My Little Girl

by Liz Rice
(Otsego, MI)

My guinea pig, Lucky, came to me when I was 13 years old (2003). We had so many good times. We'd watch movies together, I'd sing to her, I'd dress her up in little outfits... the ones that are meant for chihuahuas. I personally think she loved it! I always picked on her. And pretended she was my little baby.

Then a couple of weeks ago, she started acting funny. She wouldn't eat anything, and would barely drink her water. Then, I noticed a lump on her stomach. I was scared, so I took her to the vets. They took a sample of the lump, thinking it could be cancer. They said they weren't 100% sure what it was. They weren't trained pathologists. They said they could send the sample to one to find out for sure. The vet also noticed a little sore on the bottom of her foot. He thought it could also be an infection that caused the lump. So he sent me home with some meds for her, hoping that was the problem.

About a week later, I noticed an improvement. She started eating more, & she was drinking. But, she went downhill. One night, she started falling over onto her right side. Her eyes were also moving back and forth (which I later found out was nystagmus). So I rushed her into Kalamazoo, to an emergency vet. He examined her and came to the conclusion of vestibular disease. He said she also had an ear infection. So her equilibrium was thrown off, due to both the infection and the disease. He told me to clean her ears out every day and keep giving her the meds. No problem. (Or so I thought).

After a couple of days, I saw some progress. It was like she was almost her old self again - giving me the occasional lick on the face when snuggling with her. Then, she lost some weight. And was eating less - not to the point where she stopped completely. But less. And I had to make her drink with the help of a syringe. She didn't really care for that.

Then, this morning, my mom woke me up and said that something was wrong with her. She said she was holding her for about an hour, and noticed the unusual behavior. When she realized what was going on, she brought her into my room. She put her in my arms, and I saw what she meant. Her legs were stretched out, and she was lying on her side. So, I kissed her and cuddled with her for a few moments. When I looked down at her, I watched her take her last breath. Her leg twitched a couple of times, and then she was gone.

I am absolutely broken-hearted. I honestly didn't think she would die. At least not this soon. It all sounds absurd. Like I'm sleeping and having a huge nightmare. She's supposed to be here. I can't believe she's gone. I can't believe I'll never hold her again, or get one of her piggy kisses. She's my little girl, and I love her SO much!! I still can't grasp it yet. I opened the fridge to get her dinner tonight, and then I realized. So I bursted into tears once again.

My friends and neighbors don't understand how I can be this upset. They show sympathy, but they don't truly understand. They obviously don't have that kind of connection with anything (pet or human). So, I appreciate their "sympathy." But, I don't listen to them when they give me "She was just a pet." Because she WASN'T. She was so much more than that. There isn't a guinea pig out there that can measure up to her. She was as good as it gets.

And I'm going to miss her immensely. :'(