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Little Piggie Lost To Bloat :(

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Molzak

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Hello, So glad I found this site as I am struggling to come to terms with loosing my little piggie. We brought her home and lost her within 4 days! I am so saddened over this and actually sick to my stomach. I came on here to get some needed support from people who care and understand. We fed her pellets, carrots, lettuce and green pepper and she seemed fine and then I noticed her not eating, drinking or pooping. Then she just seemed tired and not moving around. We rushed her to the vet, they did an xray and saw all of the gas. We left with meds and the hopes that she would make her recheck appt made for two days later. We got home and she passed. I am so very sad. She was only a year. I feel like such a bad parent and the guilt is killing me. Thanks for reading and any advice if we go ahead and get another piggie?
 
I'm so sorry to hear this. I suggest that you have a good look at the threads on this forum while you are waiting for answers.
 
I'm so sorry, please don't blame yourself, bloat can appear very suddenly and kill incredibly quickly. Was she an only piggy?
 
I'm so very sorry to hear this.
Although it is very unusual for this sequence of events to happen within such a small space of time (i.e. 4 days), it is not unknown. Please rest assured that you really did everything you could for her...especially since it happened so quickly.. ...so please don;t think you were to blame in any way.
You took her to a vet when she was ill....and sadly, despite the meds, she didin't; recover.

You have nothing to blame yourself for.;

As for getting another guinea - I suggest you give yourself time to get over this shock and grieve for your loss.
Come back when you feel ready.
x
 
I had Guinea Pigs when I was little and this was my daughter's first one. I feel like a horrible mother that her new friend left us so suddenly. Do you think she came to us sickly or just what I fed her had something to do with it? I am so sad, thanks for the advice. Yes, my family and I should give ourselves time to heal before getting another one and we should read up on them. I was shocked that the bloat came on so suddenly.
 
so sorry for your loss. it could be the stress of moving to a new home which she struggled with. my little bunny smudge didn't take the move well and also became bloated and passed away. so that could be a possibility. some just seem to not cope as well as others.

i find that piggies generally do well with new foods, but if she wasn't used to what you were feeding, then this could have contributed as she may have been sensitive to a certain food. but to be honest, those foods are generally fine, and she may well have reacted in a similar way had you introduced them weeks down the line.

she could of course have already been hiding an illness and the move brought it to the surface so to speak.

i think as a caring owner, no matter how they pass and why, you question it and blame yourself. sometimes it is just one of those things and your blame is misplaced on yourself. grief will do this unfortunately, even when there is no blame needed. you noticed she was ill and you went staight to the vets. you did all you could.

losing them is so heartbreaking though. don't be too hard on yourself. allow yourself time to grieve. stay on the forum and have a look around and when you're ready, then you could adopt some more piggies. x
 
So sorry for your loss. Sometimes these things just happen. You did everything you could. When the time is right maybe you could get another pair of guinea pigs.
 
Hi and welcome to this fab forum I'm so sorry to hear of your loss, :( please don't blame yourself.
My tip is download the safe food guide for guinea pigs it states what foods are safe how often and which cause bloat. Take as long as you need, read lots on here then look into rehoming two guineas from your nearest rescue place on the link at the top of this page (if this was your only piggy as piggies need a to be in pairs) Stay with us and you will find lots of info and support on here hopefully you will have many happy years with your new piggies if you plan to give a home to New Guinea pigs :)
hugs, kell
 
Thanks so much everyone for your kind words and advice. This is what I needed and I am feeling a bit better because of all of you. Not many people understand my love for animals and my piggies are my family. I knew this was the place I needed to be. So I should get a pair? ummmmm. That does sound like a good idea.
 
Piggies should be kept in pairs, piggies on their own can get very lonely and this can make them I'll. basically they are wired to be with other guinea pigs. Boars are best in pairs, sows can be in groups bigger than two this can include a one neutered boar. :)
 
You did nothing wrong :( Guinea pigs alone are more prone to get an illness so next time you get a guinea pig please get 2, I can't even say how important it is for them to live in pairs. You did a great job on helping her. Did you feed her Ice Berg Lettuce? We have a Rainbow Bridge section. She is already probs pop-corning at the Rainbow Bridge. Sorry for your loss :(
 
No, I read that iceberg is bad for them so I gave her romaine and Hay not alfalfa and she only had one small carrot. I offered her more the next day and she wouldn't eat it. I thought that was odd because piggies like to nibble up their carrots and never refuse them. that was my first inkling something was wrong. then she just stopped drinking, eating and pooping. I never thought her tummy felt strange. She did loose weight though. I am still so sad and it will take time. I thank you guys again, you have really helped me emotionally.
 
Can you put two females together or will they fight?
 
