What is that Noise?

This past Monday I got home in the early afternoon as usual.  However, I found Alfalfa in a bit of a compromising situation.  He was asleep, out cold, in his hay half buried in the stuff.  He was on his side using the hay as a pillow.  It was so cute.  I broke out laughing at him.  Alfalfa woke and stretched.  He looked up at me with an annoyed look, realized it was me, and jumped.  I had scared him.  Alfalfa wheeked at me as loud as he could manage.   He was obviously annoyed with me.  “Sorry…” I murmured sarcastically, “I didn’t mean to interrupt your beauty sleep…” Alfalfa sniffed and started to nonchalantly chew on his hay.  He was trying to play off the scare.  I giggled again and went about getting his dinner ready.

As I was preparing dinner, I heard a faint noise.  I stopped chopping carrots and listened.  It sounded like someone was rubbing my window.  I walked over to the blinds and looked.  Nothing.  “Odd,” I said to the empty view.  I closed the blinds and went back to my dinner preparations.  Several minutes later I heard the sound again.  “What the heck is that?” I asked a quiet and empty apartment.  Alfalfa walked around the corner and looked up at me.  “Was that you?” I asked him.  He huffed at me.  “Yes, I know,” I said, “less talk and more dinner…”

“Smile!” – A

I finished Alfalfa’s dinner, gave it to him, and started to work on my own dinner.  I didn’t hear the noise for the rest of the night and quickly forgot all about it.  Later that night, I was woken from a sound sleep.  I sat up in bed and felt my heart start to beat faster and faster.  I felt like something was in the apartment.  I reached over and turned on my lamp.  The dark apartment came alive with light.  There was nothing but silence.  Alfalfa walked out from under the bed.  He looked annoyed at me for walking him up…the second time that day.  “What?” I said to him, “I thought I heard something.”  He huffed at me and went back under the bed. I sighed and turned off the light.  ‘What the hell was that noise?’ I thought.

I slept through the night without further incident.  On Tuesday, I got home and just like Monday, I started to prepare Alfalfa’s food.  I heard the rubbing sound again.  I froze.  ‘Déjà vu?’ I thought.  I held my breath and listened.  The rubbing noises continued.  I carefully put my knife down and turned.  Silence.  I heard Alfalfa let out some small eeps of pleasure.  ‘Where was that trouble maker?’ I thought.  ‘This better not be all about Rags…’ is what also came to mind.  I carefully tip-toed through the kitchen into my work area.  I stood still and listened.  Again, there was nothing but silence.

“Hey, mom! Is this good here?” – A

‘This is stupid,’ I thought after several minutes.  ‘I am an idiot for sneaking around my own apartment listening for noises.’  I sighed and was about to move when the noise came again…louder.  Then it stopped.  I took a step forward.  Nothing.  I took several light steps into the junction between the hall and living room.  I looked left into the living room.  The room was quiet.  Then I looked right down the small hall.  Alfalfa was standing there sniffing the wall.

I froze. I didn’t want him to know I was watching him.  Alfalfa turned away from the wall and put his butt up against it.  He began to vigorously rub butt-wax on the wall.  His rubbing made that noise that was driving me crazy.  “ALFALFA PIG!” I yelled.  Alfalfa jumped and took off for the bed.  I walked over to the wall to inspect his work.  There was a butt-waxed area along the baseboard.  It was about 12 inches long and three inches wide.  He had been busy.

I sighed at the sight.  “Oh, Alfalfa…” was all I could say.  I heard him eep at my feet.  “Dude?” I asked him pointing at the waxed spot, “was that totally necessary?”  Alfalfa turned his head and gave me that ‘you’re a stupid human’ look he has perfected.  I turned and walked towards the kitchen to get my paint scraper.  I planned to use it to remove the butt-wax from the wall.  I had my head half under the sink looking for it when the noise came again.  I popped back out from under the sink.  Sure enough he was at it again.  “Darn it!” I yelled and got up to stop my devil guinea pig from butt-waxing the wall.  When I got in view of him I said, “GOT YOU!”  Alfalfa bolted again.

I had to stop Alfalfa several times from rubbing his butt-wax on the wall.  I tried cleaning the spot with bleach.  But it didn’t cut through the wax as well as I wanted.  I was forced to go out and get a stronger cleaner help with the spot.  It was an all-natural orange cleaner.  After cleaning, I saw Alfalfa approach the spot.  He sniffed it and sneezed.  “Oh,” I said, “don’t like orange?”  Later that evening, I was sitting down on my couch when I heard Alfalfa rubbing his butt on the wall again.  The orange smell must have worn off.  “Alfalfa Pig!” I called from the couch as I turned to see him freeze mid butt rub.  “CAUGHT!” I yelled and he bolted.  I got up and put a small amount of cage fencing along the section of the wall he was waxing. I went to bed.  I calculate it may have worked for at most eight hours.  In the morning it was down and it was clear that Alfalfa had been butt-waxing the wall again.  I give up…  I just give up…

Medicine, Oven Mitts, and Oh My!

Alfalfa was put on three medications after his surgery: a pain medication, an antibiotic, and a probiotic for his system.  During the best of time, Alfalfa is not what I would call the most cooperative guinea pig.  When he is not feeling well, he goes out of his way to cause issues…

The other day when I was giving Alfalfa his medication, I tried to sweet talk him out of his pig-a-loo.  “Dude,” I coaxed, “Duuuude…”  Alfalfa stuck his out of the pig-a-loo.  “Do you want your meds?” I stupidly asked.  Alfalfa huffed at me and stuck his head back into his house.  “I’ll take that as a no,” I said to him.  I sat down in front of his cage and popped open the door.  “Dude?” I called.  Alfalfa stuck his head back out of his house.  “Come here, dude…”  Again Alfalfa huffed at me, turned, and went back into his pig-a-loo.  Several seconds later his butt appeared in the entrance of the pig-a-loo.  “Silly boy,” I called to him.  In response, he lifted his butt and let several bean fly.

“This is my bud Kiwi. He shared his apple to help me feel better..” – A

“Oh, my goodness…” I said with mock shock, “You are such a bad boy,” I gently admonished Alfalfa as he turned around to inspect his handy work.  He sniffed at the beans.  “Yeup, that was you, silly man…”  I didn’t want to let my guinea pig know that I was secretly proud that he was pooping.  It was nice to see he was feeling better.  “Ok,” I announced getting his attention, “Time for your medicine…”  At those words, Alfalfa went back into his house and started chattering his teeth at me.

