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| Oreo crossed The Rainbow Bridge at 12:30 AM on July 9th 2016 |
She was 8 years old (144 human years) when she died. A couple of months prior to her death, we found an abscess on her body and took her to see Dr. J, a darling lady vet . Oreo adored her.
Dr. J drained Oreo's abscess. I remember a lot of shrieking, squeezing, flushing and ... cottage cheese. Yep, the foul smelling pus looked like runny cottage cheese! I didn't know a guinea pig could shriek so loudly!
After cleaning the wound, Dr. J sent us on our way. We were overjoyed that we weren't going home empty-handed.
Oreo's wound healed completely and for the next few months she was eating well and back to her old happy self.
Late one night, I noticed she was unusually quiet and listless. Her fur was all puffed up and her breathing seemed laboured. I searched the guinea pig forums on the net and learned that a puffed up coat was usually symptomatic of a cavy in pain.
It was close to midnight and everyone else was asleep. As I was about to go to my son's room to awaken him so he could drive us to the vet, I heard Oreo suddenly dashing round and round her pigloo in a frenzy. My first thought was that she must be getting better or else she wouldn't be darting maniacally in circles like that.
When I went to check on her, she was lying very still on her side, gasping for air. I assumed that she was merely exhausted after all that crazy running. I stroked her gently and thought that a session of cuddling and petting would probably fix her. Just as I was lifting her out of her cage, her head flopped to the side, her breathing stopped and her body went limp. I stared at her lifeless body in disbelief! Her death was too sudden. There wasn't even time to realize what was happening. A minute ago, she was so lively and now she was gone in the blink of an eye. I didn't even have the chance to cuddle her or say goodbye. I just couldn't bring myself to put her down in her cage and I held her in my arms and petted her until her body grew cold.
Looking back, I believe there was a reason for her strange behavior before she collapsed. Despite her pain and difficulty breathing, she had managed to summon up whatever strength she had left in her frail body for that final surge of energy that enabled her to bolt like that. She was trying to get my attention so I would go to her. She had known that her time was up and she wanted to say goodbye to me before she crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
Goodbye, my little buddy. *Popcorn in that grand meadow across the sky. Know that you are forever loved and cherished.
Missing you, my little piggy.
*Popcorning is a name for those crazy leaps a guinea pig does in the air when it is happy
Oh, Veronica...that is such a sad story! I know how much you loved your little Oreo...and that will take a long, long time to heal. She was your little buddy and there is no heartache as great as losing her.
ReplyDeleteMaybe someday...when things are a little less hectic for you...you can adopt another animal friend. Not to "replace" Oreo, but to share the love that you have for another animal that needs a home. I find that adopting another animal helps me to remember all of the good times with my animals and not remembering the day and the way that they died. And it helps to cry for your little friend while snuggling another little ball of fur.
I still grieve for my Grace...every. Single. Day. I understand your loss completely. Sending you love and hugs, dear friend.
Oh, sweet Oreo. RIP sweet girl. I'm so sorry, Veronica. Losing a pet is so hard.
ReplyDeleteAw, I'm so sorry for your loss but what an adorable guinea pig!
ReplyDeleteAww! RIP Oreo very sad :-(
ReplyDeleteI'm so very sorry for the loss of Oreo. I do have lost pets and it hurts.
ReplyDeleteTeresa from Nanahood
My condolences, Veronica..Oreo was your special buddy and she had been with you for quite some times. I know she rested in peace or popcorn happily up there.
ReplyDeleteThat's so sad! 8 years is a long time to have a pet. That's all of Isaak's life + one more year. I can see why it's hard to blog about the death. I actually am the opposite. I feel so much pain until I write to get my feelings down. I'm not saying the writing takes away the pain. It just vents it. I'm sorry for your loss.
ReplyDeleteAh that's so sad. I still miss our departed furry friends - the gerbils, the cats (not at the same time!) - as they all had their own personalities and were so different. Sorry for your loss and thank you for sharing Oreo with us.
ReplyDeleteVeronica,
ReplyDeleteI'm truly sorry for your loss. Family pets are loved so much! My best childhood girlfriend had a guinea pig. I was surprised how large it got because I always thought they stayed small kinda of like a mouse. Thanks for sharing your story.
It sounds like Oreo was very special.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry for your loss! It is always so hard to lose a special friend!
ReplyDeleteI am so very sorry for your loss. What a cutie Oreo was. This reminded me of when we lost our hamster. I think I was more devastated than the children. Thanks for sharing your story, and thanks for stopping by Tots and Me.
ReplyDeleteThat has brought a tear to my eye, so sorry that you lost such a dear friend. Guinea pigs were my favourite pet when I was little and I still remember the three we had fondly. #FabFridayPost
ReplyDeleteOh so sad. I know the pain you're talking about. We lost our beloved Little Bit 2+ years ago. We held her while she took her last breath. I'm glad you were there for Oreo.
ReplyDeleteHave a blessed day. ♥
Hello from London Veronica
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to read about your loss. Sending you lots of virtual hugs
So sorry for your loss... It is always so sad when a family loses a beloved pet who has become part of that family....
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by!
Hugs,
Debbie
144 human years, now that's impressive. It must have been extremely sad for you. I hope that time is healing. Thanks for sharing and for linking up with us. #FabFridayPost
ReplyDeleteLove from Sarah (TheRealLaraShoe)
Veronica, what a lovely tribute to your sweet little Oreo! So sorry for your loss. It's really hard, I know.
ReplyDeleteOh how awful. Losing a cherished pet is so, so hard. But like you say, she'll be 'popcorning' over the rainbow bridge. I love the picture of her by the way and her name too. #kcacols
ReplyDeleteAwww this made me sad! I love guinea pigs. I had them as a child and they were the first pet that my husband and I had. Harry and Theo but Theo was a bit of a bully so we gave him to a friend and kept Harry. He used to run around our flat looking like he was on a MI5 mission and always new the sound of the fridge opening to which he would respond with a loud shriek, hoping for food. Unfortunately he got a tummy problem, stopped eating and had to be put to sleep. it was the first time I had to make that decision, despite growing up with pets, and it was the first time i saw my hubby cry.
ReplyDeleteGuinea Pigs have such a wonderful personality and are lovely pets. Oreo sounds like he was a lovely little thing. RIP Oreo #KCACOLS
My cat Micky died five years ago and I still cry over him sometimes. #kcacols
ReplyDeleteWowsers that sounds like a good long life! It's awful when you lose a pet, been there, done it & got the T-shirt #KCACOLS
ReplyDeleteSorry about Oreo. Oreo looks amazingly cute in that sombrero!
ReplyDeleteOh what a Lovely Tribute to Oreo and what an Adorable picture of her! That story made me choke up too, I'm glad that she got your attention in a way that made it so she wasn't Alone and could feel Loving Presence. I did that with Hammy the Hamster Yesterday, I knew it was his time and that he'd fought so hard for too long really to stick around longer than he should have. Oreo lived a very long time for a Guinea Pig, Hammy was about Average Age for the Hamster, slightly Older than his Brother had been when he passed... so they both lived to ripe Old Hamster Ages and I like to think it was due to being Loved and very spoiled by us. Thank you for Sharing your Tribute to a Fur Baby and for coming by the Blog to let me know about this Archived Post. They remain Forever in our Memories.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the story of Oreo, dear Veonica! I like the idea that Oreo and Niki are popcorning together in guinea pig paradise. Maybe they even became good friends? <3 <3 <3
ReplyDeleteHugs, Traude