alexr
Teenage Guinea Pig
Hi All,
I’m facing a very difficult decision. In all my years of guinea pig ownership, I’ve been very fortunate in that I’ve never had to have a piggy PTS. One was due to be put down but died just prior to the appointment.
This post is about my darling old boy Hamish who came to me from a rescue 3 years ago. He is supposedly 5.5yrs old but myself and 3 vets all suspect he is much older - probably more like 7 or 8.
I have a very special bond with Hamish and he is a wonderful friend and grandpa figure to all my other boars. I have some singles and he loves spending time with them all each day. He is especially close to his “room mate” Herbie and also to his neighbour Rupert.
Hamish seems to try to hide his frailty to his friends but, unusually, Herbie wants to sit next to him all the time and Rupert seems to be looking sad and keeping a constant watch next door. Hamish seems to reveal his weakness to me more when we are on our own. I suppose he doesn’t want to give up his “leader” status to them just yet.
Hamish used to be a big 1.3kg piggy but has lost a lot of weight down to 1kg-1.1kg due to dental issues. Simon Maddock in Northampton felt the weight loss wasn’t a huge concern if he is still eating as he has bad arthritis in his back legs and being lighter would ease the pressure. He is on Loxicom 0.35ml twice per day and apparently there is not much room for manoeuvre. He has been managing well for several months.
However, in recent weeks, I have noticed a big deterioration in his mobility. He hobbles about and often falls over. He is incredibly bony. However, he is very determined and, once he gets going, he tries to be very active with his friends. He most certainly doesn’t want to reveal his decline to them it seems.
He is still eating as normal. However, his weight has dropped rapidly in the last week from 1.1kg to 920g - a huge alarm bell. He seemed very unwell last night. Very lethargic and exaggerated breathing. I started him on critical care and he really didn’t seem to want it but I force fed him. He then just wanted to lay on my shoulder for a long time with his head buried. I thought it might be game over.
He seemed to be a bit brighter today and I tried to book him in with Simon but he is away on holiday and so is my vet friend. Instead, I took him to see another local vet who we have seen before.
He did not feel the outlook is good and thinks it is unfair to force critical care upon him when the prognosis is not positive. He thinks I may have to make the decision to “offer him the kindest gift” very soon if quality of life is not evident. He says there is a lot of muscle decline in his hind legs and is very frail. He said his teeth are ok.
Hamish is still keen to eat food and I gave him all his favourites tonight but he hasn’t eaten much. He still seems very keen to romp around with his friends so I do see some quality of life there.
However, the vet said he feels the day will come very soon when I may need to step in with the very hard decision. We agreed that I would try to really spoil him over the weekend with time with his friends and all his favourite treats.
How will I know when the day has arrived? The vet thinks it may need to be pretty soon. Will it be when he doesn’t want food and can’t walk? I just don’t know. The time doesn’t feel right just yet.
I am hoping to speak to my vet friend when she returns from her hols tomorrow for a second opinion.
I was just wanting to ask the forum if you have any tips for knowing when it’s the right time to help Hamish over the bridge? I would much prefer to find him in his forever sleep but I will do what’s right for him and certainly don’t want him to suffer.
I take the loss of my special piggies very badly and suffer from severe depression. I need to know that I have done absolutely everything for Hamish before I am ready to face the guilt of “playing God” to end his life and never knowing if it was the right time.
Although I’ve seen the vet we saw today before and he’s normally spot-on about things, I’d have accepted the news better from Simon or from our vet friend Kate.
I just don’t know. Sorry for rambling, I just felt the need to get it off my chest to people who understand.
Alex x
I’m facing a very difficult decision. In all my years of guinea pig ownership, I’ve been very fortunate in that I’ve never had to have a piggy PTS. One was due to be put down but died just prior to the appointment.
This post is about my darling old boy Hamish who came to me from a rescue 3 years ago. He is supposedly 5.5yrs old but myself and 3 vets all suspect he is much older - probably more like 7 or 8.
