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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

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Forum RAINBOW BRIDGE One year

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    • Gina.Jenny
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        Its coming up a year since I had to make three difficult choices far too soon and far too close together.

        Silky was the gentlest, sweetest natured guinea pig. My youngest called her a little cooing machine. She cooed in reply every time you spoke to her, she cooed in thanks every time she got food, before ever taking a bite, and she cooed constantly any time anyone held her and stroked her.

        On 22nd May, last year, I came downstairs in the morning to find Silky had developed a big abscess under her jaw. I rang the vets the minute they opened and rushed her straight there. She’d been fine the night before, and was still able to enjoy some freshly picked dandelions, but I knew she felt bad, as she didn’t coo once.

        Guinea pig abscesses are like rabbit one’s, full of a thick toothpaste like pus, and so hard to fully drain. The vets said that even if they managed to clean the abscess out, and put her on antibiotics, this kind of abscess was notoriously difficult to treat in guinea pigs, and would keep refilling, and that the kindest thing would be to put her to sleep.

        She fell asleep, having suffered very little, and with a tum full of her favourite dandelions.

        When I got home, I moved her sister’s cage, placing it on a couple of garden chairs, so Grace could be as close to Choco and Latte as possible, so she wouldn’t feel so lonely. Rusty thought this was a great idea, he loved using the chair legs like a little bunny maze.

        I tried to comfort Grace over the next few days, but was no replacement for her sister, and she grieved badly, and her weight dropped fast. Nine days later, as I held her, after bringing her in from the garden, I spotted a tell-tale swelling of one nipple. It was Sunday evening, and not an emergency, so I rang the vets Monday morning. Monday afternoon, I took her in, and they confirmed it was a mammary gland tumour. The vet suggested treating her with pain relief and antibiotics. We lost a previous piggy boy, Speedy to a mammary tumour, and the the vet recommended treating him with pain relief and antibiotics then too, but three weeks later, he hid under newspaper, and I felt awful I’d left him to suffer too long. I said this to the vet, and asked what good this would do for Grace, and the tumour. He said “Not much, but it would give you a few more weeks with her”. I explained how much she was grieving for Silky, and what had happened with Speedy. He then said putting her to sleep was the kinder option for her, but that in his experience, most pet owners wanted to keep their pets alive as long as possible. I said I wanted what was best for her, not me, and she was put to sleep on 1st June, only ten days after her sister. 

        I hated having the empty cage, but with both the boys planning to go university in two years, I didn’t want to go out and buy them another pair of baby piggies, so the cage was moved out to the garage.

        Eight days later, on 9th June, we caught Gina, and the cage came back indoors. The cage was small for a bunny, but Gina loved it, and it eased the grief of losing both girls so close together a little, to have another little girl in the house. We rang the RSPCA, to see if anyone had reported this little bunny missing, and to say if not, we had an empty cage, and could keep her, which they said was fine with them.

        My eldest saw a black rabbit down the road, on his way to college, but though we looked again later, we couldn’t find him or her, and thought the worst. My son grieved for the black rabbit that we hadn’t caught, and didn’t give up looking out for it, and eventually spotted it hiding in a nearby garden. We went round, but it was a Sunday afternoon, and they were out. But a few days later, another neighbour complained one of my rabbits was in his garden, eating his primulas and primroses, and we were able to finally catch the little black bunny on 31st July.

        I rang the RSCPA again, to see if they could collect this one, as I had no empty cage for her, and they said they had no empty cages either, and was there any way I could keep both. They agreed to pay for both girls to be spayed, as this might mean I could get both girls in together, and both girls were spayed. 

        Gina recovered fine, but Jenny struggled with hypothermia for days after, and I decided to try getting our two lops, Rusty and Pippi, to take turns to cuddle her. She loved this, and groomed them both, which probably had a lot to do with why they accepted her quite well, as long as I sat with them. On Sat 15th Aug, I noticed Rusty flinching when Jenny groomed near one eye. By Monday, the eye was clearly swollen, and I took him straight to the vet. He was given pain killers and antibiotics, and I was told to bring him back in a week, or sooner if he got worse. Wed 19th, he stopped eating, and I took him straight back. The vet said he wanted to x-ray the eye, under anaesthetic, and if it was an abscess, he would use a circular needle to try and drain it. A few hours later, the vet rang and said he recommended putting Rusty to sleep while he was still under anaesthetic, as a retrobulbar tumour was growing behind the eye and had spread. Poor Rusty wasn’t even two.


      • Chloe_<3
        Participant
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          Sending warm thoughts and hugs your way. I can’t imagine going through those losses especially all so close together. Silky, Grace, and Rusty were so lucky to have you!


        • Bam
          Moderator
          16836 posts Send Private Message

            So sad, GJ.

            I remember Rusty, of course. He helped save Jenny’s life after her spay, when she couldn’t keep warm. So unfair that he didn’t get to be older than 2.

            I hope your other darlings will be really, really old.


          • Gina.Jenny
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              Rusty was the worst, in one way, because of how young he was.

              Silky and Grace were around four and a half, which meant they’d had a reasonably long life, for guinea pigs, but losing Grace so soon after Silks was hard. I think though, it was kinder to her than leaving her to try and fight the tumour whilst still grieving.


            • MoxieMeadows
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                Aw, how sad. (((Hugs)))

                RIP Rusty, Silky and Grace!


              • LBJ10
                Moderator
                16869 posts Send Private Message

                  This is so sad. I’m sorry you lost so many so close together.


                • Gina.Jenny
                  Participant
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                    I think Silky, Grace and Rusty would fully agree with the sentiments expressed here, and from the far side of the rainbow bridge, will be glad to see Gina, Jenny and Podge enjoying life this side of the bridge, especially Rusty, who helped save Jenny…

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                Forum RAINBOW BRIDGE One year