So-called pocket pets (rabbits, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs) are for the most part easy to maintain and inexpensive to acquire. Pocket pets have an abbreviated existence; one visit to the vet can easily exceed the cost of the animal, so many owners don't bother treating illnesses. If it dies, they'll just buy a new one. In our case sentimentality overwhelmed cold calculation.
After her second birthday Velvet began to experience painful urination. Unlike most other guinea pigs she had a genetic predisposition to form bladder and kidney stones. Over the next three years we visited the vet to treat her pain (Metacam), urinary-tract infections (Baytril), and lack of digestive motility (Metoclopramide). We put her on a low-calcium diet and even had surgery performed to remove bladder stones when her life was in jeopardy. We probably would not have gone through the trouble and expense if Velvet had not been so affectionate, stoic in taking her meds, and responded so well to treatment.
This month, however, she stopped eating and resisted attempts to force feed her a liquid diet of Critical Care®. We said our goodbyes to her on the morning of Christmas Eve. I like to think that was her Christmas gift---freeing us from our (willing) burden of tending to her. With so much human tragedy in the world, including the recent death of people in our own extended family, no one should mourn the passing of a little guinea pig. But we do.
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