Morgan

Morgan loved her hay.

Morgan's Christmas picture (yes, I used to take pictures of them on each holiday.)

I can't believe that I'm now down to 4 guinea pigs and 1 rat. I took my guinea pig, Morgan, into the vet today. She is the one that had some sort of stroke. After visiting with the vet, I learned that she had gone completely blind in both eyes and her right side was paralyzed. This could have been caused by a stroke or some type of brain infection. . .both of which have no cure. So, I had to decide whether to watch her continue to struggle moving, eating and drinking or to have her put to sleep. Sadly, she was put to sleep today.

I'm ashamed to say that out of all my pets, I was the least close to Morgan. When guinea pigs are young, they are very skittish. After awhile, they begin to trust you, appreciate and welcome your company. Morgan always remained skittish and anxious. . .it lessened a bit over the years, but almost 6 years later, she was still like that. But, that was okay. Morgan taught me that guinea pigs, much like people, are not all the same and need to be respected for their differences. You can't always fit a square peg in a round hole. Morgan was not a "cuddle" or "lap" pig, but she was very sweet. I never tried to force her to be something that she wasn't. She wanted you to give her treats and hay and leave her alone with her guinea pig friends. She wasn't happy unless she was completely buried in hay.

Because she was never fond of being held, I didn't hold her while they sedated her. I said my good-byes and I told her to say hello to Exodia, Odin, Kirsten, Bailey, Lucy and all of my pets who have gone before her. We will miss her very much.