• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

End Of Piggy Life Advice

Status
Not open for further replies.
katiepig

katiepig

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Dec 13, 2016
Messages
45
Reaction score
80
Points
170
Location
S.Wales
What do you do if your piggy is elderly and takes a sudden downturn? I suspect my lovely older piggy is showing the signs of kidney failure although she is wonderfully content and healthy generally, she is getting on in years now also :( though I hope she still has a while left with us.

From what I've read and from others I've spoken to it seems possible she might suddenly become very ill at the end. Now what do you do in that situation? Is it kinder to take her to the vet to speed things along, or is it more comfortable to leave her be and let her go naturally without the stress of being picked up and taken to the vet? She has always acted strangely after being to the vet and I assumed she found it rather distressing - the only times I've ever heard her make that bird-like noise they rarely do is when she's come back from the vet.

I don't really know what's for the best if that's the way it pans out? I'm the sort of person who just needs to plan every eventuality ahead, though I really hope it's not for a while yet. My lovely piggy :(
 
With my elderly hamster (rip) I waited until his time was near and monitored him very closely. It was obvious when he needed to go to the vet to be pts.

Perhaps you can ask your vet if they would come to you to reduce any stress. Hopefully your guinea pig will pass quietly at home when the time comes.
 
I am a firm believer in taking them to the vet to be helped to the bridge and follow the saying "better a day too early than a second too late". You know your pig so will be able to tell when the time is right as she will start to show signs that she is ready. Others may not agree with me on this one though. Hopefully you will have a good while together yet.
 
I am with @helen105281 100% on this.
Clearly you are a loving owner and are very close to your guinea pig, so deep down you will know when it is time.
All you can do is make her trip to the vets as calm as possible. A carrier filled with blankets and hay, and a favorite treat or two.
Our vet offers special late night or early morning appointments in such cases, so there is no sitting in a waiting room filled with barking dogs. Maybe ask about something like that.
I wish you strength and peace in the coming days, weeks and months with your guinea pig.
 
I have to agree with the others, putting to sleep is much better than any amount of suffering. I would say this though, if she isn't in pain and is happily eating etc then she can enjoy her old age. Always consult a vet though as not everything is old age related and even some old age things can be treated or managed if needs be.
 
Yep, I agree with the above.

I had to make the heart-breaking decision a few weeks and I'll be riddled with 'What if's' for a long time to come but I do know that I did the right thing. If I hadn't then he was going to start to suffer, there was no way he was going to get better.

I had a heartfelt chat with the vet about it, and he described what he would be like if I had left him, and that there was no further treatment available.
 
I think PTS is best, you just have to brave to do it. Whether it's possible to provide painkillers to see them through I don't know. I had a hamster once, I knew she was going then all the next day & night, she was having fits continuously. I took out of the cage & she died in my arms within 5 minutes. It was the vet that said they were fits but to this day. I will never ever forgive myself. Only thing I would say is if you are going to PTS don't leave it longer than necessary she trusts you to do the right thing, & you love her enough, you will carry it through.
Has the vet said she's going in to kidney failure.
At the end of that totally useless bit of info. Can we have a photo, love piggy photos.
 
No pet (four legged, 2 legged, feathered or furry) has ever trotted off to the Rainbow Bridge of their own accord in my house. I have had to make the decision to PTS and see it through many, many times. It never gets any easier, but I have to agree wholeheartedly with the saying "better a day/week too soon than a second too late". I watch very carefully for any signs of discomfort/change in behaviour and discuss each one with the vet to be certain I don't miss any subtle signs. It's heartbreaking to make the decision but kindest for the pet. I hope that you still have some quality time left with your piggy x
 
20170207_111234.webp

This is her today, with a little smile on her face :)

I don't know about the vet. I am tempted to find a new one since I went a month ago for a checkup and they said everything was fine but I feel that's not the case, I don't think he was experienced with guinea pigs and it feels like it cost a lot for nothing. The only signs are she is drinking a lot more than previously and there has been some weight loss, which tbh I expect might continue since she eats as much as ever. I've found a new vet with good recommendations to go to nearby. I know her teeth are fine, appetite is fine, no sign of infection, can't think what else it can be.
 
