6yo male has one hard testicle.

[Erikac]

Great news. I hope Biscuit had a smooth and speedy recovery

Thank you

 

[Wiebke]

Hi everyone! Thank you all for the prayers and well wishes The vet called before expected at 2:45pm and said Biscuit was doing good, however I will have to keep him extra clean when he comes home because he has two incisions, instead of one. I’m going to have to make sure he stays dry and clean his cage at least 3 times a day. His antibiotic should also help with keeping him healthy from any infection. The tumor was too big to be removed through his abdomen, which is what the doctor preferred, so he wouldn’t have an incision too close to where he and urinates. My heart is full just knowing my baby was slowly waking up from anesthesia and that the tumor/testicles were successfully removed. Can’t wait to pick him up tomorrow.

Hi

Here are our practical tips for guinea pigs with mobility issues but they will also apply for post-op piggies with operation scars on the belly side to some extent, including bedding tips: Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility.

I hope that Biscuit continues to recover well. The first day post-op is usually the worst day because the operation cocktail is worked out of the body but the healing process has not yet kicked in.

 

[Wheekallweek]

Yay Biscuit! I bet you can't wait to have him home

 

[Erikac]

Hi

Here are our practical tips for guinea pigs with mobility issues but they will also apply for post-op piggies with operation scars on the belly side to some extent, including bedding tips: Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility.

I hope that Biscuit continues to recover well. The first day post-op is usually the worst day because the operation cocktail is worked out of the body but the healing process has not yet kicked in.

Thank you so much

 

[Erikac]

Hi

Here are our practical tips for guinea pigs with mobility issues but they will also apply for post-op piggies with operation scars on the belly side to some extent, including bedding tips: Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility.

I hope that Biscuit continues to recover well. The first day post-op is usually the worst day because the operation cocktail is worked out of the body but the healing process has not yet kicked in.

Wiebke, I’m really upset about a guinea pig I had to put down in 2023. Taking care of Biscuit has reminded me so much about him (Wilbur). I need closure and honesty. I wrote about it in another thread called: “Post GI stasis poops from antibiotic advice needed!”. Could you please read about his story and tell me what you think here, if you prefer; or is there another place I should write about it, like maybe starting a new thread?

 

[piggieminder]

I would start a new thread in the End of Life and Bereavement section. I am linking some threads from that section for you to read which I hope will help you.

Human Bereavement - Grieving, coping tips and support links for guinea pig owners and their children

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

 

[Wiebke]

Wiebke, I’m really upset about a guinea pig I had to put down in 2023. Taking care of Biscuit has reminded me so much about him (Wilbur). I need closure and honesty. I wrote about it in another thread called: “Post GI stasis poops from antibiotic advice needed!”. Could you please read about his story and tell me what you think here, if you prefer; or is there another place I should write about it, like maybe starting a new thread?

Hi

Your posts on that thread have been removed from view by a mod so they are no longer accessible. Please rather start your own thread in the Bereavement section instead of taking over somebody else's thread; that way we know that it is a flashback and we can focus fully on you and your own - differing - needs.

Please keep in mind that the poster of any thread in the H/I section is already stressed and could also suffer from anxiety or other issues. We prefer that our members do not relate any horror stories of their own during ongoing treatment but offer only positive support unless there has actually been a fatal outcome, as that is not helping the poster in their own struggle.
If it is our downtime or one of us is not around, just post your good wishes for a recovery and that somebody else will answer in due time. We are all doing this in our own free time whenever we can, around our own guinea pigs, jobs, private lives and life challenges but we are mostly UK based (as is this forum) so different time zones can mean a longer wait as an American evening is falling into the small hours of our night.

I would also strongly recommend to you to stay off the Health/Illness section altogether (unless you are dealing with a current health issue of your own) and that you stop reading any illness threads or searching for them for your own good. It won't help your own state of mind nor is it helping the poster if you get sucked into that particular rabbit hole because it only serves to make things worse for yourself and not better, unfortunately.
There is some helpful practical advice in this link here which you also may find helpful for your own situation:
Pet Owners Anxiety - Practical Tips For Sufferers and For Supporters

The problem with GI stasis is that it is currently used for a lot of different issues - from the whole gut stopping to work (silent gut), partial stoppage of the gut (partial GI stasis); primary bloating (dysbiosis or overgrowth of the wrong kind of bacteria), secondary bloating as a result of full or partial GI stasis; a blockage in the digestive system somewhere between the back of the mouth to the anus or a twisted gut. They can all present with stasis/bloating issues but they are in fact quite different issues.
Secondary bloating can be caused by dental overgrowth preventing a piggy from eating/swallowing in the longer term, strong pain in the lower spine or pelvic bones (including arthritis), in the urinary or reproductive tract (ovarian cysts in sow or stuck large sperm rods in boars), internal growths pressing on the gut etc.
Finding out what is actually going on can be very difficult for a vet.

Antibiotics can in some cases totally wipe out the gut microbiome and in even less cases the gut will never fully recover. It can sadly combine with the primary illness for a fatal outcome - it is generally a bit of a combination as the one problem often aggravates the other. It is thankfully only a small minority that this happens to, seeing the amount of antibiotics being prescribed on a daily basis but in the actual case it is of course a tragedy.

Unfortunately, a blocked and/or burst bladder is always fatal. It happens very quickly and unless you can get your piggy in for an emergency operation on the day, the chances are not good because the urine will back up into the kidneys, which is also fatal. Not your fault - circumstances out of your control are often against you in these cases. But your mind will latch onto anything it can in order to make you feel like you have caused the death.

Not knowing the exact circumstances, this is all I can say.
What I can however say is that you are unlikely to have killed Wilbur but when you have mental health issues, you are generally more likely to reflect details of a death that happens in traumatic circumstances onto yourself in some very unrealistic ways and you end up with a major case of being trapped in a guilt loop which, if it cannot be laid to rest, can end you with some PTSD symptoms. And no, you are most definitely not a piggy murderer and haven't killed your piggies. It is your mindset that forces you to make some very weird connections and sends you down some rather strange parts.

If you need more professional, trained volunteer help you can find links for the USA at the end of our Grieving Guide:
Human Bereavement: Grieving, Processing and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children

A new death can unfortunately bring up not fully processed previous deaths; that is not at all uncommon. We all experience the jitters in some form or other but mental health problems can sadly amplify the impact.

HUGS