image by ibepatience, on Flickr
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
My adventures in fostering
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Ibepatience
- Supporter in '13
These three lil guys are at my house! For anyone keeping tract, that's 18 in my house right now! :-)
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
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Ibepatience
- Supporter in '13
Oh that little red one is just too sweet. He is younger than the other two and was probably way too young to be taken from his mom at the shelter. The black and whites are very skittish but Buck (that's what my husbands been calling him) is so young he doesn't seem to know any better than to let me snuggle with him.
Right?! It really was because of Stewart too. Stewart was born at our house because our first pig, a Petco purchase, came with two surprise stowaways. We didn't plan on keeping Stewart, just mama and her baby girl, but when I started trying to find a home for him on the other guinea pig forum I discovered pink eyed whites are hard to find homes for and ended up in rescues. I was offended!! My perfect little boy and people wouldn't want him?! Of course I kept him and the rest is history but it really is in his memory that I rescue and foster. I should make a sign for my foster room "Stewart's Place for Rescued Piggies"
Right?! It really was because of Stewart too. Stewart was born at our house because our first pig, a Petco purchase, came with two surprise stowaways. We didn't plan on keeping Stewart, just mama and her baby girl, but when I started trying to find a home for him on the other guinea pig forum I discovered pink eyed whites are hard to find homes for and ended up in rescues. I was offended!! My perfect little boy and people wouldn't want him?! Of course I kept him and the rest is history but it really is in his memory that I rescue and foster. I should make a sign for my foster room "Stewart's Place for Rescued Piggies"
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Ibepatience
- Supporter in '13
On December 8th the little white with black boy was adopted as a friend for someone's single boar. The black with white boy was paired up with a single foster boy and went to another fosters home. I kept the little red boy, we named him Leonard, and he was paired up with Skylar. Skylar is a super sweet, mellow boy and him and Lenny hit it off.
Here's Skylar and Lenny
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
Here's Skylar and Lenny
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
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Ibepatience
- Supporter in '13
Ginny's babies turned 1 week old December 9th!! We named the
little girl Peyton and the little boy Eli.
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
little girl Peyton and the little boy Eli.
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
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Ibepatience
- Supporter in '13
On December 12 I went to the Riverside shelter to check on three pigs that were there. One male had been there a few days and two girls were just brought in.
I met the rescue coordinator and she took me to the back to see the boy. He was being held in the back because he had "some hair loss and an old healing wound". Well he had more then some hair loss and the wound was from severe mites. He was a chipper little guy despite his awful appearance. I got to hold him twice and took a few pictures.
I called my rescue supervisor to give her the info but I already knew we couldn't pull him. We are so over capacity all of the fosters are double and tripled up, plus adding a sick pig would require an experienced foster with quarantine space. She said we had a few pending adoptions coming up that weekend and we should be able to pull him and the girls on Monday. I talked to the rescue coordinator about what treatment he needed and she spoke to her supervisor who said if I would give them a list of what meds he needed they would treat him until we could pull him. I checked back Friday (the next day) and she said she didn't see anything in his chart but that didn't mean he wasn't being treated yet. Sometimes they are slow to update. I told her if they couldn't get the ivermectin to let me know and I'd bring mine in Saturday.
Sunday we had 2 adoptions, 2 pairs of bonded boys went to their forever home so I was given the go ahead to pull the three first thing Monday morning. I shuffled Skyler and Lenny to the other foster who's piggies were adopted. Kenneth and Kramer went to the BEST forever home I could have asked for. Now I had room for the mite boy we named Rolo.
Today I went to the shelter to pull the three. I emailed the rescue coordinator to tell her I was coming in. I was so excited to get Rolo out of there! I had my quarantine cage set up, and my Vetercin and coconut oil ready. I had to pull the girls as a private adoption since the shelter releases them to the public first then rescues the day after. I finished my paperwork then went to see the rescue coordinator to pull the boy. She told me she had some bad news. The boy "took a turn for the worse over the weekend and had to be out down". I was shocked so I just said okay and walked back to the lobby to get the girls. My mind was racing thinking they must not have treated him, he wasn't that bad that the ivermectin wouldn't have saved him. I asked for a supervisor and waited for 20 minutes. Finally a woman came out and said she was so sorry, they mistakenly put him down. She said he was being treated with the ivermectin and was doing okay. They knew I was coming to get him this week, hopefully Monday but apparently the Saturday staff was not told. They "decided to make some room and clear some cages" and they euthanized him. I started crying. She apologized several times and said this would be investigated to the very top to find out how it happened.
Here is Rolo on December 12, 2 days before they euthanized him.
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
I met the rescue coordinator and she took me to the back to see the boy. He was being held in the back because he had "some hair loss and an old healing wound". Well he had more then some hair loss and the wound was from severe mites. He was a chipper little guy despite his awful appearance. I got to hold him twice and took a few pictures.
I called my rescue supervisor to give her the info but I already knew we couldn't pull him. We are so over capacity all of the fosters are double and tripled up, plus adding a sick pig would require an experienced foster with quarantine space. She said we had a few pending adoptions coming up that weekend and we should be able to pull him and the girls on Monday. I talked to the rescue coordinator about what treatment he needed and she spoke to her supervisor who said if I would give them a list of what meds he needed they would treat him until we could pull him. I checked back Friday (the next day) and she said she didn't see anything in his chart but that didn't mean he wasn't being treated yet. Sometimes they are slow to update. I told her if they couldn't get the ivermectin to let me know and I'd bring mine in Saturday.
