RIP Honey the Guinea Pig

Honey the guinea pig died yesterday (below is Honey in front and Chewy in the background).

Last Friday, she was diagnosed with a very large mammary tumor and given a 50/50 chance that it was benign.  Surgery was scheduled for Tuesday May 18th (yesterday.)

On Tuesday, I dropped off Honey at the vet in the morning and her surgery was scheduled for later in the afternoon. 

The vet told me that Honey would need to be kept separate from Chewy until she was healed better, so Josh and I decided to go to Petsmart  to get a few things for a convalescing cage for Honey before she was released to go home later in the evening.

The vet called while I was pumping gas at gas station, preparing to drive to Petsmart.
She said that Honey's tumor had created many blood vessels, so there was a lot of "oozing" and cauterizing that happened during surgery, but that she had gotten through surgery. She said that Honey was still pretty out of it, so the vet wanted to keep her a little while longer. She mentioned that if she had any concerns, she may like to keep her overnight if that was okay with me. I wholeheartedly agreed - if something went wrong, I'd feel much better if it happened when a doctor could be around to take care of her.

At Petsmart we got a hay manger and an igloo/castle hide away for Honey, and while I was looking at fish - I wanted a betta since mine had died last year -  the vet called and said that she was very sorry and they had done all they could, but Honey had quit breathing and died. They tried resuscitating her, but Honey didn't revive.

I was heartbroken. I am very attached to Honey - she was such a sweet piggy. 
I put back the igloo/castle hide away and the hay manger, bought three snails on a whim, the betta fish, and catfood and left. 

Josh and I stopped at the vet and retrieved Honey's body that had been placed in a little box and the carry bag that I'd taken her in that morning and went home.

I kept the candle lit for her through the night and during the day today. This afternoon after the grandkids went home, I took a shovel and the little box with Honey in it and went out the garden to by where Beth (our lab dog) is buried and dug a grave close by for Honey and gave her a very simple burial ceremony.

RIP Honey. You are very loved by all of us and will be very missed.

♥ Melody