Do You Think They Know When They Are Due To Leave Us?

[Lady Kelly]

I'm curious about peoples experiences of piggies that are "on their way out" for a nicer way of saying terminally ill.

For those who have seen my posts just over a month ago my Bumble has arthritis which is causing her severe pain when passing urine/poops so she is on metacam, however she also has the start of kidney failure so we are at a stage where the medicine which is giving her a decent quality of life is also shortening her life. She reached her heaviest weight in July just before her diagnosis but has steadily lost weight (not overly quickly thankfully) since then.

Bumble is currently like a new pig, she has always been a bit backwards and very timid. We used to giggle that she would try to avoid eating if any human could see her (if we covered her over with a towel during lap time she would actually eat the veg treat she was given). She has, over the past 2-3 weeks, become incredibly brave. She wheeks louder than normal and is out and about more when humans are around. She will run to the veg bowl at feeding time and sit eating out in the open even with me watching! I can't help but feel that she needs to be brave and strong for me and her cagemate.

Has anyone else experienced such big attitude changes?

 

[TAN]

I lost my Noodles a few weeks ago and she definitely acted differently when she was ill - when sitting on my lap she always used yo run up and sit under my left shoulder - when she was very ill she would run up directly under my chin -

 

[WinnieandBear]

When Winnie came over unwell one afternoon, we think she had an underlying illness, she was only 6 mths old and had no symptoms until one day became very unwell and passed away suddenly. She was an extraordinary pig, as a baby you can imagine how timid they usually are; she was really something else. She would do zoomies around the living room all evening, would climb into my hands to be picked up and put down for floor time. She was so adventurous and would follow me around and come when called. She was definitely a very special piggie and before we lost her we were so close it broke my heart. Her sister Bear is still with us but I have never known a pig so tame and loving as little Winnie was!

 

[helen105281]

I have found that when I have a poorly one they are a bit more clingy. Tim was before he went to stay with Debbie, whereas since Sophie arrived he stopped being the cuddly pig he used to be.