Guinea Pig Died From Unknown Cause And Second Guinea Pig Has Neurological Disorder, Please Help.

[Adrianne88]

Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum and I was looking online for some help regarding a guinea pig of mine named Bashful that just passed away a few days ago. And I also have a few questions regarding Jellybean, another guinea pig I adopted that has a neurological disorder.


A little background info. A few months ago I bought Bashful from Petsmart and at the same time I also adopted Jellybean, both females. I was told they were both 3 months old at the time. When I brought them both home I noticed that Bashful was very shy and Jellybean was the complete opposite. Since Bashful came home with me, she never warmed up to me, she was always hiding in the corner and never wanted to come out unless nobody was around. I was able to pick her up often but I always felt like I was forcing her, I constantly told her I loved her and she was given a good life up until the day she died. She has a healthy appetite and was drinking regularly. Aside from her being so shy, she had no signs of being ill. This past Thursday night, she passed away very suddenly. A few hours had gone by and I saw no movement in the cage, which was weird for Jellybean because she's always popcorning around the cage. I looked and saw them huddled in the corner and for the first time, Bashful came to me. I picked her up and she was breathing very hard and it almost looked like her head was twitching or like she had the hiccups. Her mouth wasn't open like she was gasping for air or anything but then she started to whimper and her body temperature seemed like it went down to room temperature. I set her down on my bed and stroked her while I called around to get her into a vet, but had no luck finding anyone that could see her that night. After 30 minutes of calling around, she had already passed away. I feel horrible, it happened so suddenly and she was so young. Did I do something wrong, why did she die? I can't get the whimper noise out of my mind, I just start to cry when I think about it.



The second question I have, is my other guinea pig Jellybean has a neurological disorder and I'm wondering if I should be concerned with her since she was in the same cage as Bashful and I'm not sure what her cause of death was. Jellybean is the complete opposite of Bashful, due to her problem she's always running around in circles and is a bit clumsy but she seems so happy all the time. I was worried she would be sad after Bashful passing so I went on a little shopping spree for new toys and she loved them all. She has a healthy appetite and drinks regularly, she absolutely loves romaine lettuce. She's so affectionate, she's always coming up to my face and licking me when I lay on the ground and play with her. It was love at first sight when I saw her at Petsmart, they had her in small tube because they were concerned with her injuring herself. To me it seemed wrong and she deserved a good life in a big cage with lots of TLC.

 

[Gizi]

So sorry about your loss! x
Good Luck!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! I am very sorry for your loss. Sadly, acute heart failure can strike at any time and age right our of the blue. I have lost two young piggies of my own to it within hours of the first symptoms showing and despite rushing them straight to the vets. They are seemingly perfectly healthy, but they live with a burning fuse in their body...

As to Jellybean's issues, I am tagging @Pebble for you.
Here are tips on how to best care for a bereaved piggy: https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/looking-after-a-bereaved-piggy.109674/

PS: With members from all over the world, it is very helpful for us to give you correct advice for your part of the world if you added your country, state or (for the UK) your county/city to your details. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. Thanks!

 

[Adrianne88]

So sorry about your loss! x
Good Luck!

Thank you!

So sorry about your loss! x
Good Luck![/

 

[Adrianne88]

Hi! I am very sorry for your loss. Sadly, acute heart failure can strike at any time and age right our of the blue. I have lost two young piggies of my own to it within hours of the first symptoms showing and despite rushing them straight to the vets. They are seemingly perfectly healthy, but they have got a burning fuse in their body...

As to Jellybean's issues, I am tagging @Pebble for you.
Here are tips on how to best care for a bereaved piggy: https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/looking-after-a-bereaved-piggy.109674/

PS: With members from all over the world, it is very helpful for us to give you correct advice for your part of the world if you added your country, state or (for the UK) your county/city to your details. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. Thanks!

