The Fluffy Tribe
New Born Pup
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2019
- Messages
- 21
- Reaction score
- 80
- Points
- 200
Firstly, I want to say big thank you to anyone who reads this all to the end. Even after a month has passed I am still very distraught over what has happened that my family are fine with me not celebrating christmas this year. This has also affected my health. This happened at the end of November but I am only able to talk about it now.
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Last month two of my guinea pigs got ill. I had had guinea pigs over a decade ago and my latest group I started in 2017 when I moved to Bristol. Most of us know as guinea pigs are prey animals that they tend to hide signs of illness. I learnt from my previous group what these signs were.
The two guinea pigs who got ill in my recent group were Missy (who is at least 5yrs+ she was an adoption and came to us very badly ill) and Troy (one we got through accidental pregnancy and was 21 months old). The problem Missy had we had seen the previous year, scratching to the point she made herself bleed, flaky itchy skin. She would sit in the corner and just cry. She also would have seizures. I had decided to remove Missy from the group not only because of the possible contagious issues but because the girls (3 pairs, 6 in total) were fighting among each other. After I had removed Missy I noticed the other girls attacking Troy and that I had a sense there was something wrong with her despite her not showing any signs.
My step dad does not let me keep them in the house but my mom convinced him to let me keep them upstairs to keep and eye on them. I became concerned as Troy started to breath fast (much faster than guinea pigs usually do) and although my mum didnt notice she had begun to lose weight (she was a very round piggy, probably why she was, and always will be my baby) but I knew something was up so immediate thoughts were to get them to the vet.
This is where the trouble started.
I tried to call PDSA 3 days in a row, one day there were training, the other times there was no answer. On the last day I managed to get through- I called PDSA at 8am-the woman who answered told me this was the emergency line and that I would have to call back. I told her this was an emergency. She asked me what was the emergency. I told her 2 of my guinea pigs were sick and I needed an appointment right away. I told them one was having seizures. She said, and I quote "what do you mean seizures, what does that even mean?" not only was she rude but I was taken aback that I had to explain this to her. I told her my guinea pig was violently convulsing, crying, and she just interrupted me and said "thats not an emergency". Well I was lost for words. So I told her we think she may have mites which kill guinea pigs and she said "thats not serious, thats not an emergency". When I begged that could I please have an appointment because this is serious she just cut me off and told me to call back later. I was upset but I didnt want to annoy this receptionist so I waited 20 minutes and called back. I asked if I could get an appointment for both guinea pigs, I was told no, I could only take one.
They made me choose between my guinea pigs. This was a hard choice. Missy was the older pig who was crying, lost hair, was clearly distressed. However she had been treated for mites before and had built an immune system against them. Troy-who had never had any problems upto now, was not crying or showing any outward signs of distress-still had her same appetite,except she wouldn't move about as much and would just sit in the corner. Also she wasn't breathing as fast anymore. It was hard but I decided to take Missy first. I was told I would have to wait until 5 days later to take Troy.
Missy got her shot first, I was hopeful they would both pull through. By the time Troy's appointment came up she had lost a lot of weight and was breathing really badly. Still the vet diagnosed her with mites and gave her a shot too.
The first time Missy was treated last year she didn't show any signs of improvement until her second shot. In the days following Troy's first shot she only seemed to be getting worse, I was hoping she would pull through. The morning she was due to have her second shot I found her dead in her cage. I was distraught, and incredibly angry, more than I have ever been.
So I wrote a lengthy letter to the manager of PDSA explaining what had happened, how this isn't the first time one of their receptionists had spoken to me like **** but this was the first time its resulted in one of my pets dying. She called me and left a message, I wanted her to write to me but she called me back and tbh I felt very angry at some of the things she said.
Although I made it clear i'm not blaming her personally for what happened the fact her receptionist not only was patronising but apparently calling my concerns "not serious" I have every right to be upset. She called me as I was about to go into work so decided to just listen to what she had to say and not argue. She told me that the receptionist did not know "what you meant by seizures". On reflection if a receptionist doesn't know this why is she manning the emergency phone line?! She did say she talked to the receptionist and insisted "she needed to have more empathy." Did an animal really have to die for her to change? Why hire someone like that to deal with people who have sick animals?! She said she told the vaccine company about my piggys death (ok?!) and that she doesn't feel there was any concerns as "guinea pigs can just suddenly die" which is when I bit and said "yes I know, but I got her to you early, I knew there was something wrong but your receptionist just wouldn't listen." she just said she was sorry and there's nothing that can be done now.
I was also asked by a nurse there who gave Missy a shot why I was told I would have to wait 5 days for the next appointment when they have 24 hour booking. I said I had booked on the Friday and they told me they could only fit Troy in Tuesday. The nurse said they only run for a few hours on Saturday and that I should have at least been given the choice, or at the very least Monday, but not Tuesday.
