggles, and your entire crazy self. Your human family misses you, and your sister-pigs miss you. You were a force to be reckoned with, and one of the best parts of my day. I can barely breathe when I think about you.

May you have neverending zoomies in clover fields, and I'll find you at The Bridge. See you on the flip side.

View attachment 85918
i felt like i had the need to write-you may not know me and i may not know you but reading ruby’s story made me breakdown. i am so sorry for your loss- i’ve been having complications with my pig and i’m begging to worry. but this story was just so powerful-although this is the first time i m learning about ruby i can’t tell she was amazing, and that losing her was a big deal. i’m sorry for your loss, may ruby have infinite zoomies beyond the gate.
 
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