Need advice - Sudden loss

[Claire1984]

Hi everyone, would love some advice and just to talk to someone really. My guinea pig Patches, I started to notice she wasn't able to pick her food up off the floor about a day ago, I was able to hand-feed her so this is what I did until I was able to get her into the vets (this evening). Took her to the vets, obviously wasn't allowed in due to coronavirus, so it was a basic drop off and the vet did the assessment and rang me back. Basically couldn't find anything wrong with her teeth, she said she'd scoped the back and she said when she'd pushed on her bladder it was uncomfortable for her so she would object her with an anti-inflammatory, paid my bill and she sent me off with some recovery food and some metacam. Couldn't wait to get her home I'd been so worried about her been in there on her own etc Within half an hour of getting back into the house, Patches was unsteady on her feet, she fell over and couldn't get back up, it was as if she was paralysed, she was dragging her legs along the ground. I picked her up and immediately called the out of hours vet for some advice, she said they shouldn't be side effects of the anti inflammatory and could I take her to the out of hours for ten thirty, which I agreed. Unfortunately before that Patches had a series of what I can only describe as some sort of fits, twitches, absolutely horrible episodes which I held onto her throughout, trying to reassure her as stupid as that may sound, and then she passed away, just like that she's gone. It's incomprehendible to me how this has happened in such a short space of time. Full of blame of myself, haven't stopped crying since, laid her in her pet carrier at the side of my bed until I can bury her in the morning. Sorry for the long winded post, just needed to speak about it.

 

[Siikibam]

I’m so sorry for your loss. Please don’t blame yourself. Piggies are notorious for hiding illnesses and can sometimes go downhill very quickly after showing only a few symptoms. You did what was right for your girl. Took her to the vet earlier and had booked an appointment for her. Take the time to grieve her, but be sure of the fact she was grateful to happy days with you, and you were there till the end.

 

[Claire1984]

I’m so sorry for your loss. Please don’t blame yourself. Piggies are notorious for hiding illnesses and can sometimes go downhill very quickly after showing only a few symptoms. You did what was right for your girl. Took her to the vet earlier and had booked an appointment for her. Take the time to grieve her, but be sure of the fact she was grateful to happy days with you, and you were there till the end.

Thankyou for your kind words, I am absolutely distraught. Can't get my head around it.

 

[Zanzan]

I'm so sorry you've gone through this, you must be feeling very shocked. The twitching sounds like what happens at the very end of their life when their brain is shutting down, she would not have been conscious at this point and would not have been suffering. Take care of yourself

 

[Wiebke]

Hi everyone, would love some advice and just to talk to someone really. My guinea pig Patches, I started to notice she wasn't able to pick her food up off the floor about a day ago, I was able to hand-feed her so this is what I did until I was able to get her into the vets (this evening). Took her to the vets, obviously wasn't allowed in due to coronavirus, so it was a basic drop off and the vet did the assessment and rang me back. Basically couldn't find anything wrong with her teeth, she said she'd scoped the back and she said when she'd pushed on her bladder it was uncomfortable for her so she would object her with an anti-inflammatory, paid my bill and she sent me off with some recovery food and some metacam. Couldn't wait to get her home I'd been so worried about her been in there on her own etc Within half an hour of getting back into the house, Patches was unsteady on her feet, she fell over and couldn't get back up, it was as if she was paralysed, she was dragging her legs along the ground. I picked her up and immediately called the out of hours vet for some advice, she said they shouldn't be side effects of the anti inflammatory and could I take her to the out of hours for ten thirty, which I agreed. Unfortunately before that Patches had a series of what I can only describe as some sort of fits, twitches, absolutely horrible episodes which I held onto her throughout, trying to reassure her as stupid as that may sound, and then she passed away, just like that she's gone. It's incomprehendible to me how this has happened in such a short space of time. Full of blame of myself, haven't stopped crying since, laid her in her pet carrier at the side of my bed until I can bury her in the morning. Sorry for the long winded post, just needed to speak about it.

Hi and welcome

BIG HUGS

I am ever so sorry for your loss. The dying process is much more physical than you'd expect and it can come as a nasty shock and be rather traumatic when it happens without warning. the process itself varies depending on what goes wrong first and in which order the body closes down. In your case, it seems to have started more likely in the brain (stroke?) or the nerve system.
It is very likely that it had already started or that the vet examination was just the extra spark to set the waiting powder keg off; in the latter case it would have happened in the very near future anyway. Please don't feel guilty; you have done exactly what any good owner should and would do. There is nothing more you or your vet could have done.

You may find the information via this guide link here helpful: Death, Dying, Terminal Illness, Grieving and Bereaved Companions: Information and Support for Owners and Their Children
It contains a dying guide, which may help you to understand better the physical side of what you have just witnessed and be able to address the trauma of it all a bit more by being able to put it into perspective.
The second guide addresses the human grieving process and includes the inevitable feelings of guilt and failure that we all experience to some degree or other at the onset but will also guide you through the typical stages over the coming days and weeks.
And the third guide is about what you can do for any bereaved companion in the immediate and longer wake of a loss.

