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Should I Show Her The Body Or Will It Tip Her Over The Edge?

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TAN

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Just had the phone call that Nuggetts didn't make it last night - Noodles isn't interested in eating anything herself now,but is taking critical care - am going yo take her into work with me today and vet has said to try and get some cc into her every hour - so tonight will collect little Nugmans body - I know I'm supposed to show it to her - but will this send her into a depression so she is even less likely to eat - she weighed in at 690 this morning after giving her 7ml of cc - I think I might loose 2 pigs within a couple of days - feel so guilty that Nuggetts died alone - i could have taken her with him.but thought she had been through enough - so he was on his own when he died - I wish I wish I had taken her along with him. - have to lleave for the doctors now.
 
We all think differently in hindsight, please don't beat yourself up about it. You did what you thought was right at the time. I'm so sorry.

There are mixed opinions on this really, I have shown the body to some of my pigs over the years and had mixed reactions, some took a wide berth and others got excited - Buzz in particular popcorned around Woody when he had died, the little sod. I personally would not show her, especially as he will have been at the vets all day.
 
I am ever so sorry for your loss! It is always tough when it happens, and you usually end up being upset about one thing or other that didn't go perfect in hindsight (it is a normal part of the onset of the grieving process).

Noodles is already pining acutely, so I wouldn't show her the body. I have had very different reactions over the years, but quite often found that a pts/dead piggy coming back from the vets was generally being ignored, as the companions knew.
 
I always show them the body. I've done so ever since Poppet stopped eating after her sister, Skye, died. She didn't get chance to say goodbye and I feel she pined more because of that Since then I always show their friend/s and I feel it's important to do so.
 
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I'm so terribly sorry for your loss. I always show the survivor(s) the body so that they can understand what has happened. I feel that they cope better with knowing.
 
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((HUGS))- I'm so sorry! It's such a difficult call. Both of the losses I've dealt with, the pigs died at home. When Frenzy passed, she was right in the pigloo with Linney. When I came to check on her, she had passed and Linney had moved the pigloo away, so she had clearly already seen the body and said her goodbyes. When Linney passed, she was on my knee, and I did let Sundae see the body. It was heartbreaking (she licked her face, lay down with her, and then finally got up and moved away after ten minutes or so.) But she was quite distressed and agitated and obviously knowing something was wrong in Linney's last few hours, so I don't think it caused her any more distress than she was already going through. We haven't had a circumstance thus far where the other pig didn't have an opportunity to see. I do think there is understanding there... when Frenzy had multiple vet visits in the last week or so of her life, Linney was always antsy and looking for her when she was at the vet. Once she passed, she didn't look for her anymore.

Again, ((HUGS)) and so sorry. Wishing you all the best with Noodles.
 
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Thank you all for your as kind words - Noodles was taking syringe feeding well all day - but when I went to pick her up at 8pm her breathing was raspy and and crackly - I thought pneumonia or some syringe food had got into the lungs - so I went straight to the out of hours vets for the second night in a row - I had never seen this vet before - seen him around town for years (the vets is opposite the shop where I work ) he is one of the partners - he was lovely - patting my hand and making a fuss of Noodles - he said looking at the meds that she was on and when she had been given the doses she was not in any pain and that the noise was mucus in the lungs that sometimes occurs after anaesthetic - and that in us humans we would just cough to clear it - he said she deserved a chance as she had taken a good amount of syringe feeding throughout the day - so gave some emiprid and baytril which should sort the lungs out - and told me to bring her in in the morning ,and to give the meds an hour to work and then try to give her some cucumber or strawberry -
I took her home and she stretched out on my lap - the breathing went back to normal - but she refused to open her mouth for any food,or to even get up - she knew her cagemate wasn't coming back and just gave up - while he was alive she had something to fight for - she passed peacefully at 2am.

It's strange - you know that they will one day pass - yet you still expect them to go on forever - she was my favourite female piggy - am just so shocked that I have lost both her and her cagemate within 24 hrs of each other - I was preparing myself for the possibility of loosing her - but when Nuggets went last night there was no warning.
The house seems empty even though it is full.
 
Oh that's so sad, I'm so very sorry for your losses :( Popcorn together, reunited at the Bridge, Nuggets and Noodles xx
 
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So sorry for your loss, Noodles and Nuggets clearly had an unbreakable bond, and didn't want to be apart any longer. Nuggets must have been waiting for her at the Bridge xx
 
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That is just so heartbreaking for you but at least they are reunited at the Rainbow Bridge. So sorry. Big hugs xx
 
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So, so sad :( i hope you find peace that they're together x
 
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