Help Me & My Girls Please

[mneo]

If it is a plain URI, two to three weeks should do the trick. That is the normal quarantining period. You were just very, very unlucky and what happened was not your fault at all, but it is very difficult for you to accept as you ARE such a good and responsible mommy! How long have you had your little girls for?
Healthy piggies usually have an immune system that can deal with URI bacteria. It generally needs an otherwise impacted immune system for them to take hold. In the second case, the stress of having lost her companion on top of having an underlying problem already could have caused them to take over. The outlook for your two fit girls is actually pretty good, but of course, you want to make sure!

Your vet people also know you as a very caring and loving owner; believe me, they can tell the difference! They know that bad stuff can happen to the nicest of people and most wonderful of pets.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/importance-of-quarantine.108034/

If you find it difficult to cope (including ongoing sleeping problems), please seek professional help via the links I have given you in an earlier post. Pet bereavement is a serious condition and recognised as such. It is not something that you should shrug away if you find that it affects your life and wellbeing for any length of time.

Sorry I realised my reply was not complete. :p

I had Buffy since 21/10/12 - 31/8/14 and Ruffy 22/06/13 - 17/09/14 :/

I have to agree the remaining two paffy and miffy dont really have any issues with their health since I got them but earlier I noticed just one crust at the inner tip of paffy's eyes. I hope that will not be a cause for any concern but I'm watching them closely. The vet knowing I'm stressed with two left advised me to not take them out unnecessarily even my planned trip for routine check up as I told her I'm just worried! She says if they are eating and drinking fine maybe its a better option to not move them around so as to reduce chances of stressing them or their poor mama out. Thats how freaked out they are of me I guess.

Yeap I just realised my worry on the passing of my two girls has now been transformed to worrying that my current two girls dont leave me... Oh gawd... -.-

 

[Wiebke]

it is very difficult to find the right balance between stepping back and staying alert for the onset of any problems. HUGS!

How strong is your air conditioning and any drafts it is causing or any heat in the house, considering that you are living in a tropical climate?

here are some toys ideas to give your girls a new focus and something to explore. http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/guinea-pig-toys.43520/

 

[mneo]

it is very difficult to find the right balance between stepping back and staying alert for the onset of any problems. HUGS!

How strong is your air conditioning and any drafts it is causing or any heat in the house, considering that you are living in a tropical climate?

here are some toys ideas to give your girls a new focus and something to explore. http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/guinea-pig-toys.43520/

Thank u sweetie and i thought so too, I'm feeling pretty confused and oscillating between grief and fear [emoji19] but at least I know my focus now is to make sure they are well for the next 3 weeks.

The temperature here is about 28degree at night and 32degree in the day. Warm, sometimes humid and recently due to deforestation in Indonesia theres some pollution too. I keep my doors and windows closed and I keep the ceiling fan on. No major fluctuation to temperature.

Maybe my cage is boring and I may need to introduce toys to them to keep them entertained. Thank u in advance for the link! At least something happy to look at and not always about URI, Pneumonia, Crusty eye, etc all the sad stuff [emoji21]

 

[mneo]

 

[Wiebke]

It is great that you have the feet-protecting plastic flooring for good ventilation (necessary to prevent fungal problems, for our members in more moderate climates that are not aware of the issue). I know that acceptable cage sizes in Singapore are still smaller than the recommended 2x4 ft for two guinea pigs and 2x6 ft for four guinea pigs in countries like the US and the UK and still very much a new thing in Australia, too.

What your girls are going through at the moment is a new hierarchy sort-out with the inevitable dominance behaviour, especially if Ruffy has been the top sow. it will settle down again! I love your hammocks! My will just lie underneath...
Does this thread here help you? http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/sow-behaviour.38561/

 

[mneo]

It is great that you have the feet-protecting plastic flooring for good ventilation (necessary to prevent fungal problems, for our members in more moderate climates that are not aware of the issue). I know that acceptable cage sizes in Singapore are still smaller than the recommended 2x4 ft for two guinea pigs and 2x6 ft for four guinea pigs in countries like the US and the UK and still very much a new thing in Australia, too.

