While I was taking my "I suck at blogging" break in November, a certain someone turned 5 and we threw a huge bash for her. How does one go about throwing a party for a guinea pig? Well, it's quite simple really... we just obtained a bouncy castle, and by bouncy castle I mean tub of hay that we dropped the pigs in.
Aggie was the first pig in and naturally she wasted no time and started chowing down. She had a grand ol' time at the party and spent the remainder of the night wondering why she wasn't always surrounded by unlimited amounts of hay. (Yup, this totally sucked to write... miss you Aggie)
Lucy was next to have a turn in the hay bin. Much to my surprise she HATED it. She kept trying to dig her way out of the bin. She was promptly returned to her cage to make room for more willing participants.
Pru and Maggie were next. They were good little noodles and had a jolly time frolicking in and eating the hay.
Eleanor and the birthday girl were next. This didn't last long though because Eleanor decided to be a party pooper and bite Nellie in the ass. Once Eleanor was removed against her will Nellie happily munched on all the hay her little heart could want.
Happy birthday Nellie Bellie! Time to relax and enjoy your senior pig years! I'm sure your mommy and sisters were celebrating with you too :)
Crippie's Tippie - When in doubt just give your piggies a crap ton of hay and they'll be happy
Two posts in a month! SHOCKING! One of my resolutions for this year is to get the hell back to blogging... I really do miss it.
In keeping with a yearly tradition (see 2012 & 2011) it's time to recap Crippie's year. I'm not gonna do a month by month recap cause I can pretty much recap 2013 with three little words. Ready?
EVERYTHING. FREAKING. DIED.
Yeaaaaaahhhh... this year I said goodbye to a great aunt, a great uncle, a childhood friend, Mama Pig, Frida and Aggie. 6 goodbyes in 12 months is really rough. A lot of good things happened this year too, don't get me wrong... I acquired 3 adorable piggies, I turned 25 (huzzah!), I obtained a social life, I went a year without having an operation and or any major complications, and a bunch of other good things... but still... the loss lingers. The death kinda trumps everything else.
I'm gonna post again tomorrow, a happier post to make up for this one. But in the meantime, let's raise a glass in hopes that 2014 will be better. Here's to a happy and healthy New Year my comrades.
And let's raise a glass to those we lost this year. May they rest in peace. Rise & Fly <3
Crippie's Tippie - Appreciate what you have while you have it, because things are taken away far too quickly
Sorry I've royally sucked at blogging. I swear I'll get back to a regular schedule when I can.
Nellie and Angel are still alive and kicking, even though Angel's heart meds have put her into kidney failure. She still hanging in there though, which is good because no one in my house was ready to lose another pet. Unfortunately for us Aggie was diagnosed with heart failure two weeks ago. She passed away around 9:30 tonight after a valiant two-week fight. Aggie was four years old.
We obtained Aggie and Maggie for two reasons, one being that Maggie was so teensy and adorable, the second being that Aggie crawled into my mom's hood when she met her. They were just too freaking cute to pass up. Aggie was definitely skittish at first. This picture is from her first day home. She screamed when we took her out of her box and while she was being held. We placed her on the dog bed while we set up the cage, she stopped screaming, stood in amazement of the comfiness of her new bed for about 5 seconds, then promptly fell asleep. Also, holy crap look at how tiny they are!
Clearly Aggie didn't stay very tiny for very long. Ya see, if there was one thing Aggie loved more than anything in the whole world it was FOOD. Good Lord that pig loved to eat. It didn't even matter to her whether or not said thing in her mouth was edible. If it was near her face, she'd eat it. Her favorite non-edible "foods" were paper and metal. Her favorite actual food was food. She soon became the fattest pig in our house and was lovingly dubbed "Fat Ass Pig", "Fat Bastard", "Chubs McGee", "Fats Domino", "Fattie McFatFat" etc.
Aggie and her "buddy" Maggie had a very... um... tumultuous relationship. Aggie on the whole was very introverted and kept to herself while Maggie was freaking crazy. God help whichever pig wasn't in heat. While they tolerated each other for a few years their friendship ended when Aggie poked her eye on a piece of hay. Aggie let out her frustrations out on Maggie, and Maggie fought back. It was decided that the two were to be separated. Maggie went to live with Nellie, Frida and Mama Pig while Aggie FINALLY got some peace and quiet (generally speaking pigs should always be housed in pairs, Aggie was the exception to the rule). Aggie was my lil' lone wolf. She was completely content on her own.
