Sponsor a Guinea Pig!

Sponsor a Guinea Pig is a fundraising program for special needs guinea pigs across the US and UK. Each month we fundraise for a different rescue's special needs guinea pig, setting a fundraising goal to help pay for a few months of their care, or pay for a medical procedure.

This month's pig is Misha!



Misha is an absolutely sweetheart piggy with a tragic past. Small Angels rescued her from an animal shelter, where she had been turned in by someone who had bought her at a yard sale! Imagine poor Misha on a table in her cage next to puzzles without all their pieces and action figures missing their accessories



After Misha arrived in the rescue she proved to be really sick. Misha had a severe urinary tract infection, cysts, and liver damage. Fortunately, the UTI cleared up with antibiotics, but those antibiotics caused her to stop eating and lose weight. Misha relied on the hand feeding of Small Angels fosters in order to recover.

In addition, her ovarian cysts are being observed and may need to be removed in the future. This will be a large strain on the rescue (and Misha). The procedure is being delayed because of Misha's poor health.




Since Sponsor a Guinea Pig has been doing so well, I wanted to really try and pull for this girl and see how it worked. We're going to make a fundraising goal of $291, our most ambitious goal yet. If it doesn't work-well, you shoot for the moon and reach the stars, and that's something! This goal would pay for three months of Misha's monthly needs: a $20 vet visit, $40 in bedding, $15 in hay, $15 in veggies, and $7 for a tube of Destin each month so she doesn't get urine scald.

So far we've raised $175! That's just $116 left to go.

For donation information and more of Misha's story, please click here.

Wonderful news! We've reached our goal for Misha with ample time to spare. This month SAGP has raised $305. That's enough for 3 vet visits, 3 months of hay, 3 months of Destin, and four months of veggies!

It's the first of the month, and that means a new piggy for Sponsor a Guinea Pig!

Introducing Opie, of Orange County Cavy Haven. Opie has very severe impaction, and so we are trying to fundraise $246 for his neuter.

While many pigs' conditions will improve with good diet and exercise, in some extreme cases the male has to be neutered, which removes the excess skin. It also prevents a dangerous condition from forming--unrelieved gas in a guinea pig can lead to gastric torsion, a situation that is almost always quick and fatal. Opie is already suffering from a repeated bacterial infection called enteritis, for which he has to take medication.

Opie is an absolute sweetheart pig. He was rescued from a shelter by Wee Companions, and then transferred to Cavy Haven as a potential mate for an 8 year old pig. Opie must have had a bad experience with other guinea pigs, as whenever he is with other pigs he becomes fearful. We are hoping that after the neuter he will be more likely to be able to bond with a female.



Poor Opie has to take a ton of medication right now for his GI conditions, which he largely wouldn't have to take if he had the neuter done. He's also been through two bladder stones!

In Opie's first month with the rescue his bladder stones and GI conditions cost the rescue $800 just in the first month!

This very expensive piggy is just as valuable. We're hoping to both improve his life, and hopefully find him a wife!

Please visit http://sponsoraguineapig.blogspot.com/ and Opie's entry to read more of his story and to consider donating! And please pass his story on!

We've reached our total! Thank you to everyone who has donated-so far we have raised a grand total of $338! Nearly $100 over our goal!

Crossposting from a member of OCCH:

"Opie was neutered today! He is doing well. He is eating hay and drinking water. He had some regular formed poops in his cage!

Thanks everyone for the donations, and GuineaPinny for fundraising for him. The donations covered all his pre-op, surgery, and post-op needs. He's recovering in style.

Here's the vet who neutered him. She did a wonderful job...the incision is so tiny and perfectly closed from inside. http://www.coteanimalhospital.com/




Opie in his recovery room"

It's a new month, and that means a new pig!

This month SAGP will be partnering with Wisconsin Guinea Pig Rescue to sponsor Bunny, an adorable guinea pig who is incredibly lucky to be in their care.



Bunny wasn't loved on as a little baby, and so was incredibly feral at the shelter. She was almost put to sleep for being unadoptable, but WGPR rescued her. This cutie-girl now lives in a big cage with a best friend, and will even let her foster parent pet her on the head!



We're trying to raise enough for 10 months of supplies (pellets, hay, and veggies) and one well-pig visit. Each month of Bunny's support costs $25, and a well visit costs $35, bringing our total to $285.

Thanks to an early contributor, we already have one month of care covered!

Please visit the link to read more of Bunny's story, and to consider donating.

Well, I'm late. I hope everyone will forgive me, it has been a sad guinea household since Peaches passed.

But other pigs are in need, and so, with much ado, I present to you: August's pig Dunkin!




Dunkin is with North Jersey Guinea Pig and Hamster Rescue, a rescue never before featured! They were kind enough to write the following text for Dunkin:

"Dunkin came via owner surrender to our local rescue group. This male is approximately 2 ½ yrs old and super sweet. Because he seemed to have labored breathing, we took him to the vet only to find out he had previous internal injuries and some type of heart condition. This was complicated by pneumonia.




His lungs improve everyday with a course of antibiotics, but his heart will require medication for the rest of his life. He loves to eat- everything! – and is a super friendly little guy. My kids insist he resembles a ground hog! He has a great disposition and his condition does not seem to keep him from doing what guinea pigs do- squeak and eat!

He will require monthly vet visits as well as 2 prescriptions 3X/day for the heart and lung condition. He will need follow-up x-rays to see if the medicines are helping with the fluid around his heart. So far, his medical cost since late May exceed $358 in vet visits, x-rays and prescriptions. Monthly meds will be approx $80 as well as a monthly check up with the vet costing approx $40.Follow-up x-rays will be needed eventually at the cost of $124."

Our goal is to fundraise enough for two months of meds and two vet visits, reaching a total of $240. Will you help us with a $1 or larger donation today?



To donate, please visit: http://sponsoraguineapig.blogspot.com/2009/07/august_29.html

Since it's my birthday I get to officially promote September's pig one day early

http://sponsoraguineapig.blogspot.com/2009/08/septembers-pig-of-month-tagg.html



Introducing Tagg! With MGPR, the rescue for which I volunteer. I've held Tagg, and he is just the sweetest guinea pig in the world. Poor Tagg has developed large non-cancerous tumors on his nose. They have to be removed periodically at a cost of $150 each surgery.

Here is Tagg post surgery:



Tagg has had two foster moms within the rescue, and they've both completely fallen in love with him. Read their impressions of Tagg at http://sponsoraguineapig.blogspot.com/2009/08/septembers-pig-of-month-tagg.html, and please consider donating or forwarding his story!

Tagg has one of our most ambitious goals yet, during a difficult economic time, so please-if you've ever considered donating, now's the time!