Posted in Health & Wellness

Guinea pigs are prey animals. They instinctively try to hide illnesses to minimize their chance of being singled out by prey. Proper care and keeping an eye out for changes in behavior and physical appearance can often be a signal that they are ill. Guinea pigs cannot produce their own vitamin C. Lack of it can lead to scurvy. A listless anima… read more

Posted in In Memoriam

There is an interesting article in the 12-14-08 front page of the Daily Herald, Dupage County Focus edition that looks at the emotional toll of losing a pet. The man featured in the story lost two of his dogs within two years of each other. He said noticed that the loss of a pet has little recognition in our society. He is among a growing numb… read more

Posted in In Memoriam

One of the recent journals asked whether you remembered all of your pets names. I think I do, plus I remember a lot about my grandparent's pets, too. My dad raised rabbits and canaries as a kids, but I remember the two dogs his brother and parents had when we would visit: Blackie and Skippy. Blackie was a big black dog, very friendly. My unc… read more

Posted in In Memoriam

One of the hardest decisions is how to tell when enough is enough when you have a guinea pig at the end of it's life. Most of the time when I take in a guinea pig, I have no idea of it's age. Quite often, you can tell a bit by the look of it's ears, shape of body or skin on it's feet. But, you really don't know for sure. And when a guinea pi… read more

Posted in In Memoriam

My yard is a graveyard. It’s the final resting place of assorted guinea pigs and one cockatiel. I’m not sure how others dispose of their deceased pets’ bodies, but in most cases, but not all, I bury them in my yard. The death of my animals gave my kids an early inkling of the cycle of life. Within each family, there are different ways to… read more