MAY'S GUINEA PIG OF THE MONTH-Deputy Doofy!

Meet Deputy Doofy
from CA Rescue
Orange County Cavy Haven!

Doofy gets some snuggles

Deputy Doofy was dumped at the San Gabriel (L.A.) shelter with about fifteen other pigs in July of 2003. He was around six weeks old. The conditions at that shelter were very bad, the pigs were in filthy cages, literally sitting outside in their own waste. Most of the pigs came down with enteritis and with medication all but one survived.

We had a hard time getting them adopted because, sadly, they were looked upon by adopters as not as pretty as some of our other pigs. They were almost all brown, smooth haired, kind of 'plain' but with plenty of personality. Deputy Doofy was actually adopted twice then returned. We paired him up with Natasha in 2005 -- she was a pretty white sow who was left on one of our doorsteps in a box. The two were adopted together but sadly, returned again. Once again they were adopted and it looked like it was going to last, but early this year they were returned to OCCH, now senior pigs and unlikely to be adopted again.

We realized right away that Natasha was ill. She seemed to be getting bloated. The vet felt a mass in her abdomen and, when we could not keep her from bloating, we had the vet do emergency surgery. Sadly, Natasha died only a couple hours after surgery and poor Doofy was alone. But not for long. He now lives with Itchy, another 7 year old boar who has been in our rescue since 2003.

Doofy is now considered part of our sanctuary. We don't know what he has been through for sure, but he has some health problems we are still trying to figure out. His eyes water continuously despite several courses of antibiotic ointments and oral antibiotics. He is very arthritic and has some twisted toes as well as a very painful back. He drinks a lot of water and can't keep his weight up without hand feeding. You can tell by looking at him that he doesn't feel well. He also seems to have bladder sludge, and that can be painful.

Doofy could really use some tests to determine if there is some medication that will help him. An x ray and urinalysis could tell us a lot about him and might just solve the mystery. We would love to be able to give Doofy the TLC he deserves in his golden years. He is a really sweet boy who seems very sad and uncomfortable. It would cost about $250 to get Doofy an exam, urinalysis and x ray.

We will be grateful to all support given. Remember, Sponsor a Guinea Pig is Where a Dollar Makes a difference! Any amount donated would be amazing. Please forward this story on!

*

*Orange County Cavy Haven
2052 Newport Blvd. 6-189
Costa Mesa, CA 92627

memo "Doofy" or "SAGP." Thank you for your generosity!

Update for Clarence!

First I'd like to wave "hi" to all The HSUS members visiting the site! SAGP was recently featured as part of The HSUS'S Off-Duty series. Please consider following us on Twitter, Blogger, or Facebook, or joining our listserve! I'd love it if you donated, or considered passing along Clarence's story.

So far we have received $357.72! WAY TO GO! WE REACHED OUR GOAL!

Remember, this month the magic number is "6.62," paying for one week's worth of care for the dear boy. We are fundraising for 40 weeks worth of care for this boy, totaling $264.80.

Remember, SAGP is also available on Twitter and Facebook!

$

Send checks payable to "Small Angels Rescue," memo line reading "SAGP-Clarence" to

Small Angels Rescue

7501 Mayfair Ct.

Mt. Airy, MD 21771

Or email sponsoraguineapig@gmail.com to donate by another method.

April's Pig of the Month-Clarence!

Meet Clarence

from MD rescue

Small Angels!

Clarence is an absolutely adorable piggy. He came into Small Angels in April of 2009 as part of a large group taken to a local animal shelter when their owner was moving away.

He was in a poor state on arrival, thin, weak, and dehydrated. He was thought to be an older piggie, due to his conformation, but the lady piggies who came in with him were all pregnant and in due course gave birth to babies who bore a striking resemblance to him (!)

Clarence suffered from chronic diarrhea and on and off he also had a runny eye and nostril for most of the summer. After being neutered he remained in the rescue for an assortment of treatments. In the Autumn he was found to have an abscess under his jaw and the prognosis was poor, so we had to decide if he was a good candidate for surgery or not (the alternative being euthanasia). It was a difficult decision, but throughout all these months he had remained perky and lively, in spite of still being somewhat thin. So we decided to give surgery a go.

Clarence tolerated a long course of antibiotics and then had surgery to drain the abscess and remove a rotton tooth. It was successful! Since then, he has remained on anti-biotics twice weekly and needed probiotics to address the resulting diarrhea.

