5 and a half year old boar with heart failure, when is this right time to let him go?

[munchielettuce]

Hi!
This is my first account and post here, I've used these forums dozens of times for help with past piggies.
My boy Benji is around 5 and a half now (turning 6 in July), and has had heart issues for close to a year and a half. I first noticed a very small rocking motion when he was breathing a year and a half ago, since then it has progressed really slowly. Multiple vet visits, and it progressed to the point of an xray finally noticing a very small heart enlargement (around the end of the year in 2025). Benji's been on furosemide, its a special compound with a crushed up 50 mg tablet, water, and strawberry syrup, of which he gets 0.5 mL 3 times a day, alongside getting 1/4 a tablet of Vetmedin (ace inhibitor) crushed and mixed with 1 mL of water in the morning and evening. He used to only get the furosemide once a day, but of course as symptoms slowly started to show again medications were adjusted. My vet already let me know that regulations do not recommended giving piggies more than 2 doses a day of furosemide, but if Benji did okay on it it should be fine. Based on our last visit, she seemed to be hinting at the fact he doesn't have much time left, and that any more medication increases wouldn't help much past a certain point. The last increase to 3 times a day worked like a charm until about a month ago when he got a little worse. The last few days his breathings been really labored, but through it all he's still eating and drinking normally. He just sleeps a lot more often. I'm not sure if I should start considering taking him in to be euthanized? Today I noticed he ate less than usual, and it seems the breathing is starting to tire him out. I figured once he gives up on eating, it would be time, but I'm also reluctant to bring him to a clinic for euthanization as I'd like his last moments to be stress free. I'm just not sure when the right time is. Is he already struggling too much or is he still okay? Is there something more I could be doing? He's had a heating pad on low for a good while now due to his hands and feet becoming cold. He also gets very frequent cleaning and all natural treats he likes.
My vet told me she's surprised he has lived this long with the condition, so I'm hoping this means he's happy. Even yesterday he was still squeaking for food despite being mostly blind and hard of hearing. I would love any advice if anyone has gone through a similar situation.

I attached a link to a video I just took of him so you can see his breathing, he is pretty sleepy right now so he looks like he's trying to find a comfy spot to lay down (don't mind his scary eyes, he also has an eye condition).
- YouTube

 

[Merab]

One of the health experts can give you better advice, all I can do is share experience of looking after a terminal piggy.

When it was clear that no treatment would cure my piggy I opted to keep her at home, ensure she wasn’t in pain and allow her to pass away peacefully at home.
She had some medication for pain and all her favourite foods.
As long as she wasn’t in distress I focused on giving her happy days, made memories and took lots of photos.

It’s a difficult time for you but the best advice I can give is go with your heart.

Welcome to the forum

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!
This is my first account and post here, I've used these forums dozens of times for help with past piggies.
My boy Benji is around 5 and a half now (turning 6 in July), and has had heart issues for close to a year and a half. I first noticed a very small rocking motion when he was breathing a year and a half ago, since then it has progressed really slowly. Multiple vet visits, and it progressed to the point of an xray finally noticing a very small heart enlargement (around the end of the year in 2025). Benji's been on furosemide, its a special compound with a crushed up 50 mg tablet, water, and strawberry syrup, of which he gets 0.5 mL 3 times a day, alongside getting 1/4 a tablet of Vetmedin (ace inhibitor) crushed and mixed with 1 mL of water in the morning and evening. He used to only get the furosemide once a day, but of course as symptoms slowly started to show again medications were adjusted. My vet already let me know that regulations do not recommended giving piggies more than 2 doses a day of furosemide, but if Benji did okay on it it should be fine. Based on our last visit, she seemed to be hinting at the fact he doesn't have much time left, and that any more medication increases wouldn't help much past a certain point. The last increase to 3 times a day worked like a charm until about a month ago when he got a little worse. The last few days his breathings been really labored, but through it all he's still eating and drinking normally. He just sleeps a lot more often. I'm not sure if I should start considering taking him in to be euthanized? Today I noticed he ate less than usual, and it seems the breathing is starting to tire him out. I figured once he gives up on eating, it would be time, but I'm also reluctant to bring him to a clinic for euthanization as I'd like his last moments to be stress free. I'm just not sure when the right time is. Is he already struggling too much or is he still okay? Is there something more I could be doing? He's had a heating pad on low for a good while now due to his hands and feet becoming cold. He also gets very frequent cleaning and all natural treats he likes.
My vet told me she's surprised he has lived this long with the condition, so I'm hoping this means he's happy. Even yesterday he was still squeaking for food despite being mostly blind and hard of hearing. I would love any advice if anyone has gone through a similar situation.