“Oh,” I giggled, “You mad bro?”  I lifted the pig-a-loo and reached for Alfalfa.  That was a mistake.  He promptly bit my unprotected hand.  “OUCH!” I yelled retracting my hand and dropping the pig-a-loo.  Alfalfa let out a warning hiss at me.  “I’m the one that should be hissing at you!” I gently admonished the furious guinea pig.  Alfalfa had managed to break my skin.  I stuck my bleeding finger in my mouth.  “All right,” I said around it, “You wanna play pig?  We can play…”  Alfalfa must have heard my tone.  He reacted at it by hissing at me again.

I got up and walked over to the kitchen.  I stopped and surveyed the potential implements of defense I could use.  I looked at the wooden spoon.  I quickly decided that that particular implement was not appropriate for the situation…and a bit mean…  Then I looked at the spatula next to it…  I thought, ‘What the hell am I going to do with that?  Nothing…’  I moved on.  I needed something soft and protective.  I continued to survey the kitchen and landed on my oven mitts.   That was more like it.  I grabbed them and put them on.  They were my nice green ones that match the doilies, heat pads, sink towels, and other cooking items in my kitchen.  I walked towards Alfalfa cage with my hands up in front of me.  I looked like a surgeon preparing to enter the operating room.

“Here we go,” I said walking up to Alfalfa’s cage.  He popped his head out of his pig-a-loo, took one look at me, chattered his teeth, and promptly went back into his house.   I sat down on the floor.  I reached in and attempted to pick up Alfalfa’s pig-a-loo with my oven mitt.  I couldn’t grab it.  The mitt was an impediment.  I took it off and placed it at the entrance to the house.  Alfalfa freaked out.  He started jumping and hissing at the oven mitt.  He lunged and grabbed at it successfully managing to grab the offending mitt and drag it into his house.  “Dude!” I said.  “Are you mad at it or do you want to marry it?” Alfalfa’s pig-a-loo continued to dance up and down.  I had to stop this before he got too carried away and damaged his surgical site.

I threw off the other oven mitt and grabbed the pig-a-loo yanking it off of the freaking out Alfalfa.   “PIG!” I said in a firm tone, “Calm down…”  I scooped up Alfalfa being careful of his surgical site.  For my careful handling I was rewarded with a bite.  He got the meaty part of my left hand.  “OUCH!” I yelled shifting him to lie on my chest with my right hand under his butt.  Alfalfa was not going to make this easy.   I stood up and walked over to my desk.  I had the medication measured and ready to go.  I placed Alfalfa down on the towel and sat down.

“Elizabeth sent me a picture of her toes. They look tasty!” – A

“Is this going to be a daily battle?” I asked the huffing pig.  “If so, I may need to drink a large glass of fortifying alcohol before each battle we have…”  Alfalfa didn’t care.  He made a move to jump off of the desk.  “No, no, no,” I said putting my hand on his back to keep him in one spot.  I had to figure out how to give a mad, squirmy, and biting guinea pig medication.  This was going to be a problem…a big problem.

I placed my left forearm flat on the desk and backed Alfalfa into the crux of my elbow.  Once his butt was against the inside of my arm, I moved it towards my body.  This effectively trapped the mad man between my arm and my body.  He tried to move forward.  I pulled my left hand towards his chest and completed the blockade.  “Ha,” I teased.  Alfalfa looked up at me with pitiful eyes and let out a loud squeal of sorrow.  “Oh, baby,” I said and leaned down and kissed the top of his head.  He huffed at me.  He was resigned to his fate.

I grabbed the first syringe with my right hand.  “Ok,” I said in a calm and gentle voice, “Be a good boy for me…”  I moved the syringe towards his mouth.  Alfalfa turned his head and began to turn it from side to side.  “Dude, cut it out…”  He continued to writhe at my attempts to get the syringe in his mouth.  I paused to allow him time to calm down.  My tactic worked.  He paused for a second to figure out what I was up to.  I quickly but gently shoved the syringe in his mouth.  I depressed the plunger dispensing the medication.  “HA!” I said

I looked at Alfalfa and saw that all of the medication was smeared across his face and in his beard.  “Crap!” is all I could get out.  Alfalfa looked up at me with this smug expression.  He let out a wheek of victory.  “Bratt,” was all I could say to him.  “You are not going to win this time…”  He went from arrogant to pathetic in less than one second.  I leaned down and kissed the top of his head again.  I lingered breathing in his scent.  He smelled like hay and boy pig.  It was wonderful.  I whispered into his fur, “Please take your medication…you need it to get better…I love you and want you to get better…ok, dude?”  Alfalfa relaxed at the sound of my voice.

I took the opportunity to and quickly slipped him his other two doses of medication.  I reloaded the first syringe and slipped that into his mouth successfully delivering the precious liquid.  “Good boy,” I cooed and bent forward to kiss his head again.  Alfalfa was tired of the head kissing.  He lifted his head and bit my chin.  “Ouch,” I said pulling back.  He began to squirm.  “All right,” I conceded, “Back to the cage…”  I carefully carried by baby back to his cage.  He ran into his pig-a-loo leaving a nice view of his butt.  “Oh, pig,” I said, “You are so silly…  I love you so much.”  I closed his cage.  Alfalfa let out a huge wheek from his cage.  “Yes, yes, yes, I know,” I said walking to the refrigerator, “Food now, talk later…”

“And I got two hats from Auntie Jade!” – A

Next week I will publish a letter to all of the people that have helped Alfalfa through his medical issues.  There will be no blog the first week of January.  Then I will resume the normal blog posting on January 9^th.  The one year anniversary of “Alfalfa’s Adventures” is coming up soon. I could use some suggestions on how to celebrate it… As always thanks for your love and support.  Our fans are the best. 

Alfalfa’s Big Vet Visit and a Warning

Alfalfa’s surgery was scheduled for Monday.  So when I got home from school on Monday and was faced with a daunting task…I had to pack for his overnight stay.  I stood in front of his cage staring at all of the ‘stuff’ he has.  I realized that he was a spoiled little dude and was used to a high level of comfort. I had no idea where to start…no idea.  As I stood there, Alfalfa walked up next to me.  I looked down at him, “Dude,” I sighed, “What do you want me to pack for you?” He looked up at me and popcorned.  “You want a treat, don’t you?” I asked reaching down towards his treat bag on the shelf.  Alfalfa ran a zoomie in a circle and did several more popcorns.  I handed him a carrot treat and went back to complicating this daunting task.

