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Help- stasis

ladymary86

ladymary86

Junior Guinea Pig
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Please help.

My lovely boy Reggie went in for dental work last week, and hasn’t eaten since. We took him back as we weren’t happy with his recovery, and the vet decided to refine his teeth to see if that helped. Yesterday, he didn’t eat at all, and just kept the syringe feed in his mouth or dribbled it out. I took him to the emergency vet who said he was dehydrated and very poorly, in stasis. He hasn’t pooed since yesterday. He sent me home after giving fluids and gut mobility drugs and stronger painkillers. Reg this morning is so poorly. He’s still refusing feed, and has started making a clicking noise so I can only assume some food has gotten into his lungs. I don’t know what to do. Any advice welcome.
 
ladymary86 said:
Please help.

My lovely boy Reggie went in for dental work last week, and hasn’t eaten since. We took him back as we weren’t happy with his recovery, and the vet decided to refine his teeth to see if that helped. Yesterday, he didn’t eat at all, and just kept the syringe feed in his mouth or dribbled it out. I took him to the emergency vet who said he was dehydrated and very poorly, in stasis. He hasn’t pooed since yesterday. He sent me home after giving fluids and gut mobility drugs and stronger painkillers. Reg this morning is so poorly. He’s still refusing feed, and has started making a clicking noise so I can only assume some food has gotten into his lungs. I don’t know what to do. Any advice welcome.
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Hi

BIG HUGS
I am ever so sorry. It is all our worst nightmare. You have done all the right things, so nothing is your fault. It's just one of these things that can sometimes happen as a bad reaction to sedatives. :(

Please take the time to read these links which you may find helpful.
Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)

This is the guide I am never happy to link in but if he is unable to swallow and process any feed and meds, you may unfortunately need it. :(
A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs

I truly wish I had some better tips but having been there repeatedly with piggies of mine my gut says otherwise. My thoughts are with the two of you.
 
Thank you for your kind reply. In all honesty, should I let him go? I don’t want him in pain and having been here before with other pigs, I can’t see a way out.

My regular vet is closed, if it has to be done I want to go there, but they’re not open till 8am tomorrow.
 
ladymary86 said:
Thank you for your kind reply. In all honesty, should I let him go? I don’t want him in pain and having been here before with other pigs, I can’t see a way out.

My regular vet is closed, if it has to be done I want to go there, but they’re not open till 8am tomorrow.
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To be honest, I can't see a way out, either, if the subcutane fluid injection and the gut meds are not perking him up and he still refuses to eat/is unable to swallow, with feed going into his lungs or dribbling out rather. However, I cannot make any diagnosis or decisions for you as I am doing this all sight unseen and I am not a qualified vet, as none of us is. :(

You have to see whether he is going to make it that far, but if he still is alive and no better by tomorrow morning, then please take him to your vets. Please keep him comfy and warm but not hot with an only lightly heated/regularly re-heated snugglesafe pad (no more than one third of the normal microwaving time and reheated gently at need) as his blood circulation is winding down when the body is breaking down and he will be feeling cold once the clood circulation is not longer working properly.

I know how you feel and you have my full sympathy. There is nothing as gut wrenching than the realisation that your little beloved one is not likely to have a miraculous turnaround. 😭
 
Reginald passed away tonight. I had him sat with me for cuddles at the end, and it was quick and hopefully painless as he was on heavy duty painkillers. I am broken. He was the sweetest and kindest lad of the herd. He is the third piggie I have lost since June, I feel like I can’t cry anymore, just feel numb and shell shocked. I’ve put his body back in his enclosure (I have 7 single boys) so his best friends george and Jeremy can say goodbye. Will he be okay there overnight? I’ll take him to the vets in the morning to arrange his cremation.
 
ladymary86 said:
Reginald passed away tonight. I had him sat with me for cuddles at the end, and it was quick and hopefully painless as he was on heavy duty painkillers. I am broken. He was the sweetest and kindest lad of the herd. He is the third piggie I have lost since June, I feel like I can’t cry anymore, just feel numb and shell shocked. I’ve put his body back in his enclosure (I have 7 single boys) so his best friends george and Jeremy can say goodbye. Will he be okay there overnight? I’ll take him to the vets in the morning to arrange his cremation.
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HUGE HUGS

I am so vey sorry. It's not your fault - it is the curse of owners with a number of piggies that sooner or later they have what I call a stampede to the Rainbow Bridge.

It is very hard to take because every new death brings up the ones you haven't had time to digest yet and it all becomes just a huge mush of misery, liberally seasoned with doubts in your ability as an owner - even though it is just plain statistics rules. You can compute the percentages of being hit but you can never predict where and when they hit. It's not because you have done anything wrong. Just plain old London bus syndrome. :(

Please be gentle with yourself and give yourself time to not be OK for a little while. There is no quick fix; what you need is time to digest and to gradually heal. You can process only so much at once and right now, you are dealing with an overflowing plate of pain. Having been there repeatedly myself, I know only too well how devastating it is.

We have got a new End of Life and Bereavement section where we provide ongoing understanding community support to owners facing or dealing with loss if you feel that talking about it all will help you.
Here is our grieving guide, which you may find helpful: Human Bereavement: Grieving, Processing and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children
If you would prefer to speak to trained volunteers, the Blue Cross run several free pet bereavement platforms via this link here: Pet Loss Support

PS: Please take the body out again before you go to bed, wrap it gently in an old towel or several layers of kitchen paper and put him in a box or a plastic bag for the night. He doesn't have to go into the fridge if it is just for the night. Decomposition won't happen that quickly.

His friends will have known that he was very ill and dying before you and they will have likely taken leave of him before if they are ignoring the body.
Guinea pigs have a much finer sense of smell and - unless they have a very close bond or an emotional dependency they usually stay at a distance from a dying piggy once they have taken their leave from the still living mate. In nature, a dying piggy would remove themselves from the group's immediate denning area; which is not possible in a cage.

Holding you in my thoughts.
 
I am so very sorry for your loss it's heartbreaking 💔.
Popcorn happily over The Rainbow Bridge 🌈 Reginald 🌈
 
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