You will always be in my heart. I will see you again in my dreams. We love you, Aslan

[Luna8]

Aslan may no longer be with us here, but he will always be in my heart.

I wish I could have helped you more, Aslan:
Me, my sister, and my mom were going up to Portland for school supplies two days ago. We were getting ready to go, and I went into my room to get something. My mom was sitting on my bed with Aslan in her lap.
"Aww, is someone getting a morning snuggle?" I asked Aslan in a squeaky voice. Mom didn't smile. She told me to look closely at him, so I did, and his eyes were super goopy and had lots of gunk on them. His energy was really low, too. He didn't look good so we decided we should take him with us to Portland and, while we were there, take him to a vet. He sat in my lap the whole way up and he actually started to look and act alot better. I was even able to clear some goop from his eyes!
We arrived at the vet. They were a good vet and even though though they admitted that they didn't specialized in small animals, they realy seemed to know what they were doing. They thought he had URI and gave us some Baytril. I am familiar with Baytril and faintling familiar with URI, sense when we first got Aslan's room-mate he had URI, too, and they gave him Baytril. Doing our other things that we had been going to Portland for originally, we stopped at a shop for something-or-other.
Having no other choice available, we had to leave Aslan in the care in his box. Of course, we put him in the shade.
We came back out about half an hour later. Aslan was very, very warm and had MUCH less energy. But, please not that he did not pass away because of that. It was something worse :guilty:.
We bought some fruit and veggies but he didn't touch them. I even tried to force-feet him spinuch! On our way back from Portland, we stopped on the side of the road to see if he wanted a drink. We filled a syringe with some water, but he was looking really bad. Mom put it in the side of his mouth like your sopposed to, and gave him a real little squirt. From here on it gets fuzzy, maybe because my eyes were so full of tears.
His body litterally started to swell. Mom saw this and even suggested going back to the vet, but no one actually moved. Still in my lap, she started to do the puffing/weezing thing that animals do when they're.... about to die. :weepy:
This went on for minutes, but it seemed like hours. Soon he was dead.
I kept him on me all the way home from Portland, crying. We got home and made a little burial for him along our fence, with our other little creatures that have passed on.
We buried him in between his kind-of-Aunt, Luna, and his mother, Smokey.


My beatiful little Aslan is over Rainbow Bridge now. He's playing in a golden field with all his piggy friends. Someday, I'll see him again.
We love you, Aslan.

Luna8.

 

[Luna8]

Thank you, [MENTION=17564]Kelsie[/MENTION]. Your support makes me feels much better. He did have a wonderful life... I just wish it had lasted longer. But I guess everyone who has lost someone special has felt that way.

 

[mufasa]

So sorry to read this about Aslan. I know that he's across the Rainbow Bridge now in piggy paradise, and he's grateful for the life you gave him and how you tried to save him. Sometimes even our best efforts can't save these little guys, but he knew you loved him.

 

[Paula]

I'm very sorry your pig died, Luna. You guys did the right thing by getting him to a vet as soon as you realized something was wrong.

However, I do want to point out that this story is a sad but wonderful illustration on a few care points we stress here and I can't miss the opportunity to point that out for future readers who might read this thread later on.

First, a guinea pig should not be left in a child's room because a child is simply not equipped to monitor and handle the health and wellness of a guinea pig, especially because they hide their symptoms so well and for so long. The care and responsibility of a pet is an adult's responsibility - yes, kids can help, but leaving this monumental chore/task to a child is unfair to both the child and the animal and often results in suffering for the animal.

Second, the reason we stress weighing daily is because guinea pigs are prey animals that hide their symptoms until they simply cannot anymore, and often they are too sick by that point to be helped because the illness is so rampant and so well established.

Third, never, ever, ever, ever leave an animal in a car, especially in the summer, even with the windows cracked and even if you park in the shade. The observed highs in the Portland Metro area two days ago were between 75 and 81 degrees. The temperature in a car, even in the shade, would have been sweltering. Leaving a cavy who was probably already severely ill and likely running a fever in a box inside a car was a recipe for disaster. Even if he had a chance to recover from an already well established URI, he stood no chance of surviving when left unattended in a car while you and your family did your shopping.

Fourth and last, it is important to have a good, competent guinea pig vet lined up before you need one so that in the event of an emergency such as this one, you aren't left shopping around trying to find a vet who may not have much experience with guinea pigs and may make a mistake or miss an ailment that needs treating.

Luna, I know you loved your pig very much and I'm not judging you or your family, but this is definitely an experience that illustrates why we press so hard on the points I've listed above and I think that in his untimely and terrible death, Aslan can help other pigs from sufferering the same or a similar fate by turning this tragedy into a learning experience and an illustration of why the points I've listed above are so important for the health and well-being of our beloved little squeakers.

 

[Luna8]

Yes, Paula.
Thank you, your right. I know I've said this before but it's just so hard for me to do the right thing sometimes. Yes, good point I should have a vet's number that we can call right away that specializes in small animals in the future.

I love my guinea pigs more than anything. I've had them even since I was super little and they've really grown on me. They're the best little creatures but they're so delicate. Thinking about it makes me have tears in my eyes, but I want to do what's right and maybe actually save a guinea pig this time. I'd hate to do this, but...
Should I give them away to a experienced cavy owner who knows how to take care of them better?

I'm sorry I should've known better and I want to do what's right for them.

 

[Paula]

No, I don't think you should rehome them. I would hope that as a result of this incident, you can encourage your mom and dad to take a more active role in caring for the pets they allow you and your siblings to have. Encourage them to read this thread and others here. And, honestly, you didn't do anything wrong. You seem to be trying to learn as much as you can and do the best for your pigs. I wish your parents would follow your example and think of the pets you and your siblings have as a responsibility they have taken on and that while you can definitely be a big part of the care (which you are), ultimately the responsibility of making sure the pets are healthy and all their needs are met falls to them and leaving it to children is negligent and unfair to all involved - your story illustrates this perfectly.

Again, I'm so sorry you had this awful experience and I hope it will be a learning experience for your whole family.

 

[Luna8]

Thank you.
It's just that it's been awful for me (and for all of us) and I don't want to lose another. They're just so special to me and I don't want to see them sick or in pain. I soppose I'm still just so shocked about this sudden death.

 

[GuineaPigs98]

Im so sorry for your loss.Im sure you did a great job of taking care of him.Im sure he loves you very mush,and Im sure you love him.Maybe he met my piggy up there.His name is Callie.Hes my avatar and profile pic.Hope you feel better.

 

[Luna8]

Aww, I'm sorry. I bet that Aslan and Callie are munching away on some tasty grass, chating about they're poeple.