Emergency Update

Pinball is very sick. It is possible he may not make it through the month. Please keep him and All Creatures Rescue & Sanctuary in your thoughts and prayers.

For now, donations will still go toward his care and All Creatures Rescue and Sanctuary. This is a time when he needs funding more than ever.

More details to follow. Update: Please read about Pinball's new developments here.

So far we have raised $298 for Pinball. We all greatly appreciate the outpouring of love and donations.

Update: Please consider sending a gift donation. If you'd like, you can make your donation a gift to the caretaker's of Pinball! ACR&S would surely appreciate the cards.

JANUARY'S PIG OF THE MONTH-Pinball!

Meet Pinball

from NC rescue

All Creatures Rescue and Sanctuary!

For Pinball's full story, please visit this All Creature's Rescue and Sanctuary blog entry.

Pinball was originally advertised on Craigslist as having a malocllussion (teeth) problem. ACR&S contacted the poster and offered a vet referral, but the poster was unable to afford the treatment. She wanted to sign over Pinball to the rescue. The rescue agreed, because "while tooth problems can initially be costly to treat, usually they can be controlled once they get back to zero (so to speak)."

When Pinball arrived at the rescue, he looked close to death. He obviously had a tooth problem (as "he was drooling uncontrollably and had wads of spit caked against his left cheek") , but his eye was in trouble too. He also had a head tilt and cried when his ears were touched (for those who are lucky enough to not have heard a guinea pig cry, it's one of the worst sounds imaginable).

The eye infection, which the surrenderer had tried to treat, had spread to the ear canals, and the ear infection caused the head tilt. The pain from the infection made Pinball stop eating, and once his teeth overgrew he was unable to all together. "The eye continued to worsen. The infection robbed him of most of his vision, and all of his hearing."

"In short, Pinball...is blind, deaf, has bad teeth, a head tilt, and can't walk straight because of a simple eye infection that was likely started by an innocuous hay poke."

Pinball's first visit to the vet showed extensive bone loss, meaning he had been having problems eating for a long time (the problem was also likely exacerbated by a poor quality pellet). The vet trimmed the points on his molers (some even larger than a pencil lead). The eye problems had begun by an injury, which left improperly treated, became an infection. The doctor treated the eye (for more details, visit the original blog post) but it never got entirely better.

Pinball may have to lose the eye, which is one of the things we are fundraising for (rest assured, if the operation is not neccessary, Pinball has tons of other medical demands!) . "Had the initial problem been addressed when it occurred, Pinball likely would have had to endure 2-3 weeks of eyedrops and a recheck and would be perfectly healthy right now. Instead, over a year, he developed an infection that literally has made him special needs for the rest of his life."

Pinball has found some joy in life. He loves parsley, cuddle cups, and his critical care. He is a fighter for his health, and an overall wonderful pig.

We're hoping to fundraise $250 for Pinball's care: $150 dollars for the potential eye removal (if not needed, it can fund two teeth trims), $60 for antibiotics (oral and optical), and $40 for two months of pain killers.

Or to avoid Pay Pal fees, send a check to:

ACR&S
PO Box 1231
Apex, NC 27502
(919) 249-7758

Update for Big Boy and Rosie

We've raised $460 out of 280! We met our goal!!

Don't forget to give the gift of sponsoring a guinea pig this holiday! See the below post for details.

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To avoid paypal fees send checks to:

Checks can be made to "Cavy House" and sent to Cavy House, Sue DuHamel, PO Box 324, La Honda, Ca. 94020.

Holiday announcement

Give the gift of Sponsoring a Guinea Pig!

This month only, gift memberships are available at Sponsor a Guinea Pig! Donate in your friends and family's name, and they'll receive a notification of your gesture!

Gift donations begin at $11, or $8 for three or more gift donations. Simply click on the donate button below, or mail a check or money order to Cavy House, and then email sponsoraguineapig@gmail.com with the name and address of the recipient, and any message you would like included.

They will receive a gorgeous handmade guinea pig card in the mail letting them know about your gift. Thank you to Beth Henry for donating the cards!

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To avoid paypal fees send checks to:

Checks can be made to "Cavy House" and sent to Cavy House, Sue DuHamel, PO Box 324, La Honda, Ca. 94020.

DECEMBER'S GUINEA PIG OF THE MONTH-Big Boy and Rosie!

Meet Big Boy and Rosie
from CA Rescue

Cavy House!

"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.

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To avoid paypal fees send checks to:

Checks can be made to "Cavy House" and sent to Cavy House, Sue DuHamel, PO Box 324, La Honda, Ca. 94020.