Off to the vet with Murray

[FinnishLapphund]

I'm so sorry for your loss. He looks so sweet.

Don't know what else to say other than that cancer really sucks, and you did what was best for him. Hope Phineas copes as well as possible.

{{{{{{Hugs}}}}}}

 

[Highmileagecob]

Oh dear. So sorry for your loss. They really do grab a place in your heart don't they?

 

[nagblagger]

Sorry to hear this news, sending hugs.

 

[AmyMay]

Was really hoping he’d pick up for you. I’m so sorry xx

 

[ycbm]

Sadly we had Murray put to sleep this morning. Saw the same vet as yesterday, who was quite shocked at Murray’s decline in just 24 hours. He could also feel fluid in his stomach today, which he said could be a sign that the small mass he felt yesterday is actually a tumour. Murray hadn’t eaten anything this morning and had not even bothered with his veggies, which he normally lives for.
I decided it would be kinder to let him go rather than subject him to anything else.

I’ve had lots of piggies over the years, but I really had a soft spot for this chap.
View attachment 104676

I'm so sorry Scats, but what a brave owner you are not to try to keep him going with invasive tests and treatments. You didn't need this on top of the injury, I hope you can still get some enjoyment out of Christmas.
.

 

[fankino04]

So sorry to read this update, sending lots of hugs xx

 

[SO1]

Sorry to hear this. How lovely he is.

Such a hard decision and bad luck. It is so hard losing a beloved pet.

 

[julesjoy]

Oh no I'm so sorry to read your update, a brave decision.

 

[scats]

Thank you. He was such a lovely chap and it broke my heart to see him suffering. Within a few days he went from running over and squeaking when he heard me coming, to just lying there uninterested. I’m just glad that his suffering was minimal.

He came to me in 2019 with his brother Keaton. A lady answered my wanted advert on preloved. I wanted to take on two pigs who needed a home rather than get babies from a pet shop and this lady’s daughter had got them 6 months earlier, then promptly moved out to live with her boyfriend and told her parents to get rid of the pigs. The parents had been chucking carrots in for them but admitted they knew nothing about Guinea pigs and were unsure what to do with them, then they saw my advert. They had had no hay or pellets for weeks. They were thin and had been chewing each others ears and Keaton had awful skin.

I hope they had a lovely life here. They were certainly treated like kings. Sadly Keaton died this summer of an abdominal tumour and it looks like Murray had the same. Unfortunately they are quite common in piggies.

 

[Apercrumbie]

Oh I'm so sorry Scats, piggles are just so lovely and Murray was clearly a lovely one. Take care of yourself x

 

[Apercrumbie]

Oh I'm so sorry Scats, piggles are just so lovely and Murray was clearly a lovely one. Take care of yourself x

 

[Rumtytum]

So sorry Scats, you must be devastated. He was a very handsome boy and obviously great company; doing the right thing just hurts so much.

 

[splashgirl45]

So sorry Scats, those little chaps really are characters. I cried buckets when I took one of mine to the vets and she had to be PTS, she was called Fudge and was only 4, she had a tumour so no choice… you gave him a lovely life after him and his brother being neglected and you have now done the kindest thing for him. Look after yourself and try and enjoy Christmas

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

Sorry for the sad loss of Murray.

 

[scats]

I’m going to see how Phineas gets on alone over the next week or so. He was quite traumatised after Murray bullied him and just went into hiding. They were never close, they sort of lived separate lives in the same cage. Once they were separated he really came out of his shell so I’m quite apprehensive about finding him a new friend. The plan for now is he’ll spend a lot of time out with me when I’m in the house. He can come and sit downstairs in the daytimes so he’s not on his own.
We gave him lots of extra enrichment in his house yesterday, a new cuddly toy, new tunnels and things to chew and he seems happy this morning. He’s had his veg, a huge pile of hay and some pellets. I’m going to go up and treat him to some pea flakes in a minute.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

It's lovely to hear that Phineas started to come out of his shell after that you separated them, and seeing how he reacts first, before getting him a new companion, sounds like a good idea. Only because they're supposed to live together with others, one still need to look at the individual, and after having been bullied by Murray, maybe Phineas would just be scared/intimidated if you try to introduce another Guinea Pig.

By the way, if it needs saying, I don't blame Murray for the bullying at all. Maybe he was sensing he was starting to get sick, and decided it was best to try to beat up Phineas, before Phineas might try to beat up Murray when he was weakened by illness. Either way, blaming an animal for a behaviour which we view as bullying, is to me like blaming a lion for eating a zebra.
Murray was still a lovely Guinea Pig, just not to Phineas.

{{{{{{Hugs}}}}}}

 

[scats]

It's lovely to hear that Phineas started to come out of his shell after that you separated them, and seeing how he reacts first, before getting him a new companion, sounds like a good idea. Only because they're supposed to live together with others, one still need to look at the individual, and after having been bullied by Murray, maybe Phineas would just be scared/intimidated if you try to introduce another Guinea Pig.

By the way, if it needs saying, I don't blame Murray for the bullying at all. Maybe he was sensing he was starting to get sick, and decided it was best to try to beat up Phineas, before Phineas might try to beat up Murray when he was weakened by illness. Either way, blaming an animal for a behaviour which we view as bullying, is to me like blaming a lion for eating a zebra.
Murray was still a lovely Guinea Pig, just not to Phineas.

{{{{{{Hugs}}}}}}

It may well have been that because they got on fine at first. They were never really close but they were fine together after they were introduced and lived in harmony for months, so it very strange how it suddenly turned. Murray wasn’t an aggressive pig either, he was actually the one who used to get bossed around by his previous cage mate, so it definitely was out of character.
It’s funny because Murray was always in Keaton’s shadow, he was far more timid, but when Keaton died, he came out of his shell and I bonded with him so much more as a result. He went from being a piggy who ran away from people, to one who would run over and say hello. I think that’s why I clicked so much with him over the last few months. Plus I had to empty his bum daily, which tends to bring you rather close ?