BJ

[renonvsparky]

Today was very tough. Everything went smoothly as BJ passed away peacefully. His condition this morning vs yesterday and even last night reaffirmed that we made the right decision. If he would have had to wait until Tuesday, he would have spent the time suffering and I never wanted that for him just because I wanted more time with him. I am dealing with his loss in the only way I know how. His cage has been removed, sterilized, packaged and placed in storage. I did some rearranging to maximize the room for the remaining cages. It was time spent with Mr Bubbles, Sammy, Dean, Oreo, Gilligan and Skipper. I was able to reflect on the last 13 months with BJ and surprisingly I found myself smiling more than I thought because of the fond memories of my wonderful and sweet boy.

[gpl]

So sorry for your loss. They just are not with us long enough. Pop free little one.

[renonvsparky]

Rest in peace BJ. I will miss him. I will miss the way he snuggled up with his blanket on my lap. His size, silky white fur and beautiful red eyes made him very unique. His size coupled with his very sweet personality; despite the rough life he had prior to joining us made him a gentle giant among guinea pigs. I could always count on BJ to come up to greet me with a finger nibble and a subtle hello squeak every time I came in the room. No matter what he was doing, he never missed an opportunity to share his affection with me. He's free from suffering now and grazing on the forever green grass with Scruffy. Farewell and Godspeed my little buddy.

This is BJ the day I brought him home 13 months ago. He was afraid to come out of the carrier. He was so big that I had to take the top off to get him out without scaring him more or injuring him. It was then that I realized just how big he really was.

The first time I sat and held BJ in my lap, he does this! It was right then that I knew he would be happy. I think he knew it too. We spent a lot of time like this. It's also how I discovered that he had a real problem with itchiness. Despite being miserable with unscratchable itching, he always snuggled like this. Another testament to his sweet personality. It turned out to be mites, which we got taken care of in short order.  After that, he knew nothing but love, joy and happiness.

Here is BJ doing his next most favorite thing; grazing outside with Mr Bubbles. My other shelter adopted guinea pigs were apprehensive about being outside, even with Mr Bubbles showing them how nice it is and how good the fresh grass tastes. That wasn't the case with BJ. He took to it right off the bat. At first he wanted more to be with the others than he did to eat the grass, but once he realized that they were out there to make the most of the opportunity to graze, he always ate his fill.

He loved socializing with the others, even though they didn't always want to with him. Mr. Bubbles usually responded when BJ called him over unless they were outside. I think it's because he knows that grass time is at a premium most of the time, so there isn't time to kick it if he wants to make the most of it.

With the addition of Oreo, Gilligan and Skipper, BJ assumed the role of the grazing mentor. Here he is showing Oreo how it's done. He knew I was going to take his picture so he turned towards me and posed for this photo.

This is BJ on his last night with us. I made sure that his cage was nice and clean with soft fleece and hay to lay on. He must have known that it would be his last night with us because he mustered up the energy to come over and see me. We spent a lot of time saying our goodbyes that night.

While I will forever miss him and there's a big hole in my heart, I am filled with nothing but fond memories of the big guy.

[Sef]

I am so deeply sorry, but also so glad that he had such a loving home where he lived the good life with you and his friends. He was a very lucky boy, and he knew it.

It is so hard to lose one of these sweet little ones, but I hope you will continue to find comfort in the happier memories of your time together. ❤

Rest well, BJ.

[janlovingcavies]

I can't see the keyboard through my tears! What a beautiful tribute to a very wonderful, lucky piggy!

RIP BJ. No more pain. Run free on those little legs and popcorn among the angels. Have fun with Scruffy but play nice. Till you meet again. You gave him 2 amazing things in his short time with you. A FOREVER HOME AND LOVE! He is telling everyone how lucky he was to have found you! Sending hugs!

[renonvsparky]

BJ is in his final resting place next to Scruffy. I saved a small piece of his favorite fleece holding blanket to keep with him. It was emotional going to pick up his urn. I will always remember him as he is in the picture with his certificate. He will never be forgotten.

[janlovingcavies]

He'll always be in your heart. When you're feeling down, life treating you bad he will be the right by your side! For now he is smiling down at you. Sending hugs.

[Sef]

What a lovely tribute. I hope having him back home with you will give you some comfort and peace. You gave him such a great life.

[renonvsparky]

I got a very nice card in the mail today. It was from BJ's vet clinic and everyone there signed it. I kind of expected them to send a card, as that's what they routinely do. It's usually some generic thing that nobody signs, but BJ got special treatment. Apparently he made quite an impression when he spent the day there getting his x-ray. They don't get a whole lot of guinea pigs in there. There's mostly cats and dogs. So when they do get one; particularly one who has to spend the day with them, everyone likes to hold them. Remember what a snuggle bug BJ was? My guess is that more than one of the staff got to experience BJ snuggles. I was very moved by the gesture. It actually brought a smile to my face.

[janlovingcavies]

My vet usually does that too. But with Joy got no card and it really hurt.

So glad you were able to smile knowing BJ worked his magic and stole more hearts! It's amazing how something so small can steal ones heart and help create wonderful memories!

Many vets still remember Jessie, and she left us in December 2014. She taught so many vets about dental issues and how tough a piggy can be. Sending big hugs.