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Sudden death in 2.5yr boar - can anyone offer advice?

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ClareMarie

I lost a 2.5 year old boar on Saturday. I have had him from birth and he had a number of health problems as he was the result of a litter not being split early enough (not by me I might add I got his mother from a pet shop unfortunately and he appeared about 3 weeks after I got her) and recently he lost a lot of weight (half of his body weight in about 4-6 days) and wasn't eating. I took him to the vet on Sat morning and she gave him an antibiotic jab of Terramycin after which he got worse and died Saturday night. I am concerned that it was the antibiotic that killed him and not whatever he was already ill with.

Don't know if i'm just torturing myself by going over this?
 
I'm so sorry for your loss. I think that as he was the result of an odd litter that he had an under-lying health problrem that killed him.. As you said he had some other health problems too.
Antibiotics don't neccesarily kill piggies

Please don't beat yourself up over this.


Kelly and piggies xx

P-S, welcome to the forum :)
 
he had a twisted spine, deformed front feet and i'm not sure his eye sight was too good - he could see but he had a small eye on one side, he also had a dull matted coat no matter how often I brushed him or bathed him - he was like the Bob Geldop of pigs! He always had a healthy appetite though but I suppose you just never know if there were other internal problems. He was a happy pig with a cheeky character so I know he didn't suffer despite his problems.

I think I'm just getting paranoid because lots of the Guinea Pig websites seem to say that all of these type of antibiotics WILL kill you guinea pig and I feel so bad if thats the case.
 
hi just to let you know my guineapigs have often had anti biotics infact Bear had an injection last week and has been on 0.4 of baytril twice a day since last week ( 2 weeks in total) he has so far been fine i am adding probiotic to make sure it does not upset the gut flora which anti biotics can do,
but i dont think it was the anti biotics that killed him, in fact i posted a while back saying that as i keep around 40 pigs all the time i have noticed at around the age of 2 and half i often lose them for no apparent reason, I keep detailed records on all my pigs and had noticed a lot of them dying then, if they made it passed that age they seemed to go on until well over 4 and more,
as you say he did have other health problems, ones you could see but probably had other problems you could'nt see, and that was what I think was the cause not anything you did, in fact i would say you have done very well to get him to 2 and half considering all his problems, and have nothing to beat yourself up about, he was a lucky pig to have you for his mum,
 
michellemuffin said:
hi just to let you know my guineapigs have often had anti biotics infact Bear had an injection last week and has been on 0.4 of baytril twice a day since last week ( 2 weeks in total) he has so far been fine i am adding probiotic to make sure it does not upset the gut flora which anti biotics can do,
but i dont think it was the anti biotics that killed him, in fact i posted a while back saying that as i keep around 40 pigs all the time i have noticed at around the age of 2 and half i often lose them for no apparent reason, I keep detailed records on all my pigs and had noticed a lot of them dying then, if they made it passed that age they seemed to go on until well over 4 and more,
as you say he did have other health problems, ones you could see but probably had other problems you could'nt see, and that was what I think was the cause not anything you did, in fact i would say you have done very well to get him to 2 and half considering all his problems, and have nothing to beat yourself up about, he was a lucky pig to have you for his mum,

what did you find they died of out of interest?

I have had 6 guinea pigs over the last 7 years - see below

Milly - died about 2.5-3yrs old suddenly on a summers day so I assume she got heat stroke although the other pig with her (aged about 1 at the time) was fine.

Georgie - died about 2-2.5yrs old suddenly after a car ride to my parents house (20 min journey) she had a fit and died about an hour after getting there but she was very highly strung and was scared of any strange noises (a motorbike going by in the distance etc)

Lucy - over 5 yrs old currently having some kidney problems and is very thin but is on 6 weekly jabs and is improving.

Poppy - 2.5-3 yrs - healthy but came to me pregnant with Wee Man

Wee Man - died at the weekend aged 2.5yrs, lost half of body weight in the space of a week (from 1100g to 600g), stopped eating and drinking.

Eric - 2 yrs old - healthy

Lucy
http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/album_photo.html?c_photo=45457349

Milly & Lucy
http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/album_photo.html?c_photo=45457357

Wee Man
http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/album_photo.html?c_photo=45469226
http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/album_photo.html?c_photo=45457359

Eric
http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/album_photo.html?c_photo=45457549

Poppy
http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/album_photo.html?c_photo=45457368
 
Lovely photos.. Precious pigs..

From what you said about Wee Man's health problems it's almost certain that he could have died from a health problem..

Hope you're ok


Kelly and piggies xx
 
Yes, I agree with Kelly. So sorry, your piggies were gorgeous!
 
I am so sorry for your loss.

Piggies do just die sometimes - its awful but it does happen. Maybe it was just his time to go.
 
Thanks for the kind messages everyone - I have done quite a bit of research today on a number of piggie sites and it seems that the antibiotic was one of the safer ones so that puts my mind at rest that I didn't make him worse by taking him to the vets - I guess it was just his time, I just feel so sad to see his empty cage but i'm sure it will get easier. I certainly feel a little better without feeling guilty that I made him suffer in some way.
 
I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. I think you did absolutely everything you could for your little piggy, and you and he were lucky to have found each other. Try to remember the happy times, but of course you'll be sad too.
Love, Caroline
 
i am alos vry sorry for your loss. w somtims just cant control what happns but it finantly wasnt th antibiotics. my princss is on thm, for 3 wks now an sh actually sms to b improving. hang in thr. (((hugs)))[color] :-*
 
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The earlier post in my name was actually from my mother caroline, as I had ben signed in on her computer and she didn't realise!

I too am so sorry for the loss of your darling piggie. I have just lost one too and I know how unbearable the pain is. Lots of love, Lucinda x
 
thanks again for all the responses - I am starting to feel a little better about losing Wee Man - I keep thinking of the happy life he had rather than wonder what if abouf anything and everything. I do miss him as he was such a little character but it's better that he went quickly and didn't suffer.
 
As I said in the post "It's so hard" you cannot feel guilty or anyting about losing your piggie. Both you and Lucinda gave your piggies such good lives. It will get easier day by day. Just keep remembering the happy times you had with your piggies :)
 
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