Latte

[Cibach]

It's with a very heavy heart that I'm posting here today.
Dearest Latte, our oldest Piggy, left us on Tuesday night.
She had had a difficult month with a bladder infection which cleared up with Septrin, and a chest infection that didn't. She needed a month of Baytril to clear that and she also developed an abscess on her cheek which the Baytril helped to get rid of.

She really seemed to rally after all the antibiotics stopped and her tummy began to recover.( She had been having a probiotic throughout but her poor tummy was quite affected.)

For some reason she just never pulled right back and began to shut down. I think it was just her time as she was almost 6 and had had an eventful life health wise.

She was sleeping on my lap as I knew it would not be long when she woke up and began to call, small babylike calls. I realised that her two pen mates, Annie and Ethel were sitting in the pen right behind us.
Annie began to sing like a little bird and Latte slipped away.

We are all heart broken. Latte was our oldest girl and one of our first Piggies. She was the boss in her pen and Annie and Ethel are quiet, not quite knowing what has happened.

She's gone on to join her sister Cappuccino at Rainbow bridge and we buried her in the flower bed right next to Cappy in her favourite thing, a paper bag stuffed with sweet, fresh hay.

Good bye for now, dear Latte, enjoy the meadows at Rainbow Bridge with Cappy.
I look forward to seeing you both again when it's time.

Baby Latte

[img]<a href=[/img]Baby Latte by Gillian Clancy, on Flickr" />


Latte in a box.

[img]<a href=[/img]Latte in a box. by Gillian Clancy, on Flickr" />



The sisters reunited.

[img]<a href=[/img]Old Friends by Gillian Clancy, on Flickr" />

[LPC]

I'm so sorry to hear about dear Latte. My sincerest condolences. It is evident from your post that she was very well loved, extremely well cared for and will be sorely missed.

Run free on astral fields with all your friends, Latte!

[Catherine]

Oh no, not our dear sweet Latte.
I am so sorry for your loss. My condolences to you and to Annie and Ethel as well.

Latte has been a special part of your lives for so long. I remember you getting her and how cute she was. Has it really been six years? I guess it was just time. Her health was failing as you say and that can be a sign. Now she is free and young again and reunited with Cappy.
It is a sad moment though, we have lost all the original Forum piggies. We had such fun hearing about them.

I am glad she went peacefully with you holding her. She was always a loving little piggie and I am sure your presence made her passing a gentle time for her.

[Cibach]

Thank you both for your kind words. It always helps to hear from others who appreciate how much our animals mean to us.

The pens are quiet still. Annie and Ethel are beginning to realise that it is just the two of them now and don't let each other out of their sight without making a fuss.
Marigold, in the adjacent pen, was in the habit of sitting at the barrier and waiting for Latte to join her and they would lean against each other and groom each other through the barrier. During her last days Latte made a great deal of effort to continue to meet Marigold and indeed we helped her get there on more than one occasion. Marigold has been waiting at the barrier every morning since Tuesday, I wish I could help her understand.

[Tobi]

Dear little Latte. I am so sorry for your loss. And sorry Marigold, Annie and Ethel have also lost their little 'sister' and good friend. Animals do grieve when someone is suddenly missing, I know. The best you can do is give them extra snuggles and affection and keep normal routines going as much as possible.

Run free now little Latte, in beautiful meadows where there is so much sweet hay. One day your family will join you there in that lovely place.

[Catherine]

Quote:The pens are quiet still. Annie and Ethel are beginning to realise that it is just the two of them now and don't let each other out of their sight without making a fuss.
Marigold, in the adjacent pen, was in the habit of sitting at the barrier and waiting for Latte to join her and they would lean against each other and groom each other through the barrier. During her last days Latte made a great deal of effort to continue to meet Marigold and indeed we helped her get there on more than one occasion. Marigold has been waiting at the barrier every morning since Tuesday, I wish I could help her understand.

That is so sad for the girls, especially Marigold. Did you let them see Latte after she died. I found out from the hamsters that it is better if they see their dead friend. They understand. They still grieve, but they stop looking.
Odd that Marigold is the one who misses her the most. I suppose Latte was the only piggie company she had even if it was through the wire. It is touching how deeply guinea pigs bond with each other.
They share the sense of loss with you.
Everywhere you look there must be an absence of Latte. I am so sorry that she is gone. Big hugs from my piggies to you and your piggies.

[Cibach]

I did let the piggies see Latte after she had gone and they reacted in much the same way as they did with Cappy. A quick sniff then run as far away as possible. I also put her next to the barrier next to Marigold and her reaction was similar.

I have discussed this at length with Suzy from the Rescue in Glynneath and she has some worthy ideas.

In the wild, and with a lot of domesticated piggies, at the point of death the piggy tries to run as far from it's family as it can as a body will attract scavengers and predators to it. This instinctive behaviour saves the rest of the herd from the attentions of the scavengers.

I have seen this running reflex a few times and it can be quite dramatic, even if the piggy is too weak to run, the body tries.

I believe that when Annie and Ethel saw and sniffed their dead pen mates, all they saw was death and instinct told them to run away from it.
Marigold had a similar reaction.

Annie and Ethel seem to know that Latte has gone and are always in sight of each other. When they come out for lap time they are insisting on both being on the same lap. It's sweet, but not usual behaviour for them. I guess we'll know they are getting back to "normal" when this behaviour fades.

Marigold has her daughter Ruby for company but seemed to enjoy the fellowship of another dominant sow. They couldn't have lived together as they were both too dominant, but through the barrier they became good friends. I'm sure the habit will fade and Marigold will move on, but for now it indicates to me that they miss Latte as much as we do.

[Catherine]

I see your point about the guinea pigs running from the dead and a dying piggie trying to leave the herd. Hamsters always spent some time almost as if they were trying to wake their partner. They would eventually walk away. When I didn't show Ginger Bear to Victoria, she continued to look for him for weeks.
Lucy cried for Sean(a high pitched squeaking) for the rest of her life.

I can see your girls clinging to each other for awhile until they get used to Latte's absence. After Pigbert died, no one would eat carrots for days. They always let him have all the carrots and no one wanted to be the first to take one of his carrots. We all grieve differently.
Funny how much Marigold liked Latte. They were friends as equals since they both were dominant females.

Latte was such a strong personality that her absence must be like a large hole in all your lives. I know it gets better, but I feel for you in these early days.

[Cibach]

(06-22-2014, 06:03 AM)Catherine Wrote: Funny how much Marigold liked Latte. They were friends as equals since they both were dominant females.

Latte was such a strong personality that her absence must be like a large hole in all your lives. I know it gets better, but I feel for you in these early days.

I think they enjoyed not having to challenge each other, which they would have had to do if they lived together. It seems a bond can be just as strong through a barrier as without, we have seen it on a number of occasions at the rescue.

And yes, the Latte hole is huge, but cuddles and kisses from the other piggies are a great consolation.

[hungrypigs]

I'm so sorry to hear about Latte. It's always so sad when our precious pets leave us and nothing seems to fill the gap that they leave.
RIP sweet Latte and run free in the meadow xxx