Pohtaytur
Junior Guinea Pig
Henry (Henrietta) passed away Friday night. I had taken her in for emergency for bloating, and she was doing better after taking medication. Her condition got worse in the middle of the night and I couldn't call for emergency since they were all closed. I held her for around 3 and a half hours trying to comfort her and tell her I loved her. I don't know if I should have euthanized her but I tried to do what I could and wanted to hold on to the hope that she could still keep going. I still don't know if I made the right choice, and I can't get over the sensation of her near the end of her life in my arms. It was... terrible. I don't think I could ever wish that upon anyone.
Henry was a very sweet but sassy girl. She was very quiet and shy but would fight my boy for food, even winning tug of wars against him. She liked chewing on plastic bags and paper. If I caught her chewing on something she shouldn't, she wouldn't stop until I moved her out of the way even though she knew she was in trouble. Harold on the other hand would stop once I called his name. She was very smart, too. She learned tricks faster than Harold, and responded quickly to commands. She could spin, look down on command, get up on her back legs, put her head through my fingers, and tap my finger. I was teaching her to take a toy on command at the time. She didn't like being touched, but she was willing to in exchange for treats. Eventually every time I went to say hi to her she would tap my finger with her nose. She was really good at handling nail clipping. She wouldn't ever bite, but she has tried to squirm out on occasion. She never liked critical care. When I had to feed her some when she got diarrhea one time from a strawberry, she would fight me and refused to eat it. Her face ended up so wet and messy after that, but I think she ate it that way since she was clean within the hour. Strawberries were banned after that.
She was really good at escaping the cage. Sometimes when it was close to feeding time, I would see her outside of the cage, her face pressed up against the door, wanting to be let back in. When she wanted her meal, she would push her head against the door or somehow push her head the grid open and slip through. One time she got so excited when I was getting their food ready that she climbed over the wall twice (the grid was open at the time). She would put her whole upper body over the wall and slide on her tummy off the wall. She would never explore if she escaped though, she would just stick her face to the door, waiting to be let back in. She loved being in fabric hides. We have an orange tent hide that she loved sitting in. When it was time to go back in to the cage, she would sometimes be stubborn about it and would refuse to move. I would have to lift the whole hide into the cage with her in it. The first time it happened, she got startled, but she got used to it and would just sit there as she was being carried. She was
Henry had an ovarian cyst this winter, so she ended up with a naked butt. However, in the past month or so she started growing fur again and was more energetic. She was even willing to put up with a pet to the head and would sit with Harold, which she didn't do so before. She would always sit away from him or on the other side of the cage. If he got too close she would start whining. The vet said that she already knew she was going but I didn't know if that was the case since she started being like that once her fur started to grow back. I couldn't tell her that though because she was just talking quickly since the hospital was busy. Had other patients to get to. At the very least, she still had a bit of fur growing all over her back so she wouldn't have a naked butt when she crossed the bridge.
Henry was a picky girl. She didn't like cilantro, and hated the smell of orange peels, even though Harold loved it. She was picky about celery as well, but she got more used to it when we combined it with other food and she also grew to also like it. The one thing she liked eating but Harold disliked were flowers. She could eat them without Harold trying to steal them from her. She loved bell peppers and would put up getting touched by her ribs if she had an offering, though she would still snatch if from your hands if she saw an opportunity. If you had a bell pepper for her, you had to hold on to it tight. When it came to meal time, I would have to help stop Harold from stealing her food since he would eat faster than her, but on the occasions that she did eat faster than him, she would try to steal his food. Before, when I tried defending her food, she would get anxious with my hand nearby but over time she would eat without concern since she knew I wasn't there to touch her.