She liked showing off her very boop-able nose. *boop*
Aggie LOVED being a lazy bum. She was also a "special" little bum, she enjoyed zoning out to "Weird Al Yankovic". What can I say? My piggies have very unique tastes in music.
She was veeeeerrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy vocal about how much she wanted to be fed. I could be across the house with headphones on and I'd STILL hear her wheeking to be fed. As soon as a fridge or a salad bag rustled during dinner time this lil' fattie would be standing up and screaming her lungs out.
Aggie is predeceased by her buddies Emma, Mama Pig, and Frida. She is survived by her frenemy Maggie, quasi-buddy Nellie, strange new pigs Eleanor and Prudence, pig that was either giving her kisses and or eating her hair earlier today Lucy, strange furry dog thing Helen, a very devastated Angel who has been moping around the house all night, and of course her humans, all of whom miss her dearly and will never forget her. Rest in peace my lil' fattie, I hope you're somewhere mindlessly grazing on whatever is in front of your adorable little face. Mommy loves you Aggie.
Crippie's Tippie - Ask your vet to give you extra metacam for your piggies. It could mean the difference between leaving this world in agony or in peace.
P.S. I swear I'll return to blogging regularly one of these days. I do have things to share with y'all. But for now I just can't. Thanks for putting up with my suckiness guys. Love y'all - XOXO Crippie
Yes I am singing that Barenaked Ladies song to myself right now.
I hope y'all have had a fabulous week. I've been pretty busy with the family and of course the n00b piggies.
Lucy, Eleanor and Prudence are slowly but surely adjusting to life with their new cage, new humans, and new buddies. Over the past week their relationship with Nellie & Maggie has grown from "We'll let you live... for now" to "I tolerate you, but I will keeeeeeeeeel you if you steal my lettuce". The n00bs definitely look up to Nellie and Maggie and see them as annoying older siblings who occasionally bite them in the ass. Lucy LOVES Nellie, she sees her as the ultimate role model. Nellie has already taught her the art of begging for noms.
Prudence is in awe of Maggie but mainly the new contraption that is "The Giant Talking Box" (the TV) she watched "Wheel of Fortune" with us and was completely enthralled with it. Eleanor was also highly intrigued by the talking box, but it took her longer to realize how awesome it was. They have also learned the art of screaming whenever someone enters the kitchen. I'm working on teaching them that my whistling means food, not the kitchen floor squeaking. It'll probably take a little bit of practice but no one here minds the wheeking, it's adorable. In the past I taught the pigs that the intro to "Moves Like Jagger" and or "Dueling Banjos" meant food and that the theme from Jaws meant they were about to be tickled.
While they're getting more comfortable with their surroundings, Eleanor and Prudence are very timid. Here's Pru's face and Eleanor's butt. They are very comfortable with being snuggled by humans though. They really enjoy snuggles.
Nellie & Eleanor have pretty much settled their differences. Nellie is the boss, and she is completely content with that role. She's enjoying bossing the other pigs around. I do not see her moping around the cage anymore. I have not seen her or Maggie laying down where Frida died. The n00bs definitely have helped them move on.
Maggie is slowly but surely adjusting to the n00bs, she no longer cowers in fear in corners. She does however get very territorial over this hide-y. She loves it and threatens to keeeeeeel any pig that dare think they are welcome in it.
As for Aggie, Fat Bastard is still blissfully enjoying her solitude. Her new favorite hiding place is under the ramp for the second level to her cage. She's afraid to walk up the ramp, but she'll sleep under it.
Well, that's about it for now. I really should attempt to get some sleep. YAY INSOMNIA!
Crippie's Tippie - Buy your guinea pig supplies (hay, bedding, food, whatever) in bulk
I hope all my readers are having a lovely week. I'm still kinda recovering from Cripplefest so I'm a wee bit tired. I better hurry up and recover because there will be another massive event at my house on Saturday. Approximately 60 people will be coming to my house for a cumulative "LOL, my mom and grandma are old" party. I'm gonna have to clean soooooooooooo many things tomorrow... oy!
