Rescue piggy passed away this morning, need some support

[Piggyhugger]

Hi,

First time posting on here. I have two Guinea Pigs I love to pieces (Flash and Rosie), they have an outdoor secure garden with tunnels etc and converted a Eggloo for them during the daytime. I look after them, loads of Timothy Hay, veggies, virtually no pellets, lots of snuggles. Every night they come inside to an indoor set up for bed, they're very tame and come running to me when I call them. A neighbour of mine has had a Guinea pig on her own for 2 years in a tiny hutch, last week I finally persuaded her to let her come to me, I felt so sorry for this poor Piggy, I hadn't seen her just heard about her from others and when my husband got her he said she was in a tiny hutch at the back of their garden very scared piggy. I got her and she was massive, really overweight seen nothing like it before, she had lived on just pellets and apple.

I kept her separated from mine and then introduced them with a mesh fence between them, she was so excited! They were excited. They just hung out together, flopped and she was popcorning, this massive chunky piggy could barely get her feet off the ground! but I could tell she was happy, but she was very scared of any human contact. I introduced them face to face to my piggy and it couldn't have gone better, they all hung out together, teeny bit of mounting but that stopped and they just ate and slept together. Then yesterday she seemed a bit tired but was eating really well, grass, I gave her a small amount of pellets worried that too massive a shift in diet may mess her up, veggies etc. This morning she was eating and slept between both my piggies...then at 11am this morning I heard this weird cough from her. I picked her up and green mucous came out of her nose and mouth, she felt limp, now only an hour before she was walking around seemingly ok but I guess I don't know her that well enough like my own pigs but I have been checking she's been ok. I ring the vet straight away and take her there, she's given antibiotics but the rate she was deteriorating - I just knew she was going to die, and she did 30 mins later. I hate that she suffered, I feel responsible for her death, that she may have contracted something from my Guinea Pigs (who are fit and well for now...but maybe she has something and has spread it to mine!). I'm going to have an autopsy done on her I think to be sure, I have 4 house rabbits as well (she didn't meet them).

I thought I was doing a good thing but I feel responsible for her death now, I'm gutted. On the one hand the thought of her alone in a tiny cage was terrible but vat's happened to her was a horrible way to die. Gutted. Just need to get this off my chest.

 

[PoppyFloss]

That’s so sad!
You did nothing wrong, you were only trying to help. It sounds like she wasn’t being well looked after before, it’s good you took her in. She couldn’t have been very happy there considering her tiny enclosure, poor diet and especially being a single piggy.
At least you gave her a happy, healthy last week, and it must’ve been nice for your two pigs to meet her. She sounds like she was so happy to be with other guinea pigs, and I really hope that your pigs don’t miss her too much.
At least she had a brilliant last week.

 

[Sweet Potato]

The fact that you're instinct is to blame yourself is testament to the fact that you are a caring and responsible owner. This is a normal part of grief and only time can help you get through this. Having an autopsy is a good idea as it will help you to get closure on the situation as well as letting you know if there is more that needs to be done to protect your other piggies and buns. What you did was done with the best of intentions and no one could have seen that coming.

 

[rudent]

Please don't feel guilty. What you did was give her a wonderful last few days and a warm place to pass surrounded by friends. She would have suffered the same fate alone in a cold, dark hutch if it weren't for you. You did everything right by the sounds of it, so thank you for taking her in.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Aw, this is so sad, you did your very best for her, she sounds like she had a little bit of happiness near the end, so please don’t feel guilty x

 

[Wiebke]

Hi,

First time posting on here. I have two Guinea Pigs I love to pieces (Flash and Rosie), they have an outdoor secure garden with tunnels etc and converted a Eggloo for them during the daytime. I look after them, loads of Timothy Hay, veggies, virtually no pellets, lots of snuggles. Every night they come inside to an indoor set up for bed, they're very tame and come running to me when I call them. A neighbour of mine has had a Guinea pig on her own for 2 years in a tiny hutch, last week I finally persuaded her to let her come to me, I felt so sorry for this poor Piggy, I hadn't seen her just heard about her from others and when my husband got her he said she was in a tiny hutch at the back of their garden very scared piggy. I got her and she was massive, really overweight seen nothing like it before, she had lived on just pellets and apple.

