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Biscuit isn't well

LondonLady

LondonLady

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Last week I started a thread about Biscuit getting older and slowing down etc. When everybody said it all sounded normal I was reassured and calmed down. But then only a few days later she is definitely not well.

I picked her up on Monday and she was wet and mucky underneath. I cleaned her up and as she seemed perfectly ok otherwise - pooping normally and eating - I decided to wait and see how things went but each morning more wetness and sort of crustiness and a fishy smell as well. I've been cleaning her each day, then this morning a new thing, she has some crustiness round one nostril. Her breathing seems to be ok. I've also noticed in the last few days she is taking longer to eat her veggies, she has always been a faster eater then Toffee but now I'm giving them their veg separately to avoid Toffee scoffing the lot! But the strange thing is, I've been weighing her daily for the last few days and she's actually gaining weight. It just all seems so weird.

She's booked in with the vet this afternoon. I made the appt on Tuesday, I could have taken her in then but I wanted to wait for the guinea pig 'expert'. Now I'm wondering if I should have got her seen straightaway. I'm so worried about her.
 
It's not looking good for my poor Biscuit. I think I'm in shock. The vet thinks she has lymphoma. I'm finding it hard to take in and remember everything she said.
She said all Biscuit's lymph nodes are up, which points to lymphoma but could be a systemic (?) infection. She also found a lump near her jaw which I'm ashamed to say I hadn't noticed, which could be an abscess and would explain why she's been eating much more slowly and she's very swollen underneath (which I had noticed, and not cleaning herself. The vet did some tests - an xray, aspirated the lymph nodes and took some blood, and all the samples are being sent away to the labs. She will phone me when she has the results so we can decide what to do next. In the meantime I've been given antibiotics which I'm to give Biscuit twice a day in case it's an infection. She did a wee on the examination table and the vet said it was 'a bit sludgy but not too bad'.

(I don't know if all this makes sense, if not it's because my head's all over the place and I can't really take it in and I'm sure I've forgotten half of what the vet told me)

I don't understand how this has developed so suddenly. When she last saw the vet at the beginning of October (for hay in her eye) she had a general check and was in good health, She has noticeably slowed down over the last couple of months but only last week I was just thinking it was her age and thinking about how to best look after her in the months and hopefully years ahead, Today I honestly think she is close to the end. She is much worse this morning, she is just sitting still in her hidey and wouldn't touch her veggies this morning and I haven't seen her eat any hay, though i put some hay and a piece of cucumber just inside the hidey for her. (Of course Toffee came along and stole the cucumber!) Toffee is acting normally and seems quite unconcerned, but he must know that Biscuit isn't well?

And just to add, I weighed her again this morning and she had only lost 6g. Prior to this she was actually gaining weight. None of this is making sense. Sorry for the long post, I just needed to get it all off my chest.
 
I’m so sorry to hear this news about Biscuit - no wonder it’s a shock for you ….this sudden deterioration in her health
Hopefully your vet can give some meds that will make her comfortable so she can enjoy how ever many months she has
Take care of yourself ….you know Biscuit is well cared for and loved and you couldn’t do more for her ❤️
 
I'm so sorry the news wasn't better. ((HUGS)) to you and Biscuit.
 
So sorry for the sad news about Biscuit.
Recognise that you have already started the grieving process and the initial shock will pass.
Make lots of memories, take lots of pictures and have as many happy todays as you can give Biscuit.
Holding you in my heart ❤️
 
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