A bit of a rant...

[Gemm24]

Hi everyone

This forum is great because it makes me feel part of a community and not alone or crazy because I love my pigs so much. Unfortunately I haven’t had much luck this year and have been back and fourth to the vet lots. I have lost one, another had a lump removed, one had an inner ear infection and another has incurable macrodontia and oesteomylitis. So not been the best but me and my little family keep battling on.
BUT
I absolutely hate it when people question me about how much I am spending at the vets because “it’s only a guine pig”. My boyfriend tells me I’m spending too much money and “it’s lucky you can afford it”, my mum says you could have spent that on a holiday away, my friends question why I even take them to the vet. I get so angry and annoyed! I just want to shout “it has nothing to do with you! Go away!”. But then I come here and feel like I am not alone.

I was talking to my boyfriends aunt and she asked me about guinea pigs, I said I’m always at the vet with them and she said she used to have guinea pigs and never needed to take them to the vet. She then asked they don’t live long do they? I said they live for about 5 to 6 years and she said no they don’t, they only live for about two years!

This is kind of a rant but also I want to say how much i appreciate this forum. Thanks guys. Me and my pigs sending you each a big hug

 

[Swissgreys]

for you.
It is hard when people don't understand, but then go on about what they choose to spend their money on.
No one would consider telling them that their holiday/new car/smoking habit was a waste of money.

Over the years I have actually leant to feel sorry for people who don't get it - they miss out on so much.

 

[Eriathwen]

Its certainly frustrating, I'm very lucky that I dont run into that sort of comment often..most people learned better the first time not to question what I do

I am very strongly of the opinion that all guinea pigs are much better people than most of the human ones. Far nicer to hold a conversation with anyway! The present company found on the forum excluded of course, wonderful bunch

What's that saying? Those who mind, don't matter. And those who matter, don't mind. I keep thinking that when someone's being exhausting.

 

[DMS260820]

I hate it too, when people think I'm mad for spending loads on vet bills for small animals, I'm about to spend £150 to try and save my gerbil from a scent gland tumour in march. I take on these animals, so it my responsibility to help them if I can.

My reply normally, is how would you like it if you're parents didn't take you to the doctors when you were a child? what makes people better than any animal?

 

[Guineapigfeet]

I had that the other day. Someone I wasn’t talking to over heard that my guineapig was having surgery and laughed, she said very little but the meaning was ‘why are you doing surgery/spending that much money on a guinea pig’ Because she’s my responsibility and I love her. Just because she’s small, that doesn’t make her unimportant or less worthy of my resources.

Also saw a lady ‘jokingly’ complaining about the money she was spending at the vets today. On her (rather overweight) dog. It makes me really angry. I just spent nearly £130 on B and it was worth every single penny. Every time.

 

[piggieminder]

I've had the 'it's only a guinea pig' speal several times this year. We've had more trips to the vet this year than days out. I could have had a top notch cruise last year or the new roof the house needs, this years bills would have paid for a very nice holiday for two. One person told my OH if it was his he would have just of banged it over the head. I'd like to bang him over the head, good job I wasn't there. This man plays a very expensive sport!

My replies go along the lines of I don't smoke, drink, eat out, play golf or any other sport, have expensive gym membership, the list goes on and can be quoted to fit anyone who makes these kinds of comments. People pay vast sums of money at the vets for cats and dogs what make piggies different? My piggies and my garden are my life now I'm retired, I don't like going on holiday or socialising anymore and it's my money I can spend it on what I want and you can get very nice orange buckets in B&Q for £1 to put under the holes in the roof.

 

[Claire W]

Hugs right back at you. If your boyfriends aunts guinea pigs only lived until ages two, that’s probably because she didn’t take them to the vet!

I dread to think how much I’ve spent at the vets but as me and my husband can’t have kids, my animals are my children and you wouldn’t not take a child to the doctors if they were poorly

It makes me so mad too when people question the amount of money that I spend but they’re my babies and when I adopted them, I made a commitment to myself and to the rescue

 

[Flutterby]

I used to get this a lot, but I don't explain myself. I simply tell them if they can sit there, knowing their pet is poorly and in pain, and ignore it, then they are not nice people.

 

[Bill & Ted]

It’s a common one we have all experienced, if I hear one more time “it’s only a guinea pig” I will explode! Take all the comments with a pinch of salt!

 

[DMS260820]

I've had the 'it's only a guinea pig' speal several times this year. We've had more trips to the vet this year than days out. I could have had a top notch cruise last year or the new roof the house needs, this years bills would have paid for a very nice holiday for two. One person told my OH if it was his he would have just of banged it over the head. I'd like to bang him over the head, good job I wasn't there. This man plays a very expensive sport!

My replies go along the lines of I don't smoke, drink, eat out, play golf or any other sport, have expensive gym membership, the list goes on and can be quoted to fit anyone who makes these kinds of comments. People pay vast sums of money at the vets for cats and dogs what make piggies different? My piggies and my garden are my life now I'm retired, I don't like going on holiday or socialising anymore and it's my money I can spend it on what I want and you can get very nice orange buckets in B&Q for £1 to put under the holes in the roof.

The thing is though really, is they wouldn't have the bottle to bang any small animal over the head, which reminds me, when I see a rabbit suffering hugely from mixomotosis in a truck yard last year, not one manly man's man mechanic had the minerals to put it out of its misery, I was the one who went over with the spade, ready to chop its neck, and I'm the one who takes all of my small animals to the vets if needed.

 

[DMS260820]

Hugs right back at you. If your boyfriends aunts guinea pigs only lived until ages two, that’s probably because she didn’t take them to the vet!

I dread to think how much I’ve spent at the vets but as me and my husband can’t have kids, my animals are my children and you wouldn’t not take a child to the doctors if they were poorly

It makes me so mad too when people question the amount of money that I spend but they’re my babies and when I adopted them, I made a commitment to myself and to the rescue

I always hear people say, oh I had guinea pigs, but gave up having them because they died so fast, yea feed hay moron. Not cheese