Why don't I get a dog of my own?

Remember! Melon's Animal Adventures is now at our new web address, http://melonsanimaladventures.blogspot.com. You may need to add the new URL to your feed reader so we don't lose you!

* * *

This is a good time to answer a few of the questions I was asked before my hiatus.

A few of you have asked if I'd like a dog of my own.

A friend of mine, Mom of the acd6pack, asked:

with the support of your family, would a rescue dog of your own be a possibility?  I know you've thought of it in the past and I can't help but wonder if maybe having Gatsby at your home might have made the family see how much fun a dog can be and also that maybe it helped you?

I would love a dog of my own. But it's not a possibility right now. I have dysthymia, which is a chronic (long-term) form of depression, as well as multiple anxiety disorders. Because of this I haven't been able to finish my studies or keep a job. What does that have to do with a dog, you ask? Well, they are just examples which show how disruptive my illness is, and which emphasize that when I say I don't get out of bed or feed myself some days, or I forget to water my plants so they die, I mean it. This means that having a dog isn't going to work, no matter how much I love it or how much care and training I give it on my good days.

A dog is not a plant, people like to say. It's hard to ignore a dog. I know. But my guinea pigs were living, breathing, squeaking creatures and I managed to neglect them more than I'd like. I was lucky that Mom swooped in to care for them - Mom did almost all of the daily care for Cocoa for the last few years.

I need a hooman to hold my foodables for me!

My family are reasonably supportive and helped me out with Gatsby the couple of weeks she was with us, but as we all know, a dog is a 15+ year commitment. I'm can't make that commitment right now and I can't make it on behalf of my parents, who aren't after a dog. Due to my illness I'm also living at home, which means that it's not really fair to my parents to bring in a dog when they aren't after one. (And, of course, having no income means that I definitely can't go out and make a 15-year financial commitment.)

So, to conclude -- I would love a dog of my own.

I do get sad that it's not on the cards, because having Gatsby confirmed what we suspected -- having a dog around can help a lot. While Gatsby was here, I exercised, I slept well (no sleep meds at all!), and I had someone and something to focus on other than myself. But it caused some difficulties, too (more on that later).

Gatsby made a good walking buddy

But I (have to) accept that it's not on the cards right now, just like I (have to) accept not having the life I want right now. I (can only) do what anyone else with chronic illness does -- just put one foot in front of the other.

Hey blogfriends, Melon the hooman here. I'm sorry for the long silence here.

As I've mentioned before I fight major battles with my mental health and struggle with having Cocoa as a pet - specifically, with his care and with the pet-owner bond. It's an unusual and complex situation and we haven't yet figured out what's going on. Suffice to say that it involves guilt and shame as well as apathy, and that I'd appreciate it if you can refrain from commenting that I am a good owner or that I shouldn't worry. It's because of this situation and there being a lot going on in my life that there's been such a silence here. But I have news for you.

As some of you know, Cocoa's 8. That's old for a guinea pig. (He really should have had an 8th birthday celebration in February, only I wasn't feeling up to it under these circumstances.) His back legs became arthritic and stiff this year, and his mobility declined until we had to move him around. Eventually he lost weight (presumably muscle mass) and became weaker. You know where this is going. He ate well until the very end, of course. We gave him his wings on Monday. Mom and I were both there - she patted him and I held his paw.

RIP Cocoa Fountain

 2005-2014

You did us so proud.

He had a few health issues over the years but he was very resilient and always managed well (his teeth were always shocking, but much to our amazement he still ate like a champ!). That was an inspiration I could have taken more seriously, but just knowing that did make us smile.

I'm sorry he couldn't have spoken to you guys one more time, but on the last day I told him I'd thank his blogfriends for him. So, thanks for sharing some time with him. I'm sending him a chin-scritch, from me, from here.
Melon

Mewwy Chwistmas all!

Wheeek, thankyou to all of you for being blogfriends this year! Looking forward to staying furiends in the next year. My hooman Melon says thankyou and sends you good wishes too.

Here's me in my Christmas corner, enjoying my Christmas...

Christmas wheeks out!
Cocoa

All ready for Santa

Wheeek!

Busy getting ready for Christmas here... but I'm all ready! Wanna see my decor-ations?

For some reason Melon wants me to show you us setting it up...

Hey, what's this?

Oooh! Carrots!

 

I don't know why she gave me that look, do you?

Confused wheeks,
Cocoa

Hoomans are weird

Wheek, Cocoa here. Have you missed me?
Sorry I wasn't here for a while, my hooman wasn't very helpful at helping me type. I think it was because she was too busy putting me in this thing:

What is up with that? She puts me in a couple times a day, and then sometimes she goes nods approvingly or says 'Good boy, Coke' and other times she goes 'Hmmm.' Does anyone know what's up with that? Or is another yet inexplicable hooman behaviour?

I must say I am getting fed frequently - almost enough! - recently though, which is a nice change.