Whenever she walked, she would always be chutting. She never popcorned. You would never think it, but she was a wheeker. She would wheek whenever she wanted hay. It sounded like a fire alarm. She was sassy, very sweet, good girl. She knew what she wanted and never bit anyone even when she was uncomfortable. She was a wonderful first pet with Harold and I could never ask for a better old lady to baby. I hope that she crossed the rainbow bridge with minimal suffering and can enjoy all the plastic bags, cardboard and treats she wanted. Love you Henry, I hope to see you again.
Henry was a very sweet but sassy girl. She was very quiet and shy but would fight my boy for food, even winning tug of wars against him. She liked chewing on plastic bags and paper. If I caught her chewing on something she shouldn't, she wouldn't stop until I moved her out of the way even though she knew she was in trouble. Harold on the other hand would stop once I called his name. She was very smart, too. She learned tricks faster than Harold, and responded quickly to commands. She could spin, look down on command, get up on her back legs, put her head through my fingers, and tap my finger. I was teaching her to take a toy on command at the time. She didn't like being touched, but she was willing to in exchange for treats. Eventually every time I went to say hi to her she would tap my finger with her nose. She was really good at handling nail clipping. She wouldn't ever bite, but she has tried to squirm out on occasion. She never liked critical care. When I had to feed her some when she got diarrhea one time from a strawberry, she would fight me and refused to eat it. Her face ended up so wet and messy after that, but I think she ate it that way since she was clean within the hour. Strawberries were banned after that.
She was really good at escaping the cage. Sometimes when it was close to feeding time, I would see her outside of the cage, her face pressed up against the door, wanting to be let back in. When she wanted her meal, she would push her head against the door or somehow push her head the grid open and slip through. One time she got so excited when I was getting their food ready that she climbed over the wall twice (the grid was open at the time). She would put her whole upper body over the wall and slide on her tummy off the wall. She would never explore if she escaped though, she would just stick her face to the door, waiting to be let back in. She loved being in fabric hides. We have an orange tent hide that she loved sitting in. When it was time to go back in to the cage, she would sometimes be stubborn about it and would refuse to move. I would have to lift the whole hide into the cage with her in it. The first time it happened, she got startled, but she got used to it and would just sit there as she was being carried. She was
Henry had an ovarian cyst this winter, so she ended up with a naked butt. However, in the past month or so she started growing fur again and was more energetic. She was even willing to put up with a pet to the head and would sit with Harold, which she didn't do so before. She would always sit away from him or on the other side of the cage. If he got too close she would start whining. The vet said that she already knew she was going but I didn't know if that was the case since she started being like that once her fur started to grow back. I couldn't tell her that though because she was just talking quickly since the hospital was busy. Had other patients to get to. At the very least, she still had a bit of fur growing all over her back so she wouldn't have a naked butt when she crossed the bridge.
Henry was a picky girl. She didn't like cilantro, and hated the smell of orange peels, even though Harold loved it. She was picky about celery as well, but she got more used to it when we combined it with other food and she also grew to also like it. The one thing she liked eating but Harold disliked were flowers. She could eat them without Harold trying to steal them from her. She loved bell peppers and would put up getting touched by her ribs if she had an offering, though she would still snatch if from your hands if she saw an opportunity. If you had a bell pepper for her, you had to hold on to it tight. When it came to meal time, I would have to help stop Harold from stealing her food since he would eat faster than her, but on the occasions that she did eat faster than him, she would try to steal his food. Before, when I tried defending her food, she would get anxious with my hand nearby but over time she would eat without concern since she knew I wasn't there to touch her.
Whenever she walked, she would always be chutting. She never popcorned. You would never think it, but she was a wheeker. She would wheek whenever she wanted hay. It sounded like a fire alarm. She was sassy, very sweet, good girl. She knew what she wanted and never bit anyone even when she was uncomfortable. She was a wonderful first pet with Harold and I could never ask for a better old lady to baby. I hope that she crossed the rainbow bridge with minimal suffering and can enjoy all the plastic bags, cardboard and treats she wanted. Love you Henry, I hope to see you again.
. Popcorn high over the bridge gorgeous Henry.
