Heartbroken

DaisyDuke

DaisyDuke

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi,

This is my first time on here and first time posting.

We adpoted a boy and girl guinea pig Jan 2016, as a family we knew they were right for us. The boy took to us straight away, the girl was a bit shy and he was always her bodyguard. Over time, she became more confident. Last Xmas we found large lumps on her belly, one vet said they were cancerous tumours and prepare our daughters to say goodbye to her. A second vet said they were ovarian cysts & treatable / manageable. Phew. She's still got them now, but hopefully they're ok.

Unfortunately, our boy has been quiet recently, sleeping more, moving less. We just thought he was old. As first time owners, we didn't realise the importance of weighing them weekly (even after she'd been ill, we still didn't know). When I went to get them out of their hutch into their outdoor run on Mon, he squealed in pain as I lifted him. His eye looked infected (clear crust). So I rang the vet. He was seen that afternoon and he was diagnosed withgut a gut infection and given an antibiotic injection. We were advised to take him home, keep offering him food and water and bring him back the next day. He rapidly went downhill, so we suggested the girls said goodbye to him at bedtime. He was in so much pain that we phoned an emergency vet at 11.30pm. But by the time I arrived at 11.45, he had passed away.

I'm racked with guilt. Even though my husband and kids say it couldn't be helped, I still feel like we missed the signs. We still have our girly pig, but I feel awful that she's alone. I don't really know why I'm posting, just don't know what else to do. I miss him and it hurts. It hurts more knowing we could've prevented it.
 
First off, I am really so sorry for your loss. Have a huge hug.

Don't worry about the weighing, this is grief making you feel unreasonable guilt, piggies illness can come on rather fast and they hide them well as they are prey animals. In reality there is very little you could have done or picked up on. As soon as you realised you got him to a vet. Please don't torture yourself with 'what if's'

You have to focus on your shy little girl know she will be grieving for her friend, please take time to read this thread here on how you can help her Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig

Once again I am really sorry for your loss

Sleep well little one

RIP Piggy
x x
 
So sorry for your loss.
I lost one of my piggies a few months ago, he was elderly but he took a turn for the worse suddenly and passed as I was phoning the vet. It is hard but piggies do hide things well.
Try not to feel guilty, I know that's easier said than done as it's a natural part of grieving. You did nothing wrong.
Sending you all hugs.
Sleep tight little piggy.xx
 
So sorry for your loss.
What if? is a natural part of grief but really you couldn’t have done anything.
You need to allow your grief to work out and that takes time.
Your girl is grieving too but piggies grieve on a different timescale to us so she will need a companion before you feel ready.
Look after yourselves
Welcome to the forum
 
Oh my. I’m so sorry. You are clearly a very devoted slave who has sought Vet treatment for your piggies. Sadly they are masters at disguising illness of all sorts and even the most experienced owners can miss the signs. I’m still beating myself up about the sudden downhill decline and of my lovely Sylvia so know just how you feel. Be kind to yourself. You gave him a great home where he was loved and cherished and where he was loved enough to be released from his suffering. Hugs x
 
Guilt is a natural part of the grieving process but I disagree that you could have prevented this. There could have been underlying problems causing the infection so quicker treatment does not always mean a cure. I am really sorry for your loss but please be kind and listen to your husband (occasionally they can be right) you did everything you could but sometimes it's not enough.

RIP little piggy
 
So sorry for your loss. Sometimes the call of the Rainbow Bridge is just too strong and the have to go. Your piggie is not suffering any more, is in his prime and is popcorning and making new friends while he eats lush grass.

Take time for yourself as you grieve and look after yourself. Feel free to pop a tribute to him in our Rainbow Bridge section. Some members find this helps them. There is no time limit. We are here to help you get through this difficult time.
 
Welcome and I'm so sorry it's with such sad news. Like others have said already, try not to feel guilty - you did all you could as soon as you realised your piggy wasn't quite right. Be kind to yourself.
 
DaisyDuke said:
Hi,

This is my first time on here and first time posting.