I attached a link to a video I just took of him so you can see his breathing, he is pretty sleepy right now so he looks like he's trying to find a comfy spot to lay down (don't mind his scary eyes, he also has an eye condition).
- YouTube

Hi and welcome

BIG HUGS

It sounds rather like Benji could have taken the decision out of your hands and has started his journey to the Bridge all by himself. The low body temperature in connection with laboured breathing is generally a home-brewed wisdom indicator for me that the body has started to close down with the heart/blood circulation giving way first. The other organs will follow in turn as their oxygen supply falters.


You have either got the choice of sending Benji off that bit earlier than you would like or hang on in there and let him make the journey from home. With heart piggies, there is also the added complication that they are more likely to pass away on the way to the vet, just from the stress of being taken away from their familiar surroundings by their stressed and upset owners.

Personally, I am always happier if my own piggies can leave from home from their familiar surroundings unless they are in great pain or discomfort but it still has to feel right for you and you have to follow your own heart. If it doesn't feel right to you and if you cannot bear watching and waiting for hours or even stretching into days, then by all means put him on the express to the Bridge. You are not failing Benji in any way and you are not failing yourself as long as you are honest with yourself. As long as he can make his journey when this time has come, the mode in which he travels doesn't really matter as long as he is not dying in real pain and distress, which he clearly isn't.


A natural death (multi-organ failure) is the process of his body stopping to function. The process can vary a lot, depending on which organ goes first and in which order the others follow and how strong they still are.
If that is the case - and I can only make an educated guess - then there is nothing you or a vet can do to stop or reverse it. You have done everything you could but in the end, guinea pigs are small rodents with a much faster metabolism which turns against them in the end.

You are doing the right thing by keeping him comfy and calm. By this point, it is generally better to allow him to make his journey from home because a rushed vet trip in my personal and our collective forum experience very often results in the piggy passing away in the car on the way, which can be even more traumatic and resulting in stronger feelings of guilt for you - it is just the extra stress of being taken out of their familiar surroundings.
However, if you have major concerns at any stage, please contact the clinic and ask for their advice. Every journey to the Bridge is different and unique - and very often not necessarily predictable, as I know only too well myself.

What you need to be aware of is that with piggies especially in acute heart failure there is a higher potential that the oxygen starvation from the failing blood circulation in the more advanced stages can lead to involuntary limb or body movement, which can be rather traumatic for a loving owner who is not braced for it - piggies who have died in acute heart failure are found in a forward position halfway out of their cosy or hut. There can be also some pain just before the take off as not all organs may give way graciously.
Please try to take comfort that by that late stage in the hour or even half hour before the passing the brain is also affected by the lack of oxygen and that your little one is no longer really with it; it is a physical reaction and not a conscious one.

Sometimes heart piggies just gently drift away but that is unfortunately not always or even all that commonly the case. If you find it too heart-breaking to watch, then an emergency euthanasia may be a better option with the travel proviso. There is no right or wrong in that situation; it's just about riding the tiger right into a thicket and trying to stay on as best as you can with all the twist and turns.


I am writing this all because of the time difference and our UK based forum being ahead of you, so you can brace better for some of the more disconcerting possibilities you may have to witness. The natural dying process can take just hours but it can also run into several days and you may want to change your opinion - nothing wrong with that.
Dying is not a static issue, it is a journey and a dynamic process which can sometimes take a wrong turn or stop halfway but with the piggy in question clearly not able to recover. Any decision you make at any stage with Benji's wellbeing foremost in your heart is a right one.