On top of that general craziness I have my own guinea pig drama to deal with. As y'all might remember, the last time we heard from Aggie & Maggie they were in separate cages because they now hate each other. Well, I gave them some time to forget that they want to kill one another but alas, it does not seem to be working. Whenever I put one close to the other they goes all "bath salts"on each other and try to eat the other's face. *Sigh*. Aggie is still rather content being a solo pig. I have not noticed any changes in behavior from her. Maggie on the other hand is depressed. She just sits around her cage and sulks. I can't just leave Maggie alone in her cage and I have very limited options. I could trrryyyyy to put her with the trio, but I don't see that ending well. My other option is to get her a new friend. Since Maggie is a little asshole getting a buddy for her is no easy task. Generally speaking it's easier to either get a senior pig and or a baby pig, they are not as likely to hurt them. I can't afford to take care of another senior pig now, not to mention that I really don't want to go through the whole introduction process again when the senior croaks. So it looks like I need to find a baby guinea pig that Maggie will like. My plan of action is to contact the nearest guinea pig rescues and shelters, ask if they have baby pigs, and ask if I can bring Maggie over for a "play-date". Since Maggie is such a butthead I can't just adopt any baby that I want, if she doesn't like the n00b I'm screwed. Maggie has to be the one to choose her friend. What can I say, I'm a crazy guinea pig lady. I've already contacted the nearest rescue (an hour away from me) asking about a play-date, no response yet (keep your fingers crossed readers). In the meantime I'm checking Craigslist and Petfinder to see if any new piglets pop up. Oh, if by chance any of my local readers are looking to rehome a young, female guinea pig... hit me up.
So yeah, things are slightly hectic around here, but it's all good. It's definitely a change from the usual. Again, due to the craziness, I don't know if I'll be able to post this weekend. I'll try though.
Crippie's Tippie - Cannot say these this enough... if you want a guinea pig, ADOPT. Also, guinea pigs are hard freakin' work.
Maggie's Tippie - Unless you're a weirdo like Aggie, piggies like to be with other pigs. If you're adopting pigs, make sure that we have friends.
I'm apologizing in advance for what will probably be a total lack of posts over the next week or so. Cause... CRIPPLEFEST FESTIVITIES BEGIN TOMORROW! w000000000000000000000000t. While the event itself isn't until next Sunday, cripples are gonna start trickling in tomorrow... and staying at my house :D. So it's gonna be a weeklong cripple sleepover. It's like a normal sleepover except we gossip about hot doctors. Anyway, it's gonna be "cray cray" down here and I don't think I'm gonna have any opportunities to blog. I'll try to tweet about my adventures though, and I'll probs be posting some pics to instragram too (I'm @scarwars10... FOLLOW ME)
Everyone here has spent the past couple of days getting ready, it's been insane. On the bright side, my room is finally freakin' clean. It took a lot of assistance from my sister... but now it looks like a civilized person lives here :D We're almost done getting ready, tomorrow I have to put Maggie in her new home. (we had to find the spare cage... took a while). Maggie is very excited about Cripplefest too... she likes my friends.
I don't know if I've said this enough but, I'M SO EXCITED!!! I can't wait to see all my crippled friends. Alas, I don't exactly have friends that I can physically "hang out" with... so actually being with all my buddies is awesome.
And since some of you guys have been asking me "What's gonna happen with Aggie and Maggie? They can't stay in those cages" I know that keeping them in pet store cages is far from the ideal situation, but it's temporary. After all of the Cripplefest stuff over I'll have time to devote to bringing them back together. I'll do the buddy bath followed with massive amounts of salad to hopefully seal the deal. If thhhaaaaaaaaatttt fails, again, I'm gonna have to look into other options, like maybe obtaining a new friend from them, possibly a neutered boy. Honestly I have no idea, we'll just take it one day at time with those little buttheads. Maggie has been extra "special" for the past few days, instead of drinking from her water dish like a normal pig, she's been dunking her damn head in the water. Silly pigs.
Anyways, yeah... I don't think I'll be seeing you guys for about a week or so. I hope y'all have a fantastic week! Much love - Crippie
Crippie's Tippie - When hosting cripples at your house, be sure that you have something comfy to sleep on.
