Dahlia

I know it has been a while since my last post, but I have been so incredibly busy that I haven’t had much time to write. But I have now handed in all my exams and I am free to write again. Unfortunately, this is not a happy time at this small mouse paradise. Yesterday I had to say goodbye to my little Dahlia. I had found a growth on her the 17^th of December and had taken her to the vet on the 18^th. He told me what I already knew, but I just had to be sure. There was nothing to do, and all I could do was give her a good last time with me and the other girls. How long it would take for the growth to get too big, he couldn’t say.

But I had Dahlia for almost a whole month, before the growth started to affect her life. She wasn’t herself yesterday, and when I found her sleeping on top of their wooden house, I knew something was wrong. I tried to get her to move, but she just moved a bit, to curl up behind their running disc. This was not normal at all for Dahlia. She loved to snuggle up with the others, or in their many huts. So I took her out and sat with her. Normally, Dahlia would run all over me when I took her out. She wanted to explore everything around her and she did it in an incredible speed. But now, she just sat there in my hands, not wanting to move or explore the world. On top of that she had gotten quite thin over just a few days. There was no doubt about it, I had to let her go.

It is never easy to make that decision, because it hurts so much. But letting her live just because I didn’t want to let her go, was certainly not an option. Their wellbeing comes before mine. Little Dahlia is now buried under some big and beautiful trees in my garden. And when I look out of my window in the living room, I can see the trees. Luckily I still have Pippin, Øystein, Adelaide, Ivy and Chewie to keep me company and they are all doing so well <3

- The Mouselife