 

[Claire W]

I’m so very sorry for your loss Please don’t blame yourself, you did your very best for her and there isn’t anymore you could have done x

 

[Claire1984]

Hi and welcome

BIG HUGS

I am ever so sorry for your loss. The dying process is much more physical than you'd expect and it can come as a nasty shock and be rather traumatic when it happens without warning. the process itself varies depending on what goes wrong first and in which order the body closes down. In your case, it seems to have started more likely in the brain (stroke?) or the nerve system.
It is very likely that had already started or that the vet examination was just the spark to set the waiting powder keg off; in the latter case it would have happened in the very near future anyway. Please don't feel guilty; you have done exactly what any good owner should and would do. There is nothing more you or your vet could have done.

You may find the information via this guide link here helpful: Death, Dying, Terminal Illness, Grieving and Bereaved Companions: Information and Support for Owners and Their Children
It contains a dying guide, which may help you to understand better the physical side of what you have just witnessed and be able to address the trauma of it all a bit more by being able to put it in perspective.
The second guide addresses the human grieving process and includes the inevitable feelings of guilt and failure that we all experience to some degree or other at the onset but will also guide you through the typical stages over the coming days and weeks.
And the third guide is about what you can do for any bereaved companion in the immediate and longer wake of a loss.

Thankyou so much, you're all so kind. I have read these forums before and they are so helpful but even more so when you can speak to people who actually understand the hurt you are feeling. Not ashamed to say I haven't stopped crying since, and sleep did not happen last night. I managed to let her sister Fudge spend a bit of time with her after she had passed, and have given her a blanket with Patches smell on, she seems ok at the moment just going about her business eating and is having her afternoon siesta as we speak, but obviously I will keep monitoring her and we will get through all this together. This is a photo of Patches in happier times and this is how I wish to remember her, thanks again x

 

[Claire W]

Thankyou so much, you're all so kind. I have read these forums before and they are so helpful but even more so when you can speak to people who actually understand the hurt you are feeling. Not ashamed to say I haven't stopped crying since, and sleep did not happen last night. I managed to let her sister Fudge spend a bit of time with her after she had passed, and have given her a blanket with Patches smell on, she seems ok at the moment just going about her business eating and is having her afternoon siesta as we speak, but obviously I will keep monitoring her and we will get through all this together. This is a photo of Patches in happier times and this is how I wish to remember her, thanks again x

She was beautiful x

 

[Freela]

I'm so sorry, what a cute piggie she was! Please don't blame yourself, you've done nothing wrong here and did everything you could to help. What you experienced as she passed is something that I've gone through with past pigs... it's upsetting to watch, especially when you aren't expecting it. I really think that by the time you saw the vet, her body was already in the process of shutting down. Pigs hide illness well and mine have all passed very quickly (sometimes shockingly so) after showing the first, often very vague, symptoms. ((HUGS)) to you and take time to grieve. I'm so sorry for what you're been through and Patches was obviously much loved.

 

[GuineaCrazy20]

I'm sorry for your loss & recently lost my fur baby on saturday ages 14 months. Same as you the vet did not know what was wrong and other than diarrhoea that was the only signs. 3 vet trips, antibiotics & met cam, still no improvement despite still eating. Like you I found my guinea couldn't get up & I took him the vet convinced he had a stroke or fit. He did get his movement back but was dragging the left side of his body but later improved that same night to full on walking. I also noticed twitching of his head too. He went down hill quickly and had to be fed by syringe and was sleeping lots. Saturday just gone I knew it was time and he died in my arms on the way to the vet. I know how hard it is I'm grieving myself. It's so hard when they cant find out what was wrong and you pay so much money trying to get a answer only to be told try this in hope it works. The vet did not give my boy any pain relief on his last visit so on the day I knew he was ready for rainbow bridge I did give him the amount recommended previously of meticam that I had been given few weeks prior for him. Any pain he was in, the med would of helped ease that.

You did all you could and give him the very best of life, that's what I tell myself right now. Big hugs to you xx

 

[Claire1984]

I'm sorry for your loss & recently lost my fur baby on saturday ages 14 months. Same as you the vet did not know what was wrong and other than diarrhoea that was the only signs. 3 vet trips, antibiotics & met cam, still no improvement despite still eating. Like you I found my guinea couldn't get up & I took him the vet convinced he had a stroke or fit. He did get his movement back but was dragging the left side of his body but later improved that same night to full on walking. I also noticed twitching of his head too. He went down hill quickly and had to be fed by syringe and was sleeping lots. Saturday just gone I knew it was time and he died in my arms on the way to the vet. I know how hard it is I'm grieving myself. It's so hard when they cant find out what was wrong and you pay so much money trying to get a answer only to be told try this in hope it works. The vet did not give my boy any pain relief on his last visit so on the day I knew he was ready for rainbow bridge I did give him the amount recommended previously of meticam that I had been given few weeks prior for him. Any pain he was in, the med would of helped ease that.