I finally found a cloth bag that I thought was big enough.  I got out the plastic baggies and went to task.  The food was first on my mental list.  I bagged:  timothy hay, fresh spring mix, carrot slices, cucumber slices, apple slices, and a small bag of Critical Care.  I placed all of that in the selected bag.  It was too small already.  So, I got out a medium size cloth bag.  I placed all of the items inside.  They fit and there was room to spare.  The next thing on my list was housing items that he might need.  I gathered his: water bottle, feeding dish, and pig-a-loo.  I went to place the items in the bag and promptly ran out of room.  “Aughhhh…” was all I could say as I went in search for another bag.

I finally found the large cloth bag I owned.  I unpacked the now insufficient medium bag placing the items into the large bag.  I also placed the new items into the large bag.  ‘Ok,’ I thought, ‘Now what?’

“A kiss for my baby…”

He needed his blankets.  So, I grabbed two of his blankets that were not washed for him and put them in the bag.  That’s when I realized that I was packing more for my guinea pig than I would for myself for an overnight stay.  I packed the car and grabbed Alfalfa for the trip down to the vet.

Of course, I cried the entire way down to the vet’s office.  By the time I got down there, my eyes were puffy and streaked with tears.  I was a total mess.  I unpacked the car.  I carried a huge bag of stuff, a pet carrier, my purse, and Alfalfa in a cozy sack into the vet’s office.  When I walked through the door, the receptionists looked up at me.  Both of them had wide eyed surprised looks on their face when they saw me.  Imagine me with a carrier, bag, guinea pig in a cozy sack, with tears on my cheeks and puffy eyes…  I was a mess and a sight to see.  To their credit they recovered quickly and cleared their faces of surprise.  I approached the desk and plopped everything I had down.  I placed Alfalfa on the counter in his cozy.  I spoke first, “Hi,” I said with a bit of relief, “I’m here to drop off Alfalfa.”

“Ok,” the receptionist said.  “Who is all of this stuff for?”  She was truly confused about why I had so much stuff with me.

“I think I over packed for him…” was all I could get out before bursting into tears again.  The receptionist handed me a box of tissues.  “Thank you,” I said grabbing one and handing back the box.

“No,” she replied, “you can keep it…you need it.”  I checked in Alfalfa and went to sit with him waiting for the vet tech.  I felt like the entire waiting room was looking at me.  The vet-tech came out and was surprised to see me surrounded with all of the stuff.  She sat down and I started babbling, “I over packed for him…I didn’t know what to pack, so I packed it all…How do you prepare for a guinea pig overnight trip?  I didn’t know…I just packed it all.”

The vet tech put her hand on mine and said calmly, “It’s ok, explain what you brought for him to me…”  I went through all of his stuff and why it was here. To her credit, she did not blink or question my reasoning behind the items.  As I sat and explained the items to her I started to calm down.  “Let me take this stuff and get a house ready for him,” she told me.  “I will be back to get him in a couple of minutes.”

I started crying again.  I hugged Alfalfa and kissed him on his head.  He quietly chattered back to me.  I smelled his fur and was comforted by Alfalfa’s unique scent.  I love the smell of Alfalfa’s fur.  The vet tech came back to sit near me again.  “Listen,” I said to her, “I have to warn you about this boy…”

“Go ahead,” she said.

“He’s a bad boy,” I explain.

“That’s ok,” she said reaching out and petting his head, “We can handle bad boys here…”

“Not like this guy,” I said with as serious of a tone as I could muster.  “He may bite, he may try to jump out of your hands, he may try to poop on you, he may try to pee on you…”

“That’s all pretty normal,” she said.

“He has a bad attitude…he’s an Abby.  Have you ever dealt with Abby guinea pigs with attitude?” I asked.

“I’m sure we have,” she reassured me.

“Ok,” I said with some doubt, “he is a free-ranger.  He doesn’t like cages.  He will run around the cage and try to break out.  He will cause as much havoc as he can.”  The vet tech giggled a bit.  “I am totally serious.  He doesn’t like most men and most strangers.”

“We are good with animals here…” she reassured me.

“I know you are,” I stated.  “But this thing,” I said using my chin to point at Alfalfa, “has scared the maintenance guy out of the apartment.”  The vet tech was giggling again.  “The next door neighbor calls him ‘El Diablo’.”

“Ok,” she said finally conceded to my serious nature, “I’ll put a note on the cage that he’s a possible problem child.”

“Thanks,” I said.  I gave Alfalfa one more cuddle and kiss.  I handed him off to the vet tech.  As I watched her walk back to the office area I heard Alfalfa let out one huge wheek.  He was saying, ‘Don’t leave me mom!’  I started crying again.

On Tuesday I went to pick him up after the surgery.  The vet tech came out to talk to me about his medicine and recovery.  She sat down next to me and sighed.  “Oh, no,” I said, “He was a bad boy…”

“He’s a wild child,” she replied.

“What did he do?” I asked.  “How bad was he?”

“He ran in his cage all day yesterday,” she explained. “He would not calm down.  He is feisty.”

“Yeup,” I said, “I warned you…”

“Was he loud?” I asked.

“Nope, he made a huge mess…” she said.

“Yeup, that’s typical,” I sighed.

“It took the amnestic to calm him down…” she giggled.  I saw another vet tech with Alfalfa and ran over to her.

“Oh, baby,” I sighed.  I carefully took him out of her hands.

“Be careful,” she cautioned me.

“I will be careful,” I promised.  “Oh, baby boy,” I said into his fur smelling him.  “I missed you and I love you so much.”  I kissed his head and sat down for the medication instructions from the vet tech.  My baby was coming home.

Here is quick video of Alfalfa’s recovery:  Alfalfa’s Recovery Video

Author’s Note:  I want to thank everyone who has help Alfalfa make it to this point so far.  He still has some recovery to go but, it is looking good.  He is eating and pooping.  Those are two good signs that he is on the right path.  I am grateful to all the good thoughts, prayers, advice, recommendations, posts, and everything else.  I could not have made it here without your help.  You are a truly special.  Words cannot express how I feel about having Alfalfa home now.  I keep checking on him to make sure he is ok.  When he looks back at me with that cute face, I feel as if I am one of the luckiest people in the world right now.