The manager kept saying this was a difficult decision for me to make (about which guinea pig to take first) but it shouldn't have been one I was forced to make. I am still racked with guilt over how my baby Troy died and feel like I failed her. The night before she was due to get the second injection I had a feeling she was going downhill fast and her poops were coming out a strange shape and her breathing faster. By this point despite looking fluffy she felt skeletal.
I wasn't going to write another letter back to PDSA until I received the one I requested. I also requested they send back the pictures I had sent of Troy because I couldn't stand the idea of them throwing pictures of her away after everything else. The first letter they sent back was, along with her pictures a leaflet about grieving the loss of a pet which ended in talking about giving a contribution to PDSA (which, before this incident, I would have) but the second letter infuriated me.
Namely because she left out some of the things she said in the phone call (which she makes out this letter is supposed to be evidence of but I made sure to type up notes right after the call, things that were worth noting) but what angered me more is this line which is confusing:
"Mites alone would cause death, so we cannot rule out the possibility that Troy had another underlying condition. As we discussed on the phone Guinea Pigs can decline very quickly if they are poorly, unfortunately it seems that this is what has happened in Troy's case."
First, I ******* know this because this is what I said TO THE RECEPTIONIST who apparently knows all and told me I was over reacting. I caught this early, she didn't suddenly decline I called the vets 3 weeks before she died. If she had an underlying condition they should have diagnoised it, they had time. Second, its one of the reasons I found this site and want to ask a question.
I have read the forum rules, I know we are not suppose to diagnose animals and get them to the vet, but in this instance they failed me, and sadly Troy paid with her life.
I would like to ask if any other members here can give their idea's as if Troy did die from mites or if she may have had another underlying condition.
-She was 21 months old,
-had lost a lot of weight
-had flakey skin like dandruff similar to Missy
-unlike Missy had not lost fur
-was also not scratching like Missy. I do not know if the hairloss was from Missys scratching so much or the mites
-her poops were shaped like grape seeds, dented and some had holes in them
Any other details you would like to provide please let me know.
My mum is starting to think that it may have been something else and not mites, but she says even so the vet should have picked up on that. I'm very angry that in all the years I have had pets, not just guinea pigs, that I would lose one so young. She leaves behind her baby, Daisy, pictures below. After all the girls keep fighting with her we are going to castrate one of our males (who we believe is her dad) as hes the most friendly piggy and gets on with everyone to bond with her.
Finally here she is. I am glad I found this site especially the rainbow bridge pets section, I like to believe she is over there playing with the rest of them. I may post some more pictures (I literally have thousands of them already) but right now I still get upset just looking at them.
Thank you again if you managed to read all this, I'm still upset so I may have left things out/not worded things properly so can clarify in my next post. I understand I may not get many now as we are near Christmas but replies are greatly appreciated.
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Last month two of my guinea pigs got ill. I had had guinea pigs over a decade ago and my latest group I started in 2017 when I moved to Bristol. Most of us know as guinea pigs are prey animals that they tend to hide signs of illness. I learnt from my previous group what these signs were.
The two guinea pigs who got ill in my recent group were Missy (who is at least 5yrs+ she was an adoption and came to us very badly ill) and Troy (one we got through accidental pregnancy and was 21 months old). The problem Missy had we had seen the previous year, scratching to the point she made herself bleed, flaky itchy skin. She would sit in the corner and just cry. She also would have seizures. I had decided to remove Missy from the group not only because of the possible contagious issues but because the girls (3 pairs, 6 in total) were fighting among each other. After I had removed Missy I noticed the other girls attacking Troy and that I had a sense there was something wrong with her despite her not showing any signs.
My step dad does not let me keep them in the house but my mom convinced him to let me keep them upstairs to keep and eye on them. I became concerned as Troy started to breath fast (much faster than guinea pigs usually do) and although my mum didnt notice she had begun to lose weight (she was a very round piggy, probably why she was, and always will be my baby) but I knew something was up so immediate thoughts were to get them to the vet.
This is where the trouble started.
I tried to call PDSA 3 days in a row, one day there were training, the other times there was no answer. On the last day I managed to get through- I called PDSA at 8am-the woman who answered told me this was the emergency line and that I would have to call back. I told her this was an emergency. She asked me what was the emergency. I told her 2 of my guinea pigs were sick and I needed an appointment right away. I told them one was having seizures. She said, and I quote "what do you mean seizures, what does that even mean?" not only was she rude but I was taken aback that I had to explain this to her. I told her my guinea pig was violently convulsing, crying, and she just interrupted me and said "thats not an emergency". Well I was lost for words. So I told her we think she may have mites which kill guinea pigs and she said "thats not serious, thats not an emergency". When I begged that could I please have an appointment because this is serious she just cut me off and told me to call back later. I was upset but I didnt want to annoy this receptionist so I waited 20 minutes and called back. I asked if I could get an appointment for both guinea pigs, I was told no, I could only take one.
