In loving of memory of Sweetcorn

Yesterday, I lost a friend.

Sweetcorn the gerbil had developed some kind of disease in her abdomen and had to be put down 🙁 On Wednesday night she was breathing heavily and not moving around much at all, she was 3 years and 5 months old so I knew she was on her last legs. I gave her last meal and gave her soft words of encouragement as she struggled to hold a pumpkin seed to eat it. We had a little chat about the good times she’s had over her life before I left her in peace to sleep, fully expecting her not to make it through the night. The morning came and she was still breathing heavily.

Mum took me to the vets with her as Penny (the dog) was due an appointment anyway. When we got there and opened the door Penny took one whiff of the smell of the vets, escaped from her harness and ran off in the direction of a busy road (she REALLY doesn’t like it there!) I managed to catch her and we went inside. Penny got some eardrops and then the vet called me in. When he saw Sweetcorn he immediately looked worried, she wasn’t looking good. When he managed to keep her still (she still managed to try and escape, the rascal) he listened to her chest and felt her abdomen. He gave me the bad news and said that he could do an x-ray and try and get a diagnosis but it would be pretty pointless. I could either take her home or ease her suffering there and then. I asked if she was suffering at all, and he said he thought she was.

The vet asked what her name was to see if she was on his computer. She wasn’t, but she was added. The word “euthanasia” flashed up on the screen and I had a sudden twinge of guilt about the morality of ending the life of a being before their time. But time was short, cold logic took over and it went ahead.

Sweetcorn was buried under the apple tree next to her sister Pumpkin in the pouring rain. It was also raining the day Pumpkin was buried.

Sweetcorn

August 2000 – January 2004

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