Rest in Peace, Peanut

It is with mourning that we announce our sudden loss of Peanut the guinea pig, who passed away at the age of 4 years, 9 months on the night of December 10. Peanut had quite the reputation of being a guinea pig with tremendous health, especially considering the fact that he'd recently entered his senior years, so it was rather alarming when we noticed a lump developing under his left arm not too long after his fourth birthday. Taking this into account, we decided to book an appointment for Peanut back in November to have a biopsy performed on the lump in his arm, which would determine if it was cancerous.

When we received the results from the biopsy, we were informed that the lump was indeed cancerous, and that the cancer had rapidly spread to other parts of Peanut's body, including his lungs. In addition, his weight had dropped significantly, which we'd noticed prior to the appointment. Considering Peanut's older age and declining health, surgery to have the lump removed was out of the question. We were left with two options: to either wait for the cancer to infect Peanut's body completely, or to have him euthanised. For the time being, however, we were given some antibiotics and instructions on how to keep Peanut comfortable until we'd reached a decision.

Due to the fact that we were away from home with Peanut at the time, we did our best to cope with his deteriorating health. It was patent that Peanut had lost any interest he had left for trick training, a symptom we found alarming due to how much he relished the activity. In the meantime we attempted to raise his weight by feeding him a surplus of watered timothy hay and romaine lettuce. On top of all this, several digestive problems were introduced, so we did whatever we could to ensure that he was getting enough water in order to function properly. Overall, Peanut had no trouble taking his antibiotics multiple times a day, and we must say that his eyes and nose (which weren't in good shape at the time) cleared up. By the time the end of the week approached, we'd decided that it would only be fair to have Peanut euthanised.

On the morning of December 4, shortly after we were informed about Peanut's declining health, Peanut participated in the ritual morning routine with the family. He lay contently on his back in the arms of a family member, enjoying the belly rubs he was receiving just as he had in photos taken years ago. Peanut absolutely adored having his belly scratched, but only on specific occasions; at the time, that occasion was the completion of his morning dose of antibiotics. Using this moment as a reward, Peanut stretched out his arms as he happily showed off his little guinea pig smile, a patent look of serenity showing on his face. We couldn't help but imagine that that would be how Peanut would pass, stretched out peacefully in our arms at the veterinary clinic. Just several days later, on the evening of December 10, we couldn't help but notice that throughout the course of the day that Peanut's health had taken a drastic drop downhill. We concluded that it would be that weekend that we would have him put to rest.

Unfortunately, Peanut passed away suddenly (and, to be frank, quite unexpectedly) that night of December 10. It was clear that he had done so peacefully. We were told by many of our closest friends and family members that if any guinea pig had been peaceful at rest, it was Peanut. He had lived a fulfilled life, and there was nothing more he could ask for at the time of his passing.

The final picture taken of Peanut, several days before he passed.

We continue to find the news of Peanut's passing to be truly devastating. He left an impact on our lives in ways words cannot describe. Not only did he introduce us to clicker training and positive reinforcement, but he showed the thousands of people who viewed his videos through YouTube what positive training can do with the bond between human and animal. His videos even encouraged several viewers to begin training their guinea pigs - an animal whose charms and intelligence are so often underestimated.

We love you, Peanut. You will never be forgotten. You truly made us proud, and there is nothing more we expected from you. Thank you for sharing your 4 years with us. Thank you for always being there. We're positive that when we meet again, you will have once more made friends with Buttercup and will have showed him the 40+ tricks you learned in your lifetime. Thank you for brightening our days to clear the cloudy skies. Perhaps, one day, we will join you and brighten yours.

Rest in Peace, our little Potato. ♥

Our little Potato
March 2, 2011-December 10, 2015

In addition, we will continue to remain active on our YouTube channel. Although we will no longer upload videos, we'll do our best to continue replying to any comments we receive. This way, others can become inspired to continue to "squeak" up and spread the word of positive training methods.

Also, a big thank you to all of our supporters who never failed to encourage us through the journey of animal training. Peanut's success couldn't have happened without the support of his peers. Peanut's passing doesn't mark the end of our animal training career; although we will not house any animals for quite some time, in the future expect Peanut's handlers to be training animals of their own. ;)

We give a large amount of thanks to NanaBorderCollie, a talented and amazing animal trainer, for inspiring and supporting us to begin animal training. Visit and subscribe to her official YouTube channel to watch incredible videos of her animals: www.youtube.com/user/NanaBorderCollie

Our official YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/PeanutGuineaPig
Our official blog: www.PeanutGuineaPig.blogspot.com