Tag: Guinea Pig

  • Great Hay Field in the Sky

    barely a week ago, Nugget scared me. i ended the post saying that sooner rather than later, her time would be here. that time was tonight. after returning from festivities downtown, i prepared the veggie platter for the pigs. opening the bottom cage, i immediately noticed nugget laying on her side by the hay box.…

  • Dammit Nugget…

    Got home from riding and proceeded to get a bag of lettuce from the fridge. The rustling of a plastic bag sets the gpiggies into a minor frenzy. Zesty, Biscuit, Waffle and Tater were all on the upper floor, eager for lettuce. I looked on the lower floor and saw nugget sleeping under the ramp.…

  • Diagnosing Figlet – An Overview of Hyperthyroidism in Guinea Pigs

    Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, and I have not studied veterinary medicine. This article is based on my observations, interaction with doctors, and own conclusions. Do not take any portion of this article as medical advice for your guinea pig. This was originally published on attrition.org. I have received a dozen mails over the…

  • Boxes on the Porch

    On Thursday, I lost Figlet. After six months of diagnosis with two doctors, we finally determined she had Hyperthyroidism, which is extremely rare in piggies. The doctor I was taking her to was an exotic specialist who had specifically done research on Hyperthyroidism in guinea pigs. In all of his time, he had six confirmed…

  • A Bad Month for Critters…

    I lost Pringle mid-April, and lost Juineapig mid-May. This month, Nugget had a growth on her flank that required removal. After diagnosis, a second trip for surgery (under anesthesia so risky), and what will be a third trip to remove sutures is required. It is benign and mostly proactive care, but a Trichofolliculoma can cause…

  • Juineapig

    The last 48 hours have been rough, ending in a forced decision to let Juineapig pass. She was put to sleep today by our pigdoc due to a long list of health complications. The Denver Dumb Friend’s League had ruled her unadoptable hours before we got there, but agreed to let us take her given…

  • Pringle

    Some time between afternoon lettuce and evening lettuce, Pringle passed away. She was resting comfortably, head on a small pillow; she clearly did not suffer. While I had an eerie feeling the last few weeks that something was up, our pigdoc said she seemed fine and that her minor weight loss was not significant. There…

  • Is that the best you can do?

    Invariably, when I mention my Guinea Pigs to people, one of the most common and consistent reactions is to tell me that people eat them in South America. ZOMG REALLY? THANKS INFO. Oh wait, that isn’t the response they wanted. ZOMG REALLY?! POOR PIGS IM SO SHOCKED AND DISGUSTED! There, does that work for you?…

  • Reflection on Rescue

    i own guinea pigs. seven of them now, mostly rescues. they come from all types of places, but mostly from places where they were in bad shape or had no future. a year ago i barely knew anything about them but Kay got me into them. before long i had one. two. three. four. five.…

  • Snickers and Happy Land

    Earlier today, Snickers moved on to the happy land of the eternal guinea pig. Due to complications from her ovarian cysts/tumors, she stopped eating shortly after I left for Sacramento. Kay took her to the vet for x-rays and it was immediately clear that her internal system was a mess and it was a matter…