Pneumonia

[Clare1981]

Hi everyone, this is my first post. My 5 year old boar has pneumonia. He’s been on antibiotics for about 36 hours now but he’s not getting any better. He looks so uncomfortable tonight and I’m wondering if there’s any other pain relief I can give him. I have gabapentin, tramadol and paracetamol (Calpol) here but not sure if any can be used and if so what dosage. I’m just desperate for him to be comfortable so he can rest and hopefully get better

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear this

I’m afraid we’re unable to tell you what meds or dosages to give - legally only a vet can do so. Do contact them about this
It takes a few days for antibiotics to get working and possibly a few more days after that before you see improvement.
Do stay in touch with your vet regarding his progress

The advice we can give is to make sure you have switched from the routine weekly weight checks and are instead weighing him every morning. This enables you to more closely monitor hay intake (hay being the most important and largest part of the diet l) as when they are unwell they can stop eating enough Which causes weight loss. If weight is lost then you need to step in with support feeding

I’ve added guides below for more information

I hope he is ok
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
How to Improvise Feeding Support in an Emergency

 

[Truffolo]

I hope your piggy gets better soon

 

[Clare1981]

I’m sorry to hear this

I’m afraid we’re unable to tell you what meds or dosages to give - legally only a vet can do so. Do contact them about this
It takes a few days for antibiotics to get working and possibly a few more days after that before you see improvement.
Do stay in touch with your vet regarding his progress

The advice we can give is to make sure you have switched from the routine weekly weight checks and are instead weighing him every morning. This enables you to more closely monitor hay intake (hay being the most important and largest part of the diet l) as when they are unwell they can stop eating enough Which causes weight loss. If weight is lost then you need to step in with support feeding

I’ve added guides below for more information

I hope he is ok
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
How to Improvise Feeding Support in an Emergency

Thank you. Sadly I think he’s taking his final breaths right now, led on my chest in a soft blanket

 

[Claire W]

Aw I’m sorry sorry to hear he isn’t doing well I hope he pulls through x

 

[weepweeps]

Thank you. Sadly I think he’s taking his final breaths right now, led on my chest in a soft blanket

I’m so sorry.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

BIG HUGS

I am very sorry to hear this. My thoughts are with you.

Pneumonia is generally not considered to be painful but please also consider that a guinea pig whose body is closing down - not always quite smoothly - will pretty soon stop being able to process any oral medication so please do not beat yourself up over having failed your boy.

By the time your boy was looking uncomfortable from organ failures, it was likely already too late for any meds to be processed and to make any difference. You have done all the right things in order to make him as comfy and to keep him warm while his blood circulation was breaking down. You have not failed him in any way. I am just sorry that it happened very fast. It takes experience to spot the initially often very subtle signs of a natural death when you have never encountered them before or have witnessed a passing.

Please try to take comfort in that he could pass away carried by your love in his familiar surroundings. Pneumonia that doesn't react to medication, especially in older piggies, happens when the lungs are the first organ to give and is also one of the most common ways humans die a natural death from old age. We can unfortunately not stop nature and time - even less so in guinea pigs when their much faster metabolism turns against them.

It is your good care that has given your precious boy many years of happy todays, which is how guinea pigs measure a good life by. Please try not use sight of that against the last few hours of a natural death, which is a one-way process nobody can stop once it has started.
It is our human species wiring that we reflect everything back onto ourselves and that we all suffer from feelings of guilt or intense soul-searching at the onset of the grieving process. It is not an expression of failure but how deeply we love and care and how traumatic the circumstances of a passing are.

We are here to support you through end of life/bereavement times as a community if you wish to.

Here are some links that may help you make more sense of your experience:
Is My Guinea Pig Dying?

Human Bereavement: Grieving, Processing and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children

Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig

 

[Truffolo]

Poor little sweetie. He is quite old and it seems his time has come. Wishing you comfort