I kept her separated from mine and then introduced them with a mesh fence between them, she was so excited! They were excited. They just hung out together, flopped and she was popcorning, this massive chunky piggy could barely get her feet off the ground! but I could tell she was happy, but she was very scared of any human contact. I introduced them face to face to my piggy and it couldn't have gone better, they all hung out together, teeny bit of mounting but that stopped and they just ate and slept together. Then yesterday she seemed a bit tired but was eating really well, grass, I gave her a small amount of pellets worried that too massive a shift in diet may mess her up, veggies etc. This morning she was eating and slept between both my piggies...then at 11am this morning I heard this weird cough from her. I picked her up and green mucous came out of her nose and mouth, she felt limp, now only an hour before she was walking around seemingly ok but I guess I don't know her that well enough like my own pigs but I have been checking she's been ok. I ring the vet straight away and take her there, she's given antibiotics but the rate she was deteriorating - I just knew she was going to die, and she did 30 mins later. I hate that she suffered, I feel responsible for her death, that she may have contracted something from my Guinea Pigs (who are fit and well for now...but maybe she has something and has spread it to mine!). I'm going to have an autopsy done on her I think to be sure, I have 4 house rabbits as well (she didn't meet them).

I thought I was doing a good thing but I feel responsible for her death now, I'm gutted. On the one hand the thought of her alone in a tiny cage was terrible but vat's happened to her was a horrible way to die. Gutted. Just need to get this off my chest.

Hi and welcome!

I am ever so sorry for your loss.

Soul searching and seeking the fault in ourselves/feelings of guilt and failure are very typical for the onset of the grieving process; we all experience this to some extent or other. This is usually more pronounced if there is an unexpected sudden death we have to try and make sense of.

Firstly, there is nothing you have done wrong. Whatever exactly caused her death (sudden acute heart failure or another major organ folding and triggering multiple organ failute in view of her being suddenly very tired as the first symptom) would have happened sooner or later and could not be stopped by you. The fuse was already lit and the bomb in her body waiting.

Because your girl had been eating grass (which she would have enjoyed), it would have come out once her gut stopped working and she could no longer swallow or something had got stuck because of her inability to swallow/process food. It is not at all uncommon in dying piggies or humans either shortly before or in the minutes after the die. but it can be very upsetting if you have never been confronted with the physicality of death and the body breaking down before. Sadly our current society has put death and dying very much behind closed doors and replaced it with this vague idea of gently drifting away in one's sleep.
Please try to take consolation that by that stage your girl was already mostly out of it and that - as deaths go - she hasn't suffered badly or for long. Also take consolation that she died much loved and in the happiest setting possible; just the way she would have likely chosen had she had the choice. There was nothing you or your vet could have done to stop an irreversible process once it is underway. Guinea pigs are small animals and can occasionally die out of the blue very suddenly or go downhill with frightening speed at any age.

Take the time to read the links below. They may hopefully help to answer some of your questions and help you make sense of what you are currently experiencing and going through in the coming days and weeks. Keep in mind that grieving is the other side of the coin that is labelled 'love' - you grieve the more you love, but you are not able to love deeply if you are not able to grieve deeply.
- A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs (may help you understand a bit better what has happened and help you to put it into context)
- Human Bereavement: Grieving, Coping and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children (Will help you make sense of your feelings and experiences as you go along)
- Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig

PS: It sometimes happens that newly rescued piggies from bad surroundings pass away shortly after reaching a safe and loving space; it is like they can finally let go in peace.

 

[Piggyhugger]

Thank you all so very much for your responses, all of them. I've been so sad today, all I wanted was her to have a lovely life with us. I'll think of the couple of days she had with her new friends all cuddled up happy, I'm glad she got that, just wish it had been more. I'll take her to the vets tomorrow for the Post Mortem.