What your girls are going through at the moment is a new hierarchy sort-out with the inevitable dominance behaviour, especially if Ruffy has been the top sow. it will settle down again! I love your hammocks! My will just lie underneath...
Does this thread here help you? http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/sow-behaviour.38561/

Hehe I got those flooring from value shop as I was using alot of fleece and my husband suggested that their health issues were mainly breathing related and it might be due to the fleece hence I switched to the plastic flooring [emoji4] but theres still plenty of fleece. Yeap you are right that cages in Singapore are generally smaller, this might be due to our smaller living space too, not referring to those staying in bigger houses. Their cage was slightly taller when the other two were around.

Hehe miffy the long white one was the queen but now paffy the short white one seems to be taking over [emoji14] they keep irritating each other like while Miffy is chillin on the hammock, Paffy will go under and headbutt Miffy off the hammock and once she achieved that she will go elsewhere [emoji19]

And thank you again for those links definitely more constructive than what I was obsessively googling about! "are my guinea pigs gonna die?" terrible!

Being space scare, piggy cage can only grow vertically [emoji20]

 

[sport_billy]

I am really sorry you are going through a tough time with your piggies. I can't add any more than the great advice above on this thread. You obviously cherish you piggies and they have an amazing home with you. Sometimes no matter what we do and no matter how hard we try we can't stop them from getting poorly and despite best efforts can't always save them when they are sick.

What is important is they have an amazing life been cared for by you. I know the pain of loss is heartbreaking but it is unfortunately the flipside of love and we can never truly have love without experiencing the other at some-point i guess.

Just keep a close eye on your girls as you are dong, hopefully they will be fine. They have a great mum watching out for them. Have a big hug and lots of cuddles to your beautiful girls.

 

[mneo]

I am really sorry you are going through a tough time with your piggies. I can't add any more than the great advice above on this thread. You obviously cherish you piggies and they have an amazing home with you. Sometimes no matter what we do and no matter how hard we try we can't stop them from getting poorly and despite best efforts can't always save them when they are sick.

What is important is they have an amazing life been cared for by you. I know the pain of loss is heartbreaking but it is unfortunately the flipside of love and we can never truly have love without experiencing the other at some-point i guess.

Just keep a close eye on your girls as you are dong, hopefully they will be fine. They have a great mum watching out for them. Have a big hug and lots of cuddles to your beautiful girls.

Hi there sport_billy! thank you for the kind words they really mean alot to me now, being at this lowest point in my life. And I have slowly grown to accept the fact that sometimes things are just beyond our control no matter how much we try. [emoji22]

Yup the more we love them the more heartbroken we will be so I just need a lil more time to get out of my grieving state and to focus on whats more important now.

I'm really watching them closely like how people watch television. Its pure joy just looking at them and I can do that all day long! [emoji1] I always cuddle them but they dont seem to like it as much as I do [emoji9]

 

[mneo]

So the mama slave is feeling better today and she decided to make us a mini fleece forest and some California maki!

I cannot thank all of you enough for everything! [emoji2] [emoji2] [emoji2] [emoji2] [emoji2]

 

[piggyfan]

What a feast! I am so pleased you are feeling a bit better.

 

[mneo]

What a feast! I am so pleased you are feeling a bit better.

Yeap thank you! I'm pleaSed with myself too and felt kinda silly to dwell over it [emoji20]

 

[piggyfan]

You are not silly. Please do not think that. Losing a piggy is heartbreaking.

 

[mneo]

Heres the speck of crust I noticed on Paffy's eye. Just wondering if its normal? Been feeding them vitamin c daily 0.2ml. This brand was recommended by local pet forum many years back. Also may I know if bene bac can be given anytime as supplement or strictly after antibiotics only please?

 

[piggyfan]

I will tag @helen105281 to advise you.

 

[mneo]

I will tag @helen105281 to advise you.

Hehe, appreciate lots! Pray that the speck is nothing serious [emoji53] been seeing it for 3 days but shes still eating, pooing and full of crazy bursting sprints

 

[piggyfan]

Have you tried gently removing it with a wet tissue?