I have a very special bond with Hamish and he is a wonderful friend and grandpa figure to all my other boars. I have some singles and he loves spending time with them all each day. He is especially close to his “room mate” Herbie and also to his neighbour Rupert.
Hamish seems to try to hide his frailty to his friends but, unusually, Herbie wants to sit next to him all the time and Rupert seems to be looking sad and keeping a constant watch next door. Hamish seems to reveal his weakness to me more when we are on our own. I suppose he doesn’t want to give up his “leader” status to them just yet.
Hamish used to be a big 1.3kg piggy but has lost a lot of weight down to 1kg-1.1kg due to dental issues. Simon Maddock in Northampton felt the weight loss wasn’t a huge concern if he is still eating as he has bad arthritis in his back legs and being lighter would ease the pressure. He is on Loxicom 0.35ml twice per day and apparently there is not much room for manoeuvre. He has been managing well for several months.
However, in recent weeks, I have noticed a big deterioration in his mobility. He hobbles about and often falls over. He is incredibly bony. However, he is very determined and, once he gets going, he tries to be very active with his friends. He most certainly doesn’t want to reveal his decline to them it seems.
He is still eating as normal. However, his weight has dropped rapidly in the last week from 1.1kg to 920g - a huge alarm bell. He seemed very unwell last night. Very lethargic and exaggerated breathing. I started him on critical care and he really didn’t seem to want it but I force fed him. He then just wanted to lay on my shoulder for a long time with his head buried. I thought it might be game over.
He seemed to be a bit brighter today and I tried to book him in with Simon but he is away on holiday and so is my vet friend. Instead, I took him to see another local vet who we have seen before.
He did not feel the outlook is good and thinks it is unfair to force critical care upon him when the prognosis is not positive. He thinks I may have to make the decision to “offer him the kindest gift” very soon if quality of life is not evident. He says there is a lot of muscle decline in his hind legs and is very frail. He said his teeth are ok.
Hamish is still keen to eat food and I gave him all his favourites tonight but he hasn’t eaten much. He still seems very keen to romp around with his friends so I do see some quality of life there.
However, the vet said he feels the day will come very soon when I may need to step in with the very hard decision. We agreed that I would try to really spoil him over the weekend with time with his friends and all his favourite treats.
How will I know when the day has arrived? The vet thinks it may need to be pretty soon. Will it be when he doesn’t want food and can’t walk? I just don’t know. The time doesn’t feel right just yet.
I am hoping to speak to my vet friend when she returns from her hols tomorrow for a second opinion.
I was just wanting to ask the forum if you have any tips for knowing when it’s the right time to help Hamish over the bridge? I would much prefer to find him in his forever sleep but I will do what’s right for him and certainly don’t want him to suffer.
I take the loss of my special piggies very badly and suffer from severe depression. I need to know that I have done absolutely everything for Hamish before I am ready to face the guilt of “playing God” to end his life and never knowing if it was the right time.
Although I’ve seen the vet we saw today before and he’s normally spot-on about things, I’d have accepted the news better from Simon or from our vet friend Kate.
I just don’t know. Sorry for rambling, I just felt the need to get it off my chest to people who understand.
Alex x
. The L.A. Guinea Pig rescue uses CBD oil for her elderly piggies. You can get it on Amazon. It is a gel pen. Prayers for strength during this time. It's so hard to make these decisions.
I’ll read some research about it but it’s probably a bit late. X
Tears can come later. 
But I will try to be strong for him if we have to intervene. I’ve been told I can stay with him so I will definitely do that for him.
I think there’s something to be said for the lovely weather and some fresh air to perk them up. Hamish has started eating a lot more, has been quite active and has put on 40g. He’s obviously making the most of things so I should too. I’ve been caught up in the sadness of it all but seeing him pick up means I don’t have to worry about watching his every move. It’s a trying time for us and I’m also thinking of you and Benson xx