We adpoted a boy and girl guinea pig Jan 2016, as a family we knew they were right for us. The boy took to us straight away, the girl was a bit shy and he was always her bodyguard. Over time, she became more confident. Last Xmas we found large lumps on her belly, one vet said they were cancerous tumours and prepare our daughters to say goodbye to her. A second vet said they were ovarian cysts & treatable / manageable. Phew. She's still got them now, but hopefully they're ok.

Unfortunately, our boy has been quiet recently, sleeping more, moving less. We just thought he was old. As first time owners, we didn't realise the importance of weighing them weekly (even after she'd been ill, we still didn't know). When I went to get them out of their hutch into their outdoor run on Mon, he squealed in pain as I lifted him. His eye looked infected (clear crust). So I rang the vet. He was seen that afternoon and he was diagnosed withgut a gut infection and given an antibiotic injection. We were advised to take him home, keep offering him food and water and bring him back the next day. He rapidly went downhill, so we suggested the girls said goodbye to him at bedtime. He was in so much pain that we phoned an emergency vet at 11.30pm. But by the time I arrived at 11.45, he had passed away.

I'm racked with guilt. Even though my husband and kids say it couldn't be helped, I still feel like we missed the signs. We still have our girly pig, but I feel awful that she's alone. I don't really know why I'm posting, just don't know what else to do. I miss him and it hurts. It hurts more knowing we could've prevented it.
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So sorry for your loss. I know how you feel. We lost our Rosie a few days ago and I still think about things I wished I had done differently. But I guess at the time we think we are doing the right thing and what's best. Take care, x
 
sport_billy said:
First off, I am really so sorry for your loss. Have a huge hug.

Don't worry about the weighing, this is grief making you feel unreasonable guilt, piggies illness can come on rather fast and they hide them well as they are prey animals. In reality there is very little you could have done or picked up on. As soon as you realised you got him to a vet. Please don't torture yourself with 'what if's'

You have to focus on your shy little girl know she will be grieving for her friend, please take time to read this thread here on how you can help her Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig

Once again I am really sorry for your loss

Sleep well little one

RIP Piggy
x x
Click to expand...

Thank you for your kind words. The article helped too. I'm taking her to the vets tomorrow, to check her health, cysts, weight, and general wellbeing. Then we said if she's ok and we do it gradually and under guidance, we'd consider finding her a new friend, either another male, or 2 younger females (who would then have each other if her cysts become fatal).

I just miss his little quirks, he literally stole our hearts from the moment we met him. He immediately lay on my lap, really chilled, not bothered by me being a stranger. X
 
Merab's Slave said:
So sorry for your loss.
What if? is a natural part of grief but really you couldn’t have done anything.
You need to allow your grief to work out and that takes time.
Your girl is grieving too but piggies grieve on a different timescale to us so she will need a companion before you feel ready.
Look after yourselves
Welcome to the forum
Click to expand...

Thank you. Yes, I'm noticing she'll probably be ready before we are. I've watched her today, she's eating, not drinking loads but I don't think she ever did, it was more him. And when I rustled a bag of lettuce, like I would before, she wheaked like before. I would just like her cysts assessed first, if they're not reducing with medical help, I don't know if we'd get her a new friend.
 
VickiA said:
Oh my. I’m so sorry. You are clearly a very devoted slave who has sought Vet treatment for your piggies. Sadly they are masters at disguising illness of all sorts and even the most experienced owners can miss the signs. I’m still beating myself up about the sudden downhill decline and of my lovely Sylvia so know just how you feel. Be kind to yourself. You gave him a great home where he was loved and cherished and where he was loved enough to be released from his suffering. Hugs x
Click to expand...

Aww, VickiA, I'm sorry for your loss too. Your post made me cry because it's true, we put a lot of time and love and devotion into settling them when we first adopted them. We didn't know their history, just that they were a great couple and he protected her. We've said to our daughters that although he's gone too soon, we gave him a loving home. It's just easier to say it than believe it yourself. And yes, we rang the emergency vets because we couldn't bear seeing him in such pain. But natural took it's course and made that decision for us.
 