 

[Freela]

I'm really sorry for your loss. Your little Ruffy looks exactly like my Linney, right down to the white spot on her neck! It's uncanny! I'm so sorry you lost her after all the care you gave. To me, it sounds as though Ruffy and Buffy had some underlying issue, potentially stemming from the breeder, the breeding conditions, or the living conditions before you acquired them. They may well have been ill or run down to start with, and something like that can make a huge difference in whether they pick up an infection and how well they fight it if they do. It really does sound as though you did the best for them that you possibly could. Unfortunately, some piggies do not live as full a life as we hope for, and it's not our fault (out of my own original pair of pigs, one is still going strong at almost age 6, the other passed away of massive infection in her jaw at 18 months. One was lucky, one was not. The care they received was good and was exactly the same for both.) At any rate, ((HUGS)) and don't blame yourself.

 

[mneo]

Have you tried gently removing it with a wet tissue?

Yup I used natural tears on tissue and wipe it off. Just that I been seeing it for the past 3 days, just little speck(s) and not big crusts. Really hope that its not the beginning of some respiratory problem [emoji20]

 

[piggyfan]

My Sophie often has a little crust there so hopefully it is nothing serious.

 

[mneo]

My Sophie often has a little crust there so hopefully it is nothing serious.

Okay great! I know I'm paranoid but I just needed to be certain [emoji21]

 

[piggyfan]

I totally understand. It is worrying when anything is wrong.

 

[mneo]

I'm really sorry for your loss. Your little Ruffy looks exactly like my Linney, right down to the white spot on her neck! It's uncanny! I'm so sorry you lost her after all the care you gave. To me, it sounds as though Ruffy and Buffy had some underlying issue, potentially stemming from the breeder, the breeding conditions, or the living conditions before you acquired them. They may well have been ill or run down to start with, and something like that can make a huge difference in whether they pick up an infection and how well they fight it if they do. It really does sound as though you did the best for them that you possibly could. Unfortunately, some piggies do not live as full a life as we hope for, and it's not our fault (out of my own original pair of pigs, one is still going strong at almost age 6, the other passed away of massive infection in her jaw at 18 months. One was lucky, one was not. The care they received was good and was exactly the same for both.) At any rate, ((HUGS)) and don't blame yourself.

Dear Freela, I feel very sorry for myself too. Despite giving my all to them I'm still not able to change their destiny. I always thought love conquers all but..........[emoji20]

I do hope that Miffy and Paffy who has no "underlying" issues wont start falling sick. If they do, chances are I'm the cause of it! I'm keeping my fingerz crossed that in the next 2-3 weeks nothing bad shows [emoji53]

Buffy and Ruffy's underlying issue is the only excuse I can use to givs comfort to myself and I'm also sorry to hear about the loss of your 18mth old baby. Is Linney (one that looks like Ruffy) 6 years old now? Do you have a picture to share? [emoji4]

 

[Wiebke]

Are the crusts looking like dried mucus or just dried eye fluid? it is not quite clear from your picture.

 

[mneo]

Are the crusts looking like dried mucus or just dried eye fluid? it is not quite clear from your picture.

Fluid I guess? Thats the clearest I can get [emoji52] .it like the morning stars we get in our eyes every morning

 

[Wiebke]

In that case, I would not worry too much for the time being.

 

[helen105281]

I wouldn't not worry about that either.

The Benebac looks like probiotic and can be given any time to boost the gut. I take probiotics daily myself.

 

[Freela]

Dear Freela, I feel very sorry for myself too. Despite giving my all to them I'm still not able to change their destiny. I always thought love conquers all but..........

I do hope that Miffy and Paffy who has no "underlying" issues wont start falling sick. If they do, chances are I'm the cause of it! I'm keeping my fingerz crossed that in the next 2-3 weeks nothing bad shows

Buffy and Ruffy's underlying issue is the only excuse I can use to givs comfort to myself and I'm also sorry to hear about the loss of your 18mth old baby. Is Linney (one that looks like Ruffy) 6 years old now? Do you have a picture to share?

