Tofu and Patches!

[JaseChase]

Patches is officially submitting his complaint to the GPU - he demands he should have been able to eat the lettuce even though I explained it was in a sandwich with butter and cheese and other things he shouldn’t have. He doesn’t think this is good enough

I would like to point out that the situation has now been rectified so maybe Miss Bramble will spare me her wrath

 

[Betsy]

would like to point out that the situation has now been rectified so maybe Miss Bramble will spare me her wrath

In your dreams!

 

[Betsy]

Dear Patches and Tofu

I hear that your Slave has been eating lettuce and not offered you any. How very dare your Slave have the audacity to do this!

The thought that offering you lettuce after the event makes it OK. Let me tell you now

IT DOES NOT!

I find it hard to believe that your Slave actually thought that this was acceptable behaviour!

You need to let your Slave know that this sort of behaviour won't be tolerated.

• Wheek very loudly at every single opportunity especially when your Slave is on the phone or is watching the TV.
• Take up bar biting (but not so hard it breaks your teeth) and ignore your Slave when you are told to "shut up" or "Stop biting the bars" Slaves don't mean it as they think the noise it makes is very therapeutic.
• Stand on your hind legs at the bars and look starved - you will be as you won't have been fed in eleventy billion years.
• Try to ignore any veggies that land in your cage (hard I know but needs must) and just stare at your Slave. This will make your Slave so worried that they will give you more.
• Zoom around your cage and throw in the odd popcorn or two - your Slave will think this is so cute that you will receive extra food.

I hope that by following the advice above that the incident does not happen again.


Your friend in a crisis

Miss Bramble
Shop Steward

 

[JaseChase]

Patches has been taking all the points Miss Bramble made in his stride - he started biting the bars this morning Noodle was the bar biter and Tofu never picked up the habit, so Patches is taking up the reins for him instead

He would also like me to pass along his gratitude to Miss Bramble for treating his complaint with the seriousness it deserves, and he’s working on getting Tofu on board by instigating several rounds of zoomies at breakfast (and getting a nice handful of pellets in return)

His next campaign will be about getting the Timothy hay to come back - apparently he disagrees that they ate it too fast and thinks I should have a new bag available so they don’t have to make do with meadow hay until the next delivery

 

[Betsy]

Miss Bramble is delighted that her advice works.

 

[JaseChase]

The boys had an adventure today - took a tram and a bus to Tofu’s first vet appointment of the week! They coped very well considering and we haven’t had any bond issues after them being in the carrier together (there was a bit of a scuffle noise at one point but I checked them both and no wounds or visible tension between them, so I think they were just climbing over each other )

Tofu is in good health which is nice the mass on his eye hasn’t grown so we’re just keeping it monitored for now

Patches was a bit spooked by the vet but pea flakes cheered him up and as soon as he was back home he was running through hay piles and snuggling up to Tofu as normal, which I’m very pleased with

Vet trip number two is on Thursday but just to our usual local vets, so much less of a journey!

They got another hay cookie for being such good boys

 

[Merab]

Glad today went well.
Hope things also go well on Thursday

 

[JaseChase]

Had the boys out for some lap time

Patches loooooves a snug tunnel!

 

[JaseChase]

We survived the second vet trip of the week!

Treated the boys to a taxi there so it would be less stressful, though they were very good on the bus back home tucked under a blanket in their carrier. No scuffles or disagreements today and they have snuggled up together now we’re back home

The vet was very pleased Tofu has a new friend so fast (thank you again to Merrypigs for that!) but thinks the general stress of the last month has taken a bit of a toll on him. There’s no blockage which is good news but he is a bit bunged up so she’s given me some meds for him for the next few days to hopefully get things moving - she said he was full of poops

Tofu gets to have more syringes! He’ll be thrilled I’m sure!

Patches did very well and said hello to our regular vet, they were both rewarded with pea flakes and are now fast asleep back home

Can you tell which one of them ran beneath my hand when I was putting fresh hay in for them

 

[Roselina]

Ah that’s great news
I love how Tofu is sprinkled with hay bits it must have been Tofu
Get pooping lovely Tofu

 

[Merab]

Good to hear the positive news

 

[JaseChase]

This morning was weigh day (would have been yesterday, but I didn’t want to stress them with the vet)

Patches is a chonk! Tofu is 1.25kg and he’s been my biggest piggie so far. Patches beats him! (He was rewarded with pea flakes for posing for this picture)



Tofu is being very good about taking his meds and only bites the syringe in protest a few times per dose it’s only a 3-5 day course thankfully and he seems much brighter today

 

[JaseChase]

Tofu is a firm believer that hideys are meant to be flattened. The roof makes the BEST nap spot!



He’s continuing to take his meds like a champ and he’s definitely improving, which is excellent

And Patches didn’t want to be left out, so he posed very cutely right before the morning spot clean

 

[Merab]

So glad Tofu is on the mend.
I love seeing pictures of him as he reminds me so much of my Phoebe.
She also believed tunnels should be slept on.

 

[JaseChase]

So glad Tofu is on the mend.
I love seeing pictures of him as he reminds me so much of my Phoebe.
She also believed tunnels should be slept on.

