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Gigi lost her cancer battle Friday. I need help/suggestions on honoring her etc

Gigi’s Mom

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Brenda
Hi All -

I am going to try to get through posting this without crying (again). Apologies if this jumps around.

We are new to this board and if you caught our “Hello” post you might know I was caring for a 12yr old lovebird who I hand raised that had cancer. My Gigi had been diligently battling her llness like a champ for over 3 years. We went monthly for Lupron shots almost 2yrs which worked beautifully then when the illness progressed we went weekly for abdominal taps, bi weekly lupron, Lasix and supplemental hand feedings daily. Through all that my little bird lived life to the fullest each day, flying around, bathing, playing, wanting to be with me all the time, and barely showed just how ill she really was.

Unfortunately this past week she seemed to develop an infection and was not feeling well. It was the first time I ever felt a bird that appeared to be running a fever. I took her to the vet who thought it was a liver infection and gave her a baytril shot and sent us home with doxycycline. I gave Gigi her first dose on Friday evening and within hours she was wheezing, weak and had a couple of seizures and passed in my hands. To say it was horrible to experience is an understatement. But even as weak as she was she still flew over and crawled across my bed to be with me so I was there for her in her last moments. But I felt helpless as it was past 9pm on a Friday and there are no ER hospitals that take birds in our area. All I could do was keep her warm and calm and hope she’d make it through the weekend. I am not sure if it was the medication or she was just so sick that it was inevitable. In any event, she is gone and I am devastated.

Sorry if this part is not pleasant. I now have the task of what to do next. I live in an apartment and do not want to bury her here. For a few of my lovies that passed before I would find them a nice wood box and have them sealed in them. I should have purchased one ahead of time to avoid trying to do so while grieving. I know it sounds simple enough but I am having the hardest time trying to find something to place her in. I want something fitting of a beloved bird. That once in a lifetime bird I hope everyone has had the priviledge of experiencing. So something fitting. I have also heard of other memorials like having ashes made into jewelry etc. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

Lastly I am currently experiencing grief like I have never had before. I think part of it is just how much this bird was bonded to me (and vice versa) and how much a part of my every day she was. Especially in the last 6 months with all the daily cancer treatment care. To now suddenly not have that, its SO hard. I’m not sure if anyone has gone through something similar but any suggestions on getting through this are welcome.

On a lighter note I still have two of Gigi’s sisters. One who is almost her twin, also hand raised but not nearly as sweet. Her name is Chicken and it seems like she is grieving too.

Thank you for any suggestions and sorry this post is a bit rambling but I am in pretty sad shape today.
 

Emma&pico

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So sorry for your loss
 

oddyssea

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Hi All -

I am going to try to get through posting this without crying (again). Apologies if this jumps around.

We are new to this board and if you caught our “Hello” post you might know I was caring for a 12yr old lovebird who I hand raised that had cancer. My Gigi had been diligently battling her llness like a champ for over 3 years. We went monthly for Lupron shots almost 2yrs which worked beautifully then when the illness progressed we went weekly for abdominal taps, bi weekly lupron, Lasix and supplemental hand feedings daily. Through all that my little bird lived life to the fullest each day, flying around, bathing, playing, wanting to be with me all the time, and barely showed just how ill she really was.

Unfortunately this past week she seemed to develop an infection and was not feeling well. It was the first time I ever felt a bird that appeared to be running a fever. I took her to the vet who thought it was a liver infection and gave her a baytril shot and sent us home with doxycycline. I gave Gigi her first dose on Friday evening and within hours she was wheezing, weak and had a couple of seizures and passed in my hands. To say it was horrible to experience is an understatement. But even as weak as she was she still flew over and crawled across my bed to be with me so I was there for her in her last moments. But I felt helpless as it was past 9pm on a Friday and there are no ER hospitals that take birds in our area. All I could do was keep her warm and calm and hope she’d make it through the weekend. I am not sure if it was the medication or she was just so sick that it was inevitable. In any event, she is gone and I am devastated.

