Pet of the Day

January 20, 2008

Today's Pet
Nominate Your Pet
Previous Pets
Pet Talk
Poll
Search
Why?
About Us
Peabody, the Pet of the Day
Name: Peabody
Age: Three years old
Gender: Male
Kind: Guinea Pig
Home: Illinois, USA
 
   In August 2004, we adopted two skinny, neglected, adorable guinea pig brothers, Stewie and Nigel. What fun they have been! Seven months later, we became aware of Stewie and Nigel's brother who was also very neglected physically and nutritionally - we adopted him and called him Mr. Peabody after the cute, funny, smart white dog from the old "Rocky and Bullwinkle" cartoons. Peabody was very timid and completely unaccustomed to any human contact at all but slowly became a Love Bug - sleeping (and purring) for hours in our laps!

    Because he looks like a ghost, he has many nicknames - P-Boo, The Boo and Boo-Boo! P-Boo didn't receive nutritious food until he came to live with us. Unfortunately, he started having serious problems with his teeth shortly after he joined our family. Peabody's right side of his mouth has severely mal-aligned molars/teeth that overgrow across his mouth, trap his tongue and make eating impossible. Because rodents' teeth grow continuously, Peabody requires monthly teeth trimming by our wonderful veterinarian.

    Over the past 1 1/2 years, Peabody's teeth have worsened. He can't eat much on his own anymore. Sweet P-Boo requires many syringe feedings of Oxbow's Critical Care daily along with liquid Vitamin C and other high-caloric supplements like baby food and lactose-free vanilla Ensure. He tries to eat a few pellets or bits of hay on his own and still drinks a few ounces of water a day. He has such a strong will to live despite his major medical problem! He is amazing!!!

    P-Boo is a trooper! Our veterinarian calls him "stoic" and we agree! Currently, Peabody has severely abscessed roots and probable pain/discomfort daily but still tries to eat on his own and whistles for syringe feedings of Critical Care, then purrs with a contented/full tummy while curling up to sleep on a lap. We are so grateful to Peabody's veterinarian for all the wonderful care and help he has consistently given Little Boo-Boo! And, although we worry about him daily, pray for a miracle cure (and live on a shoestring budget), we would do anything for P-Boo to keep him happy and give him a high quality of life.

    We think Cutie-Pie Peabody is very deserving of The Pet of the Day honor! (Bless his heart! BTW, he looks like a little angel sleeping!)

    We have adopted many neglected/abused guinea pigs over the years and our dream is to someday build our own Cavy Sanctuary. Our fun (non-profit) pet site has more cute pics of Peabody and his brothers plus all the Guinea Pigs we've ever adopted: Guinea Pigs R Fun

Talk about today's pet in Pet Talk!