Martina said:
So sorry for your loss. I know how you feel. We lost our Rosie a few days ago and I still think about things I wished I had done differently. But I guess at the time we think we are doing the right thing and what's best. Take care, x
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Aww, Martina, I'm sorry for your loss too. It definitely plays on my mind, the things we could've done differently. But, like you said, we thought we were doing the right thing at the time. Take care of yourself too. X
 
Thank you all for your replies, they mean a lot to me.

One thing I remember the vet asking me, was I ok with syringe for guineas? Myself and my daughter's said yes, we'd given Daisy medicine via syringe and she loved because it had honey in the medicine. I asked at reception when paying for the appointment, if there was anything for me to take home (medicine to syringe etc). They said no, as the vet had given him an antibiotic injection.

He was a new vet to me, our other vet is longer at this practice. Did we miss understand each other about the syringe? The vet said offer food and water, so I offered leafy veg and their water bottle. Was I supposed to syringe water into him? Did the vet assume I was more experienced with guineas, or my answer gave him that impression. 😞
 
DaisyDuke said:
Thank you all for your replies, they mean a lot to me.

One thing I remember the vet asking me, was I ok with syringe for guineas? Myself and my daughter's said yes, we'd given Daisy medicine via syringe and she loved because it had honey in the medicine. I asked at reception when paying for the appointment, if there was anything for me to take home (medicine to syringe etc). They said no, as the vet had given him an antibiotic injection.

He was a new vet to me, our other vet is longer at this practice. Did we miss understand each other about the syringe? The vet said offer food and water, so I offered leafy veg and their water bottle. Was I supposed to syringe water into him? Did the vet assume I was more experienced with guineas, or my answer gave him that impression. 😞
Click to expand...

I'm wondering if the vet meant syringe feeding with mushed up pellets or Critical Care?
 
Janey said:
I'm wondering if the vet meant syringe feeding with mushed up pellets or Critical Care?
Click to expand...

I've no idea. But if it's the same vet tomorrow for Daisy's check, I might ask him to clarify. At least to put my mind at ease, in case I need to know for the future.
 
I’m so sorry for your loss, he was a beauty.Please don’t beat yourself up.When you realised something was wrong you got prompt vet treatment and this shows you are a very caring owner.
Big hugs xx
 
Gem789 said:
I’m so sorry for your loss, he was a beauty.Please don’t beat yourself up.When you realised something was wrong you got prompt vet treatment and this shows you are a very caring owner.
Big hugs xx
Click to expand...

Thank you. I'm taking my girl piggy to the vet today, for general check up and check her cysts. I'd like to ask them more about him and what I can do if it happens again in the future. For now, we have his memories. My daughters took beautiful videos of him, ages ago, as he was outside in the run, but as always, he was being nosey. I'll cherish these little clips. 💕
 
So, we've just come back from the vets. Daisy's cysts are big, one is 2cm, the other is 3cm. Looks like the implant hasn't has such a good effect as the first one. But the vet was emailing an exotic vet for second opinion about whether guineas build an immunity to the implant. Otherwise, her health is ok, the fact that she's eating and wheaking/squeaking for food means she's progressing well. She's also put on a little bit of weight. So fingers crossed, in time, she should be ok.

I asked about Duke and the syringe misunderstanding. She's emailing the vet I saw on Monday as he wasn't in today to clarify. But we went through some of my questions and she said even if we had given water by syringe it may have been too late. Guineas hide illnesses, if he wasn't an active piggy then we wouldn't have noticed his inactivity as something to be concerned about. So it was just unfortunate and nature taking it's course. 😞
 
DaisyDuke said:
Aww, Martina, I'm sorry for your loss too. It definitely plays on my mind, the things we could've done differently. But, like you said, we thought we were doing the right thing at the time. Take care of yourself too. X
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Thank you DaisyDuke, I hope it feels a bit easier x
 
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