Saying Goodbye to Rizzo

It was a sad day in the Heinisch home as we said goodbye to Rizzo, aka "The Big Fat" this morning.  Rizzo was the last of our Guinea pigs and although he was technically Cameron's pig, we all enjoyed having him as a pet.  We've had Guinea pigs as pets for over ten years and Rizzo lived the longest just missing his sixth birthday.  He was by far the most dramatic pig as he squealed loudly each morning to be fed.  He loved to watch me working in the mud room and kept us entertained during the heart of the pandemic.  Meg told me that she actually had more pictures of Rizzo on phone these past two years than she did of her friends.  His favorite activity was begging for carrots and he even spent time at Grandma's whenever we traveled.  

I was a little bit surprised at how sad I was when I realized that Rizzo wasn't going to make it through the week.  Having Rizzo at home had kept me company while Cameron was at school and Meg was at IU.  I knew that it would be a lot quieter in the house without him.  It was also fun to complain to him about his love for carrots or to see him try to wiggle into his house.  For me it felt like saying goodbye to a large part of Cameron and Meg's childhood.  

I also felt bad as I knew how hard Rizzo had fought to live.  He had gotten sick with a respiratory infection in December.  As that was the number one cause of death for Guinea pigs we did not except him to pull through.  He rebounded, however, and was soon back to himself.  Shortly afterward that illness, the cyst on his side that he had had for several years doubled in size.  The growth caused a small cut in his skin.  Cameron and I took him to Diane in Goshen (the vet that Cameron had shadowed this year) to get her opinion.  She gave Rizzo eye drops for conjunctivitis and told Cameron to put Vitamin E on his skin.  She told him that the cyst was normal for Guinea pigs.  She also said that Rizzo had lived a good life and to let him just keep going for as long as he wanted.  

That's exactly what Rizzo did.  Even yesterday when he didn't want water or his food, he did all he could to take a bite out of a carrot.  It was hard to watch, but I'm glad that he died shortly after doing something that he loved.