So sorry to hear about the passing away of your little sweet Barley!:( my
sympathies are with you.
Margi
--- Julie Thomas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Our little Barley finally left us last night. The tumor squeezed all
> the life out his frail body. We buried him this morning.
>
> As I had mentioned previously, he had lost most of the use of his back
> legs but was still able to get around. He was still eating and
> enthusiastically chewing up toilet paper tubes. He could even still
> climb up to my shoulder.
>
> Then last night he was abruptly worse. He was apparently unable to move
> about at all. When I picked him up he used his front paws to raise his
> head, but that seemed to be all he could manage. I set him down in a
> comfortable corner of his cage, resolved to have him put to sleep if he
> was still hanging on today.
>
> I didn't have to carry out that plan. He was gone when I checked on him
> before going to bed.
>
> I was fairly composed last night; I believe I'd done most of my
> grieving about a week ago. That night I had Pippin and Barley out on
> the couch. I picked up Barley, and he climbed up to my shoulder as
> usual. I got the distinct feeling that he was telling me he was ready
> to go--to the big gerbil-wheel in the sky. I cried a lot that night,
> already missing him.
>
> I thought about taking him in to the vet last week, but he still seemed
> to have life and spirit left. I didn't think it was time to end it yet.
> Last night I knew the end was very near. Michael got upset then. We
> reminisced about our sweet little Barley.
>
> Barley was born on October 27, 1998 (IIRC). He was only about 5 weeks
> old when we got him. (His mom was picking on him, so he was separated
> from his parents a bit early.) He was so young that his tail wasn't
> fully furred--it looked pink thru the thin coating of yellow fur! He
> was smaller than Pippin, who was born October 10.
>
> Barley was a FAST mover; I kept Pippin and Barley in a split cage for a
> week when I first got him, and one morning when I was switching sides,
> Barley got away from me! I couldn't get him right away, so Michael had
> to catch him for me after I left for work. Barley was so quick, Michael
> nicknamed him "Road Rage."
>
> Barley was my first argente golden. He was a hyper little guy, even for
> a gerbil! He was on the small side, the smallest of my four. He had a
> short life, but he did a lot of living. We loved him a lot.
>
>
>
> =====
> Julie & Michael (homo sapiens)
> Alex P. Kitten & The Little Rascal (felis catus)
> Reebo, Zooty, & Pippin ~RIP Barley~ (meriones unguiculatus)
> <In English, two humans with 2 cats and three gerbils>
>
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