Cagemate And Euthanization

[Sattious]

hello,

i have 2 little piggies and one is quite ill. Ellie has a facial tumor that if removed will reduce hes quality of life dramatically so i have decided with the vet to get him euthanized on Friday. we talked about it for a while and i feel that hes pain will be over that way i feel bad having him starve unnecessarily.

now i was wondering if i should get him cremated from the vets or bring him home for hes cage mate to grieve? i don't know what the right thing to do would be. to take him away and introduce him to hes brothers or give hes buddy back for a goodbye.

Thomas

 

[Wiebke]

hello,

i have 2 little piggies and one is quite ill. Ellie has a facial tumor that if removed will reduce hes quality of life dramatically so i have decided with the vet to get him euthanized on Friday. we talked about it for a while and i feel that hes pain will be over that way i feel bad having him starve unnecessarily.

now i was wondering if i should get him cremated from the vets or bring him home for hes cage mate to grieve? i don't know what the right thing to do would be. to take him away and introduce him to hes brothers or give hes buddy back for a goodbye.

Thomas

Hi and welcome!

I am very sorry; having a terminally ill piggy and having to make the decision when to let it go all by yourself is always very heart-breaking.

If a piggy is very ill and has removed itself from a group/mate to sit alone in a corner or at a distance then I would not show the body. It has already taken leave of its mates and you will find that they'll ignore the body.
Showing a mate is more important when death or the decision to pts/euthanise is rather unexpected in those cases where a seemingly comparatively minor issue turns out to be something that cannot be treated/meds won't kick in quickly enough, but where the piggy in itself is not yet feeling too poorly.

See how his companions are reacting to Ellie before you take him to the vets. If he has a very close bond with one of his mates who is keeping Ellie company, then it is worth giving the companion the opportunity to take leave formally.

There is not really a one size fits all guideline. Over the years, I have had all kinds of reactions. Very often things are dictated by circumstances. My advice is based on my own experience with groups of any size.

 

[Sattious]

hi Wiebke,
Thanks for the insight on what to do, Ellie and hes cage mate Crumpets sit outside there cage and dont tend to spend a lot of time together anymore (unless there startled), ill lets Crumpets be by himself the day i let Ellie go and ill give him a couple days before i introduce him to hes brothers in the other room.

I'm an avid guinea pig adopter and give them a wonderful life, but sometimes we all need a little help. i have let guinea pigs say goodbye in the past but i have never needed to euthanise a little mate before.

i thank you foo your kind words and the insight on what to do in this situation.

Thomas

 

[Wiebke]

hi Wiebke,
Thanks for the insight on what to do, Ellie and hes cage mate Crumpets sit outside there cage and dont tend to spend a lot of time together anymore (unless there startled), ill lets Crumpets be by himself the day i let Ellie go and ill give him a couple days before i introduce him to hes brothers in the other room.

I'm an avid guinea pig adopter and give them a wonderful life, but sometimes we all need a little help. i have let guinea pigs say goodbye in the past but i have never needed to euthanise a little mate before.

i thank you foo your kind words and the insight on what to do in this situation.

Thomas

Wishing you the best! Situations like these are always tough to work out. If in dbout, follow your gut feeling.

You may find the advice in our guide helpful. You also may find that introducing Crumpet to his brothers may not work out; in which case he can either live alongside them or - if you have got a rescue within reach that offers boar dating at the rescue - find him a new character compatible friend of any age there. Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig

 

[Sattious]

Update On ellie:

last night at 1:30am i had min at the emergency after hours vet here in Launceston and we put him to sleep after an hour of contemplation. He went to sleep peacefully and is no longer in pain. I'm getting him cremated as he was my favorite piggie. weighing just 500grams after a 800g loss in 3 months and no foreseeable recovery it was for the best.

He was peacefull in the end. i will miss my little guy.

Ellie 05/12/13 - 21/04/17 Father of 4 Beautiful little piggies

 

[nana piggie]

So sorry for your loss of your little man. Popcorn free Ellie. X

 

[AimeeOx]

Oh @Sattious , sending you so much love and so sorry for your loss - your beautiful post has brought tears to my eyes x

 

[CarnivalPiggy]

Popcorn away on rainbow bridge, Ellie x

 

[Sattious]

@AimeeOx @CarnivalPiggy I have a post on the rainbow bridge Forum page explaining a little more about him. i saw fit to make a proper post for him =)

Rest In Peace Ellie

 

[Wiebke]

I am so sorry! HUGS!