FIRST WEEK UPDATE FOR BUNNY

We've raised $460 so far-
$175 over our goal!

Oh my goodness! WGPR has received, in addition to the other very generous donations, a $300 donation. Bunny will be set for a very long time! Over 16 months of care have been paid for!

Thank you so much to those of you who have donated, and to those of you who will (or pass along Bunny's story). We greatly appreciate it! You're helping a guinea girl live her life in comfort.

(or, please contact me if you would like to send a check).

JUNE'S PIG OF THE MONTH-Bunny!

Meet Bunny
from the WI rescue

Wisconsin Guinea Pig Rescue!

From the Rescue:

Poor Bunny almost died from fright. This little girl had so little contact with humans at the start of her life that she was terrified of people and was nearly euthanized by the shelter for being too feral. No one thought to pick her up and give her any love or attention when she was a baby.



When she came into the Wisconsin Guinea Pig Rescue's care, she was so scared that she would sit trembling in her igloo whenever anyone came near her cage. Her foster mom did her very best to help Bunny get more comfortable. In the meantime, the rescue sought a very special home for her (someone with a LOT of patience), but no one stepped forward.

After several months, the foster home took in another scared piggy and cautiously introduced her to Bunny. It took days for the introduction because Bunny was too frightened to leave her corner to meet the other pig. Eventually, though, they did meet and now they hide from the scary humans together. So Bunny has a friend.



After years of being up for adoption with no interest, Bunny is now a permanent part of our pig sanctuary. She is still scared of all strangers but will now tentatively allow her foster mom to touch her on the head for a little scratch every now and then and will even sometimes beg for treats. She will remain in our sanctuary for her lifetime.

Will you help us to provide for Bunny? Our goal is to raise enough money to support her for 10 months in the rescue (pellets, hay, daily fresh veggies and one vet "well-piggy" check-up). At $25 a month for upkeep and $35 for the vet visit, that puts our goal at $285. Bunny had no love in the beginning, so we want to make up for it in her lifetime. Although the Wisconsin Guinea Pig Rescue is a small rescue, we believe in seeing that ALL our rescues live a full life, even if they don't find a forever home.

We reached our goal! AND Opie was neutered!

We've raised $338 so far-
we've reached our goal!

From an OCCH member:

"Opie was neutered today! He is doing well. He is eating hay and drinking water. He had some regular formed poops in his cage!

Thanks everyone for the donations, and GuineaPinny for fundraising for him. The donations covered all his pre-op, surgery, and post-op needs. He's recovering in style.

Here's the vet who neutered him. She did a wonderful job...the incision is so tiny and perfectly closed from inside. http://www.coteanimalhospital.com/




Opie in his recovery room"

MAY'S GUINEA PIG OF THE MONTH--Opie!

Meet Opie
from the CA rescue

Orange County Cavy Haven!

Opie is an absolutely adorable guinea pig who has a rather stigmatized problem. But unfortunately stigmatized. It's a a really, really painful and dangerous problem. During May we're going to try and raise the money to treat Opie's severe impaction (and we're not talking teeth). Please read on for this adorable guy's story and how you can potentially help save his life.

We are trying to fundraise $246 for Opie's neuter: broken down as $68 for the neuter, $15 for pain meds, $100 for Isofluorane, $12 nursing care, $15 fluids, and $36 exam, as well as some painkillers and antibiotics to take home.

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Orange County Cavy Haven had an 8 year old pig named Dusty who had recently lost a companion, but no one to pair him with. They contacted Wee Companions who had recently rescued Opie from an animal rescue in terrible condition. Opie arrived at the rescue, to the rescue! Unfortunately, the match was unsuccessful. The rescue thinks that poor Opie has never had a friend to live with, as although he can tolerate having other pigs nearby, when another pig is in his immediate presence he becomes incredibly fearful.

Opie didn't just arrive with emotional baggage. When Wee Companions transfered Opie to Cavy Haven they told them that his anal sac needed to be cleaned out every day. This can happen when a pig lives a lifetime of poor low-fiber diet and no exercise-the male's sac sags over time as muscle tone is lost. However Opie (at age 3 or 4) was too young for the severity of his condition.

While many pigs' conditions will improve with good diet and exercise, in some extreme cases the male has to be neutered, which removes the excess skin. It also prevents a dangerous condition from forming--unrelieved gas in a guinea pig can lead to gastric torsion, a situation that is almost always quick and fatal. Opie is already suffering from a repeated bacterial infection called enteritis, for which he has to take medication. His entire medication regimine (Metacam for pain, Reglan for G.I. motility, Charcoal for the gas, and Flagyl for the bacterial infection) costs $60 a month, but could be largely eliminated after Opie's neuter. Opie's neuter will also leave him much more comfortable, as he'll be able to pass his fecal pellets without aid.



Still, Opie's impaction issues aren't even the extent of it. His diarrhea kept returning, he was always bloated, and he strained when urinating. An x-ray at the vet revealed that Opie had two bladder stones! His neuter was put on the back burner for the stones to be surgically removed. Between the tests and the bladder stone surgery Opie's bills were $800 just in his first month at the rescue. He also suffers from arthritis (probably from being in such a small cage his whole life), and was initally overweight. Opie is a piggy who can't catch a break-aside from the enormous gain of being in the care of Orange County Cavy Haven!

Opie is just a sweetheart pig. He loves to have head petted, and will just stand there transfixed while you pet him. And he even tolerates his daily cleanings like a champ--he really gets along great with people if he's willing to put up with this! One of the largest benefits of the neuter would be that this poor pig, who has never had a guinea friend, would now be able to try living with a female. Opie could move from never having a friend to having a wife!

Thank you to all of you who help Opie find better health and possibly even love through funding his neuter!

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

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

We reached our goal!

We raised $366 this month!
We far surpassed our goal!

So far we've raised enough to pay for three months of Misha's bedding, three vet visits, three months of Destin and three months of hay and three months of veggies! (And now an extra month of veggies and bedding!)

Thank you so much to everyone who has fallen in love with this special little girl.

NEW: Sponsor a Guinea Pig is now on Facebook! Please friend SAGP and all the piggies. And now we're on Twitter too!