My Toes, a Pedicure, and Alfalfa

Recently, I have started getting the occasional manicure/pedicure.  I found great place nearby.  And the man that does my nails is truly awesome.  He is from Vietnam.  His English is good although he does speak with an accent.  Sometimes when I am talking with him, there are some small cultural differences that make understanding each other difficult.  One funny example of this is when he found a bite mark on one of my toes during a pedicure.  He asked me why it was there.  The conversation that ensued was one of mistakes, misunderstandings, and funny explanations…

“I see cut…” Din asked me

“Cut?” I asked pulling my leg up to inspect the foot.

Din pointed at my toe, “There…” he said as if it were obvious.

“Oh,” I said knowing exactly what he was talking about.  “That’s not a cut…that’s a bite mark…”

“Oh, no,” Din replied truly taken aback by anything going after my toes.

“Oh,” I said flippantly, “don’t worry about it… It was my guinea pig…”

“Sup?” – A

“You have pig?!?” he half remarked half yelled.  Din turned to his neighbor and said something in Vietnamese.  The girl working on the client next to me looked at me with amazement and said something back to Din.  They were very excited.

“Pig?” I asked.  “No, a guinea pig…” I said holding my hands up to indicate the size.

“Oh,” Din said knowingly.  He looked at my toe. “Baby pig?” he finally asked.

“No,” I said starting to giggle.  I took a deep breath remembering that there was a cultural divide between us right now.  “A guinea pig…  Hold on,” I said going for my purse.  I thought that if I showed him a picture of Alfalfa he might understand better.  Din grabbed my foot and plunged it back into the water.  I was knocked off balanced and my phone went flying.  The next several second were in slow motion.  I watched as the phone headed for the foot well full to the brim with water.  Din looked up just in time to react and catch nothing but air…  The phone bounced off the edge of the well and went skittering off on the floor right towards the sleeping dog.  Oh, did I forget to mention that there is a beautiful German-Shepard mix that roams the store.  He is a great dog.  I have pet and played with him several times before.  The owner of the nail salon tells everyone, “He is always well-behaved and well-mannered…”  I didn’t care at that moment… All I saw way my phone heading his way.   “Crap!” I yelled going to get out of the pedicure bath.

“I get it for you…” Din said jumping up.  Just then I saw the sleeping dog open his eyes and put his head up sniffing at the phone.  He must have decided that it smelled good…and because it smelled good, it must taste good.  The dog turned his head and grabbed my phone with his mouth.  Din yelled, “NO!” and them something in Vietnamese at the dog.  I swear because it was my phone, the ‘always well-behaved dog’ decided that it was time to break that well-behaved spell.  The dog did not drop the phone.  Nope.  It took off with my phone in his mouth.

Din yelled again.  The lady that was working next to Din popped up and took off after the dog that was half way across the room.  I jumped out of the pedicure bath and attempted to give chase also.  I forgot one important thing:  my feet were wet.  Yeup.  Slick floor, wet feet, and stupid me.  I wound up taking two steps and falling on my ass.  Bam!  I was down.  As I sat there in complete misery, I heard the owner and the other lady yelling at the dog. Din walked up behind me and asked, “You ok?”

“I don’t like the vet but I’m glad I have my mom…” – A

“Nope,” was all I could get out.  I was in a lot of pain…a pain in the butt that is…  Din tried to grab me to help me up.  “No,” I said turning to look at him.  “Just leave me for a minute…”  I heard a commotion from the front of the store.  The dog came running towards me and slid to a stop right at my feet.  Din said something and the dog dropped the phone at my feet.  Both ladies came up behind the dog and he took off past us.  The owner picked up my phone and began to rub off the dog slobber on her shirt.

She handed me the ‘clean’ phone after several shirt swipes with a quick, “Sorry.”  She offered her hand to help me up.

“Thanks, but I can do it…” I said looking down at the phone.  There were some new small scratches on the case and the screen cover needed to be replaced but that was it.  Both the owner and the other lady went back to their clients.  I pulled the damaged screen cover off of the phone and handed it to Din.  “Want to see a picture of my guinea pig?” I asked from the floor.

“Ok,” he said, “Maybe you sit on chair?”

“Yeup,” I said finally taking his proffered hand.  I got back into the pedicure chair. I pulled up pictures of Alfalfa and showed it to him.  He agreed that he was a handsome pig.  After my pedicure, I sat down for a manicure.

Din was still curious about the bite on my toe.  He asked, “How did you pig escape?”

“Oh, no,” I said laughing, “He’s a free-ranger…”

“Free-rang-er?” Din asked completely confused.  It took me the rest of my manicure to explain that one to him.  After all, how do you explain Alfalfa to someone to anyone…  I can’t explain him to myself and I’m his mom…  (And by the way, because of the dog incident, the owner didn’t make me pay for the services I received.  But, I did give Din a good tip!.)

 

 

P.S. – If you are interested in helping with Alfalfa’s medical care, we have started a Chip In fund for him.  We are almost at our goal.  His surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, December 11.  He is going to have a double mastectomy.  All funds will go towards his care.  Any unused funds will be donated to a guinea pig rescue.  Thank you to all of the Angles that have given already.  God bless you.  And please say a prayer that my baby boy does well and recovers fast.

http://coppscaviesguineapigrescue.chipin.com/alfalfa-the-guinea-pig

I Am Thankful

My Dearest Alfalfa,

I wanted to write an open letter to you this Thanksgiving to let you know how truly grateful I am to have you in my life.  On the first day I met you, I knew that you were something special.  I didn’t know how special you were or how much I would grow to love you.

I am thankful for me!  – A

At first, you were sick.  Together we worked to get you better.  No matter what needed to be done, you patiently trusted me.  You trusted that everything I did would be in your best interest.  I remember looking into your eyes and seeing your faith in me.  Never once did that faith waver.  You taught me the true meaning of trust.

Then, you were crazy.  You were a strong willed guinea pig that didn’t know proper care.  You lashed out at me when I treated you correctly.  It made my heart break to have you cry when I cut your nails.  You didn’t know what was going on or why it was happening.  But, slowly you learned to accept my care.  I taught you how wonderful it was to be properly treated.  You learned that you deserved to be properly treated.  You taught me the true meaning of patience.

Next, you were strong.  You refused to be kept in a locked cage.  I had to rearrange the entire apartment for you.  You didn’t like other people in your territory.  So, you went after people like the maintenance guy, the crazy blessing neighbor, and the rude tax lady.  You ran away from the vet and causes chaos where ever you went.  Although you may have been stubborn, you never ran away from me.  You taught me the true meaning of being unique.

