Chocolate&Coconut
Junior Guinea Pig
Hi,
I last posted on this forum just over a year ago, when my beautiful piggie Coconut became ill and sadly passed away. Unfortunately, I seem to be in a similar position again today...
My remaining guinea pig Chocolate (Coconut's sister) is just over 8 years old, so she's an old lady, I know. She's had arthritis in her back legs for a couple of months now, and while she's always been rather a lazy pig, now she has also really started to show her age. We've done everything we can to make her more comfortable; she has vetbed in her cage for her joints and to help with her incontinence problem, we've bathed her and cleaned her eyes, we've made her food and water easier to access for her, and we generally give her plenty of attention. Up until about a week or two ago she was fine and seemed happy, however then her legs started deteriorating very noticeably to the point where she was finding it very difficult to move around. But she was still eating and drinking fine.
Today though, she hasn't eaten or drank anything. We've tried to get her to drink, but she turns her head away, and we've given her cucumber (her favourite) but she sinks her teeth into it and then doesn't actually eat it. Her legs are much worse today, she's hardly moved at all; her coat has become dull, and when we stroke her a bit of fur comes away; and the most worrying thing of all, her body has become cold. I know she's very old, and she's had a happy, long life... I'm just wondering... how long does she have left? I can't get to sleep, because I'm so worried I'm going to wake up for work in the morning and find she's passed away. I want to stay with her and spend some last moments with her, but she seems comfortable in her cage in the hay.
I just don't know what to do right now... and if she does make it through the night, we're thinking that the kind thing to do would be to take her to the vets tomorrow to have her put to sleep. I know she must be suffering right now... I just don't want her to have to suffer any longer. Another problem is that I have work in the morning, and the earliest we could get to the vets would be mid-afternoon... by which time it will probably be too late - and I really don't want to be at work when she passes away if that's the case. I just don't know what to do!
Any responses would be appreciated... quick responses would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
I last posted on this forum just over a year ago, when my beautiful piggie Coconut became ill and sadly passed away. Unfortunately, I seem to be in a similar position again today...
My remaining guinea pig Chocolate (Coconut's sister) is just over 8 years old, so she's an old lady, I know. She's had arthritis in her back legs for a couple of months now, and while she's always been rather a lazy pig, now she has also really started to show her age. We've done everything we can to make her more comfortable; she has vetbed in her cage for her joints and to help with her incontinence problem, we've bathed her and cleaned her eyes, we've made her food and water easier to access for her, and we generally give her plenty of attention. Up until about a week or two ago she was fine and seemed happy, however then her legs started deteriorating very noticeably to the point where she was finding it very difficult to move around. But she was still eating and drinking fine.
Today though, she hasn't eaten or drank anything. We've tried to get her to drink, but she turns her head away, and we've given her cucumber (her favourite) but she sinks her teeth into it and then doesn't actually eat it. Her legs are much worse today, she's hardly moved at all; her coat has become dull, and when we stroke her a bit of fur comes away; and the most worrying thing of all, her body has become cold. I know she's very old, and she's had a happy, long life... I'm just wondering... how long does she have left? I can't get to sleep, because I'm so worried I'm going to wake up for work in the morning and find she's passed away. I want to stay with her and spend some last moments with her, but she seems comfortable in her cage in the hay.
I just don't know what to do right now... and if she does make it through the night, we're thinking that the kind thing to do would be to take her to the vets tomorrow to have her put to sleep. I know she must be suffering right now... I just don't want her to have to suffer any longer. Another problem is that I have work in the morning, and the earliest we could get to the vets would be mid-afternoon... by which time it will probably be too late - and I really don't want to be at work when she passes away if that's the case. I just don't know what to do!
Any responses would be appreciated... quick responses would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