They made me choose between my guinea pigs. This was a hard choice. Missy was the older pig who was crying, lost hair, was clearly distressed. However she had been treated for mites before and had built an immune system against them. Troy-who had never had any problems upto now, was not crying or showing any outward signs of distress-still had her same appetite,except she wouldn't move about as much and would just sit in the corner. Also she wasn't breathing as fast anymore. It was hard but I decided to take Missy first. I was told I would have to wait until 5 days later to take Troy.
Missy got her shot first, I was hopeful they would both pull through. By the time Troy's appointment came up she had lost a lot of weight and was breathing really badly. Still the vet diagnosed her with mites and gave her a shot too.
The first time Missy was treated last year she didn't show any signs of improvement until her second shot. In the days following Troy's first shot she only seemed to be getting worse, I was hoping she would pull through. The morning she was due to have her second shot I found her dead in her cage. I was distraught, and incredibly angry, more than I have ever been.
So I wrote a lengthy letter to the manager of PDSA explaining what had happened, how this isn't the first time one of their receptionists had spoken to me like **** but this was the first time its resulted in one of my pets dying. She called me and left a message, I wanted her to write to me but she called me back and tbh I felt very angry at some of the things she said.
Although I made it clear i'm not blaming her personally for what happened the fact her receptionist not only was patronising but apparently calling my concerns "not serious" I have every right to be upset. She called me as I was about to go into work so decided to just listen to what she had to say and not argue. She told me that the receptionist did not know "what you meant by seizures". On reflection if a receptionist doesn't know this why is she manning the emergency phone line?! She did say she talked to the receptionist and insisted "she needed to have more empathy." Did an animal really have to die for her to change? Why hire someone like that to deal with people who have sick animals?! She said she told the vaccine company about my piggys death (ok?!) and that she doesn't feel there was any concerns as "guinea pigs can just suddenly die" which is when I bit and said "yes I know, but I got her to you early, I knew there was something wrong but your receptionist just wouldn't listen." she just said she was sorry and there's nothing that can be done now.
I was also asked by a nurse there who gave Missy a shot why I was told I would have to wait 5 days for the next appointment when they have 24 hour booking. I said I had booked on the Friday and they told me they could only fit Troy in Tuesday. The nurse said they only run for a few hours on Saturday and that I should have at least been given the choice, or at the very least Monday, but not Tuesday.
The manager kept saying this was a difficult decision for me to make (about which guinea pig to take first) but it shouldn't have been one I was forced to make. I am still racked with guilt over how my baby Troy died and feel like I failed her. The night before she was due to get the second injection I had a feeling she was going downhill fast and her poops were coming out a strange shape and her breathing faster. By this point despite looking fluffy she felt skeletal.
I wasn't going to write another letter back to PDSA until I received the one I requested. I also requested they send back the pictures I had sent of Troy because I couldn't stand the idea of them throwing pictures of her away after everything else. The first letter they sent back was, along with her pictures a leaflet about grieving the loss of a pet which ended in talking about giving a contribution to PDSA (which, before this incident, I would have) but the second letter infuriated me.
Namely because she left out some of the things she said in the phone call (which she makes out this letter is supposed to be evidence of but I made sure to type up notes right after the call, things that were worth noting) but what angered me more is this line which is confusing:
"Mites alone would cause death, so we cannot rule out the possibility that Troy had another underlying condition. As we discussed on the phone Guinea Pigs can decline very quickly if they are poorly, unfortunately it seems that this is what has happened in Troy's case."
First, I ******* know this because this is what I said TO THE RECEPTIONIST who apparently knows all and told me I was over reacting. I caught this early, she didn't suddenly decline I called the vets 3 weeks before she died. If she had an underlying condition they should have diagnoised it, they had time. Second, its one of the reasons I found this site and want to ask a question.
I have read the forum rules, I know we are not suppose to diagnose animals and get them to the vet, but in this instance they failed me, and sadly Troy paid with her life.
I would like to ask if any other members here can give their idea's as if Troy did die from mites or if she may have had another underlying condition.
-She was 21 months old,
-had lost a lot of weight
-had flakey skin like dandruff similar to Missy
-unlike Missy had not lost fur
-was also not scratching like Missy. I do not know if the hairloss was from Missys scratching so much or the mites
-her poops were shaped like grape seeds, dented and some had holes in them
Any other details you would like to provide please let me know.
My mum is starting to think that it may have been something else and not mites, but she says even so the vet should have picked up on that. I'm very angry that in all the years I have had pets, not just guinea pigs, that I would lose one so young. She leaves behind her baby, Daisy, pictures below. After all the girls keep fighting with her we are going to castrate one of our males (who we believe is her dad) as hes the most friendly piggy and gets on with everyone to bond with her.
Finally here she is. I am glad I found this site especially the rainbow bridge pets section, I like to believe she is over there playing with the rest of them. I may post some more pictures (I literally have thousands of them already) but right now I still get upset just looking at them.
Thank you again if you managed to read all this, I'm still upset so I may have left things out/not worded things properly so can clarify in my next post. I understand I may not get many now as we are near Christmas but replies are greatly appreciated.