Next, you were accepting.  We learned to get along and each other’s routines.  You finally started acting like somewhat of a normal guinea pig.  You bit my toes, starting eating timothy hay, and started responding when I called your name.  You still refused to be kept in a locked cage.  But that was something I was willing to accept as one of your flaws.  Neither of us was truly ‘normal’.  We accepted each other’s flaws and quirks.  You taught me the true meaning of normalcy.

Finally, we come to today.  You are Alfalfa.  You still continue to grow each and every day.  I look at you and see your strength.  You have been through so much but still continue to give back to me each day.  You are selfless.  You are unique.  You are my baby boy.  I love you for all that you are.  I love you for how far we have come.  I love you for all that you give to me.  I love you for all that you have taught to me.  I love you, my Alfalfa.  Thank you.  You have taught me the true meaning of love.

You Grateful Mom,

Kerry Anne

Dreading the Shredding

Alfalfa, like all guinea pigs, is a rodent.  As a rodent he has some undesirable behaviors.   I have managed to curb or redirect some of these behaviors.  These include his chewing, eating, and pooping habits.  I think his toe biting is not a behavior but a hobby.  But the one behavior I cannot control, redirect, or curb is his shredding.  Alfalfa loves to shred the paper I use for the bottom of his cage and for his potty pans under the bed.  It causes me sleepless night, extra cleaning duties, and most of all wear and tear on the vacuums…

What? – A

The first time I heard Alfalfa shred was one night soon after I ‘installed’ his potty pans under the bed.  I went to bed thinking that I had out smarted the butt-head.  I sighed as a drifted off into an ignorant bliss.  At about three in the morning, the noises started… *scrrriiipppppt* is the only way I can describe it.  I woke up and heard the noise again.  *scrrriiipppppt* I broke out into an instant sweat.  My heart started to beat faster and faster.  *scrrriiipppppt* My panicked thoughts ran the gambit…someone was coming to kill me…someone was in my apartment… *scrrriiipppppt*  I knew that I was going to die…soon.

*scrrriiipppppt* I got up the courage, reached out to my bed side lamp, sat up, and quickly turned the light on.  I expected to see an ax murder standing next to my bed.  The apartment was empty and quiet.  I went to throw back the covers and soon realized that I was biting the bed sheet with all I had.  Giggling at my folly, I released the now wet sheet.  “Huh?” I said out loud.  “Silly me,” I remarked reaching out my foot to step on the floor.  *scrrriiipppppt*  Now, you have to promise not to hold this reaction against me.  If I was a man and had a man card, it would have been stripped from me at this very moment.  Fortunately, I am a women and can have small moments like this, occasionally.

I screamed at the top of my lungs for all I was worth.  I was scared poop-less (to be polite for our younger readers).  I saw Alfalfa bolt from under the bed.  Paper followed the guinea pig in his trail.  I stood there, on my bed, dumbfounded pressed up against the wall.  “What the hell?” was all I could manage.  I looked around the floor where Alfalfa enters and exits his area.  There was newspaper everywhere…everywhere.  “Crap…”  I said getting on my hands and knees and crawling to the edge of the bed.  I looked and saw that the brat had been busy throughout the night.

I looked up and saw Alfalfa staring at me from across the room.  “Is this your work?” I asked from the bed.  He huffed at me and tilted his head.  I was getting the ‘What the hell are you doing?’ look he has mastered.  “That noise?  That was you…you shredding the paper?  Alfalfa?”  He chattered his teeth at me.  “I’ll that that as a yes,” I said getting down off of the bed, “Don’t tell me…I’m an idiot.”  I needed the ladies room.  After my business was done, I walked back into the living room then kitchen.  Alfalfa was doing the feed me dance as I walked by.  “Yes, I know, I know…food…now…” I sighed.

Now, what? A

It took me a full hour to fall back to sleep after that scare.  I was tired the next day but had a good story to tell.  What?  You don’t think that noise is scary in the night?  Ok.  You need to do an experiment at three in the morning.  Take newspaper and tear it length wise to create a good 1 to 2 second ripping noise.  Now go in the dark to someone’s bedroom and start making that noise until they wake up. If they don’t kill you for doing it, interview them and ask how scary it was…  On second thought, don’t do that…trust me it scared the poop out of me…

I would like to dedicate this installment of the Alfalfa’s Adventues to Jasmine.  She got her angle wings.   She was loved by all at The Cozy Cavy.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Cozy-Cavy/110805215606220?fref=ts

How I Fell for My Guinea Pig…

I am a klutz.  If it is possible for me to hurt myself on something I will.  In fact, there are days that I wish I lived in a padded apartment.  But, that wish is just insane.  Many of you have heard that I fell the other night getting up to feed Alfalfa.  I’ll do my best to relay this painfully funny story to you.  Please be kind with your comments as I am a klutz…

At 3 am most of us are in some form of deep sleep.  I am blessed with the ability to sleep through the night without interruption.  It is something I take for granted…until it is interrupted.  On Monday night I feed Alfalfa his nightly ‘snack’ before I went to bed.  The purpose of this snack is simple:  If he is occupied while I’m falling asleep, he can’t keep me awake.  I fall asleep while he is munching away at his food.  If he wants more, tough…I’m asleep and won’t wake up normally.  The system works well for us both.

“I’m a cutie!” – A

For some odd reason at 3 am on Tuesday morning, I woke with a need to use the ladies room.  I take care not to drink before I go to bed specifically to avoid this inconvenience.  I got out of bed went to take care of my business.  Alfalfa stirred and eeped quietly for me.  I acknowledged him with a, “Go back to bed, dude…” as I went into the bathroom.  When I was finished he was still quietly eeping.  I ignored this and made a b-line for my bed.

Alfalfa let out the loudest screech possible when he realized I was going for the bedroom and not the refrigerator in the kitchen.  “Alfalfa,” I admonished, “be quiet…it’s 3 am…”  I continued to my bed, got in, and pulled the covers over my head.  I heard Alfalfa running in excited circles on the floor.  I began to drift off when he started again.  *screech* the small yet powerful voice rang out from the left side of my bed on the floor.  I turned over to my right side away from the noise.  He screeched again.  I grabbed the pillow from under my head and put it over my head to block the noise.

