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Maisy & Daisy introduction

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I've been away for a couple of days and was wondering how Daisy's been getting on. Really glad to hear that she's battling on and even went to explore and get some exercise! You really are doing a brilliant job :)

I have a simple little tip which I don't think has been mentioned and could be useful for getting a little more fluid into her without any extra effort. As Daisy seems to be eating bits of veg here and there, I'd sprinkle a bit of water or cranberry/water onto her veg, if you're not already. It hopefully shouldn't put her off nibbling at the veg and she'll take on a little extra fluid at the same time, rather than if the veg was just left dry or only had on the excess water after rinsing it under the tap.

Keep syringe-feeding the fluids as you have been, but a little extra should be good. I do this for my own piggy who won't drink for himself and every little extra bit of fluid sneaked past him feels like a victory!

Hope Daisy stays perky and on the right track x
 
Thank you all for your lovely words, but unfortunately I had to have Daisy laid to rest last night. :(

She was doing really well on the feeding side of things, but only eating when she had me for company, otherwise she would just sit and put her head in the hay.

Vet noticed she had massive bed sores on her feet (due to lack of movement), they were very red and septic and swollen right up to the ankle joint. I asked what could be done to help, and she said Daisy could go in a sling to relieve pressure and they could start treating her, but then she was concerned of any drugs upsetting her gut, and putting her back to stage one after all the hard work I'd done. Also, being like that, is not fair to her, she was weak and needed to gain a lot of weight. When I spoke, Daisy looked to me, it's so awful.

I had her in my arms and her face looked up at me and buried in my chest. Looking back, she was weak, despite her renewed and keen interest in food and 'weeeks' 'weeeeks' when I opened fridge door and made the chopping noise of the knife on the veg, she just couldn't move about. I feel I should have known this.

Hubby dug a hole in the garden, I placed a little blanket in her pink igloo, wrapped her in a warm fleece and laid her on her side facing my kitchen window and hubby laid her to rest.

I don't want anyone saying that she could have had this or that done, because it will make me really ill. I feel that she had had enough. She would have had septicaemia eventually and that is awful suffering for her.

Feel so sorry for Maisy now. :(

RIP my sweet little, brave darling Daisy. I love you and will always miss you. XX
 
So sincerely sorry to hear your sad news.

We're just onlookers, trying to help as best we can, but only you know what's best for your piggy and all the goodwill in the world just sadly isn't enough. Nobody could ever think bad of you for making the best decision you could. You obviously cared a tremendous amount for Daisy and gave her a wonderful life while she was with you, even if just for a short time. That time was so very important as you showed her what it meant to be truly loved and cared for and gave her the attention she deserved. What you did for Daisy, since rescuing her and her sister, is really inspiring and I hope you know that you did your very best for her (as I'm sure she will.) I'm just so sorry that it was her time, something which is unfortunately ultimately beyond our control, no matter how much we love our precious little ones.

Give Maisy extra cuddles and, on a practical note, some bereaved piggies respond well to having the comfort of a babyproof soft toy/teddy to snuggle up to.

Thinking of you all x
 
I am so sorry that you had to make this heartbreaking decision; it is always so gutting when you lose such a bitter battle!

When you are in a desperate place like you were with Daisy, we really feel with you! We can only give our tips on the basis of what you tell us and try our best to support you emotionally over the internet. Sadly, nasty secondary complications are all too common in difficult cases like yours and they cannot always be overcome, however much we would like to!

Nobody blames you for failing - we all have witnessed your epic struggle and your determined effort to make Daisy better; you (and we) have done what we could for Daisy.

Daisy has had your complete love and the most selfess round the clock care; you have given it your all; nobody will blame you.

BIG HUG
 
So sorry for your loss. You made the right decision for Daisy and that's what counts.

Sending hugs to you and your family, and to Maisy.

Goodnight little Daisy. :rose
 
Sometimes nothing can be done to save a guinea, no matter how hard you try. Some piggies can just get so run down, new illnesses/secondary complications crop up...it's not easy to overcome that. You did a lot for Daisy, your efforts were inspirational and your dedication made a positive difference to her.

I'm so sad that it wasn't meant to be.

My thoughts are with you and Maisy.

Rest well, dear Daisy. xx
 
Thank you, thank you girls for all your well wishes. :rose

In my mind, I keep saying to myself that I could have done more.............I could have done this 'sling' treatment and helped her, but she was a sicky piggie, despite her best efforts, just wish I'd noticed the start of the sores sooner, didn't even think it would happen, despite the fact she didn't move much. I guess not knowing enough about these creatures didn't help, I don't know.

