Adrianne88
Junior Guinea Pig
Hi! Sorry, most of us are UK members and you have been posting during our night hours. Dratted time difference!
It is a difficult one to call. Something major is clearly going on that is causing the gassing and her lethargy, but it is also quite obviously something that is not easy to find and to diagnose.
It is tough when you have to make the kind of choice you are currently faced with - do you risk an operation in her weak state to address the potential cause of her problems or do you leave it be and concentrate on quality of life for Jellybean for as long as she has to live?
There is no right or wrong decision in these situations - what is important is that Jellybean's wellbeing is paramount for you and that you make the decision that you feel you can live with better in the long term. If Jellybean's concerns come first in your considerations, then you are not failing her whichever way you go from here.
There are unfortunately grey areas where any decisions are not clear cut; you are in one of them. It is extremely hard when it is you yourself who has to call the shots about how much you want to put your beloved piggy through.
We cannot tell what you should do; but we can send you our thoughts. You are a very loving and caring owner. Jellybean is loved and treasured, and she knows that!
I have gone either way with different piggies of mine, depending on the individual circumstances. I have lost piggies in make-or-break operations that were a last ditch effort; others have made it and have enjoyed some more time. I have also let guinea pigs live out their life in those cases whether the success rate for an operation was less than favourable or where the operation itself could have caused more problems than it would have solved.
None of these options is easier or less heart-breaking for you in my experience. Whatever you choose has to be right in your guts and at the bottom of your heart.
PS: Your local desert climate can make any respiratory issues worse. Could you please try to humidify the air to help ease her breathing. It is likely that her immune system is somewhat lowered so secondary problems can start cropping up.
Lethargy can in my experience usually come from lack of food or from the heart being affected, especially when the lungs are clear. But without knowing the cause of her issues, all I can do is guess as much as you do! It is the lethargy that worries me more.
BIG HUGS
Miss Jellybean is improving more and more each day. She's even starting to want her veggies. I'm still not giving her a lot but she's eating what I give her. She's eating her hay also. The only thing she's not really wanting is her pellets so I still have her taking critical care twice a day. Friday will be her last dose of her pain medicine and her staple is coming out also. I can only hope she contines to improve. She went in weighing 2.7 pounds a week ago when she had surgery and now she weighs 2.2 pounds now. The vet said not to be concerned because she had extra eight due to the gas and food that she had in her stomach at the time. So her losing some weight is actually a good thing? I'l be sure to have her weighed tomorrow. She's producing fecal pellets, they are still a bit small but again she's not eating quite as much as she did before. But it's impoved a lot.
