Rest well, my little Sammy, until we are together again. Remember him with a smile today and always.
Sam and Dean
Today, December 21 marks 2 years since Sammy moved on to the rainbow bridge. I still find myself talking to him along with my other rainbow bridge angels when I'm doing things for the guinea pigs. He was truly amazing. I still struggle some with how things went with his bladder stone. That's something that will haunt me until the day I die. I wish I could turn back the clock on that and do it over. He should still be with us. I think I have as many pictures of him as I do Mr Bubbles. His colors were fascinating and his personality was as colorful as any pet I've ever had. As difficult as it is to put the regrets aside, I try remembering the great times we had together with his partner, Dean. I like to think that I'm honoring him by taking great care of Dean and making sure he has the best life possible.
Rest well, my little Sammy, until we are together again. Remember him with a smile today and always.
Rest well, my little Sammy, until we are together again. Remember him with a smile today and always.
Say happy birthday to Dean! It's his 6th birthday (approximate but we'll call it July 15th). He's doing pretty well. He's my top piggie and a great friend. Here he is enjoying a birthday treat and some lap time.
Here's Dean! He just loves going into the pen. He's the last one to get his bedding changed. That's by design because he gets to check out all of the scents from the rest of the herd. He's 6 years old, but he acts like a pup in there. He goes around sniffing and hopping. I try to go as slow as I can to give him plenty of time to check out the smells. I still get done before he's ready to go back to his cage. He stopped to pose when I put the phone next to him to get this picture. What a great guinea pig.
Quick update on Dean. He's definitely slowed down. He eats less of his vegetables; by about a third or so. He's not as active either. Clearly not sick, but at nearly 6 and a half years old, he's showing his age. He's not lethargic at all. He forages his hay for the small and tender pieces and he eats all of his pellets. At feeding time, he still hops to the front of his cage and nibbles on the wires. He eats all the the baby carrots I give him. He also enjoys being loved on. He purrs for me and he still enjoys the scent of the other guinea pigs when he goes into the pen while I change his bedding.
Over the last 3 months, he's slowly lost a little weight, going from 2.3 lbs down to 2.1 lbs. Not a drastic weight drop, but enough to take notice of and monitor. I've been giving him extra pellets since he loves them and eats all of what I give him. I'd really be worried if he wasn't eating his hay and drinking water. He still keeps himself clean too. I check on him multiple times daily and he doesn't seem to mind the extra attention. The other guinea pigs benefit from it because I never visit just one of them.
Over the last 3 months, he's slowly lost a little weight, going from 2.3 lbs down to 2.1 lbs. Not a drastic weight drop, but enough to take notice of and monitor. I've been giving him extra pellets since he loves them and eats all of what I give him. I'd really be worried if he wasn't eating his hay and drinking water. He still keeps himself clean too. I check on him multiple times daily and he doesn't seem to mind the extra attention. The other guinea pigs benefit from it because I never visit just one of them.
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Lynx
- Resist!!!
As guinea pigs age, they do indeed lose a bit of weight. Monitoring as you are doing is important.
He seems to be doing pretty well despite his age. Vicki of JPGPR (now closed) wrote this about "Old Timers":
https://jpgpr.guinealynx.info/jpgpr400.html
He seems to be doing pretty well despite his age. Vicki of JPGPR (now closed) wrote this about "Old Timers":
https://jpgpr.guinealynx.info/jpgpr400.html
I have a very tough decision to make about Dean. He stopped eating a couple of days ago and will no longer take any critical care. He's almost totally lethargic now and his eyes are starting to gunk over. One of them looks like it's starting to bulge a little bit. It's difficult to tell if he's in any pain but he's gotten so thin and weak. He is having a hard time even moving around. He's been such a great pet and he doesn't deserve to suffer, so I'm going to be taking him to the vet and sending him over the rainbow bridge to join his Sammy tomorrow.
As difficult a decision as this is, I believe it's the right one and what is best for him. Now comes the part where I have to make peace with it. Even with the experience I have gained from having to do this with BJ, Sammy and Zachary Binks (even though he actually didn't make it to his euthanasia appointment), it isn't any easier. There's always the wondering if he'll just snap out of this and return to his bubbly little self, but in my heart, I know he won't, especially at 6 years, 5 months and 1 day old. So unless there's an overnight miracle, Dean, my longest living and last of my original 4 piggies will be leaving us tomorrow. I'll post a tribute to his amazing life when it's done. I'll need a few days to process first.
As difficult a decision as this is, I believe it's the right one and what is best for him. Now comes the part where I have to make peace with it. Even with the experience I have gained from having to do this with BJ, Sammy and Zachary Binks (even though he actually didn't make it to his euthanasia appointment), it isn't any easier. There's always the wondering if he'll just snap out of this and return to his bubbly little self, but in my heart, I know he won't, especially at 6 years, 5 months and 1 day old. So unless there's an overnight miracle, Dean, my longest living and last of my original 4 piggies will be leaving us tomorrow. I'll post a tribute to his amazing life when it's done. I'll need a few days to process first.
SHOP AMAZON