The fact that we bonded so well, in a way, makes it worse, because you become attached then, and for me that breaks my heart. I knew her every little move when feeding, when she looked up at me, then ate a bit more, then came close to cwtch, as I sat really tight to the table. Just not fair. These sores must have come on in the past few days, I don't know, but she was frail and needed to put weight on. She was a brave little girl. XX

Maisy doesn't know what's happening really. This lunch time, I brought (their) run out of the shed and put it in the lounge on top of newspaper and took Maisy out of her cage (which she is now in Daisy's), I threw the original one out that they came in, it still had stained urine on the base, that I couldn't get off in the beginning), and put some hay, feed, few broken leaves of romain, baby carrot, kale and water down for her. So she can have a bit of space to walk about till I get home and maybe pop her out in the garden for an hour before tea. Poor dab, although she's very dominant and runs away when you try to pick her up, plus nudges her head too, she is so sweet.

Am paranoid now about her health, feet, weight (bit porky), but she is certainly alright and will eat and drink for Wales. ;)

When should I consider getting a little friend for her........this is the question? Don't want her to be sad, as she will not see Daisy again now. :(
 
I can still hear her little deep "wheek wheek" in my head..............is that normal, or could it be because I am already feeling low, and just focussing on it a bit more than I would normally? 8...
 
You can start looking around now and try to find a suitable rescue within reach where you can take Maisie with you, so she can choose her own new companion, girl or neutered boar. I did it that twice back when I had only a couple of guinea pigs, and both times it worked brilliantly; even though I never came back with the piggy I wold have chosen!

It is advisable to ring up rescues and to ring around - I always started with the rescue that had the biggest choice; rescues often have more guinea pigs than on their websites.

Otherwise, you can start a thread in the rescue - wanted section (please state your area), so rescue people on here could contact you if they think they have something suitable within your reach or if a piggy train (transport) could be arranged.
 
Everyone starts out as a 'beginner' and, regardless of that, no matter how much experience you have you can still come across symptoms and situations which are completely new and alien to you. Everyone here is still learning, even those with 30+ yrs experience and, hand on heart, even with the best care and expertise, I'm sure nobody can claim to have picked up every single symptom and ailment their piggies ever displayed, straight away. We're only human and it's often said that piggies are very good at hiding their illnesses too. You reacted to everything you found and were very proactive too, taking preventative measures and seeking/welcoming any advice you could find. You can't do more than that.

It's completely understandable to wonder if you could've done things differently and I believe it's a natural part of the grieving process. Please don't be hard on yourself though, as it's not good to dwell on "what if....". The truth is that nobody knows how things might've panned out if you'd done things differently, and perhaps the outcome would have ultimately been exactly the same anyhow, so try not to think about that. Besides, in all probability, you gave her the best chance possible, way above and beyond the care she would've received had she stayed entrusted in the care of the school, so you already gave her the best fighting chance.

It's beyond your control that her poor little body had too many things to deal with and it was all too much for her in the end. I guess you might say that her time with you was already "borrowed" and the outcome was all inevitable...you just didn't know it when you took her in and gave her a home, on what was probably actually the best day of her life.

All you can do is learn as you go along, based on your experiences and any knowledge you pick up, making any changes as you go, for the benefit of Maisy and any other pig(s) who may or may not come along. That's the approach I'm trying to take with my remaining piggy, since losing my first piggy about 3 months ago.

Just remember, as long as you do your best that's really all you can do. I'm certain you did your best x
 
I think you are a wonderful piggy mum for trying so hard for Daisy. RIP Daisy. I do hope you find someone that Maisy will bond with soon. Best wishes, Sarah
 
Thank you all for your lovely, kind wishes. This seems to be affecting me more than I thought it would.

I have played back a couple of videos that I'd taken of Daisy when eating and feeding herself the critical care and it is heartbreaking. Maybe this is the part of the grieving process as we would do if a member of our family died...............I don't know! I seem to have got a pain in my chest which hurts when I cry, very weird indeed, it only came on me late Monday evening.

Maisy (Daisy's Mum) seems very very sad indeed. I don't know if she's aware of anything different, but on Monday I did change her cage and put her in Daisy's temporary one. I wanted to get shot of the original one that they came in. So, whether it's the change over of cages that has made her sad, or whether she senses that Daisy is actually not here anymore, I'm not sure.

She doesn't seemed to have weed or pooped much, and Maisy was the one who could poop for Wales. She's eaten a little of her meal, but not all the veg that she would normally, just the lettuce and kale. I don't know if she's having enough vit c, (paranoid about all of this now since Daisy), or whether I should give the eighth of a tab as I did with Daisy.

