Tiny Tim: A Rescued Guinea Pig

Letters from Tim & Jo: UPDATED 4-14-08

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Vet Visit: 3-31-06
Letters from Tim & Jo: UPDATED 4-14-08
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merry's drawing of tiny tim

Tiny Tim doesn't have a blog like Jasmine does to keep everyone up to date on any news so he created this page for his periodic updates.
 
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Kathy,
 
Although I can't exactly speak for myself, if I could, I would thank you so much for everything you've done for me! ... Jasmine is my best friend, even though I haven't met her. But I think she's gorgeous!
 
Talk to you later. ~ Tim
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Hannah,
 
I absolutely LOVE the banners! What great work! Timmy is doing fine. We tried adding calcium to his diet in hopes that he had that deficiency, but see no change in him. However, he does a great job of "scooting" around - and at high speeds, too! He seems very happy, and loves all the attention he's getting.
 
Thanks, Hannah, for your great work. ~ Jo (Tim's caregiver)
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Hi, Everyone!
 
It's nice to know that people are still thinking and asking about me. Kathy, I love my [cage] background, with pictures of all my friends. It gives me lots to look at while I'm eating my dandelion greens and clover from the back yard!  And the stand for my cage is terrific. Plus, all the fleece liners you sent are wonderfully soft and great to zoom around on.  Jo puts bassinet liners under them and they're working well.  I hope to have some new pictures soon from when I got my last bath and hair cut. Thanks to everyone for caring about me!  ~ Tim
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... his flaky skin condition has completely cleared up.  ~ Jo (Tim's caregiver)
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I just wanted everyone to know that I'm doing well. Jo moved my cage, so I'm in the living room now (It's a little cooler in there.), and I can see what everyone's up to. I also made a trip to Mon Ami Pet Salon. They have a new owner, and although I miss the nice lady who used to take care of me, this one did a good job, too. I got a shorter cut for the summer, and she trimmed my nails for me. 
 
I went to the Tractor Supply Company for a special pet day they had, and had lots of visitors. Oh my, everyone wanted to feed me a dandelion green. I also went to the library and got lots of attention from the children during story hour. I loved it, but I'm always glad to get home and run around on that nice, soft fleece!
 
Jasmine's new cage looks really neat. You're pretty creative!
 
Talk to you later.  Love, Timmy
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Tim is a little lighter since being on his "diet".  But as far as mobility goes, he still scoots around as fast as a speeding bullet.  He still kicks his back legs when he's picked up - but the vet thought that was just reflex.  And he still yells when his food dish is empty in the morning! ~ Jo (Tim's caregiver); 9-2-06
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Hi, Everyone,
 
Gee, it's been awhile since I checked in with any news. Actually, life in Kentucky has been kind of slow-paced (although my caregiver, Jo, may not agree), so I don't generate much that would be considered newsworthy!
 
But I like this slow-paced life just fine. Every morning I know I'm going to get a piece of carrot, and once in a while Dutch sneaks in a "choo-choo" raisin. And since the weather turned so pretty, all through the day I'm surprised with handsful of treats like fresh clover and dandelion greens. 
 
My "mansion" has been moved into the living room for the summer where I get the benefit of an overhead fan and the cross-breeze from the open windows. I love the way it ruffles my hair! And when people pass by they always stop to say hello and talk to me (and give me treats if I wheek loud enough!)
 
Jo says I'm a special little guy, but personally, I think I'm a very fortunate little guy to have all the friends I do - including you! Thanks for checking on me. Talk to you later.  ~ Timmy; 5-15-07
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tiny tim and tommy, the dog

Finally got a picture of Timmy. He'd doing fine and keeping us in line. He likes being in the living room and talks to us as we go by which prompts us to stop and talk to him and find a treat to bring him - generally dandelion greens or clover. [Here's a photo of] Timmy and Tommy playing tug-of-war with a carrot stick. Of course, Timmy won! (Timmy always wins!) ~ Jo (Tim's caregiver), 7-9-07

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Hi, Kathy,
 
It's been awhile, hasn't it? I wanted to update you on Tiny Tim. 
 
Tiny Tim lost the nails off his left rear leg several weeks ago. Then I noticed a little bleeding, which I cleaned. But then he developed a blackened area on the foot. To make a short story shorter, our local vet said he'd lost circulation to the foot and it should be amputated, as the area was dying.
 
So, on Thursday, March 13, we brought Timmy to the vet in Nashville.  He said he had definitely lost circulation, and that it was similar to humans with diabetes, and that the foot definitely needed to be amputated. To make it easiest on Timmy, he amputated at the knee, because it's less stressful and less painful than cutting the bone. He sewed the stitches up high on the leg to keep them off the flooring and decrease the chance of infection with him dragging that area through his droppings, etc. We brought Tim in at 9:30 a.m. and picked him up at 1:45 p.m.  He was awake, alert, and ready to go home. 
 
He received pain medication for three days. His appetite has needed stimulation and he's had a little Critical Care. He has eaten greens and a little hay. This is now Monday, March 17th, and he's finally eating a little of his guinea pig pellets. He's happy to grab the kale and dandelion greens from us and devours them. He's one tough little guy with a wonderful dispostion! How fortunate we are.
 
Good news from the vet, too. When we brought Tim in, the vet hadn't seen him since we first got him two years ago. First thing the vet did was turn him over and look at his underside. When we asked him his opinion about the surgery he said under normal circumstances he'd not recommend it, but because Timmy really seemed to have a good quality of life he thought we should go ahead. He was amazed that Timmy had made it these two years, having thought that he'd have sores and be a miserable little guy, if he lived at all. So when he examined his underside he was totally surprised that there were no "bed sores",  and that Timmy was so healthy. He was really pleased at how well Timmy is doing.
 
Guess that's it in a nutshell. Will let you know how his recuperation goes. Hope you and your critters are all doing well. Thanks so much for all you do!  ~ Jo (Tim's caregiver), 3-17-08  NEW 4-14-08
 
UPDATE:
.... Actually, I am in the market for some more fleece. His are getting pretty worn. ...  Also, I'm having a time finding Timothy Hay. I was getting it from a farmer here by the bale, since we give it to our rabbit and the three rabbits we're fostering, but he's out. 
 
You can add today's note that Tim seems to be back to "his old self" - eating his food, drinking his water, and grabbing his treats out of our hands! He needs a bath, but have to wait until it's been 7 days after his surgery. Talk to you later. ~ Jo (Tim's caregiver), 3-18-08  NEW 4-14-08

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