Gone but never forgotten.

sam1

sam1

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi guys, I thought I would let you know that one of my guinea pigs sadly passed away yesterday morning. I went up the garden to feed them when I noticed that one of my piggies - Teddy, was lying down on his side -he wasn’t breathing😭😭😢.Things are so different without him in our lives 😭. We will look at getting another piggy to pair with Teddy’s brother so he won’t be on his own. RIP little Teddy, gone but never forgotten 😭.


P.S: Teddy was three and a half years old when he died, is that old for guinea pigs?
 
Sorry for your loss.
Popcorn high at the rainbow bridge Teddy. 🌈
 
sam1 said:
Hi guys, I thought I would let you know that one of my guinea pigs sadly passed away yesterday morning. I went up the garden to feed them when I noticed that one of my piggies - Teddy, was lying down on his side -he wasn’t breathing😭😭😢.Things are so different without him in our lives 😭. We will look at getting another piggy to pair with Teddy’s brother so he won’t be on his own. RIP little Teddy, gone but never forgotten 😭.


P.S: Teddy was three and a half years old when he died, is that old for guinea pigs?
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BIG HUGS

I am so very sorry that you have lost Teddy. What a horrible shock for you. :(

Strokes (more likely in your case) and heart attacks can sadly happen at any age out of the blue in seemingly healthy piggies. They are not foreseeable or preventable and they can happen to any owner. I have lost several of my own piggies this way.

Please try to take consolation that your boy cannot have suffered for long. As natural deaths go, this is one of the kindest because it is so fast and it hits out of the blue without any illness.
Here is our grieving guide for owners and families, which you may find helpful: Human Bereavement: Grieving, Processing and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children


3 years is the prime of life. The average life span is about 4-7 years and sometimes even longer but you can never choose or predict how long you have your piggies. As long as you give them what they want from life, many happy todays in good care you are not failing them. Guinea pigs don't have a concept for an average life span, they live in the moment. It matters less how long they live than how well they have lived.

Please leave the cage untouched to allow Teddy's brother to grieve and to be able to snuggle into his scent while it slowly fades. It doesn't matter for once if the cage is getting grotty because the comfort factor is more important. You can clean the cage once he starts picking up normal life, if without his sparkle again.

Unless the companion stops eating and drinking altogether (and even a little syringe feed cannot kickstart the appetite again) and is giving up on life (i.e. acute pining) or unless he can obviously not cope with being on his own at, you usually have between 1-4 weeks (in the case of neutering or adopting a special piggy even longer) time to find a new friend, quarantine them if needed or allow them to settle in and get their bearings next to Teddy's brother for a few days before any bonding. Rescue dating - if possible - would be another option.
Here is our very helpful guide on what you can for newly bereaved piggies in the immediate to longer term. We are always happy to answer any questions in our specially Care sections so you are more likely to get knowledgeable answers quickly: Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig

This will give you time to get your own bearings. If you struggle with aspects of your own grieving process or with Teddy's brother, you are welcome to open an ongoing support thread in our new End of Life & Bereavement Support Corner in the Care section part of the forum. What we can provide is our community support and the understanding and experience from other owners who have gone through similar experiences. The corner provides a friendly place to ask any questions and concerns you have along the way. Since we are not part of social media, we can let ongoing personalised support threads run for as long as possible.
Here is the direct link to the section: End of Life and Bereavement Support Corner
 
What a horrible shock you had :(. As Wiebke said, it would have been quick but your grief may take longer, so look after yourself and your bereaved piggie in the coming days.
Rest peacefully in the hay meadows at the bridge little Teddy 🌈
 
Wiebke said:
BIG HUGS

I am so very sorry that you have lost Teddy. What a horrible shock for you. :(

Strokes (more likely in your case) and heart attacks can sadly happen at any age out of the blue in seemingly healthy piggies. They are not foreseeable or preventable and they can happen to any owner. I have lost several of my own piggies this way.

Please try to take consolation that your boy cannot have suffered for long. As natural deaths go, this is one of the kindest because it is so fast and it hits out of the blue without any illness.
Here is our grieving guide for owners and families, which you may find helpful: Human Bereavement: Grieving, Processing and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children


3 years is the prime of life. The average life span is about 4-7 years and sometimes even longer but you can never choose or predict how long you have your piggies. As long as you give them what they want from life, many happy todays in good care you are not failing them. Guinea pigs don't have a concept for an average life span, they live in the moment. It matters less how long they live than how well they have lived.

Please leave the cage untouched to allow Teddy's brother to grieve and to be able to snuggle into his scent while it slowly fades. It doesn't matter for once if the cage is getting grotty because the comfort factor is more important. You can clean the cage once he starts picking up normal life, if without his sparkle again.