The Aggie Update - The chubster saw the vet yesterday. Apart from meeting a new friend (a little girl who gave her lots of rubs) Aggie received a clean bill of health! YAY AGGIE! I'm not doing a victory dance though. Aggie appears to be a little traumatized from the past week. She was taking her emotions out on Maggie and the two had to be separated. Once we got come from the vet I let Aggie recover on her own for a few hours. I planned on putting her and Maggie together that night following a salad introduction. They ate their salad together, but then started to squabble again. I then decided to let them hang out on neutral territory, the sofa. Unfortunately they had a full on brawl. I was able to pull them apart. While I was putting each of them in "time out" I noticed that Aggie had been bitten in the face, more specifically her mouth and nose. So, for those of you keep track at home, Aggie has managed to injure her eye, nose, and mouth all within a week. I cleaned the wounds and they weren't deep thankfully, BUT Aggie and Maggie cannot be housed together with their current temperaments. So for the time being Maggie has their cage, and Aggie has a playpen on the floor.
I'm still in a total state of disbelief. Maggie and Aggie have been paired together since Maggie was about 4 weeks old (and she'll be 3 in February). While they've never been an affectionate pair, they tolerated each other. I can't believe that they would fight like this. Ugggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh. The life of a pig owner, right?
So, what am I gonna do? Alright, I know that Maggie and Aggie are capable of being nice... they've done so for two and a half years. I just need to get them to remember that they like each other. First, I'm gonna let them both cool down for a few days. Hopefully they'll forget that they were fighting. Next I'm gonna try a "Buddy Bath". A Buddy Bath is when you put some water in a tub, and put both the pigs in the tub. The pigs freak out, forget that they're fighting, lose whatever scents they had, and they bond about the whole experience. Essentially it should act as a reset button. Both Maggie and Aggie are good candidates for Buddy Baths because they both HATE water. I'll probs do that on Tuesday... *fingers crossed*.
In non-guinea pig related news, I drove to the gas station today :). It might not seem like a newsworthy event, but the local gas station is on a road that I'm not exactly comfortable with. But, I've been memorizing the road for a few months and today I finally drove there! Granted, my mom was in the car with me for support, but still... I DID IT! YAY CRIPPIE! It's only a matter of time before I get more and more comfortable driving to new places. My next task will be to drive to a completely new place with no practice runs. I need to find a place that would be worth the panic attacks. Any local readers have any suggestions of really kick-ass places? There's a guinea pig rescue in New Jersey... maybe the thought of piggies will help me get over some fears :D
Crippie's Tippie - The occasional guinea pig squabble or nip is not a huge deal, once blood is drawn however, separate the pigs.
The Aggie Update - Her eye is looking oodles better, but Aggie hates the world. Aggie has been acting very aggressively today. She bit Maggie in the butt around 2am and they've been fighting since. Maggie getting a nip in the butt is not uncommon, 9 times out of 10 she deserves said nip. Today I watched them for a while, Aggie was attacking Maggie for no reason. We took Aggie out for some alone time and discovered that she, like Mama was having some tummy issues as a result of her antibiotics. So I made the executive decision to stop giving them to her. I gave Aggie some pain meds, let them kick in, and then put her back in with Maggie. Alas, they were still piiiiisssssseeeeddd at each other and almost had a full on brawl. We ended up separating the two. Aggie is now in a play pen on my dining room floor. Both are enjoying their "me time" very much. Aggie's tummy has improved a great deal already.
Aggie is acting aggressively because she is in pain. This is her way of telling people that she is not a happy camper. Every pig handles pain differently. Mama Pig cried when her tummy really started hurting her, and Emma practically froze in place with her coat puffed up. That being said, there are some tell tale signs that your pig is miserable...
1 - The pig is biting things
2 - Chewing random things
3 - Screaming bloody murder
4 - Changes in behavior
5 - Puffed up coat
6 - Lethargy
Spotting a pig in pain can be very challenging. You have to know your piggies. Aggie is the recessive pig out of the two. She's always such a sweetheart, if you give her food she'll love you for forever. Aggie is acting VERY much out of character, the only explanation is that she is not well. Upon examining her tummy and the "presents" she leaves us, we realized her tummy was bothering her. Again, you have to work with the understanding that if something is out of the ordinary... something is wrong.
Aggie is going to the vet tomorrow for her follow-up appointment. Aggie requests super healing ninja vibes. I hope we can stop giving her the drops, I also hope the vet doesn't kill me for stopping her anti-biotics. Fingers crossed!
Crippie's Tippie - If your pig is having minor tummy issues... give them lettuce sprinkled with water. They love it because it's freakin' lettuce and the extra water makes it easier to go to the bathroom.