I began to drift off into dream land.  The noise started up again.  *wheek* I adjusted the pillow.  *wheek, wheek* I shifted a bit.  *wheek, screech, wheek* I rolled over and pulled the pillow back over my head.  *wheek, screech, screech* I ignored the noise reassuring myself that it would stop.  *screech, screech, screech* “That’s it!” I yelled pulling the pillow off of my head and sitting up in bed.  “That’s it!” I said again huffing in anger.  “I’m going to feed you to the boogie monster if you are not silent right now!”

The admonishment did not phase Alfalfa.  He wheeked with excitement.  The silly thing thought I was going to feed him.  I heard him in the dark pop corning and dancing next to my left side of the bed.  I turned towards the noise and scolded the noisy darkness, “Shhhh…  You’re going to wake the entire building.”  He softly cooed back at me.  “Go to sleep…”  There was no response.  “Good boy,” I said as I laid back down to sleep and pulled the cold covers back over me.

*WHEEK* Alfalfa screamed and again *WHEEEEEEK*.  I opened my eyes only to stare into complete darkness.  I had to admit defeat.  “Oh, sh*t,” I cursed throwing the covers back again.  “I’ll get up…”  I sat up and took a moment to adjust to my new position.  I heard Alfalfa begin to run zoomies on the floor in excitement.  “Oh, pig…” was all I could say as I stood in the darkness.  I didn’t want to turn on the light and wait for eyes to adjust.  I figured I could get Alfalfa a snack in the light of the refrigerator and leave it for him on the rug in the kitchen.  He never minded getting food there.

I know the outlay of my apartment like the back of my hand.  I can easily negotiate the place in the dark with little to no problems.  So, I started toward the kitchen.  My mental map must have been muddled by something this night.  I ran into something with my right leg and went flying.  I remember thinking, ‘Well, this is not good…’ as I flew through the air.  I was so tired and disorientated I didn’t even bother to try to stop the fall.

I hit the floor on my left back/side with a bone crushing thud.  I was immediately awake and in a lot of pain.  “Ouch!” I yelled from the floor near my desk.  Alfalfa was dead silent.  I was in a lot of pain and all I could think was, ‘I JUST KILLED MY GUINEA PIG!’  I began to cry from the pain and worry.  I sat up the best I could and began to feel the floor for the corpse of my beloved pet.  I was in a full blown panic attack as I ran my hands across the floor.  The entire left side of my body hurt.  But, I didn’t care.  I was more concerned about my guinea pig.  I kept say, “Alfalfa?  Alfalfa?” as I ran my hands across the rug.

I thought that I could be mistaking him as part of the rug.  I got up as quickly as I could and turned on the nearest light.  The sudden illumination was blinding.  I covered my eyes to guard against the pain.  “Alfalfa!” I called through my tears.  He was nowhere to be seen.  “Alll-fiii!” I called with weakening knees.  Alfalfa came trotting out from under the bed.  He was walking normally and seemed no worse for the wear.  He squeaked at me and turned his head in curiosity.  “Thank god,” I said with relief, “Come here, dude.”  I went to bend over to pick him up and was met with a sharp pain in my left mid back.  “Ouch,” I groaned.  “I’ll put off the cuddles until the morning…”

I got the fridge and managed to get a nice snack for my butt-head and something for me to drink.  I kept a light on the entire way back to the bed room not wanting another ‘trip’ on the way back.  Smartly, I grabbed some medicine and took three before getting back into bed.  I turned the light off and quickly drifted off to sleep.

I woke up to a quiet and peaceful morning.  The apartment was cool and comfortable thanks to the new air-conditioner.  I made the next huge mistake of my life…I stretched.  Bad idea…very bad idea…  I felt every bruise, pain, and inflamed area of my left side all at once.  I swear it was one of the most painful moments in my life.  I let out a moan of pain.  Alfalfa heard me.  Little feet came pattering across the rug and to the left of my bed.  Small wheeks of anticipation drifted up from the side of the bed.

“Is that a camera?” – A

“I hear you,” I responded to my baby boy.  “I’m not sure I can get up right now, butt…”  The wheeks got a bit louder and a bit more urgent.  “Ok, ok,” I said moving my legs.  I felt 50 years older than my age.  I slowly got to the sitting position moaning and groaning the entire way.  Alfalfa was clueless.  He walked up to my feet.  I braced for a bite.  He sat on my feet and snuggled in.  “Oh, dude,” I said feeling him settle down.  “You do love me…”  I sighed and said, “Ok, let’s get breakfast…”  Alfalfa bolted for the kitchen.  I slowly got up and followed him.  It was going to be a painful day.

I managed to make it through my internship.  When I got home, I lay down on the bed and had a horrible back spasm.  I made the decision when it subsided to go to the doctors.  The doctor made me repeat the story of how I hurt myself several times.  He couldn’t help but laugh at me.  I tried to laugh too but it hurt.  I think I made the whole office’s day.  They started calling me “The Guinea Pig Lady”.  I took it all in good stride.  They poked, they prodded, they sampled, they x-rayed, they looked at me with funny faces and then told me I had a small hair-line fracture in my mid-ribs on my left side.  There was nothing to be done but rest, ice, and medication.  I gave out address of Alfalfa’s website to several of the staff members.  So, if you’re reading this, thanks for the excellent care.  And I told that it was the guinea pig’s fault! lol!

Give It to me NOW!

I am guilty of it…  Perhaps we all are at one time or another.  My guinea pig knows how to get what he wants when he wants it.  This conversation/situation is a good example of what I’m talking about…

A:  *wheeks*

Me:  “Dude, what do you want?”  *walks over to living room*

A:  *wheeks more urgently*

Me:  “Ok, do you want a treat?”  *gets bag of treat* then *hands one to Alfalfa*

A:  *grabs treat and then throws it on his towel*

Me:  “What?”

A:  *wheeks again*

Me:  “What?”

A:  *squeals at me*

Me:  “Ok, ok…”  *gets out fresh hay and puts some out*

A:  *Jumps into hay*

Me:  *Goes back to typing at desk*

 

** 5 minutes later **

A:  *Wheeks loudly to my right from the floor*

Me:  *jumps in seat*  “Al-fi!”

A: *runs away to living room*

“I can get into my work…” – A

** 5 minutes later **

A:  *Wheeks softly to my right from the floor*

Me:  “That’s better…what’s up?”

A:  *popcorns*

Me:  “Are you hungry again?”

A:  *wheeks*

Me:  “Ok, I’ll get you some cucumber…”  *Gets cucumber and gives a slice to Alfala*

A:  *Grabs cucumber and runs away with it*

 

** 10 minutes later **

A:  *bites bars*

Me:  “Al-fi!”  *stands up from computer* “What are you doing?”