Wheek out,
Cocoa

Food food foodables

Wheek, Cocoa here. Just wanted to let my admiring fans and followers know that I am doing okay. I would've been here earlier, but the hooman wasn't doing so good - something about being "in a funk", whatever that means. She hasn't been able to take care of me as she'd like to, but between what she can do and what the Mommy hooman (not Melon, the one they call Mommy) has done, I have to admit I have been taken care of. Melon's been feeding me with that stick once a day - yuk! She says it's a little extra because she wants my weight "back up to normal". Pleh. Guess I'm stuck eating that funny stuff for a while, then. Still, I finally got... my par-sley! I was promised it days ago and finally, today they have made good on that promise.

See?

Wheek out, 

Cocoa

Phew

Wheek, Cocoa here. I'm home again after another time in that weird place. Just like last time I don't feel like moving much, but Melon's been bringing my foodables right to me so I'm happy to munch them. She gave me this wedge of wet orange thing yesterday and told me to eat it - something about "vitamin C" but it smelled funny so I didn't even try it. Today she says she's going to bring me back some par-sley. Success! Hoomans are so trainable if you know how.

Thanks everybody for thinking of me.
Cocoa

POTP for Cocoa

Cocoa is going in for surgery today to remove the tumour which has regrown. He is still brighteyed and happy so we're giving him another go at surgery. 

Please keep your paws crossed for complete removal of the cancer this time!

Melon

Bad news

Hey, it's Melon here again.
I just found another lump on Cocoa right where the tumour was. It looks just like the last tumour, although smaller. You know when they say your heart sinks? Mine just did.

Of course I automatically start thinking that I should have checked him earlier (I meant to check him every week but it's been 3 weeks since he was last checked, by the vet) and wish I spent more time with him. I was feeling good today after walking my friend's dog in the rain, but it's hard to come home to find I haven't been as vigilant with my own boy.



I'll try to take him in to the vet tomorrow. He'll need to have his back legs checked out too 'cause he's been dragging them a bit since the day before yesterday.

Melon

Daily occurrence

Hey, Melon the hooman here. Just thought I'd share...
So every day Cocoa gets a tub of grass nearly as big as he is.

Before (Well, During)

After

I believe this is what kids these days call a 'food coma'

Q: Why is Cocoa a lone pig?

Hi, Melon here. Cocoa's been in a smaller cage than I'd have liked for a long time now, so I'm happy he's got a bigger place now. He'll just need a couple days to settle into the new space and new bedding.  Anyway, just a note from me because it's a good time for me to say something I've wanted to make clear for a while: why is Cocoa a lone pig? Some of you may have wondered, because guinea pigs are sociable animals and do better with a buddy of their own species. Cocoa is alone due to decisions made by my family when I was younger when my mental health issues were just starting. I'd love for him to have a friend. But Cocoa is my 'last pig' for a while and at his senior age it doesn't make a lot of sense to introduce someone new now. But do I believe that guinea pigs should be in pairs or groups? Yes. Would I keep a lone pig again? I'd try not to. In this case, however, we are blessed that Cocoa has managed really well by himself, and I hope he'll enjoy his time in his mansion. 

Wow!

Wheeek, Cocoa here. Now that I've recovered from Speedy's party (I can't believe Melon put that picture from after the party up! Geez...) I'd like to let you know what's been going on here at home...

See, recently I realised something is up in the Melon household. How did I know? Well, first I found these...

Hmm. Plans for something. But what?

A boat?

A pen?

Turns out...

It's a mansion! For me! Right in the living room!

It's got veggies...

And my food bowl...

 

And my beloved pigloo...

... and lots of space!

I'm still exploring...

And it could definitely take some getting used to, but I think I could get to like it.

Not so sure about this sign Melon put up though!

Wheeks,
Cocoa

Yo ho yo ho...

... it be time for Speedy the cheeky house bunny's Pirate Party!

Our friend Speedy the bunny has just recovered from surgery, and to celebrate his recovery and also that of his friend Maddy's, there is a pirate party going on at Speedy's!

Wheek! Arrr! I'm ready to join in the fun!

Wheeks,
Pirate Cocoa

Edit from Melon the hooman: the aftermath of a partying piggy...

Pigs! Who needs them!

Help!

Hey. Thought I'd pop in since it's been a  little while since you've heard from us. It's Melon here, but this is not another episode of Melon's Animal Adventures. I actually wanted to tell you about a little wee itty bitty  problem we're having here in the Melon household.

So here's the story. Cocoa used to, literally, turn tail and run at the mere sniff of a capsicum. That's not an exaggeration or figure of speech. Okay, so he doesn't have a tail. But run he certainly did. But guess what?

...

Caught in the act!


And then…

After a surgery a few years ago, a vet once told us to give Cocoa a cherry tomato a day, for vitamin C. We obediently bought a box of cherry tomatoes and placed one in the cage for Cocoa. He never acknowledged it. It was like it didn't exist, or at least it certainly wasn't something edible.

And now look…

Every day since he's eaten both happily.