The Aggie Update- Aggie is pissed at us. Emotionally she's in a sad place. People keep putting drops in her eyes that burn, people keep giving her medicine that she does care for anymore and probs causes minor tummy issues, AND to top it off... she's in heat... so she's just pissy in general. Aggie's always been a very emotional little pig. On the bright side her eye looks sooooooooooooooooo much better. It's almost back to normal. She has a follow up vet appointment on Friday, let's keep our fingers crossed for good news. Here's a few pictures of the patient so y'all can see her cute lil' face...
Woe is meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Her eye is looking good though, it's clear and mostly black.
Aggie sleeping in a dramatic pose
Ain't she just the cutest damn thing ever? Anyways... yesterday was a rather weird day for me. I had a long day at work, but it a productive day. I wasn't achy or anything. Nothing felt out of the ordinary. Then while I was driving home, maybe a minute or two before arriving to my house, my damn ribs catch. For those of you who have hurt your ribs in some form or another know how much rib injuries hurt. So there I am driving, with the left side of my torso BURNING. I held my side with one hand, focused on the road, and got home. Once I got home I collapsed on the couch with a heat pack. While I was there Fanny decided to be all like "YOU'RE GONNA REMOVE ME... F$#% YOU... I'M GONNA IRRITATE YOUR ENTIRE LEG!". It's pretty safe to say that I was really uncomfortable. About five minutes later it began to pour. Once it started raining I got reallllllllyyyyy achy and stiff, to the point where I was not able to get off the damn couch. So, I stayed on the couch until it stopped raining. Eventually I migrated to my room and stayed with my glorious heat pack, NPH. While the pain wasn't as bad as it was earlier... there were a few rough patches throughout the night.
The whole incident was rather odd. Usually I feel achy for a day or so before rain. This whole thing was so sudden. My pain scale went from a 2 to a 8 within 15 minutes. The rain was also weird too, it went from "very light drizzle" to "torrential downpour" within minutes. I dunno... maybe that had something to do with it.
Lucky for me, this episode was short lived. My rib stopped hurting within an hour or so, soooo much better than when my rib caught for two and a half weeks. It's day's like yesterday that remind me how much I hate Fanny. I cannot wait for September 18. I'm hoping this is disdain for her will make me less nervous when surgery time comes. I've never hated a tumor as much as I hate Fanny, and I've had some real asshole tumors. Maybe I'll get through this surgery without getting sick beforehand like I usually do. I realllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyy hope that I can psych myself into not getting sick come surgery day.
Before Crippie heads to bed I have one more picture to share with you. Maggie wants you all to know that it's hard being her. Whenever Aggie gets pissy she takes out her frustrations on Maggie. Poor Maggie keeps getting nipped in the butt.
MAGGIE BUTT!!!!
Crippie's Tippie - If you're ever driving while you get really bad pain episode, pull over if it's reallllyyyyyy bad and you can't focus on the road. If you can focus, slow down a little and put all your attention on the road. Concentrate only on driving. Think about nothing else. It distracts you from the pain.
The Aggie Update - Aggie has been a very good girl and her eye is looking better and better by the day. It's starting to look black again. YAY AGGIE!!! Poor baby hates those eyedrops though. While she lets me put them in, she starts to cry after a minute or two :( Since the pain is very much temporary I found the best treatment for her sorrows is treats. She forgets about her eye when she sees a nice piece of watermelon. I'll probably have to put her on a little diet when she gets better ;)
I hope y'all had a lovely Sunday and Monday. I was a social creature over the weekend. My friend and I went to see the Katy Perry movie. It was actually pretty good, which says something because I don't particularly care for her music. My favorite part was watching a grandma and her young grandchildren's reactions to that "Peacock" song, I was LOLing on the inside.
Apart from the social-ness Crippie has been preparing for Cripplefest!!! What is Cripplefest? Well, it's when a bunch of people with my disorder converge at my house and we all bask in our awesomeness. All of this awesomeness will be occurring in about 2.5 weeks. Oh my goodness I'm so excited. Cripplefest has to be my favorite time of the year. I get to hang out with my friends in person, meet a bunch of new people from across the world, share stories and experiences, win some scar wars, all that fun stuff. It's the one time when I feel like a normal. For once I'm not the odd person out for having tumors all over their body. I'm seriously stoked for this *high pitched squeel* IMSOEXCITED!!!!