I want to reiterate that the strongest symptoms are usually at the last stage when the body breaks down totally and that full conscience has usually gone since the brain is also an organ that breaks down together with the rest of the body in the hour or half hour before the last breath. But it can be just very hard to watch and bear; especially when it is your first real-life encounter with death and you are alone and feeling panicked.


Here are some links which you may find helpful. Please don't feel like you have made any mistakes or could have done more. Benji is slap-bang in the middle of the average life span thanks to your dedicated care and it is quite simply his time.
Feel sad if he is making his journey but please try not to feel bad about yourself because that is our one big human mental mind trap at the start of the grieving process. As a species, are wired to reflect everything back onto ourselves in a negative way where the strength of that feeling is actually an expression of how deeply we care and not how badly we have failed. You have done all you could and you haven't done anything wrong. It's just his little heart that is straining right now as it is giving out and every beat is a fight.

Just be there for Benji but try not to swamp and fetter him with your own strong feelings, so he can make his own journey more easily and have less extra weight holding him back to bear on his climb up the Bridge. Rather send him calming, warm and gentle throughts to help him on journey as the very last and most heart-breaking gift you can make him. Try to be strong for him even if you would rather fall apart in tears - there is always time for those afterwards and we are still there for you for as long as you need us.

A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs

Pet Owners Anxiety - Practical Tips For Sufferers and For Supporters

My thoughts are with you in the coming anxious, long and lonely hours, especially those of the night. I know that my post is not making for an easy read but I sincerely hope that it can provide a helping hand to guide you through the coming difficult hours (it's coming up to mindnight here) when we are can be unfortunately not be live there for you and talk you through it step by step.

 

[Mrs Tiggy Winkle]

I'm seconding @Merab

You obviously love Benji very much! Cute little video of him coming to sniff your finger.

I don't know anything about guineas with a heart condition, none of mine ever had that.

Thinking of you both.

 

[munchielettuce]

Hi and welcome

BIG HUGS

It sounds rather like Benji could have taken the decision out of your hands and has started his journey to the Bridge all by himself. The low body temperature in connection with laboured breathing is generally a home-brewed wisdom indicator for me that the body has started to close down with the heart/blood circulation giving way first. The other organs will follow in turn as their oxygen supply falters.


You have either got the choice of sending Benji off that bit earlier than you would like or hang on in there and let him make the journey from home. With heart piggies, there is also the added complication that they are more likely to pass away on the way to the vet, just from the stress of being taken away from their familiar surroundings by their stressed and upset owners.

Personally, I am always happier if my own piggies can leave from home from their familiar surroundings unless they are in great pain or discomfort but it still has to feel right for you and you have to follow your own heart. If it doesn't feel right to you and if you cannot bear watching and waiting for hours or even stretching into days, then by all means put him on the express to the Bridge. You are not failing Benji in any way and you are not failing yourself as long as you are honest with yourself. As long as he can make his journey when this time has come, the mode in which he travels doesn't really matter as long as he is not dying in real pain and distress, which he clearly isn't.


A natural death (multi-organ failure) is the process of his body stopping to function. The process can vary a lot, depending on which organ goes first and in which order the others follow and how strong they still are.
If that is the case - and I can only make an educated guess - then there is nothing you or a vet can do to stop or reverse it. You have done everything you could but in the end, guinea pigs are small rodents with a much faster metabolism which turns against them in the end.

You are doing the right thing by keeping him comfy and calm. By this point, it is generally better to allow him to make his journey from home because a rushed vet trip in my personal and our collective forum experience very often results in the piggy passing away in the car on the way, which can be even more traumatic and resulting in stronger feelings of guilt for you - it is just the extra stress of being taken out of their familiar surroundings.
However, if you have major concerns at any stage, please contact the clinic and ask for their advice. Every journey to the Bridge is different and unique - and very often not necessarily predictable, as I know only too well myself.

