My Guinea Pig Died Pretty Suddenly - Looking For Insight/closure

[pixieflowerface]

Hi all,

First of all I am new here so hello to everyone and thanks in advance for any responses and/or advice. I am sorry if anybody finds reading about this distressing. That isn't my intention at all. I'm just in shock and very upset and would really appreciate any insights others may have.

Basically, one of my guinea pigs died tonight after falling very ill very quickly and I am just trying to understand what might have happened and if there's anything I can do to ensure it doesn't happen to the others. I also feel like I need some closure as I have kept guinea pigs for a number of years now and have always had them live to a ripe age but this particular pig was only a few months old.

So we got the guinea pig in question - Charles - about a month ago now. He was a lone boar who was rescued due to not getting on with his brother. We were told that he was born in January. He was kept on his own but able to see and hear our two female guinea pigs. We always felt that he was a little subdued compared to the other guinea pigs we'd had. He never really squeaked much and wasn't a big eater but as he had been health checked by the rescue place and had been that way since we brought it home, we put it down to personality differences. Now I'm not so sure. Perhaps there was some underlying condition or something?

Yesterday he seemed pretty much normal when he was checked on/fed etc. Nothing unusual that either me or my partner noticed. He still had quite a bit of food left but, as I mentioned before, this had been the case since we first brought him home. Tonight when my partner went to feed him, he was sat in the corner of the cage not really moving about and sort of squeaking as he breathed. He was still alert but not very mobile. He also had some discharge coming from one of his eyes. We immediately brought him out of the cage and put him in a blanket. We tried to feed him vegetables we know he likes and I also hand-fed him some water. After about half an hour he was just the same so we took him to the emergency vet who said that his chest sounded like he had bronchitis. The vet said he couldn't be sure without an x-ray but didn't want to risk the anesthetic. So we were sent home with two lots of antibiotics to give to him. When we first got home he seemed to be moving around a bit more, so we gave him the medicine and let him sit on my partner's knee on the sofa. I'm not sure exactly when it happened but a few minutes later my partner was stroking him and noticed he was all floppy. I tried rubbing him vigorously to see if I could wake him up but he was gone. There was no squeaking or squirming directly before, he just seemed to slip away. We were just both so shocked as he had gone downhill so quickly and when we came home with the medicine we were happy and confident that he would recover.

One thing that is playing on my mind is that I have been off work with very bad flu this week and I can't shake the feeling that he got sick because I passed it on. I didn't feed or handled him but have been in the room where we keep the guinea pigs whilst coughing and sneezing. I'd be devastated to learn that it could be mu fault he got sick but most of all I want to understand what might have happened so that it doesn't happen again.

I'm really upset to have lost a pig who I thought we had many years left with and not really understand why. He is kept in the same room as our two girls, fed the same diet, has the same bedding etc and they seem absolutely fine (and trust me - after tonight I double and triple checked that they definitely were). If anyone has had similar experiences or is more knowledgeable than me about such things then I really would like to hear from them.

Sorry this was kind of long (especially for a first post). Thanks for your time.

 

[Keiko The Pig]

I am so sorry to hear about your loss. As an experienced guinea pig owner I'm sure you're aware that it is natural instinct for guinea pigs to hide any illness/weakness for as long as possible, do not blame yourself for not noticing sooner. As much as we love them, they do see us as predators, especially new piggies. It is very possible that his illness was the reason for his subdued behaviour, but it is also true that some piggies are more withdrawn than others. Did you keep him on the same food the rescue fed him? Sometimes changing a pigs food entirely can be tricky. It's completely new to them, some will be excited by the prospect of new food, others might take awhile to adjust, which could also explain his lesser appetite.

It's hard to find concrete answers about guinea pigs catching illnesses from humans, from my understanding they CAN NOT contract any viral infections (like the common cold) but can get sick from bacteria/fungus we may bring into contact with them.

Here's a link: Can Humans Pass an Illness to Guinea Pigs?
this site claims that guinea pigs can easily catch URI's from humans. I am not a vet so I cannot confirm or deny this. Also, a flu/food poisoning is not a URI so it is highly unlikely you made your guinea pig sick by simply being in the same room as him. Please do not blame yourself for the early parting of this piggy, devastating illnesses strike every species, even the healthiest of humans fall to disease.

Based on the symptoms you described I would say your vet probably diagnosed him correctly, it definitely sounded like a lung/respiratory issue. Try to rest easy knowing that he is no longer suffering, and if/when you feel ready, you could post a tribute to him in the Rainbow Bridge section. Sorry I don't have any vet experience that could help answer your questions, I hope you feel better soon.

