Post by piggywiggymel on Jun 10, 2005 11:58:33 GMT 7
In Ever Loving Memory of my baby Cocoa
19th Dec 2003-10 June 2005
I never thought my turn to start a post here would come anytime soon, as all my piggies were still barely 2 years old. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to start 2 posts here less than 4 months apart. My baby Cocoa died today, put to sleep by the vet.
I noticed he'd seem lethargic and been eating less. Then he was whimpering in a corner to himself. I brought him over to Namly immediately, where Dr Ling could not find anything immediately wrong with him. She prescribed some anti inflammatory medicine, and for a day, he seemed to get better. Two and a half days later, his condition had worsened till he wasn't eating or drinking anything. Not veggies, not treats, not hay, not pellets. This was late Thursday night/early Friday morning. On Thursday morning, he was still able to eat, though slowly. I called the vet's emergency number, and she did return my call, but I was unfortunately away from the phone, tending to Cocoa downstairs, stroking him and trying to make him eat. He did chew some green veggie biscuits for a time, then gave up and refused to touch anything else, even when syringe feeding. My heart broke each time I saw him try to eat but give up in exhaustion and just lie there waiting to die. I stayed with him till 6am, then slept for 2 hours, and rushed him in time for the vet's opening at 9am Fri.
Dr Chan did an X ray on him, and the prognosis wasn't good. They detected a small bladder stone, and a mass of something in the middle which they couldn't determine. Dr Chan said she'd seen bladder stones way larger, and the piggies weren't this weak. Cocoa couldn't stand, just lay there. He shivered and trembled whenever I picked him up. It was probably the mass that caused his current condition. The mass could be an inflamed kidney, a result of the bladder stone, though there was no real way to determine this besides surgery. Other piggies with bladder stones weren't like this. The option would be to send him for surgery, where there was a chance he wouldn't pull through, be it from the anasthesia, or the rehab after. Besides, weak piggies like him would generally be given even less anasthesia than was the usual amount, which would mean more pain for him. Even Dr Chan said the chances of him pulling through were slim; healthier piggies than him had not made it before. He was so weak, it broke my heart. I know my piggie - he's not the sort with a strong fighting character and stamina; even when healthy, he was sedate and timid. I didn't want to put him through any more misery... even if he did wake up, there was also the rehab to think about, and piggies have died during rehab. I preferred to put him to sleep rather than have him suffer further.
My heart breaks whenever I think of my last moments just cuddling him in the consultation room. And my mind keeps flashing back to his body in the box. His body in the grave wrapped in the towel with his medicine, syringe and bedding that was in his box when I brought him to the vet. Why did this have to happen to such a young and innocent piggie? He never hurt anybody. He was the cutuest and the most obedient of my 4 pigs... He didn't even get to see his 1.5 birthday..
Rest in peace, darling Cocoa. I'll always love you, always... You'll forever be my baby....
Edit: Finally got baby pic of him from Cass, the girl I bought him from. Sad that he's the only piggy of mine whom I never took a pic of cos I had no digital camera then. Thought I would have plenty of time. I still miss you baby. Please be happy in heaven.. Hope I'll see you again, God willing..
19th Dec 2003-10 June 2005
I never thought my turn to start a post here would come anytime soon, as all my piggies were still barely 2 years old. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to start 2 posts here less than 4 months apart. My baby Cocoa died today, put to sleep by the vet.
I noticed he'd seem lethargic and been eating less. Then he was whimpering in a corner to himself. I brought him over to Namly immediately, where Dr Ling could not find anything immediately wrong with him. She prescribed some anti inflammatory medicine, and for a day, he seemed to get better. Two and a half days later, his condition had worsened till he wasn't eating or drinking anything. Not veggies, not treats, not hay, not pellets. This was late Thursday night/early Friday morning. On Thursday morning, he was still able to eat, though slowly. I called the vet's emergency number, and she did return my call, but I was unfortunately away from the phone, tending to Cocoa downstairs, stroking him and trying to make him eat. He did chew some green veggie biscuits for a time, then gave up and refused to touch anything else, even when syringe feeding. My heart broke each time I saw him try to eat but give up in exhaustion and just lie there waiting to die. I stayed with him till 6am, then slept for 2 hours, and rushed him in time for the vet's opening at 9am Fri.
Dr Chan did an X ray on him, and the prognosis wasn't good. They detected a small bladder stone, and a mass of something in the middle which they couldn't determine. Dr Chan said she'd seen bladder stones way larger, and the piggies weren't this weak. Cocoa couldn't stand, just lay there. He shivered and trembled whenever I picked him up. It was probably the mass that caused his current condition. The mass could be an inflamed kidney, a result of the bladder stone, though there was no real way to determine this besides surgery. Other piggies with bladder stones weren't like this. The option would be to send him for surgery, where there was a chance he wouldn't pull through, be it from the anasthesia, or the rehab after. Besides, weak piggies like him would generally be given even less anasthesia than was the usual amount, which would mean more pain for him. Even Dr Chan said the chances of him pulling through were slim; healthier piggies than him had not made it before. He was so weak, it broke my heart. I know my piggie - he's not the sort with a strong fighting character and stamina; even when healthy, he was sedate and timid. I didn't want to put him through any more misery... even if he did wake up, there was also the rehab to think about, and piggies have died during rehab. I preferred to put him to sleep rather than have him suffer further.
My heart breaks whenever I think of my last moments just cuddling him in the consultation room. And my mind keeps flashing back to his body in the box. His body in the grave wrapped in the towel with his medicine, syringe and bedding that was in his box when I brought him to the vet. Why did this have to happen to such a young and innocent piggie? He never hurt anybody. He was the cutuest and the most obedient of my 4 pigs... He didn't even get to see his 1.5 birthday..
Rest in peace, darling Cocoa. I'll always love you, always... You'll forever be my baby....
Edit: Finally got baby pic of him from Cass, the girl I bought him from. Sad that he's the only piggy of mine whom I never took a pic of cos I had no digital camera then. Thought I would have plenty of time.
I still miss you baby. Please be happy in heaven.. Hope I'll see you again, God willing..