What you need to be aware of is that with piggies especially in acute heart failure there is a higher potential that the oxygen starvation from the failing blood circulation in the more advanced stages can lead to involuntary limb or body movement, which can be rather traumatic for a loving owner who is not braced for it - piggies who have died in acute heart failure are found in a forward position halfway out of their cosy or hut. There can be also some pain just before the take off as not all organs may give way graciously.
Please try to take comfort that by that late stage in the hour or even half hour before the passing the brain is also affected by the lack of oxygen and that your little one is no longer really with it; it is a physical reaction and not a conscious one.

Sometimes heart piggies just gently drift away but that is unfortunately not always or even all that commonly the case. If you find it too heart-breaking to watch, then an emergency euthanasia may be a better option with the travel proviso. There is no right or wrong in that situation; it's just about riding the tiger right into a thicket and trying to stay on as best as you can with all the twist and turns.


I am writing this all because of the time difference and our UK based forum being ahead of you, so you can brace better for some of the more disconcerting possibilities you may have to witness. The natural dying process can take just hours but it can also run into several days and you may want to change your opinion - nothing wrong with that.
Dying is not a static issue, it is a journey and a dynamic process which can sometimes take a wrong turn or stop halfway but with the piggy in question clearly not able to recover. Any decision you make at any stage with Benji's wellbeing foremost in your heart is a right one.

I want to reiterate that the strongest symptoms are usually at the last stage when the body breaks down totally and that full conscience has usually gone since the brain is also an organ that breaks down together with the rest of the body in the hour or half hour before the last breath. But it can be just very hard to watch and bear; especially when it is your first real-life encounter with death and you are alone and feeling panicked.


Here are some links which you may find helpful. Please don't feel like you have made any mistakes or could have done more. Benji is slap-bang in the middle of the average life span thanks to your dedicated care and it is quite simply his time.
Feel sad if he is making his journey but please try not to feel bad about yourself because that is our one big human mental mind trap at the start of the grieving process. As a species, are wired to reflect everything back onto ourselves in a negative way where the strength of that feeling is actually an expression of how deeply we care and not how badly we have failed. You have done all you could and you haven't done anything wrong. It's just his little heart that is straining right now as it is giving out and every beat is a fight.

Just be there for Benji but try not to swamp and fetter him with your own strong feelings, so he can make his own journey more easily and have less extra weight holding him back to bear on his climb up the Bridge. Rather send him calming, warm and gentle throughts to help him on journey as the very last and most heart-breaking gift you can make him. Try to be strong for him even if you would rather fall apart in tears - there is always time for those afterwards and we are still there for you for as long as you need us.

A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs

Pet Owners Anxiety - Practical Tips For Sufferers and For Supporters

My thoughts are with you in the coming anxious, long and lonely hours, especially those of the night. I know that my post is not making for an easy read but I sincerely hope that it can provide a helping hand to guide you through the coming difficult hours (it's coming up to mindnight here) when we are can be unfortunately not be live there for you and talk you through it step by step.

Wow, i'd like to start of by saying this post was so amazingly helpful and kind in every single way I needed. I'm at a crossroads where I don't want my baby to be in any pain, but I also want him to pass in the comfort of his home. I'll be keeping him at home for now, and if everything goes calmly, hopefully Benji can pass with no stress. My past experiences have all been the sudden death rush to a vet since they came out of nowhere, and I have regretted my last piggy very much, the vets were not small animal savvy, and did not even allow me to say goodbye before deciding to put him down. He was only a year old. Benji means the world to me and my family, and what I want to give back to him is the most relaxed forever sleep journey possible. I feel a lot better with possibly keeping him home now, as I was concerned maybe I would drag it out too long and make him suffer more in return. Benji also has his sister Stella (a bunny) and Phoebe (a cat) who have always been friends from a distance. Stella especially likes to play with Benji for a few minutes before feeding and lick his ears (of course they aren't together long due to the whole bacterial difference). I think Stella and Phoebe would be heartbroken as well not to be there for his passing; I know it will be horrifically tough, especially with finals rearing around and me being in college, but my teachers are all luckily super kind and understanding, and I'll be making sure to spend all the time I have with him. Your post genuinely means a lot to me, and I appreciate it more than you could ever know (especially considering its so late over there!). Ive been so worried for so long due to past errors, I've always felt I didn't do enough for these poor creatures who deserve nothing but love and endless space to popcorn to their hearts content. I love small animals more than anything, but this part of owning them never gets easier. I'll make sure to keep your kind message in my heart for the upcoming week - thank you dearly.

