Our Beloved Piggy Died, Only A Year Old.

[Damian]

Hello. This is my first post here.
I am struggling to understand why our one year old piggy died the other evening.
We had two males, Harry and Marmalade, sharing a two tier cage outside against the house, with a full cover on it. We really looked after them, lots of hay, some greens, kale etc, the odd treat here and there, pellets, and lots of time on the grass in the run when the weather allows.
The other evening, around 5.30, I fed them as usual. On this occasion, Marmalade didn't emerge from the bedroom area. Usually he is the first out, he is the dominant one and always wants first dibs at the food! Harry came downstairs and tucked in. We had noticed Marmalade had been spending a bit more time in the bedroom area of late, but put it down to the weather not being too good and the fact the bedroom is nice and warm.
At 10.30 that evening, I went out to put their SnuggleSafe in to keep them nice and warm, and found that Marmalade was not in the bedroom. It was quite dark, as not too much light was coming from our house, and I could make out a pale shape on the floor downstairs. When I put my hand in to stroke him, I realized he'd gone.
There was no apparent signs of ill health, no different poos, no discharge from anywhere, no lumps or bumps.
The following morning, after telling the kids (7 and 10 year olds, what a choker!), we took Harry and poor Marmalade to the vets. Harry got the all clear, and the vet looked at Marmalade and said she did not know why he died, but intestinal blockages are common in piggies and this was a probable cause of death. has anyone else heard of this?
We are all totally choked by this, even I, a 42 year old man, couldn't hold it together. Marmalade was a funny, cheeky, unique piggy, and we all loved him so much, he will be missed immensely. We'll never forget him.

 

[helen105281]

I'm so sorry. It is difficult to say what happened but if I had to guess my first thought would be a heart attack, they can strike at any age.

Is it possible to bring your remaining pig inside during the cold weather?

Welcome to the forum.

 

[sport_billy]

Hello, sorry for your loss, it is really hard to lose a much loved pet matey. Every-time I go through it is kills me, we all know how you are feeling.

Piggies are prey animals so hide illnesses very well, often you can't tell they are poorly until too late.

Without paying for a postmortem, it is impossible to tell what the cause was. Sudden death can often be down to strokes possibly, heart attacks but it is guess work at this point. Normally the first signs of piggies been poorly is weight loss and not eating ,then it becomes a process of elimination checking teeth, checking breathing and vet diagnosis.
Intestinal blockages can happen but aren't that common - more common is something called bloat which is where the gut goes into status. Piggies stop eating and pooing with bloat and it does come on quickly without warning

Well done for getting Harry checked over. He may well be quiet for a few days piggies grieve the loss of a cagemate, have a read of this thread here Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig Please make sure he is eating still.

Please feel free to leave a memorial to Marmalade in our Rainbow Bridge section, it is where members can post a thread about their piggie and photos to remember him by. Some posters finds this helps with the grief. As pet owners we feel loss as if they were one of our human family members so take time for yourself to work through the grief.

Finally welcome to the forum, sorry it is in such sad circumstances
Lee

 

[Kerrie74]

Sorry for your loss They can get blockages sadly.

 

[Damian]

I'm so sorry. It is difficult to say what happened but if I had to guess my first thought would be a heart attack, they can strike at any age.

Is it possible to bring your remaining pig inside during the cold weather?

Welcome to the forum.

Hi, we can't bring him in, but the cage is warm, in a sheltered spot with cover, snugglesafe and plenty of hay. If it got really cold, I'd put the cage in the greenhouse.

 

[Critter]

This is so very sad, he was clearly a well loved member of your family. I cannot add anything useful to that already posted, but I just want to share my condolences. I too had a piggy die young quite suddenly. Her's was an apparent heart attack (I saw it happen). I can relate to the shock and the grief, and of wondering if you missed any signs.
I hope you are all OK, and although it's very soon and perhaps not appropriate at this stage, if, down the line, you decide to try to find a new cage mate for little Harry we're all here to help and advise.

