Some of you will know that I joined back in August to get advice about my very ill piggie Bob. I had been back and forth to the vets since the April as Bob was making a grunting noise when breathing now and then, had slightly sticky eyes and runny nose. I saw a pretty rubbish vet the first two times who said the breathing was nothing and first gave me stuff for conjuntivitis then gave me vitamins the second time. I then went away on holiday and Bob had really deteriorated by the time I came back and I could see he was in severe respiratory distress so I went back to the vets and asked for a different vet who said he had a severe URI and gave me baytril. I saw no difference in the week and went back and was given septrin. Bob then had xrays and they told me it was pneumonia also at this stage Bob could no longer wheek. At this stage I joined this forum and possibility of heart condition came up. I went back to the vets with info off guinealynx but the vet was pretty reluctant saying that it was lung disease which all seemed a bit confusing. He said he could refer me to Edinburgh Uni Small Animal Hospital but would give me no medication for Bob that day if I went for the referral. So I decided to try a diuretic. Sadly Bob died the following day it was the most horrendous thing I have ever had to deal with yet the way it happened was by no means peaceful and I has hysterical.
What I feel so guilty about is that if it was URI/pneumonia that I caused this. Normally my piggies have a water bottle but in the February I went to stay at my parents due to a university placement (for ease of travel) and because me and the OH had hit a rocky patch. My mum has 2 free range house rabbits that drink from water bowls and when Bob and Sam got out for their floor time he loved drinking from the water bowl (he had become a big drinker when ill). By doing this he ended up getting a really wet chest all the time and I didn't really think at the time this could lead to a URI. I just wish I realised. His fur even fell out of his chest while I was away on holiday.
I am so angry at myself for letting him get so ill and not getting a referral to the specialist vets sooner. He hung on from April to the end of August and his breathing was very laboured....it looked like very hard work. The only thing I can take comfort in is that he continued to eat the whole time even the morning he died. What makes me feel worse was that Bob was a rescue pig and I am unsure of his age when I got him and by the sound of it he had a horrible wee life to start with. We guessed he was about 2 but he was only with us for 11months and for 3 of those months he was very ill. I just feel so awful and guilty all the time and still cry almost every day.
Bob was the best piggie ever he would fall asleep on my chest for hours and always let me know when he needed the loo....he was just soooo placid and just wish he had a better wee life
This is the longest post ever but I just keep blaming myself and cry all the time. Has anyone else ever felt this sense of guilt with any piggie?
What I feel so guilty about is that if it was URI/pneumonia that I caused this. Normally my piggies have a water bottle but in the February I went to stay at my parents due to a university placement (for ease of travel) and because me and the OH had hit a rocky patch. My mum has 2 free range house rabbits that drink from water bowls and when Bob and Sam got out for their floor time he loved drinking from the water bowl (he had become a big drinker when ill). By doing this he ended up getting a really wet chest all the time and I didn't really think at the time this could lead to a URI. I just wish I realised. His fur even fell out of his chest while I was away on holiday.
I am so angry at myself for letting him get so ill and not getting a referral to the specialist vets sooner. He hung on from April to the end of August and his breathing was very laboured....it looked like very hard work. The only thing I can take comfort in is that he continued to eat the whole time even the morning he died. What makes me feel worse was that Bob was a rescue pig and I am unsure of his age when I got him and by the sound of it he had a horrible wee life to start with. We guessed he was about 2 but he was only with us for 11months and for 3 of those months he was very ill. I just feel so awful and guilty all the time and still cry almost every day.
Bob was the best piggie ever he would fall asleep on my chest for hours and always let me know when he needed the loo....he was just soooo placid and just wish he had a better wee life
This is the longest post ever but I just keep blaming myself and cry all the time. Has anyone else ever felt this sense of guilt with any piggie?