So here's our quandary...
... Do you think we have the wrong guinea pig? At the vet's last month we dropped him off and they tried to return a bunny named Chocco to us in the waiting room. They were quite embarrassed and went back for Cocoa… or what we thought was Cocoa. What if it was just a diversion, to distract us from the fact that they actually swapped our pig for another one? There are a lot of longish haired, black guinea pigs with a dramatically white crest… right? Right?

Please let me know if you have any tips on how to swap this imposter back for the real Cocoa.
Melon

A mystery object for the OP Pack

Wheek, it’s me again! Thought Melon had stolen my blog? No worries, I’m still here.

What's this?

My hooman Melon’s friend went to Alaska recently and brought it back… I wonder what it’s for?

Every time I see it I think of the OP Pack, for some reason…

Hey Jingle, what is it for?

 

 

 

Wow. He sure seems to  like them!

I'd rather eat lettuce...


Wouldn't you? 
Cocoa

P.S. This post is for the OP Pack, especially Thunder, who Jingle resembles and is sorely missed, and for Phantom, whom Jingle Phantom is actually named after (Melon’s friend A bought him for her after she went on and on about Phantom…), and who we are sending some POTP at the moment. Phantom, we love you!

MMA: Of Dogs and Guinea Pigs But Mostly Dogs

15/06/2013

Since I’m on sabbatical (ie. taking time off for my health) I've started some volunteer work with children. A lovely older lady drives me once a week. I think I must have mentioned my trip to the park to her, because all of a sudden she's urging me to get a dog. They really are great for mental health, she says. With my son [who had depression etc], she says, it was like a miracle. He really credits his dog for saving his life, saying some days she is the only thing he gets up for. At first, the lady told me, she was saying things like 'that dog will not come into the house', but within a week, she said, the dog was lounging on her bed!

Now, don't worry, I'm not going to jump into it that quickly - getting a dog is a big commitment and nothing I'd do in a hurry. But I do have thoughts of getting a dog in the future, if I'm living with my boyfriend. Before this week, my psychiatrist, who has been working through issues with me regarding guilt and taking care of my guinea pig, had said to me that a dog might be a good pet for me in the future because it certainly won't sit and let me ignore it. It seems like my older friend is saying the same.

Volunteering at an animal shelter/rescue might be a good way to go for now. I haven't decided to go guinea pigs or dogs, but I'm leaning dogs at the moment. We'll see.

Melon

Hello again

Hey, wheeek, it’s me! I’m back! Yup, me and Melon tend to jump in and out of Blogville, mostly ‘cause of her Issues. But one thing you’ll quickly learn about us: we’ll always be back!

How am I doing, you ask? Quite well, thank you. I’ve been home, no one’s taken me back to the weird place with the poking and the coming home all sleepy and stuff. Melon says my chest where the stitches are looks good – all I know is, it’s not bothering me! – and she seems happy with what the number machine tells her too. So back to life as usual for me. Wheeek.

So what’s the big news now? Well, Melon and I have done a lot of ne-go-tia-ting and I’ve finally decided to let her put some posts on my blog too. I know, I know, why did I let her steal MY megaphone… but she’s a hooman and sometimes you just gotta humour those hoomans.

So… get ready for some words from Melon here too. I know what she has to say isn’t as important as what I have to say, of course, but do me a favour and humour her too, okay?
Wheeks,
Cocoa

Back home

Cocoa here. I'm home again. I don't feel like moving much. Melon says it's the sleepy medicine that hasn't worn off yet, or pain from my surgery. Anyway, I'm glad to be home and nibbling on some food.

Melon the hooman here. Cocoa is home! I am so proud of him. I will be watching him carefully, because we're not out of the woods yet in terms of recovery, BUT things are looking good because the x-rays were clear (cancer has not obviously spread to his chest) and the surgery went well. They did find an extra lump nearby; we don't know if it's related to the original one or not but it was removed also. I haven't decided yet whether or not to send the samples to the pathologist - if you have any recommendations, please share.

And me? Well, I'm the only one one home tomorrow, but I'm not going to stress about the possibility of lying in bed unable to get up to care for Cocoa. I'm just going to get up tomorrow morning and do it. I won't let you down, Cocoa!

POTP needed

Melon the hooman here. Thanks everyone for their good wishes.
Cocoa may not have made it clear that he has a fairly aggressive tumour, not a benign one.

This is what it looks like:

It's 13mm in diameter.

He will be going into surgery tomorrow to have it removed. First though we will do an x-ray, to see if it has already spread to his chest and lungs. If it has, we won't be operating, just caring for him as best we can. If it hasn't, which is what we are hoping for, then we will remove the tumour and hope for the best.

Here he is tonight:

Getting a chin-scritch from Melon

Cocoa's always been a pretty resilient pig, so fingers crossed!


x Melon


P.S. Cocoa's still doing fine, but I myself have been struggling with caring for him. It's something I have struggled with for a while, linked to my depression and anxiety I think, and I struggle a lot with guilt that my family seems to do most of his care these days. That's for another blog though - I have been meaning to set up a sub-page or a completely separate blog for me so as not to take up Cocoa's screen-time!