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Old guinea pig has hole in bum (need advice)

M

Mr.Moose

New Born Pup
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Hi, I’m new here - I am searching for help for my 10 year-old Guinea pig.

My Guinea pig has been struggling with impaction for a bit and I have been washing him to get rid of it, but as of Thursday he now has a hole in in his rectum that looks potentially infected.

I have very little money and I’m trying to come up with enough for a vet visit but I want to know if there is anything I can do to help him with pain and prolong his life. I love him dearly and I’m trying to see if there is anything I can do to help him.

His back legs still work albeit a bit stiff, he is still eating and drinking normally, he is overall healthy besides a couple cysts and eye gunk and I guess being a little old.

I don’t believe he could survive surgery due to his age and I don’t think I could afford it anyway.

If anyone has any advice that could help him please let me know, I just want him to be okay or at least not in too much pain.
 
Welcome to the forum.
Ten years old is an amazing age for a guinea pig, it shows you have cared for him well.

The situation you are in right now sounds quite difficult. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do at home to effectively treat an infection or reduce pain, if he is left without veterinary attention the infection will worsen and he will suffer immensely.

If you are unable to afford treatment then unfortunately euthanasia would be your next option, this is not something you should feel at all guilty about as it may be the most kind, loving and caring thing you could possibly do for him. It would spare him any suffering.
My seven year old sow has just died and I feel that the only thing I could have done better for her in her last day was euthanise her when I knew she was very ill, rather than allowing her to worsen while attempting treatment.

It really is important that he sees a vet in the next few days, if he has already had this since Thursday he could be severely ill. It may be worth speaking to your vet about payment options. I know that my vets will allow the appointment to go ahead any accept payment at a later date. Other vets may offer a payment plan.

In the meantime, make sure he keeps eating well. Keep the impaction clear and most importantly keep his sleeping area completely clean. If you use loose bedding it may be worth making his sleeping area out of a fleece bed or even just a towel, so that it can be easily washed and he isn’t potentially collecting debris in the infected area.
I am not an expert, but I believe you may be able to flush the whole area with a saline solution. This will not heal it or treat the infection but may help to keep it clean. I think there are instructions for how to make a saline solution on the guinealynx website and maybe also on here but I am not certain.

Most of the experts are in the UK so will not be online again until the morning. I hope this has been of some use to you in the meantime.
 
Pantalaimon said:
Welcome to the forum.
Ten years old is an amazing age for a guinea pig, it shows you have cared for him well.

The situation you are in right now sounds quite difficult. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do at home to effectively treat an infection or reduce pain, if he is left without veterinary attention the infection will worsen and he will suffer immensely.

If you are unable to afford treatment then unfortunately euthanasia would be your next option, this is not something you should feel at all guilty about as it may be the most kind, loving and caring thing you could possibly do for him. It would spare him any suffering.
My seven year old sow has just died and I feel that the only thing I could have done better for her in her last day was euthanise her when I knew she was very ill, rather than allowing her to worsen while attempting treatment.

It really is important that he sees a vet in the next few days, if he has already had this since Thursday he could be severely ill. It may be worth speaking to your vet about payment options. I know that my vets will allow the appointment to go ahead any accept payment at a later date. Other vets may offer a payment plan.

In the meantime, make sure he keeps eating well. Keep the impaction clear and most importantly keep his sleeping area completely clean. If you use loose bedding it may be worth making his sleeping area out of a fleece bed or even just a towel, so that it can be easily washed and he isn’t potentially collecting debris in the infected area.
I am not an expert, but I believe you may be able to flush the whole area with a saline solution. This will not heal it or treat the infection but may help to keep it clean. I think there are instructions for how to make a saline solution on the guinealynx website and maybe also on here but I am not certain.

Most of the experts are in the UK so will not be online again until the morning. I hope this has been of some use to you in the meantime.
Click to expand...
Thank you, I will see if there are any vets who are reliable and can help him - I knew that there probably wasn’t anything I could really do to fix the problem without a vet, but I was hoping.

Thank you for your response.
 
Mr.Moose said:
Thank you, I will see if there are any vets who are reliable and can help him - I knew that there probably wasn’t anything I could really do to fix the problem without a vet, but I was hoping.

Thank you for your response.
Click to expand...
Good luck to you and your pig. I hope you manage to find a cooperative vet.
Be aware though, many vets are not knowledgeable on guinea pigs and may attempt to treat them with methods used on dogs or cats that are not suitable for guinea pigs.
 
Pantalaimon said:
Welcome to the forum.
Ten years old is an amazing age for a guinea pig, it shows you have cared for him well.

The situation you are in right now sounds quite difficult. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do at home to effectively treat an infection or reduce pain, if he is left without veterinary attention the infection will worsen and he will suffer immensely.

If you are unable to afford treatment then unfortunately euthanasia would be your next option, this is not something you should feel at all guilty about as it may be the most kind, loving and caring thing you could possibly do for him. It would spare him any suffering.
My seven year old sow has just died and I feel that the only thing I could have done better for her in her last day was euthanise her when I knew she was very ill, rather than allowing her to worsen while attempting treatment.

It really is important that he sees a vet in the next few days, if he has already had this since Thursday he could be severely ill. It may be worth speaking to your vet about payment options. I know that my vets will allow the appointment to go ahead any accept payment at a later date. Other vets may offer a payment plan.

