It all started with Gordy...

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Oct 22, 2015 10:58 pm


How about flicker?

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Jaycey
Supporter in 2014

Post   » Sun Oct 25, 2015 3:59 am


Practice flickr shot. That website is hard to navigate, eep!!

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Jaycey
Supporter in 2014

Post   » Sun Oct 25, 2015 4:22 am


Luck wasn't really on our side. The poor little guy had a heart condition, severe arthritis and a stroke/neurological problem stopped him from walking properly. Oh, and he came back from the vet with the onset of bumblefoot too.

Despite our best efforts towards the end of October he decided to stop using his right back leg completely. He's had the start of bumblefoot in that one for a little while, but he was on antibiotics and had regular foot bathes alternating between Hibiscrub and Empson salts.

He took to lying on that leg, and so his left back leg stuck out. And so from the photo below you coyld see that he compensated by sticking out and resting on his right front leg.

A xray showed quite a bad infection in his back right leg, but the major concern was the back left leg. The vet was astonished that he had been using it, as he claimed that the arthritis had pretty much detroyed that leg. He would never be able to use it again.

We know knew that our time with him was going to be limited.

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But, he was still such a happy boy. He lived for his food and would still devour everything. He was back to living on his own and he would get as much food as he wanted. Whenever we went into his room his nose waved in the air and we'd sometimes even get a wheek from him.

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15th November 2012, Arnold's time to cross the Rainbow Bridge arrived. Despite all of his problems that guy was a fighter so we knew that it was going to be our decision. And it was a hard one as his spirit was always happy.

The infection in his back leg had progressed to a point where it broke the bone in his leg. There was no way to fix it. So, he had a monster breakfast and we said our goodbyes. Even at the vet he was continuing to eat his veg in the waiting room.

His last photo. Packing him up to go to the vet:

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I've had quite a few pigs over the years and he was only the second one that I've had to make that awful decision for. It was totally the right thing to do. RIP little Arnold.

I can't believe it's been almost 3 years now since he left us.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Oct 25, 2015 9:08 am


He sounds like he was a really special guy. I wish he had had a life free of medical problems.

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Jaycey
Supporter in 2014

Post   » Mon Oct 26, 2015 4:21 am


He definitely was. For most of his younger years he was a timid guy. I remember him dragging his veg bowl into his house so we couldn't see him.

Despite all of his problems, which were pretty much from day 1 he never gave in. He was the last piggy I've had direct from a breeder (he was a birthday present!), and he's the perfect example of poor breeding, and possible inbreeding.

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GP_mum
Supporter in '13

Post   » Wed Oct 28, 2015 4:39 am


Arnold, was such a sweetheart. Thank you for sharing about him as I am currently in a similar difficult position wit my paralyzed sow. She's developed a bed sore from lying on 1 side which is not healing (we have been to the vet). I am now turning her over even though she hates it (she is more comfortable lying on 1 particular side). However, her appetite is still good.

In the meantime, we are taking things a day at a time, she is being supplemented with CC mash and her sore is being cleaned twice a day, plus making sure her wound is exposed to dry out twice a day (would be more often if I didn't have to go to work, but such is real life).

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Jaycey
Supporter in 2014

Post   » Wed Oct 28, 2015 8:29 am


We were really surprised at how tough he was.

Hope your little lady is okay GP_mum, and you get lots more time with her! Give her a snuggle from me.

The photos after Arnold left us are very few and far between. But, Toki Wartooth and Anselmo were still keeping us on our toes.

"Help, we have to eat off the floor, and sleep in paper bags. SOS!!"
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Having piggies and also not a lot of spare cash (Vet bills!) means we don't get to go away very often, well not at all really.
But, in August 2013 my boyfriends family booked a cottage in Norfolk and we all left for a week.

Unfortunately the piggies couldn't come so I had to find a boarder. I spent a long time looking for one, and visiting places. I found one quite close by. She kept the pigs outside in a converted shed but the weather in August was okay so they were okay.

She did think I was mad when I asked if they could have a rabbit pen inside of the regular guinea pig hutches. The hutches were the standard hutches, but the rabbit pens were huge. I would think they were about a 2x5 C&C size at least.

When we picked them up she did say that she would start offering those to guinea pig owners too, as my two loved tunneling around in the hay all day. Their personalities shone through whilst burrowing around. They both greeted her with loud wheeks whenever she went in. And she couldn't help but laugh at their little faces looking up at her.

I took this photo when I went to collect them:
"Go away please I'm having fun"

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We missed them terribly whilst we were away, and I'm sure the boarder was sick of our texts. We did a plate painting session on holiday, and of course we had to draw the pigs.

Here's our effort. I used to enjoy art at school and I was okay at it. But, wow, painting on a plate is hard!

I drew Anselmo, including his pea eye, and boyfriend drew Toki and his forever orange chin.
Melton Mowbray was where the piggies were.
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We've never managed to go on holiday again since then, so we love having this to remember it by.

Plus little did we know but the coming weeks after the holiday we were in for a lot of happiness and also a great sadness.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Oct 28, 2015 11:01 am


It is hard to leave your pets! I have a hard time even leaving my chicken! (and you can't bring it along to visit relatives and you can't provide a tiny cage for it in someone's house).

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LS in AK
Upside-down & Backwards

Post   » Tue Nov 03, 2015 8:01 pm


Aw, Arnold sounds like my little boy, who was inbred and had all kinds of problems but was the happiest pig I had. Was eating his hay and wheeking for treats right up until the end, too, determined to enjoy everything he had even though he was in so much pain that the heaviest narcotics were having no effect. It was so hard to pull the plug on him. He was still stuffing his mouth with hay even as the vet arrived to PTS. Little boy just didn't want to stop, but his body betrayed him.

Understand the difficulty with travelling, too. Was supposed to be overseas these past few weeks, on my first visit to the UK, and... nope. Poorly pig with puzzling problems a day before I was supposed to fly out, and that was that.

So glad you have given up Facebook in favor of your piggy chronicle! More story now, please. (Like!)

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Jaycey
Supporter in 2014

Post   » Wed Nov 04, 2015 4:16 pm


It's awful when it happens isn't it LS! But at least Arnold's last moments were happy, eating his lettuce leaves.

So, we were down to two pigs. Anselmo was a bit of a problem piggy too, although Arnold took that glory for a while. Anselmo is a bladder stone piggy. Since I moved it seemed to escalate and in June 2013 he had his first bladder stone surgery.

We had no idea what we were in for, and what his life expectancy was after this. So, we started talks about maybe adding a third pig into the mix again. You know, just in case something happens to Anselmo. Then Toki wouldn't be on his own.

It was a very hard decision to make.

Meanwhile, even though I only have a few photos of Anselmo and Toki together I do have this film. I'm sure most of you have seen it already, but here it is again.

My boyfriend is/was a bit warey on looking after the pigs on his own after Anselmo's issues, but there was a couple of times it was just him and the boys alone all weekend...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6InQP8B-l4&sns=em

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Nov 04, 2015 10:46 pm


Yes, a very entertaining film and worth rewatching!

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Jaycey
Supporter in 2014

Post   » Thu Nov 05, 2015 3:26 am


I forgot to mention that it contains swears! My boyfriend does swear but who wouldn't being attacked by pigs!! Also, the song has a swear or two in it.

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