Today was one of the days we pet owners dread the most: when we see a pet's health deteriorate and we know we have to have to euthanize our critter.
In our case, the critter was Gracie, a guinea pig we loved more than we ever thought possible.
We acquired her from one of The Wiffee's co-workers in 2008. Gracie had already been well-socialized and was used to being handled and petted. We both enjoyed holding her, but it soon became obvious that I was Gracie's favorite human. She gave me "puppy-dog eyes" (even though she's a guinea piggy) when I petted her, and she trained me to pet her in all the right places. She also "kissed" me by licking and nibbling on my lips, and she often would hold perfectly still so I could do the same to her. She never did this with The Wiffee OR with the previous owner, and, needless to say, this endeared her to me tremendously.
Every so often, Gracie would have days when she wouldn't eat or drink anything for a day, then the next day she'd be perfectly fine. But last Thursday (9 Dec), she stopped eating and drinking, and she never really restarted. We took her to a vet on Saturday for some answers, and we got a few more answers today. Bladder stones, often a genetic predisposition in guinea piggies, were filling the space in her bladder. Cystic kidneys, which were undoubtedly shutting down and causing even more problems. And she was developing labored breathing. Plus, she was slowly starving and possibly dying of thirst as well (she was bloated, so I'm not sure if she was dehydrated and bloated at the same time). Her kidneys were enlarged and didn't feel right to the vet.
So, as hard as the decision was to make, we decided to have her euthanized today. We probably shouldn't even have waited this long, but we still had hopes she might rebound, and it's so hard to let go of critters we love so much.
Now, many tears later, we have to undo all of the habits and things we did for Gracie, and it'll be hard -- she became so ingrained in our daily lives. I had never been so attached to a pet before -- and as you might expect, I'm having a really hard time dealing with this right now.
Major surgery for me at Thanksgiving. Losing our beloved guinea piggy just before Christmas. I can't predict how I'll feel in a few days or weeks, but for now I'll just say: I'm just not in the mood for a holiday.
We love you, Gracie, and we believe you loved us, too. RIP, you cute, lovable piggy, you. =(
4 comments:
I'm so sorry for you. It is hard when we bond with our pets, when they become family, when we love them so deeply... when they are gone.
Hugs
Thanks, Amy. Strange -- I've lost pets and family (people) members before, but this time it seems especially hard. I guess it'll just take time. =|
I'm really sorry to hear about Gracie. Our pets bring us so much joy, but letting them go is so hard. You made the unselfish decision. You gave her a wonderful home. When the time is right and the pain has eased maybe you and Wiffee can become parents to another lucky critter.
Thanx, Cactuscat. I hope there's a guinea piggy heaven where she's romping around in the grass and flowers, no predators and no health issues. We can hope.
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