Rex's Story
In 2004, I bought two guinea pigs. I couldn't have a cat where I lived and I was desperate for a pet. I had guinea pigs growing up and was suckered into the cuteness of these two little guys. I bought them from a pretty horrible pet store, to save them, but now I know better. I won't even go into a store like that again. As my two little boys grew, their personalities developed. Panda was a big smooch, fat and friendly. Rex was always super quiet and a rarity in that he preferred to be alone.
We started off with a small pet store cage and the boys kept growing.
Then we made our very own C&C cage.
And added a second story.
But Rex and Panda just couldn't get along. After a few very scary fights for us humans, and some wounded guinea pigs, we split them apart. After we moved, we made a second C&C cage and put them side by side. Panda fretted so, he couldn't chew through the bars to get to Rex. Rex continued to ignore him. Eventually, we built a cage shelf so that one guinea pig would be knee high and the other chest high. I'll have to look for a photo to share. Unfortunately, in our grieving process of losing Panda, we took apart the wooden shelf almost immediately. After losing Panda, we took a step back from being close to Rex. We already have 3 other pets that demand attention (some more needy than others) and we weren't as close to Rex as we were Panda.
This past Sunday, I started cleaning Rex's cage. The first step is too get him out of the cage. I picked him up (he doesn't care to be held) and immediately knew something was wrong. Almost one year ago, we first noticed that Rex had a lump under a teat. We decided then that surgery on a 5 year old guinea pig would be too risky, too costly. But by last Sunday, his tumor had grown from the size of a pea to nearly gold ball sized. I don't know how we didn't know. He held himself so that the only clue was a little fur sticking out to the side of his belly. I sent an email to our vet and began preparing myself for the worst.
We went to the vet as soon as they opened Monday morning. I don't know what we were expecting but the shock of being given the ultimatum of putting him to sleep caught me off guard. Andrew and I discussed the possibility, but going to the vet's and actually letting him go was different. Rex was not in any pain. Anyone could touch the tumor and he barely squirmed. You can tell when a guinea pig is in pain - they squeal loud enough to break eardrums. And then the vet offered us something we weren't considering. "If you pay for the anesthesia, I'll cover the surgery." How could we resist being given a chance to save his life? "I don't know if we have enough skin to stitch him back up." "If he dies under anesthesia, we still gave it a shot." Taking him home was never an option. Once the tumor ruptured, he would have died a very painful and horrible death. So we decided to go with the surgery.
We went back home and spent a few hours in frantic states where I began purging items on freecycle. We had to wait hours to find out what was going on with Rex. And when we did call, the news wasn't great. It was really bad either, but still. Rex survived! It was a tough surgery, but he was still with us albeit still completely oblivious. We visited him that night. They had wrapped him up in a fleece blanket and put him in the cuddle cup. They even gave him a hot water bottle to keep him warm. We brought enough food and water supplies to keep him comfortable over night. We left after a few minutes, once he acknowledged us by purring just a little bit.
And then the next night, we went to pick him up. We were to bring him back the following morning, but the difference of his behavior back in his usual surroundings was astonishing. He immediately began to eat! He ate lettuce, hay, spinach, celery, red pepper, and his pellets. We still supplemented with some crushed up pellets, but he was eating on his own! And he still was eating the next morning, and even today, he's eating well.
We are delighted to have him back with us, even if we know that his time is very short. He's nearing 6 years old which is pretty much average for how long guinea pigs live. And his tumor is very atypical for a guinea pig. It is cancerous and it has most likely spread throughout his body. There's no way of knowing for sure, but we know that we will continue to help him eat, to gain strength. And we know that there will be no next time for us. If it spreads, or if he is in pain...we will let him go. So, his story hasn't ended yet, but it is wrapping up into a bittersweet ending.
We started off with a small pet store cage and the boys kept growing.
Then we made our very own C&C cage.
And added a second story.
But Rex and Panda just couldn't get along. After a few very scary fights for us humans, and some wounded guinea pigs, we split them apart. After we moved, we made a second C&C cage and put them side by side. Panda fretted so, he couldn't chew through the bars to get to Rex. Rex continued to ignore him. Eventually, we built a cage shelf so that one guinea pig would be knee high and the other chest high. I'll have to look for a photo to share. Unfortunately, in our grieving process of losing Panda, we took apart the wooden shelf almost immediately. After losing Panda, we took a step back from being close to Rex. We already have 3 other pets that demand attention (some more needy than others) and we weren't as close to Rex as we were Panda.
This past Sunday, I started cleaning Rex's cage. The first step is too get him out of the cage. I picked him up (he doesn't care to be held) and immediately knew something was wrong. Almost one year ago, we first noticed that Rex had a lump under a teat. We decided then that surgery on a 5 year old guinea pig would be too risky, too costly. But by last Sunday, his tumor had grown from the size of a pea to nearly gold ball sized. I don't know how we didn't know. He held himself so that the only clue was a little fur sticking out to the side of his belly. I sent an email to our vet and began preparing myself for the worst.
We went to the vet as soon as they opened Monday morning. I don't know what we were expecting but the shock of being given the ultimatum of putting him to sleep caught me off guard. Andrew and I discussed the possibility, but going to the vet's and actually letting him go was different. Rex was not in any pain. Anyone could touch the tumor and he barely squirmed. You can tell when a guinea pig is in pain - they squeal loud enough to break eardrums. And then the vet offered us something we weren't considering. "If you pay for the anesthesia, I'll cover the surgery." How could we resist being given a chance to save his life? "I don't know if we have enough skin to stitch him back up." "If he dies under anesthesia, we still gave it a shot." Taking him home was never an option. Once the tumor ruptured, he would have died a very painful and horrible death. So we decided to go with the surgery.
We went back home and spent a few hours in frantic states where I began purging items on freecycle. We had to wait hours to find out what was going on with Rex. And when we did call, the news wasn't great. It was really bad either, but still. Rex survived! It was a tough surgery, but he was still with us albeit still completely oblivious. We visited him that night. They had wrapped him up in a fleece blanket and put him in the cuddle cup. They even gave him a hot water bottle to keep him warm. We brought enough food and water supplies to keep him comfortable over night. We left after a few minutes, once he acknowledged us by purring just a little bit.
And then the next night, we went to pick him up. We were to bring him back the following morning, but the difference of his behavior back in his usual surroundings was astonishing. He immediately began to eat! He ate lettuce, hay, spinach, celery, red pepper, and his pellets. We still supplemented with some crushed up pellets, but he was eating on his own! And he still was eating the next morning, and even today, he's eating well.
We are delighted to have him back with us, even if we know that his time is very short. He's nearing 6 years old which is pretty much average for how long guinea pigs live. And his tumor is very atypical for a guinea pig. It is cancerous and it has most likely spread throughout his body. There's no way of knowing for sure, but we know that we will continue to help him eat, to gain strength. And we know that there will be no next time for us. If it spreads, or if he is in pain...we will let him go. So, his story hasn't ended yet, but it is wrapping up into a bittersweet ending.