 

[Damian]

Hello, sorry for your loss, it is really hard to lose a much loved pet matey. Every-time I go through it is kills me, we all know how you are feeling.

Piggies are prey animals so hide illnesses very well, often you can't tell they are poorly until too late.

Without paying for a postmortem, it is impossible to tell what the cause was. Sudden death can often be down to strokes possibly, heart attacks but it is guess work at this point. Normally the first signs of piggies been poorly is weight loss and not eating ,then it becomes a process of elimination checking teeth, checking breathing and vet diagnosis.
Intestinal blockages can happen but aren't that common - more common is something called bloat which is where the gut goes into status. Piggies stop eating and pooing with bloat and it does come on quickly without warning

Well done for getting Harry checked over. He may well be quiet for a few days piggies grieve the loss of a cagemate, have a read of this thread here Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig Please make sure he is eating still.

Please feel free to leave a memorial to Marmalade in our Rainbow Bridge section, it is where members can post a thread about their piggie and photos to remember him by. Some posters finds this helps with the grief. As pet owners we feel loss as if they were one of our human family members so take time for yourself to work through the grief.

Finally welcome to the forum, sorry it is in such sad circumstances
Lee

Thanks. His tummy felt normal, not hard, bloated or swollen. He ate in the morning, and I can only assume he had gone downstairs that evening to eat, as all the food was gone, and I'm sure Harry would not have eaten all of it. It seems Marmalade never made it back upstairs.
His eyes were open when I found him. Would this mean death was quick, rather than hiding away in a corner and going to sleep?

 

[Damian]

This is so very sad, he was clearly a well loved member of your family. I cannot add anything useful to that already posted, but I just want to share my condolences. I too had a piggy die young quite suddenly. Her's was an apparent heart attack (I saw it happen). I can relate to the shock and the grief, and of wondering if you missed any signs.
I hope you are all OK, and although it's very soon and perhaps not appropriate at this stage, if, down the line, you decide to try to find a new cage mate for little Harry we're all here to help and advise.

Thank you. James, Marmalade's "owner", my son, has already mentioned getting a companion for Harry, but not before he has buried the ashes in the garden. He said this decision is out of respect for Marmalade.

 

[sport_billy]

Thanks. His tummy felt normal, not hard, bloated or swollen. He ate in the morning, and I can only assume he had gone downstairs that evening to eat, as all the food was gone, and I'm sure Harry would not have eaten all of it. It seems Marmalade never made it back upstairs.
His eyes were open when I found him. Would this mean death was quick, rather than hiding away in a corner and going to sleep?

Not eating one meal wouldn't cause it. Don't beat yourself up.

I am sure death would have been fast.

 

[madguinealady]

So sorry.It's awful losing them, especially young.Huge hugs

 

[VickiA]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Marmalade was so clearly a loved and cherished member of your family and you did absolutely nothing wrong and everything right. Sometimes piggies hide their illnesses from us and we just can't save them.

You are good to think of Harry at this time and well done for getting him checked over, you really are doing the best for him in thinking about a companion when you are all ready.

Piggies find a very special place in our hearts. My husband was inconsolable when we lost one of our piggies last year. We've lost many over the years but this one was the one that he had the closest bond to. I found it helpful to post a tribute to her in the Rainbow Bridge section. Please feel free to post your own tribute to Marmelade

 

[Freela]

I'm really sorry for your loss. Unfortunately, there's probably no way to know for sure exactly what happened. Sudden death can occur with young pigs if there is an underlying symptom-less heart problem. In addition, a lot of illnesses have very vague early symptoms (lethargy, loss of appetite, etc.) that can easily be missed until the illness has progressed to a very serious stage. As prey animals, guinea pigs are quite adept at hiding illnesses and often don't show signs until the illness is very advanced. The last pig we lost seemed fine the night before, lacking energy in the morning, and passed in the evening, so I know what a shock a sudden death can be.

 

[brillmini]

So sorry for your loss. They are such adorable little things we lost one of ours on Sunday & me and hubby were both in bits so know how you feel. Hugs xx