Some of my cripple friends will be staying here for about a week, which will be so freakin' awesome. It's also kinda hilarious because we all kinda look alike in a way. We don't think it has anything to do with the disorder, it's just a coincidence that we're the same height, same hair, glasses, etc. Apparently we're all also darkly funny. For those of you who think I'm a little weird... you are correct... now picture a room fuuuuuulllllllllllllllllll of Crippies. Can't you just sense the awesome!
So yeah, I apologize in advance if posts get a little sporadic towards the end of July, I'll be busy entertaining my peeps!
Crippie's Tippie - Cripplefests and gatherings are a great way to prove that you are not alone
The Aggie Update - Her eye seems to be responding to the medications. The inflammation is starting to go down and her eye is starting to look clearer. Lucky for us, Aggie is a stellar patient. She actually enjoys taking her medicine. Getting the eye drops in is the only challengingthing because it clearly bothers her. I kinda have to hold her head with one hand and put the drops in with another. For more restless pigs I recommend either wrapping the pig in a towel or having someone else hold 'em.
Did all my lovely readers have an awesome Saturday? I hope so. My day went pretty well. I went to work and then I went into town to pick up my sister from her work. Since I had some time to kill I went antiquing. I rather enjoy antiquing, I like to find examples of vintage graphic design. I also enjoy seeing what kind of "treasures" I can find, even if I can't afford to buy any of these things... I like to photograph 'em. Generally my finds involve a really cool poster, or some vintage packaging. Today's score was rather different and totally unexpected...
REALLY OLD CRUTCHES!!!
Yup, I found crutches dating back to the Civil War. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!?!?! What's even more awesome is that these things are surprisingly comfy. I couldn't resist trying them out a little (they're not in great condition and I was very gentle). The arm supports were padded with what seems like upholstery fabric. I can't believe that they were still soft considering they're over 100 years old. I wonder what their story is. Based on the height of the crutches I think they were for a fella. Maybe he was injured in the war. While I'll never know... I like to think of these things.
These crutches do provide an example of how to better crutches today. If you don't find your crutches comfortable, get some batting and a durable fabric, wrap the batting around the handles and then sew the fabric around it. It probably won't be the cleanest looking thing in the world, but it should get the job done.
Crippie's Tippie - When antiquing, check every nook and cranny in the store. I found these puppies just chilling on a back wall by a china cabinet.
P.S. Today would have been my grandpa's 83rd birthday. Miss you Pop Pop, love you lots <3
The Aggie Update - Yup, Aggie is gonna have her own update for the next week or so. Aggie had her first ever vet visit this morning. She did very well and the vet confirmed my diagnoses. Aggie scratched her cornea, she might have even punctured her eye a little. We have to give her eye drops every eight hours (around the clock), antibiotics twice a day, and pain medicine one a day as needed. She doesn't appear to be in any sort of pain, but... SHE SCRATCHED HER DAMN EYE!!! That has to hurt. I dunno, I have not noticed any behavioral changes in her. Apart from the cloudy eye I can't tell anything is wrong. Even though I probably said this many times last night, I'll say it again... IF YOUR PIG IS SICK, TAKE THEM TO THE VET!!! Aggie's eye could have gotten horribly infected if left untreated.
Moving on, I have some news regarding Fanny. For those of you who might not remember, Fanny is a grapefruit sized tumor on the back of my hips. Fanny is literally a pain in my ass, mainly because she is pressing against my sciatic nerve. FANNY IS COMING OUT PEOPLES! Fanny's coming out party will take place on September 18th. This will be my 11th surgery and I'm honestly for the most part excited. Fanny hurts like a mofo and I really want her out. Also I'll be able to make soooooooooooo many "This Is Spinal Tap" jokes! It will go to 11 people!
People frequently ask me if I am nervous about having surgeries. From here to the 16th the answer is no. I've had 10 surgeries already so I'm pretty much used to it. Granted, this surgery will be a same-day procedure and it shouldn't be terribly invasive (compared to other surgeries I've had). If this was a massive "REPLACE ALL THE HIPS" surgery I'd be singing a different tune.
