advice about grieving piggy

[kittyla]

10 days ago my oldest pig, Crystal was pts, leaving Muffin (4) and neutered boy Truffle (3). I left Crystal with the others
for the journey home so they'd see that she'd gone, but perhaps that wasnt long enough. Muffin has gone into a deep
depression, getting worse by the day. Truffle sometimes cuddles up with her which he never used to do, it was always the
girls together. I've had her checked over by the vet & we decided to give her some ab's incase there was a lurking infection
somewhere, otherwise she seems healthy. I've bought them a new tunnel & several different hays to spark her curiosity, &
I've sat with her in the sunshine but she's just sitting in bed with her face to the wall, she seems to have simply lost the will
to live. I'm hand feeding her titbits as much as possible so she hasnt lost much weight yet, but how long can this go on?
I know this is not uncommon with guineapigs but how long have others piggies taken to get over their loss? did anything help
to speed up the recovery? She has Truffle so she's not alone & I really dont want any more pigs now.

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

Hi, how long ago is it since Muffin saw the vet? if she is not eating for herself she needs to be seen again.

it maybe that the original distress at losing her friend which caused her to be withdrawn has now affected her physical health. if she has not been eating enough she could have become dehydrated, your vet will be able to assess this and give her sub cut fluids if necessary to restore her hydration and rebalance her tissue salts. also if she is not eating much and not moving around she may have developed gut stasis, which again will require prompt veterinary treatment.

also syringe feeding is essential for any piggy who is off their food to help prevent the above conditions arising.

 

[kittyla]

Thanks for the reply. I was getting concerned about how little Muffin is eating so I bought some science "recovery" sachets today, she's been
taking a little of it through the day & this evening she was hungry & had quite alot, so I'm hoping to see an improvement tomorrow. I think you may be
right, I felt she was starting to shut down & seemed quite feeble this morning, but I've been making sure she got water - I keep a cup of water
with vit c & a syringe nearby & give her some several times a day. She saw the vet Saturday, I dont think I need to take her back, it will only
cause her more stress. I think I can nurture her back to health so long as she'll come out of her depression.

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

that sounds encouraging, if she is getting plenty of critical care that will make a huge difference. i would check she passing frequent and normal droppings and also weigh her daily, first thing in the morning before you start feeding her would be best, to make sure she is maintaining her weight.

if she continues to go down hill tho please see the vet again, as the benefits of meds and fluids if she needs them will far out weigh the effects of stress the visit may cause.

 

[kittyla]

Muffin is definately a bit brighter today, she's was nibbling on greens this morning & had another good feed of Recovery, I feel she's turned
a corner, bless her fuzzy face

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