Can't Get The Balance Right

[lauraboara]

ok I may be asking for trouble by posting this but just wondering if I am alone with my dark thoughts
I have a couple of poorly pigs at the moment - 2 out of 8 which is fairly usual to be honest. Partly as I have a soft spot for older boars....
One is on palliative care and the other has a mystery illness / inappetite which is driving me and the vet a bit mad. Anyhow. I find I get very caught up in the ill piggies and take a bit less joy from the well ones. Similarly, I take their deaths really hard but don't celebrate enough when we welcome a new one in the family. Even tho I am potty about them!
If u met me you would know I am fairly cheeky and cheerful but I'll piggies do seem to bring out my anxieties, do u think it is because they hide illness so u don't know what is coming?
Sorry enough navel gazing for a Friday, kids finish school today so zero time for analysis soon......

 

[DM030819]

Guinea pigs are said to hide their illness, and in some instances you can't tell what is wrong with them, e.g. they stop eating but you can't work out why.

But, I don't think that an observant owner can miss an illness, although they can appear quickly so you second guess yourself for missing it.

I used to believe that pigs could hide illnesses, but that was in the days when I was alot younger and my pigs lived outside in the shed. I saw them maybe twice a day, and on more than one occassion I went in to find a seemingly healthy pig had passed. Since they have moved indoors, and I interact with them a whole lot more it has never happened. I can see them becoming ill and get them treated.

I do have to limit myself to 4 pigs though (I have 3 at the moment) as I really can't handle it emotionally or time wise if I have more than 1 ill at a time. I have one older boar that has daily medicine and nebulisation fairly often and it would be tough to handle another one becoming ill.

 

[lauraboara]

I think you are missing my point, my boys live indoors and I observe them all the flipping time. But watching them for illness is holding me back from really enjoying the healthy ones.

You are right though that the more you have, you have to be prepared that illness will be a regular feature of Guinea pig care

 

[Claire W]

I get you Laura and am exactly the same. Even when my piggies are healthy, I spend time obsessing and worrying that there's something wrong. For example, Edward sometimes hoots and even though I had him at the vets who has confirmed he's healthy and it's very likely he's just sensitive to dust etc, I still stress when he does it.

Emma has IC and even though she's stable, I'm constantly worrying and Ellen is diabetic although she's now in remission and stable but I still worry.

And when I do have a poorly piggy, dark thoughts cross my mind and when all my piggies had health issues last year, I couldn't cope and wanted to re home them Thankfully my parents took them for a couple of months until the worst passed and I felt able to look after them again.

Sadly during that time, I had to have Enoch pts and Erika developed lymphoma xx

 

[pig in the city]

Sorry that you are having such a tough time @lauraboara . Like you l always have one or two poorly piggies (worst time was 4 poorly piggies and a bunny all needing syringe feeding, one was Ozzy!). I guess l just cope by focusing on the practicalities and accepting that l am doing my best but sometimes even that isn't going to be enough. Yes, it does mean l don't have time to fully appreciate all the healthy piggies, and they are sometimes 'neglected' in that they have all their basic needs met but no cuddles etc. However, l know that even they have wonderful piggy lives, as do your piggies. I suppose l try to enjoy the little everyday things, like when they popcorn at teatime, when they sleep stretched out on their cosy beds, and when they sit looking cute snuggled up together. I know that piggy lives are relatively short and can be snatched away in a day, so making the most of the little things, trying not to predict the future, and being kind to ourselves are probably my advice to you. You are a wonderful piggy carer, you are one of the few people l would trust with my own xx

 

[pig in the city]

I get you Laura and am exactly the same. Even when my piggies are healthy, I spend time obsessing and worrying that there's something wrong. For example, Edward sometimes hoots and even though I had him at the vets who has confirmed he's healthy and it's very likely he's just sensitive to dust etc, I still stress when he does it.

Emma has IC and even though she's stable, I'm constantly worrying and Ellen is diabetic although she's now in remission and stable but I still worry.

And when I do have a poorly piggy, dark thoughts cross my mind and when all my piggies had health issues last year, I couldn't cope and wanted to re home them Thankfully my parents took them for a couple of months until the worst passed and I felt able to look after them again.

Sadly during that time, I had to have Enoch pts and Erika developed lymphoma xx

You did have an awful time @ClaireW and its great how you managed to make it through with the support of your lovely mum and dad. Anyone would have struggled to cope with what you endured so its not a sign of weakness to admit that you were struggling and ask for help, it was a sign of good emotional health xx

 

[Claire W]

You did have an awful time @ClaireW and its great how you managed to make it through with the support of your lovely mum and dad. Anyone would have struggled to cope with what you endured so its not a sign of weakness to admit that you were struggling and ask for help, it was a sign of good emotional health xx

Thank you. That's a lovely thing to say.

I convinced myself the other week that they all had static lice (they didn't, I asked Wiebke to double check) and my mum came to help me bathe them all (Ellen hated it) and scrub their cage etc.

You do an amazing job with your piggies. I don't know how you do it xx

 

[Sue and Smartie]

I don't think you should beat yourself up for worrying about your pigs. You only worry because you care about them!

I understand what you say about not taking joy from the healthy ones while you have sickly pets, I think that's because you are spending more mental energy on treatments, vet runs, finding tempting treats & all that kind of thing. It's tiring, and what with the fretting on top of that it's no wonder you haven't got much left. I find I am much the same when I know one of mine is nearing the end. I think it's also down to wanting to spend as much time with them as you can, before they die, and wanting to make sure their last days are happy. Again, this is not a bad thing, it's just the way things are when you care for your pets.

Have you ever looked into mindfulness, or meditation? Either could help you to rest for a while from the endless worrying thoughts. I have found it helpful in getting me to be more 'in the moment' (as our piggies always are!), and more able to accept how things are.