Sorry if this part is not pleasant. I now have the task of what to do next. I live in an apartment and do not want to bury her here. For a few of my lovies that passed before I would find them a nice wood box and have them sealed in them. I should have purchased one ahead of time to avoid trying to do so while grieving. I know it sounds simple enough but I am having the hardest time trying to find something to place her in. I want something fitting of a beloved bird. That once in a lifetime bird I hope everyone has had the priviledge of experiencing. So something fitting. I have also heard of other memorials like having ashes made into jewelry etc. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

Lastly I am currently experiencing grief like I have never had before. I think part of it is just how much this bird was bonded to me (and vice versa) and how much a part of my every day she was. Especially in the last 6 months with all the daily cancer treatment care. To now suddenly not have that, its SO hard. I’m not sure if anyone has gone through something similar but any suggestions on getting through this are welcome.

On a lighter note I still have two of Gigi’s sisters. One who is almost her twin, also hand raised but not nearly as sweet. Her name is Chicken and it seems like she is grieving too.

Thank you for any suggestions and sorry this post is a bit rambling but I am in pretty sad shape today.
I'm so very sorry for your loss of lovely little Gigi. I lost a precious little lorikeet just over a year ago after a three month roller coaster of emotions dealing with her various reproductive and kidney issues - much like your Gigi she was my little heart-and-soul bird too. It was a few months after her passing before I felt strong enough to do something to memorialise her, but what I did was go to one of those star name registry companies and I bought the naming "rights" to a binary star system, so that there will always be somewhere out there where the two of us will be in orbit around each other. Now just how genuine these naming things are and exactly how long those stars will remain in orbit around each other are different issues entirely, but it will certainly last longer than I will remain here on this earth. And it did help me feel just that little bit better too, and anything that helps us in these circumstances has to be a good thing in my opinion.

Once again, my very deepest condolences on your loss of Gigi, loving them to the end the way you did with her is indeed a great privilege, even when it causes us such great pain to lose them. Big hugs to you, Gigi's Mom!
 

Zara

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I´m very sorry for your loss.

I have also heard of other memorials like having ashes made into jewelry etc.
I considered this for my dog who passed away, but I was unable to remove any ash from his box. I don´t know if my feelings will change in the future. It is a nice idea, but see how you feel about it as it is not for everyone. I do have a bracelet with two linked hoops containing ash from my uncle who passed away, and I cherish it and take it places with me as if to take him there too and show him around.

If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.
A friend of mine recently lost her lovebird hen too, and she has made a lovely shelf with some pictures, feathers etc I thought it was a really nice beautiful way to memorialise a lost pet. She also sent me and another friend a framed feather so I have it here and also remember the special little bird she was.
I think framing feathers for our birds is a beautiful thing to do, whether they are living or not. I have a little frame with 7 feathers in from my birds and I plan on doing a frame for each bird with more feathers in each too.
 

Kiwi's Dad

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I’m so sorry for your loss :sorrow: :sadhug2:
 

Pat H

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UR post is NOT rambling at all.. I feel so bad for you.. Most of us bird people have gone thru a loss also, and there is no 'quick fix'.

Q-- is she wrapped and in your freezer for now? I hope you find something appropriate to place her in.
To ALL the bird toy makers on the Avenue-- maybe you need to stock something like that?
 

Shannan

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When Walter passed, my daughter (who is an artist) drew me a lovely painting of Walter on a round piece of a tree (similar to his favorite flat perch). My husband drilled a small hole on top and we placed one of Walter's feathers in the hole. It sat in Walters cage until I took the cage down and now it has a special place where I can look at it often. Perhaps you can have something like that done. I also love the framed feather idea (which I should have done). We buried Walter under a tree (perhaps you could find a tree in a park or cemetery or ask the landlord (or a friend) if you could plant a tree in her honor. (or even donate to have a tree planted in the rainforest)

I am so sorry for your loss as I can't imagine going through that kind of treatment for 3 years and then nothing. :sorrow:
 

April

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When Walter passed, my daughter (who is an artist) drew me a lovely painting of Walter on a round piece of a tree (similar to his favorite flat perch). My husband drilled a small hole on top and we placed one of Walter's feathers in the hole. It sat in Walters cage until I took the cage down and now it has a special place where I can look at it often. Perhaps you can have something like that done. I also love the framed feather idea (which I should have done). We buried Walter under a tree (perhaps you could find a tree in a park or cemetery or ask the landlord (or a friend) if you could plant a tree in her honor. (or even donate to have a tree planted in the rainforest)

I am so sorry for your loss as I can't imagine going through that kind of treatment for 3 years and then nothing. :sorrow:
That is such a wonderful and touching tribute to Walter.
 

Mizzely

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A popular thing in the pet rat community is to bury them in a potted plant, something that lasts a long time but can travel with them as they move apartments.
 

