Guinea-Pig died of old age?

[Brooke03]

Hello everyone, it saddens me to say that on Sunday my very first guinea pig passed away. I got her in October of 2015 and she was at least a couple months old before I got her, making her around 6 years old. In January I was noticing her weight was going down and she had a crusty eyes and nose a lot of the time. Vet said her lungs were clear and didn’t notice any organ failure so we took an x ray and vet said she couldn’t see any noticeable health issues on the scan and that was that. I got home late on Saturday and noticed she was breathing heavy and made painful sounds when I picked her up. She was eating at first then completely stopped wanting anything in 30 minutes. I was suspecting she had a uri but dished this idea out as this was happening so fast. I accepted that she might not be alive by the time the vet Opened up so I cuddled with her for a couple of hours then went to sleep. She Died around 7Am on Sunday I believe as I woke up at 9 and she was gone. This is so heartbreaking for me but I was wondering if she simply died from old age or if It was some sort of heart condition. She was always very healthy and never had any infections or medical conditions from what I knew. I know if I want an actual prognosis I should get her tested by the vet but she’s already at the cremation place. I just wanted to know if anyone else has experienced a piggy death similar to mine.

 

[Claire W]

I am very sorry for your loss Sadly it’s impossible for us to say how your piggy died but being prey animals, they hide their illnesses very well and by the time they start showing symptoms that they’re ill, it’s often too late

It could have been old age or she could have had an underlying condition but like I say, it’s impossible for us to say x

 

[weepweeps]

I’m so sorry for your loss. You gave her an amazing life. 6 years is a great age for a piggy. Don’t blame yourself. You did all you could. They hide any illnesses very well. Take care of yourself.

 

[Bill & Ted]

I’m so sorry you lost her, what a beauty. Sadly you won’t ever really know what happened, but it was probably an underlying condition plus the weakness of old age. Treasure your happy memories and beautiful photos of her x
Sleep tight little lady

 

[Freela]

I'm really sorry for your loss. In my experience, guinea pigs tend to worsen quickly and pass relatively abruptly. Unfortunately it's impossible to say exactly what happened, but at 6 she was a senior piggie and likely passed of old age and any other comorbid conditions that wouldn't have been at all obvious. For what it's worth, the last pig we lost went very similarly, she was about 6.5 years old, was fine in the morning, had labored breathing, lethargy, refusal to eat in the afternoon, passed in the evening despite a vet assessment. ((HUGS)) to you and sorry for your loss.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello everyone, it saddens me to say that on Sunday my very first guinea pig passed away. I got her in October of 2015 and she was at least a couple months old before I got her, making her around 6 years old. In January I was noticing her weight was going down and she had a crusty eyes and nose a lot of the time. Vet said her lungs were clear and didn’t notice any organ failure so we took an x ray and vet said she couldn’t see any noticeable health issues on the scan and that was that. I got home late on Saturday and noticed she was breathing heavy and made painful sounds when I picked her up. She was eating at first then completely stopped wanting anything in 30 minutes. I was suspecting she had a uri but dished this idea out as this was happening so fast. I accepted that she might not be alive by the time the vet Opened up so I cuddled with her for a couple of hours then went to sleep. She Died around 7Am on Sunday I believe as I woke up at 9 and she was gone. This is so heartbreaking for me but I was wondering if she simply died from old age or if It was some sort of heart condition. She was always very healthy and never had any infections or medical conditions from what I knew. I know if I want an actual prognosis I should get her tested by the vet but she’s already at the cremation place. I just wanted to know if anyone else has experienced a piggy death similar to mine.
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Hi and welcome

I am very sorry that you have lost your precious, gorgeous lady who has lived to a very good age!

Sadly, we cannot give you the answers you crave. It is highly likely that she had an underlying issue which may have come up more as her immune system was weakening with age, which will have contributed to her death - but this is very much in the realm of speculation. It is very often not just one thing going wrong when piggies become elderly but a kock-on effect. You have no control over what your beloved ones ultimately die from; all you can do is to give them a good and happy life and as a kind a death as possible.

Please take the time to read the guides in the link below. They may answer some of your questions and make sense of your experience re. the dying process and also put your need for answers at this early stage of the grieving process into a bit more of a perspective - we all experience feelings of failure, guilt, strong anger or intense soul-searching in the immediate wake of a loss and have a need to make sense of what has happened. You can find more information, practical advice and links to helpful places here: Death, Dying, Terminal Illness, Grieving and Bereaved Companions: Information and Support for Owners and Their Children