I just could not believe how fast he declined, i thought i had more time to try and get him back. Thank you so much for all your time yesterday and all your kind words xxBIG HUGS
I am so very sorry that your special and much loved boy has made his journey to the Rainbow Bridge much quicker than expected.
Please try to take consolation that the end has come kindly and quickly for him and that he didn't suffer a long drawn-out decline; even if the suddenness has come as a bad shock for you. You can never quite brace for the fact even if you are aware that it is coming; the sheer NOW of it is still like a punch in the gut.
Please be kind with yourself over the coming days while it is all sinking in and you have to deal with the shock and the pain of your loss all at once.
Here are some supportive guides that you may find helpful:
Human Bereavement: Grieving, Coping and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children
Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig
Thank you xI'm so sorry for your loss x
Thank you xI'm so sorry for your loss x
I thought i had more time, but sadly not, thank you for your kindness xxOh no! I am so sad I was really hoping he would make it. I am so sorry for your loss, but please remember you did everything he could and he is probably at an all you can eat vegetable buffet over the rainbow bridge.![]()
I give you a virtual hug.
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Thank you all, what lovely people you all are, i take loss very hard due to losing one of my parents when i was very young and every loss since then really triggers me, the support on here has been amazing, thank you all xx
@Wiebke I just wanted to say thank you, sorry if i have brought up painful memories, that was not my intention. I guess i was technically an adult at 18, but i had sisters who were 8 and 15 and think i neglected myself to look after them somewhat. Anyway, the vet and i both agreed at the time of PTS that Gizmo was in multiple organ failure, so i know i did the right thing, and you are absolutely right about wanting it to be quick for those we love, i am finding a lot of peace in the fact i did everything i possibly could, including ending and not prolonging his suffering. You, and everyone else on this forum have been so supportive, i hope in the coming months i can pay that back xHUGS
Once one of the major organs in a frailer piggy or very old piggy gives way or the immune system is breached, it can be over in a matter of hours. About half of my oldies are emergency pts when either something blows up or the natural dying process is not running as smoothly or quickly and the piggy is clearly in distress.
I try to deal with this by seeing it the way that if we were allowed the choice, would we not rather our beloved ones had a quick and easy death and shoulder the burden of suffering a bit more ourselves instead?
Sadly, a loss can act as a trigger to bring up old traumas. I had that for a while after losing my dad after a prolonged and very painful cancer battle, including going through a full blown pet bereavement over my special piggy Minx as one of the first major losses after my dad's death. Your own trauma is even bigger as I was already an adult when I lost my dad
We are here for you; and so are the various pet bereavement platforms of the Blue Cross, which you may find helpful for getting any support you need: Pet bereavement and pet loss
Look after yourself and get any necessary support that is out there!
@Wiebke I just wanted to say thank you, sorry if i have brought up painful memories, that was not my intention. I guess i was technically an adult at 18, but i had sisters who were 8 and 15 and think i neglected myself to look after them somewhat. Anyway, the vet and i both agreed at the time of PTS that Gizmo was in multiple organ failure, so i know i did the right thing, and you are absolutely right about wanting it to be quick for those we love, i am finding a lot of peace in the fact i did everything i possibly could, including ending and not prolonging his suffering. You, and everyone else on this forum have been so supportive, i hope in the coming months i can pay that back x
Thank you, i will read the links you have given me. Minx sounds very special. i adore all animals but i do believe that there are what i call "once in a lifetime animals" too. I had a cat called Smeagol who was a huge maine coon and came in to the vet practice i worked in in Dublin when i lived there having been found in a skip, by the time we had him back to health, he was huge and no one wanted him, so i took him home, and the bond we formed was beyond words. He was the best friend i have ever or will ever have. He was the softest soul i will ever know. When i took him home i whispered in his ear that i would never let him suffer ever again, and on 2/9/18 i kept that promise and had him PTS due to a health problem that had reached the point of no return, my heart will never mend, he will always have a little piece of it. I actually got Smokey Joe and Gizmo a month after losing Smeagol and they helped me heal so much, i owe them a lot which is why i need to find Smokey Joe a friend ASAP.Time is a great healer. I hope that our support will help you get over your loss a bit easier and that your own flashbacks will get less strong with each time you have to confront a similar situation and get through it better.
20 years since my dad's passing and about 50 piggies having made their journey to the Rainbow Bridge since Minx's pts, it doesn't hurt badly anymore. I feel blessed to have had that magic time with Minx in my life.
That was a huge responsibility you have found yourself in at a time when you yourself needed support instead of having to give it. HUGS
You may find this very thought- and insightful thread from a forum member helpful and ultimately comforting: On grief, and hope
I have written about Minx's last day, my own pet bereavement and the conflicting need for quick companionship for her acutely bereaved mate Dizzy (who didn't cope with the situation well at all) in Guinea Pig Magazine issue 45 (2018) under the title 'The Perfect Gift'; if you are interested. We have dealt with various death and grieving aspects in issues 44-46 as a big theme.
Guinea Pig Magazine: Home (you can order back issues)
On the 10th anniversary of her passing (which happened before I joined the forum), I have written this little tribute about Minx and her various capers with lots of pictures for this forum: It Is 10 Years Today...
Thank you, i will read the links you have given me. Minx sounds very special. i adore all animals but i do believe that there are what i call "once in a lifetime animals" too. I had a cat called Smeagol who was a huge maine coon and came in to the vet practice i worked in in Dublin when i lived there having been found in a skip, by the time we had him back to health, he was huge and no one wanted him, so i took him home, and the bond we formed was beyond words. He was the best friend i have ever or will ever have. He was the softest soul i will ever know. When i took him home i whispered in his ear that i would never let him suffer ever again, and on 2/9/18 i kept that promise and had him PTS due to a health problem that had reached the point of no return, my heart will never mend, he will always have a little piece of it. I actually got Smokey Joe and Gizmo a month after losing Smeagol and they helped me heal so much, i owe them a lot which is why i need to find Smokey Joe a friend ASAP.
That is a beautiful thing to say, thank you very much xYou will always carry your pets with you because they live on in your heart and in your memories as an integral and special part of your life.
I've had more special piggies and other special times. My bond with them has been very different each time - as it should be. Each bond is unique and each pet or human ties their own bond into a different place in your heart. You also develop as a person and don't stay the same. Pet ownership is more like flowing down a river on a raft that changes and has different passengers. You cannot go back through time to the same spot; but the current that is the love you have to give and receive moves you on to ever new shores and other places. But you can carry the memories of your special pets and times with you in your heart. They are not lost.
Thank youSo sorry![]()
Thank you xI'm so sorry chill. Gizmo was and still is your best friend❤ He will always love you even over the rainbow bridge. He was such a cutie. May his soul lead him to still waters, green pastures, and to you![]()