One of our guineas is coming to the end of her life. She’s very weak and although she can still eat and drink a little- she can’t walk very far and is sleeping a lot more.
She seems comfy enough but do you have any tips on how to care for her at this time?
Thank you x
Hi and welcome!
Just keep your piggy to as normal a routine as possible and allow her to express normal behaviour. The day she doesn't want to eat and is no longer interested in life is the day to send her to Rainbow Bridge. You will usually know when that day has come.
As long as you put your girl's wellbeing first, you can't go wrong.
Move hay, water at low height and any feed to just outside her denning area.
Please start offering her some extra feed and water by syringe, as much as she will take on her own volition. I offer my current frail ladies that are no longer eating much apart from their veg, fresh herbs and grass, some porridge oats topped with a little rich freeze dried readigrass, but a mix of mushed up pellets (for the familiar taste) and recovery formula can also work.
If you want to support feed more, use a spoon or a bowl so you don't fall into the trap of keeping a piggy longer than necessary - give them the option to determine how much and for how long.
However, quality of life, being free from pain and enjoyment of life should be paramount.
Many of the care tips in this guide here can be transferred to end of life care. The last chapters of the guide deal with piggies going into multiple organ failure (i.e. body closing down), which is always a possibility in frail elderlies.
Emergency and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Please keep them warm during cold nights and cool during heat spikes. Old guinea pigs struggle with adjusting to sudden temperature fluctuations even more. I have lost several of my frailest piggies during or immediately after heat spikes or at the start of heat waves.
The love warmth from warm, but not hot snugglesafes, especially when they are just arthritic bags of bones. A (supervised) nap in the sunshine on a windowsill can be treat, as can be a short trip to a sun-warmed lawn in comfortable conditions and when the ground is still warm, but not damp.
Hot Weather Management and Heat Strokes
Change the beeding/cosies/spot clean in the areas they are mostly in 1-2 times daily. Check their genitalia, belly and the underside of their feet for urine scald and signs of bumblefoot and gentle wipe/bathe with baby warm water. Make sure that your piggy is warm during the drying period but can move away from any source of heat as soon as it feels too hot for comfort.
Little treats like fresh grass and dandelion (dog pee free), fresh herbs, speciality hay etc. can perk up a day but generally old piggies love their daily routine just as it is.
Please check daily for fly strike if your guinea pig has been outside or is struggling to keep her genitals clean indoors.
Fly Strike
Companionship and stimulation through the bars from other guinea pigs you have can prevent depression, revive the zest for life and prolong life.
And for yourself: turn the clock back to zero so instead of counting down from the end you count up and cherish every day more you have a terminal piggy still with you and willing to live another day.
Use the time to do and say all you need to. You can put a lifetime's worth of love into a moment of time; this so you do not have any regrets or feelings of guilt afterwards. That is the one great gift when you know that the end is coming. It is making your grieving process easier in the longer term.
Human Bereavement - Grieving, coping tips and support links for guinea pig owners and their children (includes a chapter on the grieving dynamics when looking after after a terminally ill piggy)
I hope that that helps you?
. If she can still eat hay then let her eat that along with syringe feeding twice a day. Make sure to have a water bowl or bottle in the cage thats filled up so whenever your not syringe feeding her water she also has a water source. If you don’t have a syringe then they are usually avaliable to buy at grocery stores.