 

[LucyP]

So sorry you’re going through this. I have a heart piggy called Dottie whose breathing is laboured and she rocks like this. It’s been going on for a while and I’m keeping my eyes on her for signs of when it might be time to say goodbye, but so far she is showing an interest in life and food (although a bit pickier in what she likes). So we’re keeping her as she is but keeping an open mind. I just wanted to send my best wishes to you both because it is a really hard situation to be in and you sound like a very caring owner.

 

[Wiebke]

I am glad that my post has been able to help you. There is no right or wrong either way but as long as you are aware that there can be stages in the natural dying process that can be rather tough to watch as the body is breaking down, then you should be OK. Drifting gently away is unfortunately rather rare.

However, personally I prefer to have mine passing at home in their familiar surroundings and on their own terms whenever possible (otherwise it is the classic dash to the vets) but it can be rather daunting and scary the first time round when you cannot interpret the symptoms yet and feel very insecure and torn between your wish for an easy ride and the sheer physicality of a small body breaking down in stages and of course much faster than a human or even a larger pet.

You can offer top up syringe feed and water, as much and as long as he is taking it willingly and actively while he is not yet directly in acute failure. The need to breathe comes before the need to drink and only thirdly the need to eat, so the appetite is the first thing to go but a tiny bit of water may be welcome for just a little longer.

What I don't do with a very frail piggy that is obviously coming to the end of their life/won't recover is to push any feed in. Once the body goes into organ failure and their digestion stops working they won't be able to process it; when a very weak piggy starts actively fighting a syringe or is unable the swallow, this is a sign that they are no longer able to process their food and that they now dying. However it also means that you cannot give any painkillers or other medication from then on in because they are no longer processed, either.

Being with a dying pet or person can be an emotionally very intense period for you but not necessarily in the way you expect it. It very much depends on the bond your have with them and its complexity and quite a lot can come up during that time. Because you are generally physically very quiet, your mind becomes all the more active.

Nevertheless, make sure that you move around regularly and that you attend to your own physical and mental needs. And not take it personally when somepig is slipping away the moment you really can no longer hold it in and have to make a dash to the toilet, need to eat or fall asleep at some point. Sometimes your short absence actually seems to give them the freedom to make the jump onto the Rainbow Bridge. I have had that happening a few times now with piggies of mine that I was holding in a cosy because they kept sliding to the side or moving erratically and falling over so I have come to realise that it is not simple coincidence - and nothing I have to blame myself for. It is their own choice and I have learned to respect that because it doesn't have anything to do with lack of love or neglect.

But it can sometimes help both dying people and pets when they have one of the more uncomfortable phases if you picture happy moments or their favourite places in a sensory way with feel, smell and sounds in your mind and focus it on them. It can really help calm to calm them down again. I found that out during my night watches when sitting with my dying, very elderly mother-in-law in the hospice in order to give my husband time for some sleep.

Keeping a dying piggy warm but not hot is one of the most helpful things you can do for them because as the circulation breaks down, they feel constantly cold - you see the same in older people with heart problems.
Some of my piggies have been able to let go as soon they had warmed up again after a change of half-heated microwaveable sugglesafe pats or a warm baby hot water bottle; but a soft fleece blanket will also do. That can really make a difference in comfort during the home dying process.

Anyway, we are here for you as much as we can for your own emotional support and reassurance as well as any questions and concerns that bug you for as long as it takes Benji and then beyond. I would recommend that you bookmark this thread so you can find it easily again in the coming days and if needed weeks.

Grieving is a much more complicated journey that you are already on and it can take you to some weird places, especially with a close bond and with your first real death. It is very much not like you are just feeling sad or upset; it is more like a road trip without a map with a whole accompaning orchestra of emotions. Because we are not part of social media, we can let this personalised thread run for you as long as you need and give you our community support and understanding from our own experiences.

 

[CTWC]

I just want to say I'll be keeping you both in my prayers and thoughts