You did all you could and give him the very best of life, that's what I tell myself right now. Big hugs to you xx

I am so sorry for your loss too, they really do leave a huge gap in your life when they pass. It's been just over 24 hours and I'm not ashamed to say I've cried for most of the day. Thinking of her and the fact that I've had to tuck her sister into bed for the night without her has really got to me. I can only hope that she wasn't in pain as she passed but I'll never know, and I'm also hoping they were kind to her at the vets when they were examining her, because I know she would have been so scared. Little things like that and all the unanswered questions are breaking my heart at the moment. I miss her her so very very much.

 

[Zanzan]

The first day I think is always the hardest, doing everything in your routine but they aren't there. We miss all our piggies that have gone but I think they become part of us and we carry them with us always.

 

[Claire1984]

The first day I think is always the hardest, doing everything in your routine but they aren't there. We miss all our piggies that have gone but I think they become part of us and we carry them with us always.

Definitely

 

[Shelley anne]

Sorry for your loss, its hard to experience this. Your piggy was loved till the end. How special that was for her.

 

[GuineaCrazy20]

I am so sorry for your loss too, they really do leave a huge gap in your life when they pass. It's been just over 24 hours and I'm not ashamed to say I've cried for most of the day. Thinking of her and the fact that I've had to tuck her sister into bed for the night without her has really got to me. I can only hope that she wasn't in pain as she passed but I'll never know, and I'm also hoping they were kind to her at the vets when they were examining her, because I know she would have been so scared. Little things like that and all the unanswered questions are breaking my heart at the moment. I miss her her so very very much.

You think the same as me. I was really worried about charlie his birth brother. Lots of cuddles & interaction with her little sister is key. I was so worried him being out in the cold when we buried him even though I know he cant feel it but it's just so hard when you lose a pet. Be kind to yourself and put your energy into your other guinea now. You did all you could just like me and now we have to care for them left behind ( big hugs ) xx

 

[Claire1984]

You think the same as me. I was really worried about charlie his birth brother. Lots of cuddles & interaction with her little sister is key. I was so worried him being out in the cold when we buried him even though I know he cant feel it but it's just so hard when you lose a pet. Be kind to yourself and put your energy into your other guinea now. You did all you could just like me and now we have to care for them left behind ( big hugs ) xx

For exactly the same reason I made a wooden box to put Patches in and wrapped her up in a blanket before putting her in, and my daughter wrote her a little note telling her how much she would be missed and how much we loved her, we buried her just outside the back door, so that everytime we go out we can talk to her. It sounds crazy to everyone apart from those that are on this forum I think, but that is how much of a massive part of our lives they are. Fudge her sister is caring up very well tbh, I put a blanket in her cage with Patches scent on and she has a sniff and goes to lay on it at times, also let her see her shortly after she had passed, again she had a sniff and then went to sit in the corner, she took it better than me and my daughter bless her. Lucky in a respect that I do have two more girls who we rescued two years ago so she has plenty of interaction with them through the day in the inside run, and I've moved their cage right next to hers on a night so she can see them, also have two boys who I took off a friend who couldn't really give them the care they needed but obviously because they're unneutered I can't bond them and I definitely don't want babies haha. Have to say although the pain of losing her will never go away, I am starting to feel a little better and I hope you are too, remember the good times and the life that you had with him and gave him, and like you say focus on the ones left behind

 

[GuineaCrazy20]

For exactly the same reason I made a wooden box to put Patches in and wrapped her up in a blanket before putting her in, and my daughter wrote her a little note telling her how much she would be missed and how much we loved her, we buried her just outside the back door, so that everytime we go out we can talk to her. It sounds crazy to everyone apart from those that are on this forum I think, but that is how much of a massive part of our lives they are. Fudge her sister is caring up very well tbh, I put a blanket in her cage with Patches scent on and she has a sniff and goes to lay on it at times, also let her see her shortly after she had passed, again she had a sniff and then went to sit in the corner, she took it better than me and my daughter bless her. Lucky in a respect that I do have two more girls who we rescued two years ago so she has plenty of interaction with them through the day in the inside run, and I've moved their cage right next to hers on a night so she can see them, also have two boys who I took off a friend who couldn't really give them the care they needed but obviously because they're unneutered I can't bond them and I definitely don't want babies haha. Have to say although the pain of losing her will never go away, I am starting to feel a little better and I hope you are too, remember the good times and the life that you had with him and gave him, and like you say focus on the ones left behind ❤

We buried our milo in a wooden box and put him next to our other guinea simba in our garden. I have 2 more boars who was separated during milo being sick due to overly humping resulting in a bad bite. I have recently been able to bond them back together and so far so good 4 days runnings being back with each other. Think there glad to be back together for company now. The days will get easier. Yes they are a massive part of our lives ( hugs )