Thank you so much for responding to me and so quickly. Losing a piggy is so tough, especially when you don't understand why they died. I had no idea they could have heart failure.

 

[GPTV]

Welcome to the forum.
Sorry to hear of your sudden loss
Wiebke has highlighted a good thread for your remaining piggys welfare.

Have a look on the vet locator &might be worth a trip to the vets &search for info on headtilt &ear infections. If she is going round in
Circles this could be a contributing factor.
An xray of her teeth could be an option if all else fails. As abcesses can build up in there teeth or teeth growing in the wrong direction, which puts pressure on nerves causing problems too.
Good luck with your little one xx

 

[helen105281]

HI, I am so sorry about Bashful.

Pebble has been tagged but my thoughts are either ear infection, or an abcess or dental issues that are pressing on a nerve and affecting the brain as GPTV has mentioned. What did your vet say?

 

[lady liberty]

Hi! I am very sorry for your loss

 

[Adrianne88]

HI, I am so sorry about Bashful.

Pebble has been tagged but my thoughts are either ear infection, or an abcess or dental issues that are pressing on a nerve and affecting the brain as GPTV has mentioned. What did your vet say?

Thanks for responding. When I adopted her, I was told that when she was born she had a bad ear infection that was treated but she had suffered permanent brain damage from it. They said she could live a perfectly happy life but would always have the head tilt and would act erratically. It's not really a tilt, it's more like she is looking up at me, or like she's nodding. They said to be careful with her to make sure she doesn't injure herself. It's very hard to hold her, so I refrain from doing so, just because I am afraid of her injuring her neck. She bends it back really far. The only time she's in my hands, is when I take her out to play or when I'm trimming her nails(which is a very difficult task), it takes 2 people to hold her when I do it because she moves around so much.

 

[Adrianne88]

T

Welcome to the forum.
Sorry to hear of your sudden loss
Wiebke has highlighted a good thread for your remaining piggys welfare.

Have a look on the vet locator &might be worth a trip to the vets &search for info on headtilt &ear infections. If she is going round in
Circles this could be a contributing factor.
An xray of her teeth could be an option if all else fails. As abcesses can build up in there teeth or teeth growing in the wrong direction, which puts pressure on nerves causing problems too.
Good luck with your little one xx

Thank you, I appreciate your advice.

 

[helen105281]

Thanks for responding. When I adopted her, I was told that when she was born she had a bad ear infection that was treated but she had suffered permanent brain damage from it. They said she could live a perfectly happy life but would always have the head tilt and would act erratically. It's not really a tilt, it's more like she is looking up at me, or like she's nodding. They said to be careful with her to make sure she doesn't injure herself. It's very hard to hold her, so I refrain from doing so, just because I am afraid of her injuring her neck. She bends it back really far. The only time she's in my hands, is when I take her out to play or when I'm trimming her nails(which is a very difficult task), it takes 2 people to hold her when I do it because she moves around so much.

That makes sense. @Stewybus has a girl with a permanent head tilt from an old ear infection. Do you know what antibiotics she was on, how long ago and for how long?

 

[Adrianne88]

That makes sense. @Stewybus has a girl with a permanent head tilt from an old ear infection. Do you know what antibiotics she was on, how long ago and for how long?

I'm not sure what antibiotics she was on. Maybe I can find out though, either way I think I'm going to get her into a vet this week just to have her checked out again. I adopted her in march and at the time she was 3 months old, so maybe sometime in January it happened? All I know is, she's very happy all the time. She's currently chasing this little wooden ball around. Gosh she's too cute for words.

 

[Stewybus]

I'm really sorry for your sad loss of Bashful. It doesn't matter how many you lose, you always have that empty feeling when they go. I'm still recovering from losing one of mine 2 weeks ago.

