• 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

Golden Oldies..

Status
Not open for further replies.
BonBon2010

BonBon2010

Adult Guinea Pig
Joined
Sep 5, 2010
Messages
1,900
Reaction score
845
Points
635
Location
Sunny Hadfield
My piggy Treacle is now officially an oldie at 6. She's just got that air about her of intending to be around for a long time yet. To look at her, you'd think she was closer to two, she can popcorn as good as a youngster too.
My concerns are, for if and when her health starts slipping, at the moment she's healthy and well, but I have a niggly thought at the back of my head about what if's? After loosing my little piggy Liquorice last year, having gone through months of eye treatment then injuring her back, cue more months of rehabilitation too, i don't think i'd ever be able to put another piggy through that, or myself. It's nearly a year since I lost that special piggy, and not a day goes by when I don't think about her.
My thoughts are, if she does end up with something long term and unlikely to recover, I probably will let her go. I want good memories of my piggies, and prolonging suffering to enable myself to enjoy them in life that bit longer, isn't fair on them.
My question to you all is, at what point do you stop treatment and let them go? I hope Treacle is around for a few more years of course, I mean, don't we all?
 
Ihave had a lot of animals, including horses, and when making decisions about treatment versus PTS I always ask the vet for their realistic prognosis. If the animal has a good chance of making a full recovery, then great, go for treatment. If its just going to be months of antibiotics and interventions in an elderly animal then I let them go. I wont make the same mistake again as I did with my old mare who I should have had put to sleep 6 weeks before she actually was put to sleep - instead she had 2 operations and 6 weeks of antibiotics/painkillers and interventions. She was very old and I have already decided that I wont put my other horse through a lingering time like that.

Its a personal decision, be guided by your vet, but also bear in mind that they have to advise you of all possible treatment options, even if they are privately thinking that if it was their animal they would let it go peacefully, they have to give you all the options not their opinion.
 
Have a hug. It is natural after we lose a piggie to think of those left behind and the worry especially increases as they get older. Liquorice was such a special piggie, I remember you talking about her often on the forum.

Try not to dwell on what may be in the future with Treacle. Our Golden Oldie was Putt (the Abby in my photo) She was such a lap piggie in her Golden years and formed a huge bond with Rach and myself. Take each day as a bonus with Treacle and enjoy her, I have always done that since we lost Pitch, that way I know I will never have regrets on not spending enough time etc... with them when the time comes for them to cross the bridge.
I hope and imagine Treacle will be with your for a long time to come yet :)

As regards to treatment, its always a tough call. We opted not to put out Treacle through Chemo when she had lymphoma and kept her comfortable for as long as she wasn't in pain... She chose her own time to leave us, but we still had to help her across the bridge. I am a believer in quality of life when this is gone we have the power to help them and it is the last bit of love we can do for them. Pitch had root issues that couldn't be resolved and we kept her until she was in pain and looked unhappy and then helped her on her way, it was one of the hardest decisions we have ever had to make but I could never keep her alive to save me the pain of losing her.
 
Linney is turning 5 this week. I really dread the thought of her being old, having chronic health issues, and passing away. The hard thing with small animals is the relatively short lifespan. Naturally, I hope she is one of those piggies who lives to be 8 or more! She still seems very hardy... Sundae, who is much younger, is the one with all the health problems at this stage.

With other pets I've had, making decisions regarding treatment had to do with quality of life/chance of recovery. For the past fifteen or so years I have mainly had hedgehogs and guinea pigs. I had one hedgehog put to sleep because she had a major uterine bleed and masses/tumours could be felt in the uterus, and the vet told us that the odds of her surviving surgery were very slim, and the odds of her surviving in the long run practically zero. I thought it was better to ease her out of it with me present than put her through an invasive op with very little hope, where she could have died without us being there with her. She would have died within hours anyhow with nothing to stop the bleeding, but why make her go through additional suffering for nothing? I had one hedgehog with a neurological condition where his quality of life was obviously gone- he couldn't walk or stand, had to be syringe-fed water and food to keep from starving/dehydrating. He would lay on his side and kick his feet in an attempt to get up, but couldn't do it anymore. We had treated him when his condition was less severe and he was able to stand and get around with varying degrees of wobbliness, but at that point it was obvious that letting him remain that way was cruel. That was hard because he wasn't very old, and he was not actively dying from his illness, but it seemed like keeping him alive at that point would have been for me and not for him. My third hedgehog passed of simple old age at home. The last piggy that I lost passed on her own as well, from a massive infection that she was just not able to fight off in spite of us all trying hard to get her to pull through.

