Guinea Pig Papa
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Staff member
Cavy Slave
- Joined
- May 12, 2015
- Posts
- 398
- Joined
- May 12, 2015
- Messages
- 398
I was hoping for better news, but good to hear that Punkin is holding his own. Don't expect him to regain his previous weight. In my experience, that rarely happens. They simply reach a new normal and hover around that figure, whatever it is.
I looked back at Sparky's record and on Feb. 1 he weighed 3 lbs. This morning he weighs 2:09.7 or 1171 grams which is a bit light, but he seems to hover around 2:10 and has done so for several months. His appetite is good and his Papa feeds him whenever he seems hungry. All discipline has gone out the window since he was diagnosed with CHF. The reality is that he will probably not live long enough to become overweight. His fourth birthday is on Oct. 11 and we're going to celebrate!
It should go without saying that Sparky sends good wishes to Punkin and Scooter. "Hang in there, fellas. We're in this together!"
I do very much hope Sparky still has plenty of time left. Punkin and Scooter's third birthday is this Tuesday, two days from now. Won't be a salad celebration this time around since they likely won't eat much, but we'll celebrate the fact that they're both still here.
An interesting note. You and I had spoken before about a head bob and forceful breathing being hallmarks of CHF, you had observed that in Sparky and sure enough it happened. I had expressed concern about the same thing, as Punkin has always had that head bob and forceful breathing, accompanied by an occasional cough.
Since his weight has dropped, the forceful breathing and head bob have disappeared. I don't know what to make of it. I didn't think it could be his weight because he had the bob and breathing even when he was a baby just a few weeks old.
Punkin has always been a big pig. Up until this, he had always hovered just under 3 1/2 lbs. When he doesn't want to be force fed anymore, he has taken to crawling out of his blanket burrito and either standing on top of my forearm, or just snuggling against my upper arm as if to say, "Enough now, Dad. I don't want any more." Adorable, and very, very heartbreaking at the same time.