A:  *stops biting bars and looks back at me*

Me:  *sits back down*

 

**2 minutes later**

A:  *bites bars again*

Me:  “Dude!” *Stands up and walks over to house*

A:  *looks up at me with a blank look*

Me:  “What do you need?  I’m trying to do some work…”

A:  *wheeks softly*

Me:  *lets out loud sigh*  “Ok, I’ll give you some romaine…But this is the last thing for tonight…”

A:  *popcorns*

Me:  *walks over to the fridge*

A:  *follows me*

Me:  *grabs lettuce and washes it*

A:  *wheeks loudly

Me:  *walks back over to house*

A:  *follows me*

Me:  “Here…”  *puts lettuce down on towel*

A:  *munches on lettuce*

Me:  *goes back to computer*

 

** 10 minutes later **

A:  *Wheeks loudly to my right from the floor*

Me:  *jumps in seat*  “Al-fi!”

A: *runs away to living room*

Me”  *stands up*  “Hey, poop breath!”
A:  *looks at me with defiance*

Me:  “Cut it out!” *points at Alfalfa*

A:  *runs into cage and into pigaloo*

 

** 5 minutes later **

A:  *Wheeks loudly to my right from the floor*

Me:  *jumps in seat*  “All right!  That’s it! ”

A: *runs away to living room*

Me:  *stands up*  “You are trying to kill me!”

A:  *stares back blankly*

Me:  *Sighs and sits back down*

 

** 15 minutes later **

A:  *quiet*

Me:  *happily typing along*

A:  *still quiet*

Me:  *still happily typing along*

A:  *still too quiet*

Me:  *clueless*

A:  *sneaks up on my foot and bites one of my toes*

Me: “OUCH!” *stands up*

A:  *runs away to house*

Me:  “PIIIIIIIIIIGGGGG!”

I could go on and on describing this typical night for Alfalfa and I.  He gets worse when I am late walking in the door…  Those are the nights he tries to take a toe with him…  Eventually, I’m going to be toeless.  Save me.

“Dangers of Cedar Bedding – Alfalfa’s Story” – Part Two

Ten minutes later the vet walked back into the room with the x-ray in hand.  He put it up on the light board and turned it on.  The black and white imaged of Alfalfa’s body blazed.  I have little experience reading x-ray.  But, I could tell that the image was not good.  The vet began to talk about the x-ray results.  I did not hear a word he said.  I went into a bit of a shock.  I looked down at my guinea pig sitting on the exam table loosely wrapped in a towel.  I had the sudden urge to pick him up and comfort him.  I gingerly grabbed him and placed him on my shoulder.  I turned my back to the x-ray, the vet, and his words and began to gently sing to my pet.

I’m one cool pig… – A

The vet stopped talking.  After several minutes, he interrupted me with, “Kerry Anne?  Do you understand what I am saying?”

I began to cry as I rocked Alfalfa back and forth.  “No,” I replied through my tears.  “I lost you…  I’m sorry…”

The vet handed me tissues and gently urged me to sit down.  “His lungs are very bad…it’s from spending all of that time on those cedar chips…  You did nothing wrong…”

“I know,” I replied blankly, “I took him in because I saw how bad he looked…I couldn’t let him just…just suffer…”

“I know,” the vet comforted me, “I know…  I remember you and Petey.  You took him in too although he was a special needs guinea pig…”

“Yea…” was all I could say as I kissed the top of Alfalfa’s head.  “Ok, now what?” I asked bravely.

“I’m going to be totally honest with you,” the vet said looking at me, “It may be best to put him down.”

“What?!?” I yelled standing up reflexively and grasping the bundle in my arms even tighter.

“Please sit and let me explain,” the vet pleaded from his seat below.  I sat down.  I stopped crying the best I could and turned to hear out what the vet had to say. “Ok, his lungs are infected and damaged.  They are scared.  We can treat the infection…  However, the damage is most likely permanent.  This means that his lung function is compromised.  He may never recover from this…  Kerry Anne, you may take him home and he could die…”

“Die?” I asked rocking the bundle in my arms.

“Yes,” the vet explained, “The fluid in his lungs…the mucus could cause him to drown.  The risk is very high right now.  Guinea pigs can’t get that stuff out of their lungs very easily…”

“Ok,” I said.  “What if he gets over this initial issue?  What then?”

“Well, that’s tricky,” the vet explained, “If he gets sick again, he may not be strong enough to fight it.  If he needs surgery, he may not be able to survive.  I don’t think you will ever be able to neuter him.  I wouldn’t want to risk putting him under.  He may live a very short life.  I just don’t know…”  I began to cry again.

“I want to fight for him,” I said through my tears.  “I want to try to get him better…give him some time…two weeks…then if he doesn’t get better or gets worse then I’ll make the decision…the decision to put him down.”

“Ok,” the vet said.  “You are going to have to keep a close eye on him for some time.  And I’ll need to see him back here in about two weeks…sooner if he gets worse or there is ANY change…”

“Ok,” I said wiping my tears, “Ok…”  Just then Alfalfa let out a small wheek followed by a mucus cough.  I think it was his way of saying thank you.

“I think he does that to clear his lungs,” the vet remarked, “You may hear a lot of that over the next two weeks…  On the bright side, if it gets louder and stronger, it’s a good sign.”

I laughed at his comment and held out my hand to shake his.  “Thanks for everything.”  We shook and I left to settle the bill out front.

The receptionist smiled at me and offered me a tissue.  “That bad?” she asked.

“No,” I said, “It’s going to be a fight.  But I have a feeling this guy is going to be just fine.”

In one side…out the other… – A

“Good,” she said handing me the $450 bill, “I’m glad to hear that…”  I paid my bill and left.

The next two weeks were hell for me and Alfalfa.  Each cough brought me running to Alfalfa’s cage in a panic.  He did not like taking his medicine and fought me each time I tried to give it to him.  Slowly, Alfalfa began to recover from his infection.  His squeals got louder.  They less often ended in a mucus cough.  He began to eat more and drink more.  I was encouraged by his progress.

Alfalfa’s next vet visit went much better.  He had gained weight.  The infection was mostly gone and needed only one more fourteen day course of antibiotics.  He was more alert and his wheeks were almost at “Abby” volume level.  The vet was glad to see he was doing so much better.  And to show his appreciation to the vet, Alfalfa peed on him during the examination.