Yes you can put two females together :) It requires some steps but if you follow
them correctly you shouldn't have much problems :)

1. When you get your guinea pig put it in a cage next to the other ones for 2 to 3 days,
this will allow them to see and hear eachother but not get in contact as it will make a difference in
meeting someone you have never and meeting someone who you know a little bit :) Also make sure
they are both healthy so they don't pass any disease on to eachother

2. Time to introduce!When you introduce them make sure it is neutral ground where none of the pigs have been on, this is because of territory reasons. Put them in a play pen with a new or a fleece that hasent
been used the most (make sure it is a clean fleece) Provide them with fresh vegetables and hay so they
are distracted and don't only focus on the other pig :)

3. Monitor the behaviour heres a link to dominance behaviours http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/dominance-behaviours-in-guinea-pigs.28949/
Make sure there is no blood drawn if so seperate the pigs. Although it is very rare that sows will not get along with eachother. Introduce them for about a week :)

4. Scrub the cage with vinegar and water mixed together this will remove pee stains and get rid of their smell. Both boars and sows need two houses/hideys this is because some guinea pigs just dont like to share one hidey house together.... For eg. My guinea pigs like to share hideys with eachother and are very well bonded but it depends on the guinea pigs personality. Make sure nothing has the others smell on it and wash all fleece beds tunnels etc....

5. Put them together in 1 cage! You may want to still monitor the behaviour and if not already the first night put them into your bedroom so you can feel more confident about leaving them together. ( some people will seperate the pigs even if it is normal behaviour like for eg. my dominant pig honey nips at Gizi but it doesn't hurt her it's just snaping and that is normal if there isn't too much so just read the link and you will be fine :)

Best Of Luck :)
 
Thanks so much for the info. So much to learn about these cute creatures. : ) I am feeling better and trying to move forward.
 
You know it just came to me......the piggie I had came from a home with 5 other pigs and then she came here with no pigs! I dont know if she shared a cage with them but maybe she was lonely and that's why she stopped eating? We were constantly holding her all day and playing with her. I guess its not the same as a piggie friend though. Maybe that is why she got sick?
 
Yes it could have been depression... Though now that I think about it, it might not have been that since when I got Gizi around 2 months ago she was housed with 2 of her sisters and She did not have a friend for like a month before I got honey... How long did you have her? Guinea pigs are prey animals and are very good at hiding their illness. Was she taken to the vet after you got her or not? She could have caught some kind of sickness from the other piggies she was housed with. There are loads of illness she could of had... like ringworm, UTI (Urinary Tract Infection), URI (Upper Respiratoy Infection) and the list goes on and on. How was she acting? Also was she from a pet store?
 
I had her 5 days! I noticed she wasn't eating on day 4 and on day 5 she wasn't acting right, not eating or pooping or peeing. and we rushed her to the vet for the first time. I did not notice her tummy was bloated but I could tell her tummy was in pain. They took xrays and saw the gas in her tummy. Gave her some meds to hydrate her and sent me home with 4 different meds to give her and told me to force feed her. We got home and half an hour later she was gone.
 
Ok so how much romaine did you fee her. I just read if you feed too much it also can cause a bloat. If your guinea pig appeared swollen in the stomache and the stomache appears distended ( a light tap onthe side sounds hollow) then she might of had whats call a intestinal blockage. Heres a website that could help you http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/guinea-pig-bloat.shtml
 
don't beat yourself up.You did everything right, you were just unlucky.You will be an amazing owner .
 
So sorry for your loss, sounds like you did everything right and was one of those horrible things :( x When the times comes for piggies again, I'm sure you will do a great job. The most important thing is when you notice something is wrong go to a vet and thats what you did :) x
 
Very sorry for your loss, bloat is horrible and unfortunately there is very little you can do to guard against it. Please don't beat yourself up, you noticed, took them to the vet and got meds for them, you really could not have done any-more. I am really sorry for your loss.

RIP Little Piggy
x x
 
So sorry for your loss. As you have been assured already, it is not your fault.

Bloating can happen very quickly and can be very dangerous.

We had a bloated bunny a couple of months ago. Luckily she did recover and is perfectly fine now. But it happens so quick, the morning she was fine, by night, completely bloated, scared, not moving and would barely eat. After over £300 in vet bills over 4 days, she did recover.

But unfortunately it's not always possible for them too recover :( bloating is just awful for the poor animals. You did the best you could.

Sooo sorry again, for your loss! RIP!
 
thanks again everyone. we didnt give a lot of lettuce. a small piece. I am thinking it was the green pepper that did it. maybe she never had it before. still feeling badly, one day at a time.
 
green pepper is fine for them.Stop trying to find fault with the way you did things.Everyone on here does the was it my fault bit when losing an animal , i have done it myself.Just accept it happened and it wasn't your fault
 
You are so right. I needed to be told that! I must accept and move on. Everything happens for a reason. I just miss her sweet little face, and I feel badly that she suffered. Time goes on and thanks again! I am glad I found this site and some nice people with piggies.
 
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