Euthanasia

[jadielin]

Hi everyone,

Just looking for similar experiences on how to know when to let go. One of my girls is just over 5 and she has large ovarian cysts. I opted out of the surgery due to her age and her quality of life. She had been doing great aside from looking extremely chunky (only makes her cuter, honestly). The past few days I have noticed she hasn’t been eating as much / constantly doing this weird thing with her mouth (almost like she’s trying to spit something out) and I’m fearing that her back teeth may be needing a trim. Her weight has remained the same and she is still eating, just not as much and sleeping a lot more.

My situation is - that she’s nearing her end of life due to the cysts (absolutely rips my heart out thinking of losing her) but I do not want to put her under anesthesia because I have a very good feeling she won’t wake up. She is quite underweight and obviously not the healthiest piggy.

I think that if she doesn’t improve within the next few days I will be looking at euthanasia as I don’t want to put her through the stress / under anesthesia for her teeth to be trimmed.

I’m just wondering if anyone has been through anything similar and what they did. I’m a mess but I have been aware that she is on limited time (she’s made it over a year since her cyst diagnosis, and they are extremely large). It’s just so hard to know when the right time is. I’ve added the most recent picture of her in her “favourite” Christmas sweater!



Thank you in advance!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi everyone,

Just looking for similar experiences on how to know when to let go. One of my girls is just over 5 and she has large ovarian cysts. I opted out of the surgery due to her age and her quality of life. She had been doing great aside from looking extremely chunky (only makes her cuter, honestly). The past few days I have noticed she hasn’t been eating as much / constantly doing this weird thing with her mouth (almost like she’s trying to spit something out) and I’m fearing that her back teeth may be needing a trim. Her weight has remained the same and she is still eating, just not as much and sleeping a lot more.

My situation is - that she’s nearing her end of life due to the cysts (absolutely rips my heart out thinking of losing her) but I do not want to put her under anesthesia because I have a very good feeling she won’t wake up. She is quite underweight and obviously not the healthiest piggy.

I think that if she doesn’t improve within the next few days I will be looking at euthanasia as I don’t want to put her through the stress / under anesthesia for her teeth to be trimmed.

I’m just wondering if anyone has been through anything similar and what they did. I’m a mess but I have been aware that she is on limited time (she’s made it over a year since her cyst diagnosis, and they are extremely large). It’s just so hard to know when the right time is. I’ve added the most recent picture of her in her “favourite” Christmas sweater!

View attachment 279538

Thank you in advance!

BIG HUGS

It is always such a heartbreaking decision to make because you are so torn; you love so deeply and don't want to let go. But you also love so deeply that you do not want a beloved one to suffer. Plus the whole stress about wanting to get it absolutely right.

The worst time in some respects is the time you come close to it. You are already grieving. But take heart. Somehow, most of us will find the inner strength to do the right thing when your piggy tells you that their pain/discomfort is greater than their will to live because that same love that is currently tearing you apart will kick in and give you what you need to go through with it. You can always be strong for somebody you love.

You may find this more detailed practical link here helpful. It deals in more depth with recognising when the body is starting to close down and - in the chapter about terminal illness - when to call it shots.
A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs

Before euthanasia becomes a must there is generally a time slot where it is down to how you feel about certain things; there is no right or wrong.
The questions in this link here, which don't have a right or wrong answer, can help you to work out where your own heart lies, so you can make your decision with a clearer mind and hopefully suffer less doubts in the overthinking and soul-searching phase after any passing because you have already done the home work on this.
Operation, Terminal Care or Euthanasia? - Helpful Questions to Ask Ahead or in Hindsight

Pet Owners Anxiety - Practical Tips For Sufferers and For Supporters (one part deals with end of life challenges both for sufferers and their supporters)

I hope that the detailed and practical information in these links gives you the instruments to navigate this difficult time with more clarity and peace of mind. Every bond and every case is subtly different, and so are we as owners so there is no definite way. I have made different decisions with different piggies of mine. My love for each of them has not been any less but it had to feel right for them.

Once you know your heart of hearts a bit more, you will feel better poised to act and know that whatever you do, you are doing it out of love - and this will give you strength in the moment and inner peace in the longer run.

My thoughts are with you.

 

[jadielin]

BIG HUGS

It is always such a heartbreaking decision to make because you are so torn; you love so deeply and don't want to let go. But you also love so deeply that you do not want a beloved one to suffer. Plus the whole stress about wanting to get it absolutely right.

The worst time in some respects is the time you come close to it. You are already grieving. But take heart. Somehow, most of us will find the inner strength to do the right thing when your piggy tells you that their pain/discomfort is greater than their will to live because that same love that is currently tearing apart will kick in and give you what you need to go through with it. You can always be strong for somebody you love.