I know, for myself, when the time came to have an animal put to sleep, as much as it hurt, there was no doubt in my mind that it was the right thing to do for them. It was the last compassionate act that I do for them, out of love, and knowing that their pain would be over and the only one hurting would be me. If an animal has discomfort but a treatable condition and appears to have good quality of life, I will treat them, but when there is nothing but suffering without end in sight, or if they are actively dying and nothing can be done to help, I felt like a quicker, more peaceful death was the best outcome I could give them.
 
I have just had fizz pts.She had a 90 degree head tilt and her weight had dropped dramatically.Could manage a bit of veg but not pellets or her water bottle.Syringe fed her for5 days while she was on antibiotics but the head tilt got no better and she became lethargic.She had had enough so let her go.I have had to get pebbles a friend as she was grieving but felt wrong (had to get new one for pebbles).Just want fizx back.This pet lark hurts like hell
 
Yes I know the feeling of the "what ifs". It scary and it sucks when their birthdays come around. Mr. Bailee just turned 5 but just like your little love he still is feisty and funny and quick to the noms. I believe in alot of hoooooman contact. Mr. Bailee is extremely affectionate with me. He still gets his attitudes and that's when I know its time for him to go back to his condo. I am very optimistic and always look towards the bright side of things. I try not to put thoughts of worry into my day so it doesn't consume me. I have much love and respect for Mr. Bailee. He brings me so much joy and happiness. Smile and pick up your little piggie.
 
Don't worry too much about the future. Treacle will almost definitely let you know when it is her time to go- hopefully not for a few years yet.
Rosie(7.5) passed away 2 weeks ago , up until a few days before she was perfectly normal and then really slowed down. A trip to the vets revealed a mass in her tummy, which given her age was incurable. She was happy right up until the end taking pellet mush and water with lots of enthusiasm, we gave her metacam and kept her comfortable, she passed peacefully in her sleep.

I toyed with the idea of pts when we when to the vets, however she was still happy and it was never brought up in conversation. I am very glad I had those last special days with her, as much as it pained me when she left us- she went happy which is all that matters.

I very much agree with Sport_Billy with taking each day as it comes- I had been doing that with Rosie probably since she turned 5/6 and each day she amazed me with her passion for life especially with her new friends. Lots and lots of cuddles :)
 
Well, just to be positive, my Rufus and Sebastian lived to be 8! And I didnt get them till they were 5, they had been "slightly forgotten about" children's outdoor hutch kept pets until I got them. Both passed away in their sleep - I came down to find Sebastian had died one morning and then 2 months later Rufus died in the same way. I didnt re-bond Rufus with another piggie due to his advanced age. But neither piggie gave me any trouble with their "end of life" care and there were no "decisions" to make, hopefully Treacle will go like that for you ((hugs))
 
For me, it's simple. If there's a problem and there's a good chance of a good recovery at the end then I'll treat - IF the animal is able to handle the treatment. Maggie has been through so much - she's had CT scans, several huge operations, a million and one tests - and has not been phased by any of it, and is back to being a healthy happy piggy.

If the problem isn't curable, then they will be given supportive treatment (be it pain relief, diuretics or whatever) until such a time that they're no longer happy - you can tell.

If the problem has a possible remedy, but the animal can't handle the treatment, then they will be euth'd. Colin, my chameleon was a good example of this - he had an illness that he had a bit of investigation for (xrays and things), but he just couldn't handle the treatment - it stressed him out so much being handled so frequently, that it was kinder to have him put to sleep.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top