Guinea Pig Fun
At one point I added a web cam to Jasmine's cage so that I could keep an eye on her to make sure that she as okay. It was quite a popular cam with people watching her daily antics. As a result she developed a following of dedicated fans that would create things for her.
Jasmine loved to eat! She previously had limited intake of proper nutrition and was literally starving. For the first few weeks she would shriek constantly and loudly for food. She would not eat pellets when she arrived so for a while the veggies were supplemented with feedings of Oxbow's Critical Care. Once she started gaining weight and strength various guinea pigs were tried with her to see if she might have a companion. However, each one would "chase her out of the herd" so ultimately she was housed alone. Her tiger became her best buddy.
Jasmine was picked up from a possible backyard breeder and brought directly to a vet for assessment. She was very thin and her bones stuck out and her fur was missing in places and was very short and sparse. The vet said that she was pregnant and that she might be due in a week. She also said that the she had nothing to eat. She treated her for mites and told me to give her an antibiotic for her head tilt along with Vitamin C daily. The vet wasn't sure what caused Jasmine's head tilt. She did not see an outer–ear infection or eardrum rupture. Her weight was 690 grams/1.52 pounds (due to severe malnutrition) and according to her former caretaker, she was about a year-old and had a litter before. One week after Jasmine was rescued, she delivered three babies. Due to her severe malnutrition and other health problems, none of her babies survived. She also had a mummified fetus.
Night of Rescue
Guinea Pig Fun's Jasmine was a rescued guinea pig (aka cavy). She was only one of a multitude of guinea pigs and other critters who suffer abuse, cruelty, and neglect in the hands of their caretakers. Sometimes this abuse is intentional, but often it is due to lack of knowledge as to the proper care and needs of a guinea pig or other animal. This page chronicles her short life and is also a tribute to her and a symbol of hope to all of the other critters who have suffered or still suffer from abuse or neglect.
The photo on the right was taken the day Jasmine was rescued and after she had been seen by the vet. The diagnosis was severe malnutrition, mites, head tilt, and she was pregnant. The vet had her former caretaker reported to Animal Control. Jasmine was quite popular and people followed postings on a forum about her healing process and also watched her on her web cam that was set up to make sure that she was okay. The photos and on these pages chronicle and highlight her healing process and are from her former website.
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