angry with myself about GP#4 dying

[brizzledrizzle]

I have just found GP4 dead in the cage. I am absolutely furious with myself because we have had GP#1-3 die over the years and with all of them I stroked them as they died - GP#1 and GP#2 were obviously ailing all of a sudden so I sat up with them holding, stroking and talking to them as they died. GP#3 was PTS and I was stroking her.

I woke up at 3am and couldn't sleep and thought about coming downstairs but decided to read in bed instead. I came down just now and GP#4 was dead but still soft and very warm so it has literally just happened and our poor, lovely, affectionate, friendly intelligent pig would have had me sitting with him stroking him and talking to him as he died if only I'd bothered to come downstairs.

No idea what to do with the lovely little darling until I get home, the DCs will be home before me and so I want him not in the lounge in his box when they get in. Would it be too awful to put him in my car when I go to work?

Oh but really hand on heart , you cannot always know when they are going to shrug off this Mortal Coil.

They are prey animals , no matter how we try to domesticate them and think we've got onto their wavelength.

Sometimes they go downhill and you see the signs. Sometimes you have to decided for them when it;s 'time'

And sometimes like your little GP4 , they slide away , in their own bed , quietly and without ceremony .

It would be a shock for your DC to find him, could you cover the cage , put a note on it?
Though they usually look quite peaceful when they die .

I only just avoided being with him when he died as he was still really warm when I saw him. We've just buried him, thankfully I saw the DCs before I went to work and was able to tell them this morning. Poor thing has been in a shoe box in the unheated porch all day as I vetoed DS's idea of putting him in the freezer!

The other GPs are now getting used to not having him, they were grooming him when I came down his morning and found him. Last night he was his usually happy, squeaky self though he had lost some weight - it's the one who broke his teeth a while back so had us hand feeding him for a couple of days until he could manage it himself again but he was all back to normal, or so we thought.

He'll be playing with Bert up there over the rainbow bridge.

Have you gone through the stage where you still make up a supper plate then remember there's one less pig

We have to cut down on GP7 salad plate and give her things to amuse her , she doesnt have to wrestle with GP8 (her original cagemate) or GP6 (her very short-term pig-husband) .

When they groom their deceased friend ...... , so sad but it's their way of checking them over and I suppose re-assuring themselves that yes, they've gone .

Our boars have been extreme ear washers - the expression on the washees face was priceless.
GP6 washed GP5 little Himalayan ears when she was having her final rest.

We haven't gone through the supper plate thing because we hand feed them treats but we have picked four not three treats and I said goodnight to him because each morning and night I say hello/night to them individually.
I'm resisting a cute baby pig I saw when I bought hay last time but I have to buy hay today. I think I'll have to send dd in instead.

I see you might have bought more than hay.......... Mowgli

It was inevitable.....