SUNDAY UPDATE

Dear Friends,
Tonight we are still holding on to Raj and CocoNutPie
with feedings of organic carrot juice. Tomorrow we
will add a shot of wheatgrass, hoping they will get
more nutrition since wheatgrass is their favorite food
yet they continue to refuse hard food. CocoNutPie's
breathing can still be rapid and shallow at times,
although she is enjoying her carrot juice and being held.
So does Raj. Tomorrow I will ask the vet for Baytril,
an antibiotic used to treat pneumonia. She actually did
examine them along with Taj and MacNutPie since all
four had been housed together and exposed to other animals
but Raj and Coconut did not present symptoms until
later in the day, which saved their lives, for being at the
hospital (even the vet admitted) so stressed Taj that he 
succumbed shortly after his dear CocoNutPie.
Keeping them home, warm, cozy, held often, hydrated,
and somehow well-nourished with antibiotics appears
to be the most we can do and they are in quarantine
from YumYum and VinnieGuinea, who now have their
own, super-large play pen through which to run, play
chase, eat, drink, explore tunnels, huts, pigloos, 
cuddle-cups... and since it has no top,
petting and picking them up for frequent
snuggles is easy and fun for all of us.


It remains to be seen whether or not we will lose
two more pigs. They have a fighting chance, but
guinea pigs are funny...once they take sick,
cavies are one of the most difficult species to save.
They are unspeakably sensitive: emotionally, spiritually,
and physically. With no natural defenses, when they
still lived in the wild before being entirely domesticated, 
they would hide symptoms of illness so as not to appear
vulnerable to predators...they still do that.
Which is why we often never find out they are 
ill until it is already too late.


We love you all. Your emails mean so much,
I just can't answer them right now because once I start 
crying I can't stop and know you all understand.


Fairy, your mum's marmalade is the sweetest thing!
Second only to the fact that Raj and CocoNutPie
are still alive...with YumYum and VinnyGuinea!
love,
Chana

Moment of PRAYER dedicated to all in World of Animal Rescue and Friends

That is awfully suspicious looking...not sure I'm gonna like this.

Oh, wait a minute! Nom-nom, slurp-slurp...mmmm! Me likes it!

Ooooh! More! More! I want More! Give me more! More!

Oooooh, I haven't felt this way since I was a wee, suckling piglet.

Except now that I'm big, Drippage can be an issue so need more.

Once she realized it was freshly squeezed, organic carrot juice,
CoconutPie loved her feedings...and Raj tried to suck up so
much at one time it dripped all over him and his amounts
had to be carefully dosed!

MMMM...that carrot juice sure was good.

We will do our best to live. We are not out of the woods yet by a long-shot and so ill mom will not risk stressing us more by taking
us to the vet, but will call requesting antibiotics for our pneumonia.
All we have eaten is our carrot juice, no solid food. We are very
weak and limp so still sleep with mom until right before she
falls asleep then puts us back into our large, new pen without
a top adjacent to her bed (which we hope she stops falling
out of...but that's another story.)


We had written a poem/prayer to thank you.


Then mom erased it because she is in 
shock and grief, doing strange things.
Stranger than "normal" strange 
things we are already accustomed to...
Like learning how to say "watermelon" in Hindi.
(It's "tarbooz" in case you wondered.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ernest Hemingway once wrote the shortest 
short story in six words:
"For sale: Baby shoes, never worn."


Mom replaced our poem/prayer with one for
Calvin, MacNutPie, and Taj Mahal.


"Laughing eyes:
Ashes fertilize
Apple orchard."


We cannot express how deeply grateful we are to
each and every one of you for each and every
thought, word, prayer, deed, 
shipped-overseas jar of awesome, homemade marmalade, 
and breath of love you have and continue sending us.
Which is why we wrote you the poem/prayer
mom erased for no reason.


She said the best thing we could do
to show our gratitude to you is LIVE.


"We agree.
Breathe deeply:
Stand up."


(Six words.)


"Love You.
Two words.
Mean more."

JOURNEY OF "THE ENDURANCE"

Today we ate a little, drank fresh-squeezed, organic carrot
juice from a syringe squirter, and mom even caught us walking
around our cage instead of lying on our sides breathing rapidly, 
too weak to move, unable to stand, eyes glazed over. 


YumYum and GuineaVinny get to be in the living room but
we get to sleep with mom next to her bed! We sure hope the
worst is over...


Although once we defrost from so much loss (half the herd
since January 2nd, 2012) another "worst" may commence.
But we will have those of us who have survived to console
one another and we will be in your world-wide loving embrace.


For the first time this year, we have hope we shall endure.


If we make it though the night...


love you all.