Hello, List,
Sadly, we are without gerbies. Last Thursday evening, August 2, we had
our little Luigi put to sleep. He was 3 1/2 years old and had a scent gland
tumor. The tumor first made its appearance last March, but it didn't seem to
bother him and I was busy with school, so it was May before we took him to
the vet. The vet explained that we could spent $160 to have the tumor removed
and biopsied, but because of his age there was no guarantee that it would
extend his life in any significant way. Since it didn't seem to bother Luigi,
the vet and I agreed to let it go until it started effecting his quality of
life. Because of our experience with Mario last December, we had a better
idea of what to look for, and watched him closely for signs of distress.
We knew he was getting older, moving slower, etc., but he still seemed to
enjoy doing gerbily things, like chomping cardboard, climbing up his tubes to
get a treat, or having a good romp on the couch. The first sign of trouble
was Wednesday when, instead of sleeping in his nest box like usual, he slept
out in the open under the water bottle (something Mario had done in the days
just before he passed). On Thursday, he spent a lot of time with his head in
the corner, his back to the world. We could see that his breathing was
labored, he couldn't climb up his tubes and didn't eat the treats he was
offered, and on the couch he retreated under the throw pillow (his safe spot)
and stayed there. At times he also appeared to be losing his balance,
coordination and control of his limbs.
I didn't want him to suffer the way we, in our ignorance, had let happen
to Mario. When I told my daughters that we would have to have him put to
sleep soon, they all wanted to be there with him, so then it became a matter
of scheduling. Because of my oldest daughter's job, we could all get together
only in the evening. Should I get it over with Thursday night, or wait till
Friday night and have him suffer through another day? We opted for Thursday.
Sadly, when we took Luigi for a ride to the vet in his little travel cage, it
was an adventure for him, and he seemed to rally, becoming active and curious
again. It makes me wonder if I was too hasty? But I remind myself that he
wasn't ever going to get better, that he might have lasted another day or
two, but we would ultimately come to the same situation, and that he lived 3
1/2 years -- a pretty good life for a gerby.
Luigi went quickly, in my hands and surrounded by all the people who
loved him. We buried him in our backyard, under the bottle tree, next to
Mario, his brother and cagemate for 3 years. May they rest in peace.
Thanks for listening.
Bye for now,
Mo
