Our 6yr old Oakley got diagnosed with a lymphoma just over a month ago the last few days have been pretty rough with her be in early gi stasis the vets manged to get her out of it but her gut is still slow and shes only eating lettuce shes ate a tiny bit of hay and drunk some water
i always knew this would come but i dont know what its like not to have oakley and ik the time will be very soon
i dont want her to be in pain or suffer but at the same time i cant bear to loose her this was her before she was ill
Hi and welcome
BIG HUGS
What a lovely lady!
I am so very sorry that Oakley is coming to the end of her life.
Please contact your vet for stronger pain relief but please also accept that some of the opiates can come with some rather massive side effects.
You can offer her syringe feed in order to replace the lack of hay, which makes over three quarters of the daily food intake.
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels
How to Improvise Feeding Support in an Emergency
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
None of us ever wants to lose a beloved piggy but at the same time we don't want them to suffer needlessly. Because you are literally torn apart between very strong emotions, it can become at times overwhelming and paralysing but never more than at the start of the grieving process, which is not the moment of death but the moment you realise that death is inevitable and that you are on the countdown.
This realisation, which is comparable to shock of a sudden death is usually the second worst moment of the grieving process, apart from the passing itself - and you are never prepared for either, even when you know they are coming.
Please take the time to read these links here, which I have tried to make as practical, detailed and helpful as possible in order to help clear your mind enough that you can listen to your heart and clear your mind enough to hopefully know where you stand that is most important for you and your bond with Oakley now and while you are going through your grieving process.
Operation, Terminal Care or Euthanasia? - Helpful Questions to Ask Ahead or in Hindsight
The other guide will hopefully be a helping hand to lead you through the taxing time of looking after a terminally ill piggy; especially the difficult last days with its ups and downs when you cannot but constantly question yourself.
A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs (see chapter 'terminal illness')
You are now about to come into the zone where there is no right or wrong, whichever way you decide how soon to call it shots and how to try to extend a life because it all depends on your own heart and in how you weigh up the various factors that contribute to your inner turmoil over the coming days.
At some point, there will be a 'too late' and today is clearly still a 'too early'. Because it is your burden as an owner, it is only you who can make that decision, all we can do is give you the factors in play and the questions to ask yourself so you can work out where you stand yourself in order to get it right for both Oakley and you, so you can ultimately let her go in peace once your grieving process and the inevitable emotional turmoil and doubts are over.
Please take the time to read the links. We are here to answer any questions you may have short of making life or death decisions for you. We will also be here for you to give you our community support in this difficult and bitter time for as long as you wish to.
It will help all of us if you can please bookmark this thread so you can pick it up quickly again and if you can keep everything to this one support thread so we can remind ourselves of the case after a little lapse of time.
My thoughts are with your beautiful Oakley and you.