Regarding Jellybean, she seems to have very similar symptoms to my piggy, Minky. She developed a head tilt last October after having suffered 3 abscesses in the previous 5 months. Despite getting her immediate attention, within 30 minutes of discovering it she hasn't been able to be treated successfully mainly because the x-ray showed a mass too near her ear & vital blood vessels for it to be operated on. She was treated with 2 different antibiotics over several months & at one time was not eating, also had dental problems & bloat. She was finally well enough to be taken off special feeding in March & although still having the head tilt she is living with 4 other piggies & still putting on weight. She does look as if she's looking up at me all the time & with being an Abi when the tilt was very severe you got the impression she had an eye on top of her head. I'm pretty sure she's had some sort of neurological problem & she has this really trusting look on her face. She's not in any danger & is still bossy with her companions if they get in her way. She's got a good quality of life & she'll be cared for the rest of her life which hopefully will be a few more years as she's only about 3 1/4 now. If Jellybean is coping well then there's no reason why she won't live out a normal life like Minky. It would be worth a check up at the vets & maybe an x-ray to see if there is an infection still there that can be possibly operated on but it's often the case that an operation could do more harm than good if there is an infection & it's in an awkward place xx

 

[Pebble]

Your original post is asking us to address three issues
a) What may have caused Bashful's sudden demise
b) What is happening with Jellybean and can I help improve her quality of life
c) Has there been some transfer of infection between Bashful and Jellybean and should i be worried?

So
a) - possibly a stroke/genetic defect/infection was the cause but without a full post mortem no-one can say for sure.
b) she clearly has something affecting her balance i.e. neurological. This could be genetic, an infection, a previous stroke...or something else
IF it is an infection - it may be curable. Infection can include middle or inner ear (poss with Pseudiomonas which requires a very specific antibiotic called gentamycin to clear). It could also be down to a specific parasite E caniculi (normally contracted from a rabbit) which requires different (anti-protozoal) treatment.
Vets will normally require swabs/culture/bloods before diagnosis to assess bug presence and serum anitbiotixdy titires to "said bug" before adminstering treatment
c) IF there is a diagnosed infectious cause - then it is possible it may have been transmitted between both girilies.

You wil only obtain definitive answers to your questions if you spend rather a lot of money on "timely" post mortems/cultures and other clinical diagnostics.

Given Jellybean appears quite happy and boisterious - I would put this on the back-burner for now! (but also write a full record in case the history may be useful in the future)

x

 

[helen105281]

Sorry Stewybus, don't know why I thought it was an ear infection.

I agree it is best to get her checked at the vets.

 

[PAMELAKT]

If it was petsmart telling you she has neuro issues I think I would get another vets opinion. Maybe it's infection or something curable. One of my boys has had head tilt and it was down to an ear infection.

The fact they thought it was ok to keep her in a small tube doesn't fill me with much confidence about their opinions... I wouldn't just take their word for that.

 

[KittyandNancy]

So sorry about bashful.

Also make sure you find an exotic vet to take Jelly too, not just any vet will work.

I'm in the states and have a degree as a Vet tech and I can tell you right now that Banfield vet at pet smart are the WORST! They will charge you for anything and everything. They care about money and that's all. I know from personal experience.

 

[Adrianne88]

I couldn't agree with you more, I was heartbroken seeing her in a tube. She was also inside a drawer. It was like they were hiding her. Poor baby, I had to take her.
I don't trust anything that Petsmart told me, for all I know she might not have been ever treated for her infection. I'm just going off of what they told me and now I've been thinking about it and reading so much that I have to have a second opinion. I'll be taking her to a vet that's treated my guinea pigs in the past. Thanks so much for your concern and advice, it's much appreciated!

So sorry about bashful.

Also make sure you find an exotic vet to take Jelly too, not just any vet will work.

I'm in the states and have a degree as a Vet tech and I can tell you right now that Banfield vet at pet smart are the WORST! They will charge you for anything and everything. They care about money and that's all. I know from personal experience.

ouldnt

If it was petsmart telling you she has neuro issues I think I would get another vets opinion. Maybe it's infection or something curable. One of my boys has had head tilt and it was down to an ear infection.

