Guinea pig died a traumatic death

[ziggynbleu]

hi there...i've never posted here but my heart is so heavy with guilt and sadness I needed to let others know what happened. 2 days ago, my sweet baby bleu was killed by a dog that got loose in the house. I had gone downstairs to microwave my food and left the door open (as, admittedly, I usually would. I live with many other people, but the ones who have dogs live downstairs and never venture upstairs or out of their owner's rooms so I was usually quite unworried). A stranger's dog (that I did not know was even in the house) was running around and ran up the stairs while I was microwaving my food and went into my room, where he found my poor bleu and snapped her neck.

I saw the dog run upstairs. I was so tired (just come home from classes) and so hungry that I went on eating my food, thinking the owner would turn the corner and fetch his dog. I heard a loud shriek I can't get out of my head, and ran up. Neither the owner or I got to the dog in time. I am so heavily burdened with guilt. I know I had no reason to expect this dog to be in the house, but still, I didn't run up when I saw him. I hesitated, and now my precious piggie is dead.

She left behind ziggy, her cage mate. I don't think ziggy liked her much anyways--she was always bullying her. Ziggy saw it all happen though. And I've noticed she's been running around frantically, either in fright, or looking for bleu. I dont know which.

I guess my main question is...how do I help my piggy heal from the trauma of witnessing this (she keeps just staring at the door or trying to get to high places, almost like she expects the dog to come back) and how long should I wait before trying to find her a new companion?

thank you for your help. i feel so guilty and I'm in such shock over this situation i dont know what to do

 

[Wiebke]

BIG HUGS

Dog attacks unfortunately happen in a matter of seconds, but these freak situations are impossible to anticipate and impossible to prevent when you have never been confronted with a comparable scenario.
Please do not beat yourself up too hard - even had you gone straight up after the dog, you might not necessarily have been able to save your piggy.


It is however traumatic for the survivor. Please give her time and don't underestimate that even if they didn't have a close bond and with Ziggy obviously being a dominant piggy that she may still be happier with another companion.
If you can get to a good rescue that offers resucue dating under expert supervision (links for rescues in several countries via the bereavement guide), let HER make the decision before you bring another piggy home. You can look at other sows or neutered boars. Give her time to settle down and grieve first, though.

See a vet asap if she is starting to look not right, is losing her appetite or looking lethargic; she could be in shock or have sustained internal injuries if the dog did get to her, too.
Here are out tips on what you can do for a bereaved piggy in the short and longer term. concentrate on what you can do for Ziggy and how you can keep her safe and happy.
Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig

You are welcome to post a tribute in our Rainbow Bridge section if you feel it would help you.

Make sure that you always keep your flat and/or your piggy room door closed and preferably locked, though. You will always rue what has happened as we all do our accidents, mistakes and - in hindsight - wrong decisions with our own piggies, but you can mitigate your feelings of guilt by turning your harsh lesson into something positive by concentrating on Ziggy being OK and safe.
You haven't actively and knowingly neglected your piggies and are a very caring owner as your reaction clearly shows, so please don't drown yourself in guilt and feel like the worst kind of owner! Freak things happen to all of us at some point or other.

PS: We've lost several of my childhood piggies (including my first own piggy) to a neighbour's dog with an oversized hunting instinct wiggling through their not well maintained fence and breaking into a supposedly safe run with a firm lid. My mother was on the other side of the house when it happened and noticed too late. We didn't find my piggy until the next day as he had been flung into the scrub down an embankment. Thankfully his neck was broken, so he must have died instantly; that is my own consolation, as your consolation must be that death must have come quickly to yours and she can't have suffered long.

 

[Beemz]

Oh poor you- I completely emphasise and at 46 I still live with guilt of an experience I had when I was 12. I was cleaning out my rabbit plus her babies and when I went to put the run back on the grass it wouldn’t lie properly so I kept pressing it down. There was a baby rabbit underneath the edge of the run I had to do a mercy killing and to this day I can’t forget.

In your case it was just a a freak accident and a series of events. This isn’t your fault, it’s just really unfortunate. Hugs xx

 

[RosiePog]

You could not have foreseen that, everything looks more obvious in hindsight but in reality sometimes you just can’t process events quickly enough to do something about them. Horrible for you though, don’t feel guilty as well.

Does sound as if your pig has taken it hard, a new partner might be a good idea once things have settled as it could help him move on from his shock.

 

[Claire W]

Massive (((hugs))) You couldn’t have foreseen what would happen and this definitely isn’t your fault.

I do however know exactly how you are feeling. At the beginning of the year, my piggies were free ranging in the hallway as they usual do. I was stupid enough to fall down the stairs and landed on my Emma killing her I don’t know much about what happened as I was alone in the house and unconscious until my husband came home a few hours later and found me but my other two piggies, Ellen and Edward witnessed the whole thing and had to stay in the hallway with her dead body

They were very quiet and jumpy for the next week or so but they soon got back to normal.

The guilt of what happened eats me up everyday and I miss Emma likemad but I just wanted to reassure you that you’re not the only who has suffered the loss of a beloved pet through a tragic accident xx

 

[Piggy Slave]

Accidents are exactly that, most of us have had something similar happen and hindsight is a wonderful thing

Big Hugs