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"Big Boy is one of the most awesome guinea pigs we've ever had come in to the rescue. He is very sociable and has gotten even more so since coming here. He absolutely loves a good chin rub. When he sees my son (the best chin-rubber) walk into the room, he immediately starts walking out to meet him, rumble-strutting and purring the whole way. He keeps up the purring as long as you want to rub his chin. He is such a happy guy and we're so lucky to have him.
"Big Boy hasn't had it too easy though. In March of this year he was dropped off in the night-drop box at a local shelter with no information about him. The vets checked him over and decided he had scurvy, urine/fecal incompetence, urine scald, impaction and and a lump on his chin they couldn't check because he was too wiggly. They recommended that if rescue could not be found that day, that he should be euthanized.
"On 3/18/09 we pulled him and took him to our vet where it was determined he had Cervical Lymphadentitis (CL). This was treated successfully with antibiotics. Our vet said he did not have scurvy. On April 7th we found some more lumps under his chin, armpits, and the inguinal region. Our vet said to bring him in immediately.
"Big Boy was found to have lymphoma, which does not have a good prognosis. Most guinea pigs die within a couple days of diagnosis. Most people opt not to try chemo, instead just keeping the piggy as comfortable as possible. Our vet thought it was worth a try, and wanted to try a higher dose of chemo than he tried on other patients. We were a little leery, but if could be treated without adverse side effects, it would be worth the effort. The protocol included L-Sparginase injected every three weeks and Prednisone twice a day (orally).
"On 4/14/09, at Big Boy's one week post-chemo check-up, we were quite excited to find Big Boy's cysts smaller! We were even more excited to find out on May 21st that his lumps were no longer palpable! And Big Boy was feeling great-at 1300 grams, we even caught him running a little and doing a couple popcorns!
"We are now more than seven months post-diagnosis and are crossing our fingers that things keep going as well. His chemo has now been drawn out to every four weeks instead of three weeks. We have seen no adverse effects, in fact, he looks happier and healther than when he first came in. His weight and appetite have held steady--he can put away a good pile of hay in no time.
"He has picked up a girlfriend, a cute red and white Peruvian named Rosie. She was depressed over losing her mate when she came to us and would not eat. We tried lots of things and finally decided to introduce her to Big Boy. He immediately perked her up and she started eating and recovering. They have been very close since then (as close as you can be with a divider down the middle of the cage). They often are nuzzling through the grid. Big Boy and Rosie even recently raised a foster pup who lost his mother at birth.
"So that's Big Boy's story to date. He's a special piggy."
Our goal is to raise $280, enough for four months of medicine. The Prednisone is $32 a month, and the chemo (L-Sparginase) is $38 a month, totalling $70.
(Cane and Tater snuggle up)
Please forward on their story, or consider donating!
We will be fundraising for one month of care for both of the boys, $125 each, $250 total. These costs include Baytril, Metacam, their daily vitamin C supplement, and x-rays.
Our goal is to fundraise $275 dollars:
X-rays-$100 Food (Baby foods, Critical Care & Pedialyte) $50, Teeth/Medications-$100, Fleece-$25
Read on to see why these guys are worth it!
Bandit and Silverado came to Wee Companions through a series of fortunate events. It all started with an ad that had a picture of two sad looking guineas in a terrible living situation. A wonderful woman from LA took one look at the picture and declared that she had to rescue these boys. "Bandit looks just like one of my own guineas, so I just couldn't get them off my mind." So, she quickly began to ask if there were any rescues that would be willing to help her in this. Wee Companions of San Diego gladly stepped up to the challenge and agreed to help with whatever these boys might need.
She, wisely, took a fellow guinea friend with her, and off they went to save the boys. "There was nothing in their cage to stand on except wire and nothing to eat but an old carrot and cheapy cat food! Plus, they were outside in the heat and smog! We wouldn't have left them there for anything!" But they were free! And yet that is only the beginning.
Once Bandit and Silverado were out of the cage, they went with their rescuers to spend the night before coming down to Wee Companions. The ladies had a long vigil that night, watching over the boys, "Silverado just kept falling asleep, as if he was crashing! So, we actually called him Crash to start with! We were so concerned that he wouldn't make the night." But he did! And he and Bandit took the long road down in San Diego, where they met up with Wee Companions and a volunteer named Julie.