The fact they thought it was ok to keep her in a small tube doesn't fill me with much confidence about their opinions... I wouldn't just take their word for that.

 

[Adrianne88]

Thank you so much for your advice, I appreciate it very much. I've had guinea pigs in the past but they were always healthy and died of old age, the male guinea pig I had, lived to be 7. So when I ended up getting two sick guinea pigs I felt a bit lost. So thankful I came across this website. Everyone's been so helpful.

Your original post is asking us to address three issues
a) What may have caused Bashful's sudden demise
b) What is happening with Jellybean and can I help improve her quality of life
c) Has there been some transfer of infection between Bashful and Jellybean and should i be worried?

So
a) - possibly a stroke/genetic defect/infection was the cause but without a full post mortem no-one can say for sure.
b) she clearly has something affecting her balance i.e. neurological. This could be genetic, an infection, a previous stroke...or something else
IF it is an infection - it may be curable. Infection can include middle or inner ear (poss with Pseudiomonas which requires a very specific antibiotic called gentamycin to clear). It could also be down to a specific parasite E caniculi (normally contracted from a rabbit) which requires different (anti-protozoal) treatment.
Vets will normally require swabs/culture/bloods before diagnosis to assess bug presence and serum anitbiotixdy titires to "said bug" before adminstering treatment
c) IF there is a diagnosed infectious cause - then it is possible it may have been transmitted between both girilies.

You wil only obtain definitive answers to your questions if you spend rather a lot of money on "timely" post mortems/cultures and other clinical diagnostics.

Given Jellybean appears quite happy and boisterious - I would put this on the back-burner for now! (but also write a full record in case the history may be useful in the future)

x

 

[Adrianne88]

I couldn't agree with you more, I'll be taking her into a vet this week to be checked. I don't trust a thing Petsmart told me.

If it was petsmart telling you she has neuro issues I think I would get another vets opinion. Maybe it's infection or something curable. One of my boys has had head tilt and it was down to an ear infection.

The fact they thought it was ok to keep her in a small tube doesn't fill me with much confidence about their opinions... I wouldn't just take their word for that.

couldn't agree with you more

 

[Adrianne88]

I'm really sorry for your sad loss of Bashful. It doesn't matter how many you lose, you always have that empty feeling when they go. I'm still recovering from losing one of mine 2 weeks ago.

Regarding Jellybean, she seems to have very similar symptoms to my piggy, Minky. She developed a head tilt last October after having suffered 3 abscesses in the previous 5 months. Despite getting her immediate attention, within 30 minutes of discovering it she hasn't been able to be treated successfully mainly because the x-ray showed a mass too near her ear & vital blood vessels for it to be operated on. She was treated with 2 different antibiotics over several months & at one time was not eating, also had dental problems & bloat. She was finally well enough to be taken off special feeding in March & although still having the head tilt she is living with 4 other piggies & still putting on weight. She does look as if she's looking up at me all the time & with being an Abi when the tilt was very severe you got the impression she had an eye on top of her head. I'm pretty sure she's had some sort of neurological problem & she has this really trusting look on her face. She's not in any danger & is still bossy with her companions if they get in her way. She's got a good quality of life & she'll be cared for the rest of her life which hopefully will be a few more years as she's only about 3 1/4 now. If Jellybean is coping well then there's no reason why she won't live out a normal life like Minky. It would be worth a check up at the vets & maybe an x-ray to see if there is an infection still there that can be possibly operated on but it's often the case that an operation could do more harm than good if there is an infection & it's in an awkward place xx

Thank you so much, I'm very sorry to hear about your loss. It is very difficult to lose a piggy, although they are so small, they bring you so much joy and happiness. And I appreciate all of your advice, I can't explain how happy I am that I found this website. Everyone has been so nice and helpful.