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Dying guinea pig

Emma123

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Hello all, you've been amazing in the past with advice so hoping you can help now! I think my guinea Zoe is dying. She went all limp and floppy, couldn't use her back legs and had (what I think was) a seizure and was laboured in her breathing so obviously I rushed her to the vets but she made a total turnaround! She was squeaking, grooming herself the works! So I've brought her home to keep an eye on her. The last guinea I had died in a similar way but it was so quick with her that I don't really know what to do with zoe, do I just keep observing her and make sure she's comfortable? Thank you!
 
What did the vet think? I would make an appointment with your usual vet (if you didn’t see them) and have her checked over. We can’t tell you what’s wrong or whether your piggy is dying.
 
did the vet run any checks on her? could she have been too warm? the experts will be here in a bit to offer more advice all I can say is, poor girl I hope she's doing ok now.
 
I did make an appointment at the usual vet and he said all her vitals were totally fine, i asked about heat but the room i keep her in is cool and ventilated so he didn't seem to think it was that, I know you can't comment on specifics and give me definite answers i just wanted some general advice on how to take care of her if this is her last few days with me, and if it can happen like this where they kind of hang on for a few days.
 
Just spend time with her like you usually do.
 
Yes if the vet is unable to find any health issue then please don't jump to the conclusion that she is dying! Piggies do really pick up on our anxieties so if the vet says she is ok and she does not seem in any pain, please treat her as normal, and try not to worry too much. If any more worrying symptoms occur do go back to the vet, but please dont let your other piggy passing away negatively influence your judgement about what is happening with this piggy!
 
What I do in these kind of situations is to restart the life clock at zero and see every extra day as a bonus to cherish and to enjoy; whether that is a matter of days or another 5 1/2 years after a very close shave. This means that you make the best of whatever time you have left and do not waste all your energy on fretting over something completely out of your control.
Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs

Unfortunately nobody can tell you what was the matter, and therefore nobody can tell you whether it may recur or not; and definitely not when. Guinea pigs don't have a concept for a set life span and longevity. They measure their life in happy todays. Consider giving her as happy and enriched a today every morning she is still there. Love transcends time; if you fill a life (however long or short) with it, then it is a life worth living. We have our pets only ever on loan from above but the contract can be cancelled at any time.

Be aware that the grieving process starts the moment you realise that a beloved could be on the countdown. Apart from the loss itself, this is the worst time. Your need for answers stems from that major upset you are currently grappling with.

We do have a guide which may answer some of your general questions but it cannot give you the reassurances you are craving, either, and it doesn't make exactly easy reading, so think well before you do so. But it is making the same point I have made above in the chapter about looking after a teminally ill piggy. Whenever you become aware that time may be limited, concentrate on the quality of it, not on the quantity because quality is the area you have control over. If indeed Zoe has another potentially fatal turn, then at least you have plenty of precious happy memories and no regrets about wasted time to live with in the long term. You can fill a moment with a life time's worth of love but you can also waste a lifetime by filling it with dread. Take a leaf from your piggies and live every single day afresh because the 'now' is what counts, and not the 'maybes'. ;)
The guide will tell you the same: A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs
 
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