My Nynaeve passed away on May 6th, 2012. She was 1 of my first 2 gliders. I got Lan and Nynaeve on February 18th, 2007 and the lady I got them from told me they were about 3 years old. Therefore, my best guess is that Nynaeve was about 8 or 9 when she passed away. The first 3 years of her life were not great - they didn't even have names nor was much attention paid to them, they were just baby making machines so this lady could sell their offspring. The only good thing that they had with her was a large cage which I kept - no wheel, no toys to speak of, and a bad diet. Lan was very laid back and easy going and let me hold and pet and play with him right off the bat. Nynaeve, on the other hand, was always very wary and angry and scared with humans. She loved her family (they came with Tika and Tas in pouch) and after about a year or so of tent time and licky treats, she stopped trying to kill me when I got near. I loved her nonetheless. I loved her for her, no strings attached. However, she never really warmed up to me, she merely tolerated me while her family loved me. Because of this, I was never able to hold her for any length of time and she never let me get a good look at her as I often check over my other gliders to be sure all is well.
A few days before she passed, I heard a strange noise coming from the cage. I was getting ready for work that morning and went to check. I saw Nynaeve on the top of the cage, hunched over and she seemed to be focused on her abdomen or cloaca while making this strange noise. My gut was telling me to bring her to the vet, while my brain was telling me I had to go to work and could take her later if need be. I thought perhaps she was constipated and so I picked up some pumpkin on the way home from work. That night, all seemed fine and so I thought maybe it was just a little problem pottying and she was okay now. I clipped nails the night of May 5th and all seemed normal, except perhaps a slightly easier time clipping Nynaeve's nails than I was used to.
The evening of May 6th, Tika was playing on the wheel and Lan and Nynaeve were nowhere to be seen. I took their pouch out and usually, when I do that, Nynaeve crabs, but she didn't. I needed to give Lan his medicine for a facial abscess/dental issue we had been dealing with since January and usually Nynaeve would exit the pouch and leave Lan in there and then I could give him his meds. This didn't happen that night. I got Lan out of the pouch, but Nynaeve wouldn't move. I knew something was wrong. I had Lan on my arm and brought the pouch with Nynaeve in it out to the living room and handed it to my boyfriend asking, "Is she gone? Is she gone?" He nodded his head and I broke down. I called Val and asked what to do as I knew I needed a necropsy. I needed to know if I had done something wrong or not done something I should have. I needed to know if I could have saved her that day that my gut told me to bring her to the vet. I needed answers.
I sent Nynaeve to Val in Texas and had a necopsy and histopathology done. Thank you to The SUGAR Group for their help with this!
The gross necropsy found a mass on Nynaeve's hepatic duct and the histopathology found that it was not cancer. My understanding of the results is that it was a large mass that, because of its size and growth, stopped the blood flow to Nynaeve's organs. Her organs began to die and as far as I know, that is what killed her. Her body gave out from the inside out and I want to believe there was nothing I could have done to save her. I know abdominal surgery would have been risky and painful and may not have saved her. I do not know why she had the benign mass on her liver, I do not know what happened to cause this, but I want to know. I know that the human body is a mystery and that the glider body is even more so. I need for us to continue our research and studies. I need for The SUGAR Group to continue to do what it does and I need for more people to have necropsies and histopathologies done so we can learn more and possibly help to prevent this and other medical issues from taking our babies much too soon. I still feel like I failed Nynaeve, but I also feel that she and I are helping others.
I'm sorry for the novel and sorry if I have posted this in the wrong place or made it longer than it should have been here. Associates, please feel free to move or edit as necessary. Believe me, this could have been so much longer - I did try to shorten it.
Fri Jun 08, 2012 7:37 pm