View attachment 259103

They absolutely could have been twins Phoebe was lovely, she had almost the exact same markings by the look of it

Tofu appreciates the opportunity to show off how handsome he is, he’s been allowing Patches the spotlight while he settles in but always likes to remind us that he is very photogenic too

It’s so lovely to watch him teaching Patches how to take veg from us, and which cage spots are the best, and how to clamber in the perfect spot when it’s time to wheek for food (aka every time one of us walks past the fridge )

 

[JaseChase]

Tofu was buried in a very cosy hay pile when I got home just now



He’s off his meds and his stomach seems to have cleared up, which is a relief. Patches continues to settle in well, he’s decided he does like coriander after all which makes veg time a little easier

He also knows how to climb and bite the bars for food every single time a human walks near him and he’s been napping out in the open a lot more, which is just lovely



Patches’ feet are quite red and sore still, so I might bring him to the vet for a checkup if it doesn’t clear up. He is not a fan of the balm He also didn’t like the noise of fireworks this weekend so he dove to snuggle up with Tofu in the same spot and Tofu let him! Their bond is really sweet, it’s like they bring out the best in each other feels like we’ve had Patches forever though it’s only been a month

 

[JaseChase]

Back from another vet trip today, for Patches this time. The vet said he is a lovely piggie, once he got settled he just chilled out in her arms for a while

He does have the beginnings of a bumblefoot flare up so he’s on some metacam and Baytril for the next week. The vet also said it wouldn’t hurt him to lose a bit of weight to ease the pressure on his paws (he clocked in at 1.4kg today). He is outraged at the idea of having fewer pea flakes and threatening me with the GPU otherwise he’s in really good condition!

He’s been trying to snatch Tofu’s Metacam syringe the last few days - now he gets one of his own! Tofu is all better and off his tummy meds, it’s like they’re just trading illnesses at the moment - it has been a stressful month for them both

Here they are napping and enjoying hay

 

[Merab]

Hope the bumblefoot doesn’t take hold.
A few members have had to deal with it.

 

[JaseChase]

Thank you I haven’t dealt with bumblefoot myself before, though I knew he was likely to have flare ups from his neglect before the rescue got him. The vet explained it all to me and what to look out for. She was being cautious by giving me the Baytril, she said it was probably mild enough to be treated with the metacam but as it’s the first flare and he’s had a stressful month wanted to cover all bases

He’s been out for the first round of meds and was decidedly unenthusiastic about it especially the Baytril, one mouthful and he pressed his lips all the way closed and looked so grumpy haha. Luckily it’s only a small dose

He is loving head scratches and veggies so I think I am forgiven

 

[Merab]

If you type bumblefoot into the search facility you will see a number of threads about it.
Some of them may help.
I know @Viennese Furbabies had a bad case with one of her piggies

 

[JaseChase]

Thank you, I will do that! It really helps to see other’s experiences on here

Patches came out for morning meds with minimal grumbling. Though he did refuse to come out of the tunnel for a while, even for his favourite pellets

 

[fluffysal]

Aw, grumpy face

 

[JaseChase]

Evening lap time with veggies and meds Patches continued to grump but he was much happier with my partner around to help - they took to each other immediately

His feet are already looking better! I caught the bumblefoot before any ulcers formed and the swelling has gone right down

Tofu behaved for his eye drops and would like to remind us all that he likes cuddles now

 

[JaseChase]

Well, in picking up Patches for his morning meds today, I managed to sprain my shoulder so after all day in urgent care I’m in a sling and partner will have to take over syringing for a bit

I have a connective tissue disorder which means I’m prone to dislocations and joint problems. But the nurse was quite amused when she asked what caused the injury and I answered ‘my guinea pig’

The picture of innocence - don’t think he’ll be happy when he realises his mischief doesn’t actually get him out of meds!

 

[Merab]

I didn’t know whether to laugh, love or cry.
So sorry about your shoulder. Hope it mends soon.

 

[JaseChase]

Thank you we’re laughing here don’t worry! This shoulder’s been dodgy since I fully dislocated it in a fall last year so it’s only partially Patches’ fault I’m not the best at keeping to physio exercises either, something I shall have to rectify

He was on best behaviour tonight and my partner managed meds just fine. I got to be on veg duty which was nice. His feet continue to look better! I’m hopeful the one round of antibiotics will be enough to calm it down

Tofu has been watching the whole thing with amusement

 

[JaseChase]

The boys behaved excellently for evening meds. Being on veg duty is a lot easier than syringe duty

Tofu enjoyed making a hay teepee and then zonked out



Patches loved their special treat (spinach!) and let us apply the balm with minimal grumbling. His feet are looking a lot better, thankfully

 

[Julie M]

Gorgeous boys.

 

[Betsy]

How's your shoulder @JaseChase?

 

[JaseChase]

How's your shoulder @JaseChase?

Could be worse! Not actually dislocated this time (which has happened before) but unfortunately I have to wait 3-5 weeks before physio can see me to get a long term plan in place. Until then I’m in the sling aside from very gentle exercises to hopefully prevent it freezing

Going to the GP next week to beg for painkillers you never realise how many activities need your shoulder until you can’t use it anymore. I miss my knitting

Both piggies and our dog have enjoyed climbing over and sniffing the sling though haha, and Patches is very contrite!