I do hope that Miffy and Paffy who has no "underlying" issues wont start falling sick. If they do, chances are I'm the cause of it! I'm keeping my fingerz crossed that in the next 2-3 weeks nothing bad shows [emoji53]

Buffy and Ruffy's underlying issue is the only excuse I can use to givs comfort to myself and I'm also sorry to hear about the loss of your 18mth old baby. Is Linney (one that looks like Ruffy) 6 years old now? Do you have a picture to share? [emoji4][/QUOTE]

I can't figure out how to share pics on here, but I just updated my profile/avatar pic with my two current pigs, Linney and Sundae. Linney is obviously on the left- you can probably see the resemblance! Linney is almost 6 (her birthday is in November) and Sundae is 4. They are eating clover at the cottage in this pic- their favourite thing to do in warm weather!

Try not to feel too responsible for the loss of your pigs. It really sounds as though you did everything you could. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees that anyone or anything will live until the maximum end of the lifespan. I try to look at it like this for Frenzy, who also passed away when she was young... I gave her the best possible life that I could while she was here. She had lots of love, lots of pats, and lots of treats. Sadly, not all pets get that no matter how long they live. She didn't have a lot of years, but she had a lot of great days, and I'm sure the same can be said for your girls.

 

[mneo]

In that case, I would not worry too much for the time being.

Yay! [emoji2] [emoji322] [emoji322] [emoji322]

 

[mneo]

I wouldn't not worry about that either.

The Benebac looks like probiotic and can be given any time to boost the gut. I take probiotics daily myself.

Greattttt!

But just curious by giving benebac daily, will that make it less "effective" as a good bacteria protecter should they require to be on antibiotics in future? I hope that wont happen [emoji53]

 

[mneo]

I can't figure out how to share pics on here, but I just updated my profile/avatar pic with my two current pigs, Linney and Sundae. Linney is obviously on the left- you can probably see the resemblance! Linney is almost 6 (her birthday is in November) and Sundae is 4. They are eating clover at the cottage in this pic- their favourite thing to do in warm weather!

Try not to feel too responsible for the loss of your pigs. It really sounds as though you did everything you could. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees that anyone or anything will live until the maximum end of the lifespan. I try to look at it like this for Frenzy, who also passed away when she was young... I gave her the best possible life that I could while she was here. She had lots of love, lots of pats, and lots of treats. Sadly, not all pets get that no matter how long they live. She didn't have a lot of years, but she had a lot of great days, and I'm sure the same can be said for your girls.

Hmmmm it looks small not sure if I can expand it, but I could still see that lil white spot on the top of Linney's head thou! So cute its like a dash of white highlight just like my lil baby Ruffy. [emoji7] how I wish i have a garden or something for my girls. I'm living in a flat (like an apartment) with a small balcony. Ive been thinking of growing some grass for them but no idea where to source as these days its alwayd artificial grass. Maybe I should research more about growing a lil garden for them [emoji5]

Yup ive been trying to and its was hard! To the extend my husband says he shouldnt have allowed me to have them in the first place. But really I'm feeling alot better now after spending time here [emoji7] I got upset with people who claim to not have enough to take their furkids to the vet when they are sick and kept giving them food hoping the piggy will eventually have the appetite to eat but of course they end up dying in a couple of days. But I wonder, which is really the better option? To die "naturally" or to be rushed to the vet and get stressed up theb die too? Or maybe I should just stop thinking about all these anymore. [emoji53]

Yup Ruffy started without any attention from me as she was always busy hiding. Until she contracted URI in May and since then she has all my undivided attention all the way till the day she passed on. She had to live alone due to her URI and she wasnt able to get along with the rest. Soon when she got better but begin to have ear infection, she started having bouts of crazy dashes and alot of wheeking which never happened before. She has also been enjoying dinner alone without anyone snatching food from her. Shes happy with everything I could tell but only for 4+ months. I hope that was all she asked for in her life as a piggy as I swear that I gave her my all. During her one year old birthday I had to buy her a nebulizer as present. How sad is that! [emoji24]