kvaughn37
New Born Pup
Hi, I'm new here. I recently adopted 2 guinea pigs, Cleo and Titi, who are doing awesome =) But... I am in a bit of a dilemma. Just want to educate myself after the fact so that I can possibly prevent anything like this from happening again, and know what to look for, and so on. Now I have A LOT of reptiles, and a dog, but I am pretty brand new to husbandry of small animals. I work for my local Humane Society, and about a week after adopting my 2 piggies, I received a phone call from my boss asking if I would foster 2 more just for a little while, and never able to turn down helping an animal in any way I can (unfortunately, I sometimes take on too much, too fast), I told her I would pick them up on my way home from work. I picked up Fluffy and Snowflake (the foster guinea pigs) that night, and set them up comfy at my house.
Now, to the situation in question. I tend to get stuck on re-telling the details - without realizing I'm doing it - instead of getting straight to the point (in other words, I am NOT a good story teller), I'm going to try to not do that, so please bear with me! Alright, Fluffly and Snowflake had a BIG change in environment in the days before I received them. Their owner had some situation (which I do not really know much of) in which she had to give her 2 guinea pigs up. They had a long trip. She drove them down here, which is about 4 to 6 hours away. So I'm sure that could have been stressful for the piggies. Next, before my boss had asked if I could take them, she placed them in an adoption center we have in a Petco, to try and get them a home ASAP. I would imagine that this would also be very stressful for them, so many people looking in and everything. After 2 days, they came to me. I know that when getting used to new surroundings, they will hide, and be very skittish. While researching, I had read that in that stage, it's best to allow them to hide, they will approach when they are ready. So that's what I did. One thing I noticed right off the rip was that both of them had not had their nails cut in a LONG time, the nails were about an inch and a half long, curled, and intertwined. Ironically, their owner sent a nail clipper with them, so I took care of their nails for them first thing. I tried to let them get settled for the next few days. I had to get Flufflys hair was dragging on the ground, and she had poop stuck to it around her bum. So I took her out and gave her a good brushing and a trim, I got her all nice and groomed. I noticed that her chin and all below her mouth were all wet, I assumed it was drool, but I'm still not sure if that was a symptom, or if it is normal. So I thought all was well after grooming her, she was acting normal (well, I didn't know her well enough to say what 'normal' was for her, but she did not show any alarming behavior). The next day, which was yesterday, I was doing my spot cleaning in the cages, and I noticed that Fluffly had VERY thick crust all around her eyes, and I wiped it away. I then noticed she had crust all on her nose, too. Like her nose had been running and it had hardened. She also had so much buildup in her ears that it filled her entire ear. This is when I took her into the bathroom and tried to soften the crust in her ears with warm water so that I could clean them out for her. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, she started opening and closing her mouth, over and over again, she was gasping for air. She was gasping and was in little convulsions, at this point, I was panic stricken, and called my boss to ask her which vet she wanted me to bring Fluffy to. As I was on the phone, she died in my arms. I feel terrible as she was in my care, but I am also thinking that this was pre-existing. The only possible thing that could have caused it while she was in my care is the stress of a new environment. I have spoken with the former owner a few different times since they arrived at my house, and she seems to really love them and is absolutely heartbroken to have given them up. In every way, she sounded like a good owner. I also realize that sometimes even though people love their pets with all their heart, they just do not have the time to care for them correctly. I'm wondering if this was the situation, considering the condition of their nails when they arrived at my house. BUT, I could be wrong, I DON'T know her situation for sure, and I'm also wondering if Fluffy's sickness wasn't pre-existing, and was caused by stress. I'm trying to look at this from every perspective here, and don't want to make judgement without knowing facts. Can anybody help me possibly figure out what went on here? What kind of illness does this sound like? I'm stumped =( Poor Fluffy. Rest in peace.
THANK YOU for any help! It's GREATLY appreciated
Now, to the situation in question. I tend to get stuck on re-telling the details - without realizing I'm doing it - instead of getting straight to the point (in other words, I am NOT a good story teller), I'm going to try to not do that, so please bear with me! Alright, Fluffly and Snowflake had a BIG change in environment in the days before I received them. Their owner had some situation (which I do not really know much of) in which she had to give her 2 guinea pigs up. They had a long trip. She drove them down here, which is about 4 to 6 hours away. So I'm sure that could have been stressful for the piggies. Next, before my boss had asked if I could take them, she placed them in an adoption center we have in a Petco, to try and get them a home ASAP. I would imagine that this would also be very stressful for them, so many people looking in and everything. After 2 days, they came to me. I know that when getting used to new surroundings, they will hide, and be very skittish. While researching, I had read that in that stage, it's best to allow them to hide, they will approach when they are ready. So that's what I did. One thing I noticed right off the rip was that both of them had not had their nails cut in a LONG time, the nails were about an inch and a half long, curled, and intertwined. Ironically, their owner sent a nail clipper with them, so I took care of their nails for them first thing. I tried to let them get settled for the next few days. I had to get Flufflys hair was dragging on the ground, and she had poop stuck to it around her bum. So I took her out and gave her a good brushing and a trim, I got her all nice and groomed. I noticed that her chin and all below her mouth were all wet, I assumed it was drool, but I'm still not sure if that was a symptom, or if it is normal. So I thought all was well after grooming her, she was acting normal (well, I didn't know her well enough to say what 'normal' was for her, but she did not show any alarming behavior). The next day, which was yesterday, I was doing my spot cleaning in the cages, and I noticed that Fluffly had VERY thick crust all around her eyes, and I wiped it away. I then noticed she had crust all on her nose, too. Like her nose had been running and it had hardened. She also had so much buildup in her ears that it filled her entire ear. This is when I took her into the bathroom and tried to soften the crust in her ears with warm water so that I could clean them out for her. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, she started opening and closing her mouth, over and over again, she was gasping for air. She was gasping and was in little convulsions, at this point, I was panic stricken, and called my boss to ask her which vet she wanted me to bring Fluffy to. As I was on the phone, she died in my arms. I feel terrible as she was in my care, but I am also thinking that this was pre-existing. The only possible thing that could have caused it while she was in my care is the stress of a new environment. I have spoken with the former owner a few different times since they arrived at my house, and she seems to really love them and is absolutely heartbroken to have given them up. In every way, she sounded like a good owner. I also realize that sometimes even though people love their pets with all their heart, they just do not have the time to care for them correctly. I'm wondering if this was the situation, considering the condition of their nails when they arrived at my house. BUT, I could be wrong, I DON'T know her situation for sure, and I'm also wondering if Fluffy's sickness wasn't pre-existing, and was caused by stress. I'm trying to look at this from every perspective here, and don't want to make judgement without knowing facts. Can anybody help me possibly figure out what went on here? What kind of illness does this sound like? I'm stumped =( Poor Fluffy. Rest in peace.
THANK YOU for any help! It's GREATLY appreciated
