Loss

I've dealt with a lot of loss this year- from the loss of a boyfriend for several months to the loss of a dog, hamsters, geckos, and a chinchilla. Today, another chinchilla passed away.

This past Tuesday, Roxy, the hamster, passed away, but I assumed it was due to age as she was about a year and a half or so. But, yesterday, I found Cheech curled up toe Chiko trying to help him stay warm as he was loosing body heat.

I took him to the vet as soon as I could. The vet could not diagnose anything, as he hadn't shown any signs except for the current lethargy and labored/shallow breathing. Chiko was given a shot of B12 and Dex. The B12, like in humans, was a pick-me-up, so to speak; it was to help him feel better. Dex was to aid with circulation, breaking apart clusters of bad cells (as bad cells tend to cluster in one spot) and pushing through more good cells.

For a short time, it seemed to help, but Chiko quickly began to fade again. I was giving him a diluted apple juice mix every hour or so to help him with his sugar levels in attempts to give him a little energy to help fight the illness. It seemed to help for that brief moment, then he would regress back to lethargy.

Throughout the night, I constantly checked on him and tried giving him the apple juice/water mix. He stopped taking the apple juice at 2:00a.m. He died between 6:45ish and 7:30ish this morning.

I took him to the vet this morning for an autopsy. Dr. Hall is going to check for tumors, bleeding, clots, etc. Things that are somewhat basic and visible. If he cannot find anything visible wrong, I agreed to paying the additional fees to have tissuesif not the entire body, sent to Tifton. I want to make sure that whatever happened to Chiko will not happen to Cheech or my rats.

As, earlier this year, Chong passed away without showing any signs of illness. His autopsy showed nothing more than lung tissue damage, as the tissue were decomposing rapidly. He passed away on a Sunday, and the vet was not opened. Chong's autopsy was not performed until Monday afternoon. I still believe, to this day, that something was wrong with him, due to the fact that he was only 3 and a half, or so.

Because chinchillas are social animals, depending on what the vet or Tifton has to say, I may attempt to find another chinchilla to adopt. One that is around Cheech's age, 4 or 5 years. This would give him the socialization that he needs and is used to, and will help an older chinchilla in need of a home.

My chinchillas are housed in a 48T"x30W"x18D" cage with two balconies and a full level. They are fed Mazuir Chinchilla food and timothy hay, and housed on Aspen bedding. They receive nothing less than the best that I can afford. Weekly, bedding changes. Fresh food and water. Chews and treats galore.

Dealing with loss can be a hard thing to handle. And if you know someone that has lost a pet, provide sympathy and a loving heart and hand. If a child, ask they would like to have a funeral. Get all dressed up, have a service, and a proper burial. This will help the child's grieving process. It, also, shows the child that you DO care. Don't just flush his pet fish down the toilet, even a simple goldfish to a 5 year old is important.

It may take a long time for a child, or even an adult, to finish the grieving process, but throughout the entire process, as a friend or loved one, you should be there at all costs.

I can say from personal experiences, after six months having lost my dog to theft, I was still grieving over him. In order to push along the grieving process, I had to purchase another dog of the same breed, American pit bull terrier. Having entered my life, MIA has helped so much with the loss of Chance. Although, I still love and greatly miss him, she has helped fill the void. This may be an option to help aid someone's loss, but do give them plenty of time to grieve before trying to fill the hole. Sometimes this may be perceived as replacing the lost pet, but it's really filling a hole left behind.