SunTruth

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Sorry for your loss. I cannot pretend I have a good advice for dealing with these things but I think it is good you have her sibling for keeping yourself busy. Of course each bird is unique and noone replace anyone, but eventually I wish that you find some peace of mind in taking care of the ones still with you. I wish you and the other birds the best.
 

Pat H

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@Shannons remark reminded me-- I did not want to keep our beloved Timnehs cage outside, [since we needed a much larger one when we adopted our Umbrella Cockatoo]... but decided to take it apart and use some of the specialized curvy parts for an outdoor sculpture. Always reminds me of her!
 

Sarahmoluccan

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I'm so sorry for your loss :sorrow:
 

Birdie Mama

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I am so sorry… :sadhug:

a couple of years ago, someone lost their bird and they had a painting done of it on glass I think it was, and then had a light put in behind it. It was absolutely beautiful. Was being used as centerpiece on mantle or table I think…. I can’t remember if it was in this forum or on the parrotlet forum. I can’t remember who it was, if it was here maybe someone will remember…

I was also just doing a search on google for memorial ideas for pet birds, and one was a holographic image of the bird set in a square crystal. I assume the crystal also would have a light source to it. I have one of an eagle that a friend gave me years ago…hope this helps with some ideas….hard to catch a photo of it as the colors keep changing…
 

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taxidermynerd

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I'm terribly sorry for your loss.

When I lost my Chirp, I put together something of a shrine or altar for him. It has a painting of him that Chewy sent him, his favorite perch, a small budgie toy that @finchly sent us a long time ago and a scrapbook she made for him, a couple of favorite toys of his, an ornament of him made by @Peachfaced , a frame of many of his feathers including his cheek spots, and his ashes. It's all on a shelf lined with fabric from the same piece as I cut his shroud from.

We also paid for the crematory to take his footprints in clay, and I kept the condolences card from the vet team.

I also have a box of all his favorite toys, the rare few he chewed on, the ones he gave kissies to, and a copy of the swing he was sitting on when I first met him.

If you're looking for something more proactive, you can contact your vet or a local rescue if you have one, to see if you can donate any things you don't want. I did that with all of the perishables. Half-used medication, unused chop, foods that were specific to him, the vet took it all off my hands and got them to people who could use them.
 

Gigi’s Mom

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Brenda
I'm so very sorry for your loss of lovely little Gigi. I lost a precious little lorikeet just over a year ago after a three month roller coaster of emotions dealing with her various reproductive and kidney issues - much like your Gigi she was my little heart-and-soul bird too. It was a few months after her passing before I felt strong enough to do something to memorialise her, but what I did was go to one of those star name registry companies and I bought the naming "rights" to a binary star system, so that there will always be somewhere out there where the two of us will be in orbit around each other. Now just how genuine these naming things are and exactly how long those stars will remain in orbit around each other are different issues entirely, but it will certainly last longer than I will remain here on this earth. And it did help me feel just that little bit better too, and anything that helps us in these circumstances has to be a good thing in my opinion.

Once again, my very deepest condolences on your loss of Gigi, loving them to the end the way you did with her is indeed a great privilege, even when it causes us such great pain to lose them. Big hugs to you, Gigi's Mom!
Thank you for your kind post. I remember hearing about star naming, that is an interesting idea. A Gigi star next to mine in a registry would definitely be an honor!
 

Gigi’s Mom

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I´m very sorry for your loss.


I considered this for my dog who passed away, but I was unable to remove any ash from his box. I don´t know if my feelings will change in the future. It is a nice idea, but see how you feel about it as it is not for everyone. I do have a bracelet with two linked hoops containing ash from my uncle who passed away, and I cherish it and take it places with me as if to take him there too and show him around.


A friend of mine recently lost her lovebird hen too, and she has made a lovely shelf with some pictures, feathers etc I thought it was a really nice beautiful way to memorialise a lost pet. She also sent me and another friend a framed feather so I have it here and also remember the special little bird she was.
I think framing feathers for our birds is a beautiful thing to do, whether they are living or not. I have a little frame with 7 feathers in from my birds and I plan on doing a frame for each bird with more feathers in each too.
I like the feather frame idea. I have saved so many of her beautiful wing and tail feathers over the years I could do that. A while back I wanted to get a tattoo of her tail feathers but chickened out. This sounds much better.
 
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