What a pretty lady! I wouldn't be massivelt concerned about the weight loss unless it's accompanied with not eating, or not pooping/peeing. Piggies tend to lose muscle mass when they age so it's common for them to lose a little bit of weight. How old is she?

If you're not entirely happy with how she is, then it's certainly a good idea to find a good guinea pig vet to have a look at her. They'll give you a bit of reassurance about how she is.
 
I had an elderly lady with kidney failure. From being told she had it it was another 18 months before she went and she went from being lively the evening before to finding her (possibly having had a stroke) the next morning and whisked her to the vet to help her along. Bumble also had the start of kidney failure but she only lasted a couple of months after diagnosis, possibly due to being on a high dose of metacam for severe arthritis and again she was swollen one evening when I got home from work so had to go to the emergency vet.

Now the two that went this christmas. Jemima was 5 and a half and had lost weight, I thought it was her teeth but Simon suggested it could be the kidneys as she gets older. There were zero signs of her going, just the next feeding time she didn't come running out (she always had to be first) and I found her in her forever sleep curled up under the hay. Peter went in a similar fashion at 7, he had been ill for ages and actually a year earlier I had been told he was going. We found him in his forever sleep as well.

It is much less traumatic for us humans (and I'm assuming for the piggies too) if they can just go to sleep but I would recommend being prepared to help them across. Bea (the first one I mentioned) was by far the most traumatic and I wish I didn't have to see her in that state but there were zero warning signs beforehand. I think in my experience I can safely say you might have very little time or you might have quite a while together yet... just make sure you treasure that time because it is soon gone
 
katiepig said:
View attachment 58927

This is her today, with a little smile on her face :)

I don't know about the vet. I am tempted to find a new one since I went a month ago for a checkup and they said everything was fine but I feel that's not the case, I don't think he was experienced with guinea pigs and it feels like it cost a lot for nothing. The only signs are she is drinking a lot more than previously and there has been some weight loss, which tbh I expect might continue since she eats as much as ever. I've found a new vet with good recommendations to go to nearby. I know her teeth are fine, appetite is fine, no sign of infection, can't think what else it can be.
Click to expand...

A simple urine test should be able to show whether there is protein being lost through her wee and it should be easy to determine whether this is diabetes or not. I had this with Bea and it definitely wasn't diabetes so with an overall good health the assumption was renal problems though the only way to have been 100% certain would have been blood tests which was a high cost for no reason (i.e. if it confirmed renal problems then there wouldn't be anything that could be done to treat the condition anyway)
 
Thanks, to be honest I was thinking about holding off on the vet until something changes as I don't expect there's anything that I can intervene with in any way.

As her 5th owner (!) I'm not certain of her age, all i know is she is anything upward of 5 years old. She is looking older than when I got her a year ago, she has developed that 'pea eye' thing where there is a bit of fat under each eyeball and as long as I've known her she has had quite a roll of fat/skin under her neck (like how older men in particular often get)- it makes her look very distinguished :luv: I I like to think of her as the wise old matriarch of the little herd (though I don't know many wise guinea pigs!).
 
Thanks Kelly for sharing your experiences. With regard to the urine test that's given me something to think about. Is there anything that can be done for diabetic piggies outside of diet control?
 
katiepig said:
Thanks Kelly for sharing your experiences. With regard to the urine test that's given me something to think about. Is there anything that can be done for diabetic piggies outside of diet control?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure with diabetes because it's not something I've ever dealt with but I know certain veggies like carrots are high in sugar so there are small changes that can make a difference
 
katiepig said:
Thanks, to be honest I was thinking about holding off on the vet until something changes as I don't expect there's anything that I can intervene with in any way.

