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I think sweep is dying...

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lu_lu

lu_lu

Junior Guinea Pig
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Sweep my oldest rescue pig lost his pal a month ago, we managed to bond him with some youngsters and it perked him up for a bit, but now it seems he's gone down hill very quickly. Sweep for the last year or so has kept losing the function in his back legs, we have been to the vets on numerous occasions and they couldn't find anything wrong, the temporary paralysis usually lasted 2/3days then he was back to normal, when sweeps legs didn't work it never effected his ability to get round or his ability to eat or drink and he'd motor after silly like he was a young chap, we put his age about 6, we've has him 3 and he was 3/4 when we got him, although his facial hair has turned quite grey not all of it but around a third... Don't know if this indicates age, anyway night before last I noticed sweep couldn't stand at all, he seemed to be lying on top of his leg it was sticking out at a strange angle, we tried massage and a warm snuggle pad but he couldn't move, I put his veg and food next to him, first thing yesterday I was at the vet, she said looked him over, he was bright and alert, checked ears, teeth, had a good feel of his legs, the vet couldn't find anything wrong, she did mention that there was virtually no muscle in the back legs and said there could have been an old injury or he could have arthritis, I bathed him when I got back as he was soaking wet (vets is an hour round trip) and he had some veg and his meds and seemed a bit more lively, the vet gave me 2 options PTS or see if the meds work and if sweep makes some improvement he could stay on meds for he rest of his days, I actually felt quite happy as a life on meds was surely a better option, his fleece was changed several times throughout the night and I dried him off each time, all the young ones have been cuddling him, today he perked up for about 5 mins after his meds, his fleece again has been changed several times, half his body is yellow from the urine, he's listless and i think this is it, I thought by going the meds route I was doing the best but now I don't know have I done it for selfish reasons, I can't explain properly why I feel like he's dying I think when they are a part of your life i think you just know he's lost 50g since his last weigh in last week, if I can get sweep to eat and drink am I cruel to prolong his life with meds? Is it kinder to let him go? My OH was temporarily paralysed last year and without medication wouldn't be here now in his words I didn't put him to sleep... It's took me all day to write this as by writing it down I have to face it's real, I feel very lost any advise would be greatly appreciated
Sorry it's so long Lu
 
It is very difficult for someone else to comment, because we all have different views. You have to do what you think is best for him, does he have much of a quality of life now, and is he in pain, they can't tell you this but a human can. Unfortunately we as humans don't get the option and have to carry on regardless due to the powers that be preventing us from taking the decision to end our life. This little guy has given you the best years of his life and lots of smiles along the way. Look in his eyes, he will let you know if it is time for him to go.:rose
 
Oh Lu, I'm so sorry :(.

Our oldest guinea pig Willow died in the early hours of Christmas Eve, he had been unwell with bloat on & off for a couple of months but I knew this time was different on the evening of 23rd Dec. I stayed up with him holding him in a little blanket & then put him in a nest of hay about 1:30am, he couldn't even drink any more. He died there with my hand on his side at about 1:45am. I don't know how I knew it was his time, I think maybe you can just tell sometimes. I told him it was ok to go if he needed to & he did.

It sounds as though Sweep is very well loved by you & his young friends. I'm sure you know him best & will be best able to decide what course to take. Sometimes it's good to write things down as it helps you to think it through.

Sending you all my best wishes for you & Sweep, shiny x
 
Its a very tough decision which I'm afraid no one but you can answer. You clearly have your little one's welfare at heart. And i think you will know when the time comes to say goodbye. You know your piggie much better than any of us. I'm so sorry i cannot be of any help. All i can think to say is try thinking of yourself in your pets position and then it might give you some idea of weather it is or isnt fair to keep them going.

Thoughts are with you.

xx.
 
Really sorry to hear that you are having a sad time. From my own experience with all the pets I have had, I can say that you know when its time for them to go. Its a very sad and heartbreaking decision, but not a hard one.... you just know.

The questions to ask yourself are .... is Sweep in any pain? Does he seem to have given up on life or does he still want to go on? Are his eyes still bright or have they dulled so that they look lifeless?

If you feel that he is doing OK, then just treat him like you would an old man... you would keep him warm, fed and watered, make sure he is as dry as possible, and then just let him sit quietly. However, if you feel that Sweep is suffering, then there really is no option. You have loved him and given him all you can... please let us know how things go. Take care.
 
I am sorry your piggy is poorly :(

Is it possible he is lacking in calcium? This may make interesting reading & may be worth mentioning to your vet :

http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/paral.htm

Other than that if he is eating well etc I would get the vet to give you some low dose Metacam so at least he is comfortable, it is also an anti-inflammatory so will give him some relief from arthritis etc.

I lost my 7 year old piggy 2 years ago & yes she did slow down a lot in her final year but she was quite active & eating & not in pain. As long as your piggy is doing the same & not in obvious discomfort & has adequate pain relief I wouldn't give up just yet. Fingers crossed for your boy :)
 
thankyou to all that wrote, sweep passed away the day after i wrote this, my son (Orin) and i were heartbroken, we then lost snowy a week later, he died in my OH arms, i couldn't pull myself together and was upsetting the kids, snowy was in-separable from sweep especially at the end, i think with snowy it was a combination of being a little one (4 months), losing sweep and catching a chill (as sweep couldn't move to wee, he was saturated constantly and no amount of changing fleece and towel drying kept him dry for long, as a result snowy was damp constantly too), i couldn't face coming on here, i felt quite an unfit carer, my time has been spent reading as much as i can to education myself more on my piggies, watching, weighing, grooming and enjoying the piggies we have, learning to know our piggies better and finding a better vet, i wanted i guess to spend as much time with them as possible because i was scared that something else would go wrong and we'd lose another, thankfully we've been vet free since the middle of january, it's not long but a weight has been lifted as it felt i was constantly at the vet or on the phone to them for months, anyway i just want to say thankyou
 
oh bless you, you sound an amazing carer. just the fact you researched so much, and spent time making him dry and comfortable. it sounds like it was just his time to go and he was slowing down. x
 
you sound really caring. You did all you could please dont be hard on yourself. I have just been in same position with a gerbil. The gerbil forum told me to take him to vets to have an op. I couldnt afford it, but the gerbil was happy and eating and went 4 months acting normal, he then had a relapse but I got him round. 3 days ago he was still skipping about and eating then went downhill and in 24 hours died with his friend by his side. Sometimes we just dont know what is best, we can only do what we think is best. xx
 
I think you've done every you can for sweep. It's a case now of has he got any quality of life or is he in pain. I went through this last month with my youngest piggy, Madam who went downhill very quickly & she had to be PTS. It broke my heart but there was nothing else I could do.
 
You obviously care very deeply for your piggies. I am sorry that Snowy and Sweep had to leave you. Big hugs x

RIP Sweep and Snowy
x x
 
So sorry you had such a tough time. Owning & caring for animals is extremely rewarding but can be heart breaking too & you've certainly had more than your fair share of the downsides recently. Well done for reading up & thinking about future care, specialist vets etc but please don't blame yourself for the illnesses that your guineas had recently. We all go through these rough patches but for me, the good times outweigh the bad. We lost our two older pigs this year & both times were pretty traumatic especially for my children but it's one of those things we have to learn & go through. I hope you & your family are doing ok now and your other pigs are thriving. Nice to see you back here :).

Best wishes,

shiny :)
 
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