Sunday we had 2 adoptions, 2 pairs of bonded boys went to their forever home so I was given the go ahead to pull the three first thing Monday morning. I shuffled Skyler and Lenny to the other foster who's piggies were adopted. Kenneth and Kramer went to the BEST forever home I could have asked for. Now I had room for the mite boy we named Rolo.
Today I went to the shelter to pull the three. I emailed the rescue coordinator to tell her I was coming in. I was so excited to get Rolo out of there! I had my quarantine cage set up, and my Vetercin and coconut oil ready. I had to pull the girls as a private adoption since the shelter releases them to the public first then rescues the day after. I finished my paperwork then went to see the rescue coordinator to pull the boy. She told me she had some bad news. The boy "took a turn for the worse over the weekend and had to be out down". I was shocked so I just said okay and walked back to the lobby to get the girls. My mind was racing thinking they must not have treated him, he wasn't that bad that the ivermectin wouldn't have saved him. I asked for a supervisor and waited for 20 minutes. Finally a woman came out and said she was so sorry, they mistakenly put him down. She said he was being treated with the ivermectin and was doing okay. They knew I was coming to get him this week, hopefully Monday but apparently the Saturday staff was not told. They "decided to make some room and clear some cages" and they euthanized him. I started crying. She apologized several times and said this would be investigated to the very top to find out how it happened.
Here is Rolo on December 12, 2 days before they euthanized him.
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
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Ibepatience
- Supporter in '13
I cried the whole way home. How could this happen? How could we keep it from happening again.
After my tear filled drive home I had to pull myself together, I had to set these new beautiful girls up with a place to stay.
I haven't decided on names yet. They are so calm, so trusting and so cute!! I'm in love with the chocolate one and my daughter is in love with the white fluff ball. They seem very healthy except some scratching so I gave them both an ivermectin treatment.
Within 15 minutes they were settled in and the chocolate one was popcorning.
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
Happy girls
http://youtu.be/FnBoUu3cf5Q
After my tear filled drive home I had to pull myself together, I had to set these new beautiful girls up with a place to stay.
I haven't decided on names yet. They are so calm, so trusting and so cute!! I'm in love with the chocolate one and my daughter is in love with the white fluff ball. They seem very healthy except some scratching so I gave them both an ivermectin treatment.
Within 15 minutes they were settled in and the chocolate one was popcorning.
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
Happy girls
http://youtu.be/FnBoUu3cf5Q
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Lovemypigs
- Supporter in '17
Oh Ibe.....that is so sad for both you and for Rolo. I don't understand how this can happen, especially with someone caring, like you making visits and being so involved. It should be a crime!
On the bright side, atleast you saved the two girls. I have a boy(Hershey) who looks exactly like the brown girl.
Thank you for being so loving to all the fur piggies you come across!!!
On the bright side, atleast you saved the two girls. I have a boy(Hershey) who looks exactly like the brown girl.
Thank you for being so loving to all the fur piggies you come across!!!
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Ibepatience
- Supporter in '13
Spartacus stands!! He's getting stronger and stronger and now he can stand up to see the girls!!
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
Here's a quick video of him in action
http://youtu.be/bxNacMs-7zo
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
Here's a quick video of him in action
http://youtu.be/bxNacMs-7zo
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Ibepatience
- Supporter in '13
Here are our goodbye photos of Kramer. He was the hardest to let go. It really helped that he, and Jennerh, went to such an awesome family.
Here's me right before he left with his new family
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
Here's my daughters collage of Kramer. She loved him so much. She called him her best friend.
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
Here's me right before he left with his new family
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
Here's my daughters collage of Kramer. She loved him so much. She called him her best friend.
image by ibepatience, on Flickr
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SkittleandTwix
- Supporter in '11
I'm enjoying reading about your adventures. So sad about Rolo though!
How do you use the coconut oil?
How do you use the coconut oil?
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Ibepatience
- Supporter in '13
I was told the coconut oil would soothe his dry itchy skin. I haven't personally cared for a pig with such severe mites but I was told ivermectin, Vetricin for his wounds and coconut oil for they bald spots.
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SkittleandTwix
- Supporter in '11
Thanks. I'm fighting lice and perhaps mites on my fosters. The ivermectin is helping, but they are still scratching. They have no wounds, but have tiny bald spots. I'll try some coconut oil on those spots.
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Ibepatience
- Supporter in '13
I heard from someone (can't remember who) that the scratching is as much caused by the dry skin as the mites themselves. The ivermectin kills the mites pretty quick but the after affects are still there.
I'm not real familiar with mites though so don't quote me :-)
I'm not real familiar with mites though so don't quote me :-)
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snowflakey
- E's Moriarity
My memory is that when the mites die, they cause a reaction with more itching! But it has been a while for me as well! What I do remember is that it took several treatments to really get rid of the mites. Eggs hatch, etc, and you need to do the full treatment over time to beat them back.
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Ibepatience
- Supporter in '13
Yes, I was told 2-3 treatments a week apart to kill the mites that just hatched. I think the ivermectin doesn't kill eggs so you have to treat a few times to get everything.