As her 5th owner (!) I'm not certain of her age, all i know is she is anything upward of 5 years old. She is looking older than when I got her a year ago, she has developed that 'pea eye' thing where there is a bit of fat under each eyeball and as long as I've known her she has had quite a roll of fat/skin under her neck (like how older men in particular often get)- it makes her look very distinguished :luv: I I like to think of her as the wise old matriarch of the little herd (though I don't know many wise guinea pigs!).
Click to expand...
That roll of fat under the chin is a dewlap, its quite common, a lot of animals have them, my 3 female rabbits have all had right beauties! Mary looks like she's lying on a big white furry cushion! :))
 
((HUGS.)) It's hard watching them getting older. One of mine is approaching seven, it's wonderful that we've had her so long, but at the same time it's hard anticipating the fact that she is approaching the upper end of her life expectancy. I know for myself, I've made decisions on a case-by-case basis. Thus far I haven't had to make the choice to have either of the pigs I've lost put to sleep. One was very young with an infectious illness that we were still trying very hard to treat, the other was elderly but went downhill so quickly that she was quite literally totally one night, kind of quiet in the morning, and had passed away by that night. I have been in a position to make the choice for several other pets over the years and my guide was always quality of life... I didn't see any point in prolonging an illness that was going to run its course quickly anyhow and I didn't think it was in their best interest to prolong a life that was not enjoyable any longer. So I chose to PTS one of my hedgehogs when she was acutely bleeding heavily due to probably uterine cancer (she would have died that day anyhow and I didn't want to prolong things for her) and I chose to PTS another hedgehog who had wobbly hedgehog syndrome and was no longer responding to steroids and could no longer get on his feet at all. We treated it while we could, which gave him a few months where he was mobile and able to do normal things (if a big shakily), but once he couldn't do normal things that hedgehogs like to do I felt like it was time. I have the same guidelines with my pigs... if they are eating and able to do normal things that they enjoy doing, like puttering around the hall finding treats, sitting comfortably with us to get pats, interacting with their other piggie friend, etc., I will treat any medical issues that I can treat and let them go on for as long as they are able. But once they are in pain that can't be managed or can no longer move about or engage in normal behaviors, I feel like I need to start thinking about helping them along. Honestly, though, I hope you don't have to worry about it just yet. I know for my elderly pig, Sundae, I have been thinking about this stuff for honestly years now. She has always had bladder/abscess/dental issues and has looked elderly since about age 5.5 years, feeling bonier, losing eyesight, etc. However, she is pushing 7 years old now and still living a good life, so we'll continue to enjoy her company for as long as she is happy!
 
katiepig said:
Thanks Kelly for sharing your experiences. With regard to the urine test that's given me something to think about. Is there anything that can be done for diabetic piggies outside of diet control?
Click to expand...

My old boar was losing protein in his urine too. The vet took a blood sample to check further and there wasn't any issues so they ruled out diabetes completely. The vet did mention that there was medication that could be used, but the treatment is nothing like in humans with insulin injections.
 
BossHogg said:
That roll of fat under the chin is a dewlap, its quite common, a lot of animals have them, my 3 female rabbits have all had right beauties! Mary looks like she's lying on a big white furry cushion! :))
Click to expand...

Ah I knew there was a word for it, thanks! Yes she looks so comfy with her own build in pillow!
 
Thanks Freela. It feels then like it could be possible she could go on a long time yet so I will be hopeful :)

I just want to get her out on the grass again, I couldn't quite get it right last year since it was the first year I'd had pigs on my own and they seemed too scared to get out of their hidey and eat so I need to get a better outside run this year that makes them feel more secure. She is an outside piggy at heart, not sure she's too keen on all this fleece nonsense :P since she always opts to sleep in the hay where it gathers in the cage.
 
Ah just to be clear I must still be on old log in on my phone, I couldn't get it to work on my laptop anymore. But katiepig=kitrat!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top