[Gpdd] RAINBOW BRIDGE: SCAMP Scarecrow has departed

[DebJonSara at aol.com]

With once again a very heavy heart I have to announce that our dear eldest  
SCAMP, Scarecrow, aka "Skiggy" , departed for the Rainbow Bridge during last  
night. She was fine when fed during the evening - we had taken to putting her 
in  a cage on her own at mealtimes, as she was always our lightest piggie, and 
ate  more slowly than the others, although she could certainly put it away and 
I'm  sure had no dental problems. The heaviest she ever weighed was 877g, but 
the  last time I weighed her she was only 663g, and those who know me will 
know I  have had concerns about her weight loss for a while - though it has to 
be said,  ALL the SCAMP Dolly Mixtures have lost weight over the past year.
 
Scarecrow was one of the original 5 little girl pigs from which I was to  
choose one in January 2003, leaving the rest to return to freeze to death or be  
fed to crocodiles. Needless to say, we kept all 5 then went back for 22 more,  
including 5 pregnant mums, the next day, and proceeded to find home for them. 
 Scarecrow was only a nickname for her, as she was a scruffy little teenager, 
fur  spiked out in all directions; her forever owner was supposed to give her 
a  forever name when he took her. But the little boy liked the name and kept 
it. I  remember telling his mum (who was eventually persuaded to take 6!) that 
guinea  pigs never bit, only to learn when they came back their second time 
to increase  the 2 to 6, that Scarecrow had, in fact, bitten Jack, the little 
boy, quite  hard, though it was in protest at being bathed!
 
We minded Scarecrow (and her now-departed chums Chestnut, Cherry, Scruff,  
and Fidget) when the family went away on holidays, then they had to move into an 
 apartment and the boy refused to let the piggies go to anyone but me, so I 
got  them all back. Scrabble is the only one of those 6 who has not gone to The 
 Bridge, and he is struggling against bumblefoot at present. 
 
Scarecrow, in spite of always being the smallest Dolly Mixture, was one of  
the most feisty. She had a persistent though almost silent wheek when there was 
 a possibility of being fed, and since she had been getting the preferential  
treatment of being lifted out and given her own private food supply, she was  
always quick to present herself to be picked up. She survived a nasty abscess 
on  her neck the size of a golf ball in summer 2005, thanks partly to our vet 
 (credit where it is due), and gave us a scare last September when her  
weight went down to 575g. She lived last winter in the same cage as Cherry (who  
went to The Bridge earlier this year) and Soulage, who is still going strong,  
though also gradually losing weight. You may remember my posting about the way  
Soulage licked Scarecrow's eyes. 
 
As you may know, I found Pirouette in the same way, dead in the cage in the  
morning after seeming fine the previous evening, and Fidget and Cherry just in 
 the evening. I always sing them the Rainbow Bridge song with their evening 
feed  now, just in case, and there is an element of dread in my heart each 
morning  when I let them out, just in case they don't all appear. Scarecrow's body 
seemed  still warm this morning, and was not stiff, so I don't think she had 
been gone  long. 
 
If it's not too morbid, can I ask a question? Do most other people's  piggies 
have their eyes open at departure? I think all mine have had their eyes  
open. I like to think they have just fallen asleep and not woken up again, but  it 
is hard to believe that when their eyes are open. I know they say they sleep  
with their eyes open because they are prey animals, but I have seen mine 
sleep  with their eyes closed when they are relaxed. I hate to think that they die 
 feeling frightened. 
 
So once again I am back to just 10 Dolly Mixtures, and one with bumblefoot  
which is proving stubborn to treat. As you know, I had been dreading this year, 
 when they almost all turned 5, and it seems I was right to do so.
 
Run free, little Skiggy. I know you know you were loved, because I told you  
so every night as I kissed you. We will all miss you terribly, as you were 
such  a lively little character right to the end, and though you looked like a  
scarecrow when you were little, you turned into a beautiful little lady, both  
inside and out. Thank you for being our friend.
 
Debbie (and 10 sad Dolly Mixtures)