I lost my Guinea Pig Elvis Presley (named after the king) on February 28, 2011 he was probably like a year-year and a half and I would have liked to put his body in the freezer with my other Guinea Pig Cooper who I lost in either November or December sometime I don't remember for sure, so I could bury them both later at my mom's new house, but his feet and stomach were pretty dirty and my boyfriend got a plastic grocery bag and had me put him in there, then he tied it up and said "I'm going to do what you can't" and he proceeded to head outside to throw him in the big trash can in the parking lot. I told him if he wasn't going to let me give him a proper buryal he better let me come and say my final goodbyes. So, we walked out to the trash can hand in hand and I said my goodbyes and then we went back inside. I didn't want it to be like that, I wanted to give him a proper buryal and I feel like I somehow betrayed him because I am still going to give Cooper a proper buryal and I had Elvis the longest. I feel afraid he is mad at me because of it. Then, to make matters even worse this last Monday on March 7th the trash picker upper came and got the trash so I watched from the apartment balcony thinking maybe it would help but it didn't it just made me feel more guilty and I cried. I also feel guilty because I remember that day in the morning they had a little bit of water that I thought would last them a little while and so me and my boyfriend went to get something to eat at Taco Bell, and when we got back Elvis was still alive and me and my boyfriend started playing Madden 2010 on the PS3 against each other so I got distracted and didn't think to check their water bottle and after the game I remember him still being alive and I was just really tired so I didn't think to check their water bottle then either and I ended up falling asleep on the bed and when I woke up like one or two hours later I think it was Elvis was lying flat on the floor of the cage and dead and for some stupid reason that still bothers me to this day, my other Guinea Pig who I call "Baby Guin" was alive and sitting on top of his dead body and I don't know why. I then proceeded to check their water bottle and it was empty, and I don't know for how long because I was stupid and neglectful and I feel guilty like it was all my fault and even though the water bottle sometimes leaked and it might not have been totally my fault at all I still feel horrible. Also, their cage had been dirty for like one or two days because I didn't have anymore bedding to use until my boyfriend got paid and could buy some and I was going to clean it out that night that just happened to be when Elvis died. I was also going to feed them after I cleaned it out because their feeding time was at night and of course I haden't feed them yet. I feel totally guilty like I neglected them that day and I paid the price. I am not an animal abuser and I never neglected to make sure they had water, in fact I would constantly check and this one day I didn't and I feel like it's all my fault and i'm not sure if the cage being really dirty could have caused it. I do have one question I have been asking myself a lot possibly to try and get rid of the horrible guilt I feel, why if it was my fault did "Baby Guin" not die as well??? Tell me the truth do you think I am a horrible person do you think it's my fault?

Dear Angelwngs,

First of all, I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your little Elvis.

Secondly, I can say with absolute certainty that his physical death was not your fault. It would take longer than just a few hours for an animal to die from lack of water; and not cleaning his cage for a day or two would not result in his death either. Perhaps he had an underlying illness that you were not aware of -- because Guinea Pigs are animals of prey, they are adapt at hiding illnesses and weaknesses. Or perhaps it was just his 'time' to go.

I'm also sorry that you could not give him the burial you wanted to. But Elvis does not hold this against you, because his body is just a vessel that is of no importance to him now. He is in a wonderful place full of joy and happiness; where he is surrounded by all his favourite treats. And, remember a part of him will always be with you, in your heart and in your memories.

Please, don't blame yourself.

Take care of yourself and please come back to let us know how you're getting on. We would also love to see a picture of your little Elvis if you feel up to sharing one

Cheryl x

Thanks, that really made me feel better. But regardless that his body is just a vessel and he doesn't need it so it probably doesn't bother him I didn't give him a proper buryal, but I still would have liked to.

On another note it was probably a lot more than a few hours since I haden't checked their water bottle since morning and it was evening when I finally checked it. It's also possible he could have had some kind of underlying illness, because he had some weird eye infection or something like maybe 1 or 2 months before he died. He kept having the white cleaning solution they use to clean their eyes coming out constantly and then he got this red ring looking thing on his eye that grew smaller and smaller as it eventually traveled from the outer part of the eye to the middle of the eye but his eye eventually looked totally healed on the outside, god knows what was going on inside. I noticed after it had fully healed on the outside that he kept his head tilted to the left for some reason and he never did that before. Maybe he had a brain tumor or something but for the most part it didn't look like there was anything wrong with him. The other Guinea Pig I have that I call "Baby Guin" had like pulled the hair out of the top of Elvis' nose and had bit him on the nose in a couple places that had caused puncture wounds and it bleed a tiny bit it looked like but I haden't witnessed it happen so I have no idea why. He was just starting to grow his hair back on his nose and it was looking a lot better and then he just died suddenly on February 28, 2011 and I wish I knew why. Mind you, I unfortunately am really broke right now so I didn't have the money to take him to the veterinarian.

Also, how do I post a picture? I access this forum from my boyfriends PS3 and I don't think it will let me.

Dear Angelwngs,

Please accept my sincere condolences on the loss of your precious little Elvis. I believe that when an animal companion's time on this earth is up, then he/she passes to its next life. This was not your doing or your fault. We all have guilt when we loose our animal companions.

Please be gentle with yourself.

With peace and healing thoughts,
Juturna

Hi, AngelWings, please permit me to add my sincerest sympathies in the loss of your beloved Elvis. Losing a beloved companion is never easy regardless of the circumstances or how long we have been blessed with the privilege of their company. Both Cheryl and Juturna have so well expressed my thoughts, and I hope you will feel comforted by their compassionate and wise thoughts.

There are instructions on how to post pictures in the L-S Tech Support Administration section. And if you have technical problems the Site Administrator will be very glad to assist you, all you need to do is e-mail him.

AngelWings, thank you so much for sharing your precious Elvis with us. Please know we are here for you for as long and as often as you need us. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers, and look forward to knowing how you're doing.

Peace and blessings,
moon_beam