If you asked me this question the day before the surgery my answer will be "yeeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhhh". Since I've had 10 surgeries already I know what to expect, both good and bad. I know what it feels like to wake up from sedation, and I realllllyyyyy don't like that feeling. I hate being in the recovery room. I hate getting an IV. I hate everything about the day of surgery. Yeah, I definitely get the pre-surgery jitters. Usually I get a case of the shakes, with the occasional bout of feeling nauseous. I am so predictable with this pattern, I usually take valium the day before to calm me down, and to help prevent some of the sickness. For my last surgery I was prescribed a patch that would alleviate most of the nausea, and it definitely helped... to a degree. I usually get sick no matter what.
Hopefully my my hatred of Fanny will overpower my hatred of surgery. I have to remember that I will be in the hospital for about 12 hours. September 18th might suck... but ultimately it will be a party. I will be celebrating that the bane of my existence for the past 5 or so years will be removed.
Also, Frida wanted me to remind you all that the Artist of her namesake would have turned 105 today. VIVA FRIDA! Yes... Crippie collects Frida Kahlos :)
Crippie's Tippie - If you are like me and freak out right before a surgery... drugs are your friend
I hope all my crippled comrades had a lovely "Oh right, today's Thursday" day. Crippie's day was certainly interesting to say the least. I spent most of my day taking care of the piggies. I gave Mama Pig a quick once over and she seems to have fully recovered. Mama Pig is going to be 5 soon, and thus she'll be a "senior pig". I'm going to do everything in my power to keep her here for as long as humanly possible, but I'll do a post on senior piggies another day.
Keeping your piggies healthy is a challenge. Apart from the whole "you need an exotic vet" thing, it can be very hard to tell when your pig is sick. Why? Because they hide it like nobody's business. Piggies are animals of prey, so their instinct is to hide whatever ails them so that predators won't see them and think "LUNCHTIME"! Vigilance is key with piggies. You have to know them, what their normals are, how guinea pigs are supposed to be. If your pig is acting "weird" chances are something is wrong. If something is slightly wrong with your pigs appearance, something is wrong. If anything is out of the ordinary... something is probably wrong.
Why am I going on like this? Welllllllllllllll... earlier today all of my pigs were happy. They were in watermelon induced food comas and everything seemed fine. Tonight they got their salads... Aggie starts wheeking and everyone else follows. They all eat their salads without issues. About two hours later I take Aggie out for cuddles. She seems perfectly fine... at first. As soon as looked at her face I knew something was wrong. Her eye was cloudy. The first thing I did was checked her eye in different lights, and it was definitely cloudy. Then I gave Aggie a once over, and I check her for signs of pain. I opened and closed her eyes without any issue. She didn't seem to be in pain, but she could've been hiding it (and probably was). Next I took a really good look at her eyes. Aggie's eyes are black and their eyes are normally clear and bright. Her eye was without a doubt cloudy and the parts of her eye that were supposed to be white were red.
At this point I know what the problem is... Aggie got hay stuck in her eye. Upon closer inspection I found the piece of hay and removed it. It wasn't an easy thing to do, but I put her on her back, I let her fight me for a minute, once she realized that she couldn't win she let me remove the hay. I used a tissue and my fingernails to carefully extract the inch long piece of hay from her eye. I then cleaned her eye, gave her some pain medication, and most importantly some watermelon because Aggie likes to eat her feelings.
Hay pokes are a somewhat common problem for piggies. They eat hay all day, every day. Aggie love her hay and dives into it as soon as I bring it to her. Frankly, I'm surprised she's managed this long without getting a hay poke.
Well, now that she's been poked, here's what were are going to do... Aggie NEEDS to go to the vet ASAP. The vet will prescribe either drops or an ointment for her. We'll treat her, and she'll be better in a week or two. It is essential that you take your pig to the vet for this issue. If not your pig will develop a nasty eye infection, go blind in that eye, or possibly lose the eye.
We are going to call the vet first thing in the morning, in the meantime Aggie is stoned off her chubby little ass. She is quite content with the world and thinks everything is pretty. Here are a few pictures so that other piggie owners will know what an eye injury looks like (the photos aren't graphic or anything)
Her good eye. Black, clear, and bright. (Also slightly glassy from being stoned)
The bad eye. Grey, cloudy, weird texture on eye, slightly closed
Close up, you can see the general area effected
Crippie's Tippie - Stay informed about general pig illnesses, I knew this was a hay poke and I began treating her immediately. For more information about piggies and eye issues go to http://www.guinealynx.info/eyes.html