 

[Freela]

I'm really sorry for your loss! That must have been a shock! Guinea pigs hide illness very well and often by the time we see signs of illness, they are very ill already. With the wheezing/eye discharge it does sound like some sort of lung infection that got out of hand quickly. He may have had some underlying issue that made him more susceptible, especially since you say he never had a good appetite and always seemed more subdued than the average guinea pig. Something like an underlying heart condition that he was born with could make him more susceptible to chest infection.

My understanding from my own vet is that guinea pigs are not likely to catch human viral infections like the flu or the common cold. Most viruses are species-specific and do not easily pass from one species to another. So I think it's really unlikely that he caught your illness. At any rate, I've got a household with three kids and we've passed a ton of illnesses around over the years and have never had a pig contract an infection from any of us. So try not to blame yourself for that!

Unfortunately guinea pigs can go downhill so quickly... the last pig I lost seemed fine in the evening, a little subdued the next morning, very lethargic by the afternoon when I rushed her to the vet, and passed away in the late evening. It was really that quick.

 

[helen105281]

I'm so sorry for your loss, it sounds like atypical Pneumonia to me which can strike out of the blue with not many symptoms. It is possible that there was an underlying issue too though but sadly you will never know. One thing I will say though is that there is nothing more you could have done, you got him straight to the vet as soon as you noticed he was ill, so please try not to torture yourself.

As far as I am aware it is very difficult for a pig to catch our illnesses, I have had colds and even flu before and my pigs have not got ill from it. I think this was sadly just bad timing that it happened at the same time you were ill.

I hope you are feeling better after your flu.

 

[Cookies&Glitter]

Having done everything I could think of for my piggie and still loosing her I'm sorry I know how much it hurts. As my vet told me it's hard not to have an answer when things don't go as they should but at the end of the day it could have been any number of problems, it is certainly not your fault for not knowing the answer you did everything you could in such a short period of time.

 

[pixieflowerface]

Thanks for the responses, everyone. It all feels a bit surreal this morning as I never had a pet deteriorate so quickly like that.

Keiko - to answer your question we just put him on the nuggets that our other guinea pigs have when he arrived. It wasn't really mentioned and in all honesty I never thought about it since we already had a ton of food at home for the others. He would eat vegetables that we gave to him in a flash but just didn't seem to eat his hay or dry food as quickly but we just figured he might be a bit of a fussy eater.

I am happy to know that I probably didn't pass my flu onto him. I suppose it's just one of those things we can't control. It's a shame though that he was so young

 

[7squeakers.]

So sorry to hear about your sudden loss. I echo the sentiments of previous posts; you did everything you could for your little boy.

I just wanted to say that guinea pigs CAN catch the human cold. I don't think this is what killed your boy, though; I think he had contracted something much earlier.

 

[Wiebke]

I am very sorry for your loss! It can really throw you when it happens so suddenly and unexpectedly. I agree with @helen105281 that it sounds like "walking"/atypical pneumonia that hits out of the blue and is often fatal due to the incredible speed with which it develops; the antibiotics never get to fully kick in even when you have your piggy seen asap. it is most likely that when he went floppy, his heart gave out. It is very distressing to witness, but you have done what you could and cared for him as much as possible, right to the end.

It is very normal to have the need to make sense what has happened in addition to the feelings of guilt or failure that are normal for the onset of the grieving process for any loving and responsible pet owner. It is going to take awhile for you to digest it all and to grieve. Right now you are at the "empty" phase when the sudden rush of adrenalin is running out, leaving you feeling drained and not yet really able to take it all in.

Here are tips for what you can do if your boy has got a surviving companion: Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig

You are welcome to post a tribute to your boy in our Rainbow Bridge section if or whenever it feels right for you; we grieve all in our own way and at a different pace.

You can find our recommended UK vet locator on the top bar, but we may be able to provide with a link for recommended piggy savvy vets if you live elsewere.

 

[Swissgreys]

I just wanted to say how wonderful it is that he died whilst being stroked on the lap of someone who loved him.
I understand how hard it is to loose a beloved pet, but at least he died in the most peaceful way possible.

 

[pixieflowerface]

I just wanted to say how wonderful it is that he died whilst being stroked on the lap of someone who loved him.
I understand how hard it is to loose a beloved pet, but at least he died in the most peaceful way possible.

Thank you. That means a lot.

 

[VickiA]

I am so sorry that you lost your boy so suddenly. It does sound like the atypical acute onset pneumonia. You did your best for him so no wonder you are in shock. Please don't blame yourself, you loved and cared for him and got him vet treatment. He died knowing he was loved. That is precious.

 

[Freela]

Thank you. That means a lot.

That's very true. My last piggie to pass also passed on my lap, and although it was so difficult for me, it made me feel better to know that she was never alone, she was with people who loved her right up until the end.