Over the next several months the damaged to Alfalfa’s lungs began to heal.  Currently his is at about 90-95% lung function.  His lungs are permanently scared.  I need to closely monitor him for any lung problems.  One of the most important things I can do is keep his cage clean and the house dust free as best as possible.  The vet said to treat him like a kid with asthma.  So, I have made an extra effort to keep the house as hypoallergenic as possible.  He still does that mucus cough every once and a while.  He may do that for his life.  The vet says his lungs may produce some extra mucus.  It may be their way of dealing with the damage that was done.  It is a type of chronic lung fibrosis.  I am amazed with his ability to survive and recover from the damage that was done to him early in his life.  I am also amazed that a simple decision about which bedding to use could cause so many problems for one small guinea pig.

Alfalfa is fighter…and so is his mom…and I’m proud to say that’s me!

“Dangers of Cedar Bedding – Alfalfa’s Story” – Part One

I adopted my guinea pig Alfalfa impulsively.  I was presented with an animal that was in desperate need of a good home and didn’t think before I jumped.  When I examined him, I discovered that he was bad shape…  Alfalfa’s teeth were too long.  His diet consisted of only pellets and carrots.  His nose ran.  His nails were too long.  They were starting to curve under. His feet were sore from living on dirty bedding.  His ears were full of wax.  His cage was too small and too dirty.  His hair was matted with pellets on his underside and butt.  His male part area was unmentionably unclean.  His eyes ran a bit.  He had this weird cough.  Oh, boy did he stink.  And to make matters worse, he had spent the first nine months of his life on cedar chips.

“Even on this side, I’m cute!” – A

When I got home that first day, I cleaned him up the best that I could.  I trimmed his nails.  I gave him a bath.  I trimmed the fur that was matted and too dirty to come clean easily.  I un-caked and cleaned his waxy spot on his butt with a bit of olive oil.  I cleaned out the tons of wax in his ears.  I gently cleaned the caked on buggers on his nose.  I checked and cleaned his eyes ensuring that no gunk was matted around them to irritate them again.  I even made sure his male area was in tip-top shape. I put together a cage that was three times the size he was used to and threw out the old one. I filled the cage with Carefresh bedding, a variety of good fresh food, fresh water, and lots of timothy hay.  After several hours of work, he looked like a brand-new guinea pig in a brand-new home.  There was only one problem…the neglect had already taken its toll.

When I was done, Alfalfa spent a bit of time exploring his cage.  Things were quiet in the house and I noticed that he sneezed a lot.  I also heard an odd wheezing coming from him when he breathed.  Sometimes that wheezing turned into a mucus filled cough.  It sounded like he was going to choke to death.  I was planning on taking him to the vet sooner than later.  However, the noises he was making made me very concerned…  Guinea pigs do not make noises when they breathe.  Guinea pigs should not cough.  Finally, it is not a good sign when guinea pigs sneeze.  So, I scheduled a vet visit for him.  I adopted him on a Tuesday and had at the vet on Thursday.  I went to bed that night concerned for my new pet.  I prayed that he would get better now that he was cleaned up and in much, much better environment.

On Wednesday morning I was encouraged by Alfalfa’s progress.  He was no longer audibly wheezing with every breath.  He seemed to have much more energy.  He even let out a bunch of squeals at me.  They were weak and usually ended with a mucus filled cough.  However, I was encouraged by his progress.  I left for work in a good and hopeful mood.  When I got home from work, I noticed that Alfalfa had some crust around his eyes and nose.  It was a sad sight.  The poor thing was clearly suffering.  I picked him up and gently cleared the gunk from his face.  I used a warm wet cloth and managed to get most of it off.  He was still not audibly wheezing and the sneezing seemed less frequent.  But there was that mucus cough.  It was not getting any better.

Thursday afternoon arrived and I swept through my apartment, gathered my new pet, and rushed off to the vet.  Alfalfa was not handled much during the first months of his life.  So, this vet experience was very traumatic for him.  When we got the vet I was greeted with the usual paperwork.  Most of it I left blank.  The receptionist at the desk was not too happy with my lack of information on my pet.  She said that she would ‘try again’ with me on my next visit.  I was escorted into a room with Alfalfa.  He let out a small wheek followed by a mucus filled cough.  “Oh, that doesn’t sound good,” the receptionist said with great concern.

“Yes,” I stated in as calm as a voice as I could muster, “That’s why we’re here…”

I sat with Alfalfa in his travel cage for about five minutes before being greeted by the vet tech.  He weighed and got Alfalfa’s temperature.  He remarked that his temperature was a bit high and at the top of the normal range for a guinea pig.  When he was done with Alfalfa, he put him back in his travel cage.  Alfalfa let out a horrible series of mucus filled coughs.  The tech was taken aback by the noise and backed away from the table.  Unfazed, I reached in and put Alfalfa on my left shoulder.  I gently patted his back to help him clear the mucus in his lungs.  He stopped coughing after several pats.  “There you go,” I said gently to my suffering pet.

The tech had a concerned look on his face as he said, “I’ll get the vet right away.”  He slipped out of the room without another word.  I continued to rock Alfalfa on my shoulder as we waited for the vet.  The vet came in minutes later with the same tech in tow.  He introduced himself briskly and asked me to put Alfalfa down on the towel on the examination table.  He poked and prodded Alfalfa to the animal’s chagrin.  The guinea pig did not like to be handled.  Finally, he took out his stethoscope to listen to Alfalfa’s lungs.

“Am I too close for you?” – A

The vet took a long time to listen to Alfalfa’s lungs.  I was very scared as a sat and watched.  He told me, “I need to get an x-ray of his lungs…now.”  The statement was made with such authority that I didn’t even question it.

“Ok,” I replied without thinking.  With that, he whisked Alfalfa out of the room with the tech following close behind.  I was left alone in an examination room to wait for my new pet and the results of his x-ray.  Alfalfa returned about 10 minutes later in the tech’s arms.

“He was a bit squirmy for us…but, he did well,” the tech explained handing my guinea pig back to me.

“Give us a bit to read the x-rays and the vet will be back in to explain what’s going on…” the tech explained.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I’ll let the vet explain to you the issues with his lungs…” the tech said.

“There is an issue with his lungs?” I asked with even greater concern.

“Uhmmm,” the tech mumbled back to me, “I’ll let the vet explain it.”  The tech quickly exited the room.

Little did I know that Alfalfa was in a potential life and death struggle as I sat there in there in the exam room….

Please come back next week for Part Two of this story…