In the meantime, make sure he keeps eating well. Keep the impaction clear and most importantly keep his sleeping area completely clean. If you use loose bedding it may be worth making his sleeping area out of a fleece bed or even just a towel, so that it can be easily washed and he isn’t potentially collecting debris in the infected area.
I am not an expert, but I believe you may be able to flush the whole area with a saline solution. This will not heal it or treat the infection but may help to keep it clean. I think there are instructions for how to make a saline solution on the guinealynx website and maybe also on here but I am not certain.

Most of the experts are in the UK so will not be online again until the morning. I hope this has been of some use to you in the meantime.
Click to expand...

Thank you, I will see if there are any vets who are reliable and can help him - I knew that there probably wasn’t anything I could really do to fix the problem without a vet, but I was hoping.

I am very sad about him as he was me and my twin sister’s pet for a some time, and after losing my sister I have been dedicated to taking care of my guinea pig. This will be a difficult loss. But I know that he deserves to go peacefully and not in pain.

I also send my condolences to you, I’m so sorry you lost your guinea pig. It is very difficult, so I hope you know that it isn’t something to feel guilty about because you didn’t want to loose her. Sometimes we make decisions that are overall not them best because we don’t want to loose someone we love.
Thank you for your response. I really appreciate you taking the time to respond, thank you for your help
 
Mr Moose I am so very you are in this situation and hope that you find the help you need quickly especially as we don't want him suffering, as said you are clearly a wonderful guinea mum your sister must be proud and when the right time comes perhaps you can take some comfort in the knowledge that they will be reunited on the Rainbow Bridge 🌈
 
So sorry Mr Moose for your loss :hug: Is there any vets that would offer treatment with a payment plan, or is there a close family member or friend who would perhaps lend you the money. in the meantime can you keep the area as clean and dry as possible, bathe the area with salt water solution until you can get treatment
 
Bill & Ted said:
So sorry Mr Moose for your loss :hug: Is there any vets that would offer treatment with a payment plan, or is there a close family member or friend who would perhaps lend you the money. in the meantime can you keep the area as clean and dry as possible, bathe the area with salt water solution until you can get treatment
Click to expand...

Thank you - I have a friend who is willing to help me with some money to take my guinea pig to the vet, I have set an appointment up for him in a couple hours at a veterinary clinic that was suggested to me.

I am currently keeping Cookie, my guinea pig, on a clean towel that I am changing regularly, I tried to put some saline on the area but he doesn’t like me touching it too much. - I hope that the vet appointment goes well, but I know that the most likely thing they will suggest is to put him down due to him being quite old.

Thank you for taking the time to respond to me, I appreciate this.
 
CTWC said:
Mr Moose I am so very you are in this situation and hope that you find the help you need quickly especially as we don't want him suffering, as said you are clearly a wonderful guinea mum your sister must be proud and when the right time comes perhaps you can take some comfort in the knowledge that they will be reunited on the Rainbow Bridge 🌈
Click to expand...

Thank you so much - I have found a vet and set up an appointment in a couple hours for him - I really appreciate this, in times like these it is hard to believe I did everything I could with what I have - the thought of them reuniting brings me comfort as I know they had a special bond and Cookie, my guinea pig, seemed to know after my sister died that she wasn’t coming back - he kept waiting for her after she passed - so I think that he would be overjoyed to see her again.

Thank you for taking the time to respond - I really appreciated your message.
 
Mr.Moose said:
Thank you so much - I have found a vet and set up an appointment in a couple hours for him - I really appreciate this, in times like these it is hard to believe I did everything I could with what I have - the thought of them reuniting brings me comfort as I know they had a special bond and Cookie, my guinea pig, seemed to know after my sister died that she wasn’t coming back - he kept waiting for her after she passed - so I think that he would be overjoyed to see her again.

Thank you for taking the time to respond - I really appreciated your message.
Click to expand...
So pleased to hear you’ve managed to get a vet appointment. It sounds like you’re really doing everything you can. I hope all goes smoothly for you, whatever the outcome.
 
I took Cookie to the vet - the vet was very kind and thorough - they decided the best course of action was to put him down - but the procedure was done carefully and he didn’t feel any pain from it - the clinic gave me an ink print of his paw prints and nose - it hurts extremely but at least he is no longer in pain.

Thank you for the input - I appreciate all the help and messages - thank you
 

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Mr.Moose said:
I took Cookie to the vet - the vet was very kind and thorough - they decided the best course of action was to put him down - but the procedure was done carefully and he didn’t feel any pain from it - the clinic gave me an ink print of his paw prints and nose - it hurts extremely but at least he is no longer in pain.

Thank you for the input - I appreciate all the help and messages - thank you
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear you had to come to this decision but I’m so glad you had a calm and positive experience at the vets. I know from experience how much of a difference it makes when things are handled correctly.

Best wishes to you in the future.
 
I am so very sorry, its heartbreaking. Cookie is adorable, the photos show some wonderful memories and hopefully it's these memories that will help you through this awful time. Cookie is now pain free popcorning over the Rainbow Bridge 🌈🌈
 
I’m so sorry you had to let him go. Such a hard decision but one made with love. He was gorgeous. He felt your love right to the end. He’ll be popcorning over the bridge pain free ❤️
 
So very sorry you had to make this decision. What a wonderful life you gave Cookie. Sleep tight little chap ❤️🌈
 
I am so sorry for your loss... especially given he was your sister's piggie it must be really difficult. It's always hard to have to make that decision, I know a lot of us have been there. I do have to say that 10 is a remarkable age for a guinea pig- you gave him a wonderful, long life, although I know it always feels too soon. ((HUGS)) to you and I'm so sorry for your loss.
 
So very sorry for your loss. You made the right decision for your piggy as it came from a place of love. He lived to a grand old age thanks to your care. Sending a big hug.
 
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