She is nudging my hand from her head quite frequently...............
I did stroke the side of her face last night and over her nose, as before when I did this, she went so relaxed, she almost closed her eyes.

Sad days eh? :(

Thank you again to everyone, you've all been a god send. XX:rose
 
It sounds like Maisy is grieving for Daisy; the sudden loneliness can have a number of effects on behaviour but it affect the appetite as well. If you are concerned about her eating then it won't hurt to give some extra Vit C, if she's eating some kale she'll likely be getting enough anyway but better to be sure while she's not quite herself.

It'll take a little while for you both to come to terms with your loss. You and Maisy stick together, she'll appreciate your love and care and reciprocate that as best she can. :)
 
Thank you Laura. :)

Maisy has always been the dominant, confident of the two. Always scarpers when you go to pick her up, whereas Daisy, would run a little, but not struggle to pick up.

I feel the nudging is like telling me to back off, (and from a self pity view for me, I feel quite hurt, (if that makes sense?), but I know deep down it's not really that way, it's just the way piggies are).

So, despite the nudging and often struggling to get away, should I just percevere with her and give cwtches and kisses? I don't want to upset her see. As always, advice welcome.

Thank you. :rose
 
Have you tried cuddling her riight under your chin/neck?

Often throwing their head against your hand suggests they don't want to be stroked there, but I do have a couple of pigs who do this and hold their head against my hand when they want to be snuggled in a cosier place - favourite place being right under my chin! It may be worth a try with Maisy.

Having said that, it could be that she's just not a very cuddly pig (I have plenty of those too!), in which case just give cuddles for a very short time - little and often - and focus more on just sitting near her, watching and talking to her. Holding her veg is a good way to help tighten the bond between the two of you.
 
Laura's already mentioned the best tip I can think of for strengthening a bond between piggy & carer, and that's hand feeding. My Yossi isn't really a very cuddly pig whereas my other piggy was very much so. I do find that quite hard sometimes, especially when I myself really need a cuddle and he's not so keen...but as you said, it's simply just how some pigs are - it isn't personal and doesn't reflect badly on you. Try stroking her while she's taking veg from your hand and see if she minds that.

I agree with Laura about trying "under chin" cuddles. Both of mine liked to be held up against my chest with their head tucked snugly under my chin.

Perhaps make a snuggly bed on your lap, with some scrunched up fleece, and see if that makes her feel more comfy. You can buy cuddle cups/cozies (little snuggly fabric pockets which guineas love to lie inside) which might be worth trying, especially if she prefers to feel more snugly enclosed inside something. You could sit with her in the cozy, on your lap, and still feel close to her.

One other thing I sometimes do at 'lap time' is sing to my piggy (when nobody else is around or I get disapproving looks as my singing voice isn't all that!). I'm sure some think this is daft but I've found gentle lullaby type tunes have sometimes soothed my piggies and when I'm more relaxed they also feel more relaxed. I've even played gentle classical/lullaby music to my piggies as well. I figure that if it's good for soothing babies then why not?

I wonder if Bach Rescue Remedy might help soothe Maisy a little? I know some people use this natural remedy to calm anxiety in guineas. Laura can probably advise on this.

It's obviously still very early days and a period of adjustment, especially for Maisy. Keep giving her as much attention as you can and if you think cuddles are stressing her too much then I'm sure she'll appreciate you sitting by the cage and even just talking to her.

You're still doing such a great job. Take care x
 
Thank you. :) I am going to try the suggestions as above, little by little and see how it goes. We've always tried to cuddle and make a fuss of Maisy, but she nudged quite a bit. She does relax for a short time, then makes that kind of chundling (?) noise as if she's had enough.

I sat with her at lunch time for a short while and she started eating some hay. She weed and pooped a bit more since this morning too, so early days yet. I hope I find a companion for her at some point.
 
I have been following this thread and was really hoping she would pull through. I'm so sorry you lost dear Daisy. You really did do all you possibly could for her, it was just her time and you can take comfort knowing her last days were spent with someone who loved her and was trying everything possible to help her.

I know how heartbreaking it is, I went through a similar thing with one of my pigs, I cried for a full day! We also had a grieving pig to deal with although this was a blessing in a way as it gave me something to focus on and within a day we had decided to get her some friends for company. Now she has 4 new friends and is very happy. In the period where we had just her I made sure I got her out for lots of cuddles and hand fed her alot so she felt that she had some company.

RIP sweet Daisy xx
 
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