You may find this more detailed practical link here helpful. It deals in more depth with recognising when the body is starting to close down and - in the chapter about terminal illness - when to call it shots.
A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs

Before euthanasia becomes a must there is generally a time slot where it is down to how you feel about certain things; there is no right or wrong.
The questions in this link here, which don't have a right or wrong answer, can help you to work out where your own heart lies, so you can make your decision with a clearer mind and hopefully suffer less doubts in the overthinking and soul-searching phase after any passing because you have already done the home work on this.
Operation, Terminal Care or Euthanasia? - Helpful Questions to Ask Ahead or in Hindsight

Pet Owners Anxiety - Practical Tips For Sufferers and For Supporters (one part deals with end of life challenges both for sufferers and their supporters)

I hope that the detailed and practical information in these links gives you the instruments to navigate this difficult time with more clarity and peace of mind. Every bond and every case is subtly different, and so are we as owners so there is no definite way. I have made different decisions with different piggies of mine. My love for each of them has not been any less but it had to feel right for them.

Once you know your heart of hearts a bit more, you will feel better poised to act and know that whatever you do, you are doing it out of love - and this will give you strength in the moment and inner peace in the longer run.

My thoughts are with you.

Thank you so much Wiebke!

 

[RescueBoyMum]

Hi, sorry to hear this. I couldn’t give you any advice on what to decide, but just wanted to say that for me, asking for a sedative injection before they euthanise is so comforting to me. I’ve had two of them fall asleep on me after being sedated, including my soul pig in May, and it left me with no regrets about them being away from me and wondering where I am. Equally I’ve had to get some put to sleep where they were taken away from me. These were the ones who were in a lot of pain or not in a good way and I felt this was best. It’s a very hard decision at any time. I always hope that they will give me a sign by deteriorating enough to where it feels like the best thing to do. I’m currently at this point with one of my old ones whose arthritis is getting worse (the cocktail of meds doesn’t seem to be working as well now.) Best wishes with it all.

 

[Wheekallweek]

Sorry you're in this position
Have you chatted it through with your vet?
Could your vet have a good look at her molars with an otoscope first to see if they can see any spurs or overgrowth?
If she does have long left, would it be worth giving it a go, and putting her to sleep if recovery isn't going well?
Of course I totally understand that you might not want to put her through the recovery as an old girl with other issues.
We've had a very underweight piggy survive bladder stone surgery but he wasn't very old. But equally we have a pig with ovarian cysts who vets attempted to spay before she came to us, but had to stop as she crashed on the table.
Perhaps some pain relief to start may help?

 

[Wiebke]

As to euthanasia itself, you are welcome to ask the clinic beforehand whether they offer different ways or not and what are the pros and cons each way. Generally, sedation before the lethal injection has thankfully become standard. This can happen in the gas chamber for small pets that also serves for operations or via a sedative first injection behind the scenes or on the examination table.
There will a squeak and a reaction to that first injection; the same way we react to a vaccination injection but it can be upsetting for some owners so being present can be a bit traumatic for some owners.
Some vets will bring the sedated piggy out for the final injection and some will allow you to bring the companion to present as well.

However there are quite enormous differences from clinic to clinic and in between individual vets, due to their own personal experiences, so it is always best to enquire ahead of time to give you time to think about it if you feel that this would help you.

There is generally a greater acceptance of the owner's needs and feelings and a growing openness to adapt the process to the owner's wishes as much as possible.

 

[Merab]

Holding you in my heart at this difficult time

 

[Freela]

Awww, I'm sorry you're in this situation. I think it's worth chatting to a vet and seeing what their opinion is. My vet has alway been pretty good about telling me when there are options and when euthanasia is really the kindest thing. It's also worth noting that, in a case where there is something that they can treat, trying to treat a problem and having a pet not wake up from the procedure is pretty much euthanasia from the pet's perspective. So if there's a shot of potentially treating a problem, especially something minor like her teeth, it's not always a terrible option to put them under and see how it goes if the alternative is putting them under and not waking them up otherwise. Your vet has the whole picture and can do a physical exam and give you a more realistic prognosis. For what it's worth, I had one past pig with a huge cyst that we never tried to remove because she was misdiagnosed with cancer twice (first vet thought the mass was a kidney malignancy, second correctly identified the ovary but also thought it was malignant.) We ended up finding out it wasn't malignant because it ultimately ruptured and was only fluid, she did fine with pain relief and ended up living another year before passing of unrelated causes just shy of turning 7. So I would talk to the vet open to all possibilities and make a decision from there.
((HUGS)) to you, she certainly is a cutie in her sweater!