Clarence is a delightful little guy, amazing us with his upbeat character and endearing manner. Recently he has gained a little weight and he gets very excited about having his veggies, hopping up on his wooden house to wait for them. Clarence also still likes to chat to the ladies :)

We are looking for a Twilight home for him within about ten miles of Mt. Airy, MD. This needs to be somewhere where he will be loved and appreciated; preferably with a lady piggie or two for company. We will continue to monitor his health and provide the necessary veterinary care for the remainder of his life.

Clarence is on three medications: Zenequin ($1.96 a week), Benebac ($4.32 per week), and Vitamin C ($0.34 per week). His total medications are just $6.62 per week! For members who normally donate $5 a month, I really encourage you to donate $6.62 (if you can), so you can pay for a whole week of Clarence's care!

We are fundraising for 40 weeks of Clarence's care, for a total of $264.80. Thank you so much to those of you who donate and/or pass along his story!

Meanwhile, I'd like to wave "Hi!" to all The HSUS readers visiting the site. Please consider forwarding the site on, or even donating! You can reach me at sponsoraguineapig@gmail.com .

SAGP is also available on Twitter and Facebook!

$

Send checks payable to "Small Angels Rescue," memo line reading "SAGP-Clarence" to

Small Angels Rescue

7501 Mayfair Ct.

Mt. Airy, MD 21771

Or email sponsoraguineapig@gmail.com to donate by another method.

Update for Ziggy and Brodie!

So far we have raised $379.66 or #254.94! We've reached our goal, way to go!

Brodie says, "Thank you!" (picture courtesy of Webs).

MARCH'S PIGS-Ziggy and Brodie!

Meet Ziggy and Brodie

from UK Rescue

Thistle Cavies!

This year's two pigs are Brodie (11 months) and Ziggy (around two years). You will remember Brodie from last year. He lived with Josh after Yetti died. We could not find a piggy who would accept him after Josh went to the Rainbow Bridge, and we tried many, so we decided to castrate and find him a wife.

Ziggy arrived in terrible condition, mites, lice, very thin, and terrified of all piggies due to being mercilessly bullied by her cage mates. She coud not eat for sheer fear she would be bitten, she was separated from the other piggies and enjoyed life by herself for a while being syringe fed to gain much needed weight. She was only 1 lb 3 ounces. We also discovered Ziggy had a heart problem so she is now on Fortekor and still being syringe fed to ensure she continues to gain, she is now at 1 lb 12 ounces!

We paired her with Brodie and all was well for two days. Then we noticed a small abscess on Brodie's nose, cleaned it up, but by night time he had a huge abscess below his ear. At that point they were separated, Ziggy with the resident girls and Brodie in a hospital cage.

For three weeks now we have battled with Brodie's abscesses, so far the count is 16. He has some sort of infection that is being carried around in his blood and is causing abscesses. He has had two vet visits so far costing #178.35 to lance and clean/flush out the abscesses. Two more are coming up and they will need to be lanced in the very near future.

He is on Baytil and pain relief, syringe feeds daily just to keep him topped up, as well as huge doses of probiotics. We have not managed to definitely isolate the exact bacteria causing the infection but it is thought to be pastuerella. We do not know if we will win the battle for him and have been warned it may break out again at any time in the future.

He is happy, lively, and a complete star when it comes to all the flushing, cleanimg etc. of his wounds. He sits with his head tilted up and we get on with the job, only occasionally does he flinch if we touch a particularly sensitive spot.

So meanwhile these two lonely piggies have to be separated and there is no doubt that Brodie misses Ziggy. We do all we can to keep him happy but we are not piggies! Plus there is the zoonosis side and we have been well warned about this, wearing masks, gloves, etc. We have to keep to very strict hygeine and the big pads for him to sit on while we clean him up cost $14.95 for 12 and we go through 2 a day.

Costs for Brodie per week are: Baytril #9.00, Antibiotic flushing solution #6.00, Chlorahexadine #3.15, Sundries (cotton buds/balls, syringes, probiotics) #3, Critical Care #14.95, Pain Relief #3.00.

Costs for Ziggy per week: Fortekor: #4.90, Critical Care: #14.95.

Total cost per week: #58.95 or $88.79. Total fundraising goal (a three week supply): #176.85 or $266.37

We hope that Ziggy and Brodie can live together again but Brodie does not have a quick fix illness. But as long as he is happy, lively and enjoying life we will keep him on with meds, syringe feedings, and flushings, and hope that there is a happy ending for both of these loveable pigs.

To donate in US dollars:

To donate in Sterling Pounds: