PoppypigandMildredpig
New Born Pup
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2019
- Messages
- 8
- Reaction score
- 7
- Points
- 155
Hello,
Suppose I should explain the slightly cryptic title. I’m not sure if I’ve just been really unlucky, or if finding healthy guinea pigs is truly difficult?
I rescued 2 guinea pigs a few years ago. (Had them all my life with my parents but these were my first as an “adult”)
In less than a year, rapid weight loss and a guinea pig specialist diagnosed Poppy with Ovarian Cysts. She made it through the Ovariectomy and looked set to recover. She didn’t. We lost her. We then bought Dorothy on a whim from Pets and Home to keep Mildred company. 6 months later Mildred developed a thyroid lump. While in the vets waiting for an op, she died of a heart attack. Heartbroken and with a lonely pig. we heard of a friend of a friend that had had an accidental litter. Cue Maude. Maude is now 1.5 years old, she has had bloat and a cold in that time although thankfully healthy now. With Dorothy now 2 and being the only Guinea with no health issues we decided to use Pets at Home again and increased to 4. So we added Agatha and Morag. All 4 hit it off immediately and we had 3 months of pure joy as they skipped around. Then yesterday, Morag took ill, very suddenly. She was squeaking and eating her breakfast. By lunch she couldn’t breath properly. Emergency vet visit, suggested pneumonia (not piggy expert but no choice On a Sunday). She had a baytril injection and we syringed her critical care every few hours through the night. Was at my piggy expert the second they opened. They put her straight in an oxygen tank and an X-ray diagnosed fluid on the lungs and a heart issue causing it. She didn’t make it.
We are heartbroken once again, but thankfully haven’t a lonely piggy.
My girls live in the house, they have constant hay, I open the door of their 9 x 2 C&C every day for them to run round the whole downstairs. They follow us everywhere, know where the fridge is. They have veggies, I make sure they have plenty vitamins. I dote on them. They are my children.
I guess I’m just a little broken. Am I doing something wrong? Or do we just have terrible luck? Are some breeds of guinea pig healthier than others? Say in the future, where would I find a healthy piggie? My heart can’t take loving them for such a short time.
Thank you if you’ve made it this far.
Suppose I should explain the slightly cryptic title. I’m not sure if I’ve just been really unlucky, or if finding healthy guinea pigs is truly difficult?
I rescued 2 guinea pigs a few years ago. (Had them all my life with my parents but these were my first as an “adult”)
In less than a year, rapid weight loss and a guinea pig specialist diagnosed Poppy with Ovarian Cysts. She made it through the Ovariectomy and looked set to recover. She didn’t. We lost her. We then bought Dorothy on a whim from Pets and Home to keep Mildred company. 6 months later Mildred developed a thyroid lump. While in the vets waiting for an op, she died of a heart attack. Heartbroken and with a lonely pig. we heard of a friend of a friend that had had an accidental litter. Cue Maude. Maude is now 1.5 years old, she has had bloat and a cold in that time although thankfully healthy now. With Dorothy now 2 and being the only Guinea with no health issues we decided to use Pets at Home again and increased to 4. So we added Agatha and Morag. All 4 hit it off immediately and we had 3 months of pure joy as they skipped around. Then yesterday, Morag took ill, very suddenly. She was squeaking and eating her breakfast. By lunch she couldn’t breath properly. Emergency vet visit, suggested pneumonia (not piggy expert but no choice On a Sunday). She had a baytril injection and we syringed her critical care every few hours through the night. Was at my piggy expert the second they opened. They put her straight in an oxygen tank and an X-ray diagnosed fluid on the lungs and a heart issue causing it. She didn’t make it.
We are heartbroken once again, but thankfully haven’t a lonely piggy.
My girls live in the house, they have constant hay, I open the door of their 9 x 2 C&C every day for them to run round the whole downstairs. They follow us everywhere, know where the fridge is. They have veggies, I make sure they have plenty vitamins. I dote on them. They are my children.
I guess I’m just a little broken. Am I doing something wrong? Or do we just have terrible luck? Are some breeds of guinea pig healthier than others? Say in the future, where would I find a healthy piggie? My heart can’t take loving them for such a short time.
Thank you if you’ve made it this far.
Sounds like she had a genetic problem with her heart perhaps? I've heard it said if they make it to 2, they'll probably make it to 4, but earlier than 2, congenital things can be a problem for some..
I’m afraid it really is luck of the draw. I went through a bad patch in 2013 where I lost 3 piggies within the space of a few months, 2 of those losses were just 10 days apart. I then went through another bad patch in 2015 where I had illness after illness and lost two piggies towards the end of the year. Thankfully (and touch wood) apart from a couple of lumps which have been confirmed as harmless cysts and fatty lumps, my current 4 piggies are the picture of health and Edward has just celebrated his 6th birthday this month. It sounds like you’ve just been incredibly unlucky
the best food, enrichment, herds and reasonably well thought out groupings to match personality types to reduce stress..and nope! They all want to keep trying to die and the oldest I seem to be able to get them at the moment is about 5! 