"I didn't know what to expect. Those boys were such a mess even after everything the ladies had done for them." After close observation, one could see that their digestion tracts were severely hampered. Bandit had fleas, mites, and fungus, broken toes, and trouble eating. Silverado had mites, fungus, and was very weak and thin. But they loved each other and Bandit kept crawling over to sit over Silverado's little body to help keep him warm.
Thus began the long road of true recovery for these special boys. But, the story doesn't end there either. The boys began to heal and gain strength. Bandit's hair began to grow out and Silverado seemed to have more strength, but other things seemed to be amiss. "I came into the sick room one morning to pass out veggies. As I rounded the corner, I happened to drop the vegetable bag and make a huge ruckus! Bandit ran for his life, but Silverado just sat there, as if nothing had happened. When I walked up clapping my hands he still didn't move. Even when I reached my hand out toward him, he didn't respond. Only after I touched him, did he move, and boy did he jump!" observed Julie.
Sadly, not only was Silverado deaf, he was also blind. After closer inspection and conferring with a variety of guinea experts, it was realized that Silverado had more medical issues, and is considered a very rare Lethal white guinea. A rep. from OOCH describes a Lethal white as, "Having no pigment in their skin. They are missing a specific gene, so that makes them much weaker and smaller than other guinea pig. Also, Lethal whites are often blind, deaf, and have continued dental and health issues the rest of their lives."
Julie smiles as she remembers, "Poor Silverado. With all of the needed blood work and X-rays we didn't know how we were/are going to cover all of his expenses. Now, they have special housing for Bandit's sore feet and so that Silverado doesn't get lost. But, it's okay because they are so worth it!"
Now, Bandit the long haired peruvian and Silverado his Lethal white side kick really did ride into the west and hopefully, it will be a long, glorious ride into a beautiful Californina sunset.
Read more about Bandit and Silverado here.
*To avoid Pay Pal fees send checks to:
Meet Tagg
from Metropolitan Guinea Pig Rescue!
Tagg is an adorable, handsome, beautiful, indescribable! guinea guy. He is currently suffering from Myxosarcoma tumors on his nose (painful, but not cancerous). They have to be surgically removed every few months, causing both Tagg and the rescue great distress. Financial contributions toward Tagg will be greatly appreciated. His story is told in two parts:
From Tagg's first and final foster mom: "Carroll County called us to come get guinea pigs. They already had too many rabbits and pigs then York PA contacted them to take pigs they were going to have to euth. So there was no room at York. Then there was no room at Carroll. Then we were called and we had no room for boys. I went and picked up the females and left Tagg behind. All day I couldn't get Tagg off my mind. The next Morning I was at Carroll before they opened. He had cast his spell and I had to have him so I set up an emergency cage. Having said that it certainly was never on my mind that Tagg would end up moving around a bit within MGPR and then finding his way back to me to spend the rest of his life.Tagg is shy of humans but VERY interested in EVERYTHING going on around him. He is always looking at everything and has the most adorable way of moving his head. He seems more like an animated toy than an animal. He prances and scampers rather than walks. When you pick him up he kind of melts in your arms in a rubbery kind of way and he smells wonderful."
From Tagg's second foster mom: "He is a sweetie pie! He loves his floor time. Even with the ugly "thing" on his face, he just got on with life as if nothing were wrong. He is a popcorning fool. He loves other pigs and is always trying to see my sick pig Ernie. He is a little shy with people. He eats his Vit C tab every day. He climbed my stairs once. He took his meds no problem until the end, when he decided enough was enough and refused the last couple of days, but I "persuaded" him to take them. I have never heard him chatter his teeth and he purrs every time he sees pigs."
We are hoping to raise $239 for Barack-enough for one molar and incisor trimming.
Please help us keep this boy's smile picture-perfect!
Small Angels Rescue
7501 Mayfair Ct.
Mt. Airy, MD 21771
(To donate by another method, please email sponsoraguineapig@gmail.com)
Guinea pigs are social animals, and so always do better in pairs, but lethals like Maddie have difficulty communicating with other guinea pigs (and vice versa). This complicated her foster mom Andrea's search for a friend for her. When Andrea finally found a potential buddy (after a long quest) there was one problem-he was a boy! Luckily All Creatures Rescue and Sanctuary has a cavy savvy vet experienced with neuters. Now Maddie is spending this Valentine's Day safe in her forever home surrounded by the ones she loves.Or to avoid Pay Pal fees, send a check to:
ACR&S
PO Box 1231
Apex, NC 27502
(919) 249-7758
We've raised enough for the eye drops, dental bur, one dental trim, the metacam, the critical care, the anesthesia, and the Torb injection!
