HEBER'S STORY
November 16th, 2004 at 7 pm our family grew with the addition of Heber Lyman Nestor, an adult rescued male, originally from Texas. Heber's previous owner (presumptively his 3rd home) contacted me because they knew he was dying. They had given him love (he was such a cuddly bra baby!) but were very ill-informed about his care. He was eating bird seed and canned fruit cocktail and living in a tiny hamster cage and could hardly walk. He was missing a great deal of fur due to malnutrition and was severely dehydrated. Somehow, though, the boy pulled through!
It was a slow road to health. Pricilla's Pet Glider Vits really helped, so did BML, and lots and lots and lots of patience and work!
He had several infections and surgeries, but he was now a healthy happy guy with his lovely ladies, Lilo and Epiphany! (And also fixed and therefore significantly less stinky and without the risk of unloved (by Nani... not by me, as *I* love them all VERY much!) babies suddenly in our life.) He was, truly, a sweet, goofy, adorable little man and an irreplaceable member of our "colony!"
HEBER'S SAD STORY
Heber was around 9 years old. It was June 21st, 2011 and I recently returned to college to be a vet tech, and the term was ending. With only minutes before my final, Heber was out on a perch, looking... off. I offered him a treat, he didn't take it. I immediately grabbed him off the perch to check him over. There was diarrhea on the perch. I pinched his skin and it tented: Dehydration. I tried to make him drink from his bottle, he wouldn't. He started sliding down the bars of his cage, too weak to climb. I held him and gave him Pedialyte from my glider 1st aid kit drip by drip in a syringe. He was doing a little, but not much, better. I had to go to the test, but I felt sick about it. I made my mom promise she would make him drink every few minutes and after I got out I wanted to take him to the emergency vet if he wasn't looking much better.
I took my test, doing horrible, by the way, thinking about Heber the whole time. My brother texted me saying they had decided to take him in before I got home because they said they could give him subcutaneous fluids. I said, YES, thank you. I felt a little, but not much, better. As soon as I was done I told my professor I was sorry but I had to go and raced out of the room. It was probably an hour since I had left Heber. My sister and Mom picked me up and just walking to the car I knew. They had been crying. I started to cry. They said Heber had died just a little after being seen by the Vet. He discovered a tumor on his stomach, a large one. After getting him back, I felt it, it was like a marble. He said that it was that tumor that killed him. He said I did the right thing with the fluids, but that he was just sicker than that. I just... I didn't know. How long has he had it? Dr. Dobson didn't catch it during his check up last month. How fast did it grow? What could I have done?
I try not to play favorites with my suggies, but I will be honest. Heber was it. I loved that little boy so much! Maybe part of it was how much he had to over come, how sickly he started out, but he was my bravest, my sweetest, my funniest, my smartest... he was my everything. Heber was my baby and now he is buried in the roses in the front yard. Dad built him a wooden casket. We buried him in
the garden and then put a
stepping stone that I made at 4-H
Leadermete last year on top. It
looks nice. I said a prayer, and
put some rose petals in the hole.
I also put Heber in their Lilo and
Stitch pouch before putting him
into the box. I just... wanted him
to be comfortable in there, you
know?
Heber, I love you. I will miss you
forever, with all my heart.
Rest in Peace and Glide Free!