Unless the companion stops eating and drinking altogether (and even a little syringe feed cannot kickstart the appetite again) and is giving up on life (i.e. acute pining) or unless he can obviously not cope with being on his own at, you usually have between 1-4 weeks (in the case of neutering or adopting a special piggy even longer) time to find a new friend, quarantine them if needed or allow them to settle in and get their bearings next to Teddy's brother for a few days before any bonding. Rescue dating - if possible - would be another option.
Here is our very helpful guide on what you can for newly bereaved piggies in the immediate to longer term. We are always happy to answer any questions in our specially Care sections so you are more likely to get knowledgeable answers quickly: Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig

This will give you time to get your own bearings. If you struggle with aspects of your own grieving process or with Teddy's brother, you are welcome to open an ongoing support thread in our new End of Life & Bereavement Support Corner in the Care section part of the forum. What we can provide is our community support and the understanding and experience from other owners who have gone through similar experiences. The corner provides a friendly place to ask any questions and concerns you have along the way. Since we are not part of social media, we can let ongoing personalised support threads run for as long as possible.
Here is the direct link to the section: End of Life and Bereavement Support Corner
Click to expand...
Hello and thank you for this information. Teddy had a bladder stone as we found out after he had to have a scan, we had a vet appointment booked before he died to discuss surgery for him. But then he sadly didn’t make it… 😢. Teddy’s brother, Snif is surprisingly his self after the loss of Teddy, despite them being very close. Teddy’s brother has been eating and drinking like normal but I have been keeping a close eye on him. Thank you all so much for all of your lovely messages 🥰 xx.
 
sam1 said:
Hello and thank you for this information. Teddy had a bladder stone as we found out after he had to have a scan, we had a vet appointment booked before he died to discuss surgery for him. But then he sadly didn’t make it… 😢. Teddy’s brother, Snif is surprisingly his self after the loss of Teddy, despite them being very close. Teddy’s brother has been eating and drinking like normal but I have been keeping a close eye on him. Thank you all so much for all of your lovely messages 🥰 xx.
Click to expand...

Guinea pigs - like humans - can react very, very differently to a loss. He has known that Teddy has been very ill; piggies have a much better sense of smell than humans and he has likely been much more braced; but it also depends on the personality and on the individual outlook on life.

It may have been that the stone has suddenly blocked the urethra and backed up the urine flow into the kidneys or that the damage to the bladder/urethra has been just too great. But since you have done all the right things as an owner and you were in vet treatment, please be sad but do not feel guilty. It is just one of these circumstantial things that are out of your own control. :(

Please try to feel blessed that Teddy's brother is hanging in there. It doesn't mean that his brother isn't feeling deeply but he has been more braced than you and it has not come as such a shock.
Most loss of appetite actually comes with the shock of a sudden death without any underlying causes and most acute pining (giving up on life) is from piggies with emotional dependencies or who are already very frail themselves. Going by what we have seen on this forum over the course of nearly 20 years, the latter is actually very rare.

In nearly hundred piggies passing through my life and with around 80 losses now, I have only ever lost one - already very frail - piggy within three weeks of losing the last of his beloved cataract ladies and only one case where the husboar stopped eating after a sudden death (heart attack out of the blue while I was at the vets with another piggy); but after just one syringe feed, his appetite kicked in again. ;)

It means that you yourself have precious time to get over the very roughest of your own grieving without having to put additional pressure on yourself. ;)

Make sure that you are as kind with yourself as you grieve and that you give yourself the space to do so without trying to fulfill expectations that do not apply.

HUGS
 
Wiebke said:
Guinea pigs - like humans - can react very, very differently to a loss. He has known that Teddy has been very ill; piggies have a much better sense of smell than humans and he has likely been much more braced; but it also depends on the personality and on the individual outlook on life.

It may have been that the stone has suddenly blocked the urethra and backed up the urine flow into the kidneys or that the damage to the bladder/urethra has been just too great. But since you have done all the right things as an owner and you were in vet treatment, please be sad but do not feel guilty. It is just one of these circumstantial things that are out of your own control. :(

Please try to feel blessed that Teddy's brother is hanging in there. It doesn't mean that his brother isn't feeling deeply but he has been more braced than you and it has not come as such a shock.
Most loss of appetite actually comes with the shock of a sudden death without any underlying causes and most acute pining (giving up on life) is from piggies with emotional dependencies or who are already very frail themselves. Going by what we have seen on this forum over the course of nearly 20 years, the latter is actually very rare.

In nearly hundred piggies passing through my life and with around 80 losses now, I have only ever lost one - already very frail - piggy within three weeks of losing the last of his beloved cataract ladies and only one case where the husboar stopped eating after a sudden death (heart attack out of the blue while I was at the vets with another piggy); but after just one syringe feed, his appetite kicked in again. ;)

It means that you yourself have precious time to get over the very roughest of your own grieving without having to put additional pressure on yourself. ;)

Make sure that you are as kind with yourself as you grieve and that you give yourself the space to do so without trying to fulfill expectations that do not apply.

HUGS
Click to expand...
Thank you so much ☺️
 
I’m so sorry for your loss. Such a terrible shock for you. Sending you hugs.

Popcorn high over the bridge Teddy.
 
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