Sudden Death With Beloved Piggie

[sallyspiggy]

Our little "elf" passed this am and my children will be heart-broken! I belive she was sold to us as a dwarf, but she grew plently big, not huge, but the same size as our other adult pig. Did we over-feed her?
I am searching for answers, does anyone know if I may have hurt our guinea by using trash bags on the bottom of the cage under the bedding? We did give her romaine lettuce last week, maybe much? Our other guinea pig "Scar" seems fine but Elf has had a little diarrea in the last three or four days. I wish I had some answers, she seemed fine last night.

 

[sport_billy]

I am really sorry for the loss of your piggy, i am moving this thread to Guinea Pig Chat were it will get more views.

It is impossible to say what would have caused her to pass.Guinea Pigs hide illness very well unfortunately. Please feel free to leave a memorial for Elf in our Rainbow Bridge Section of the forum

As a point on the trash bags, best not to use these as they can get eaten. Use newspaper under bedding. Plastic can if digested possibly cause a blockage, but I am sure this is not the case in this instance as she wouldn't be able to poo. Please remove them as soon as possible though and switch to newspaper for Scar

 

[sallyspiggy]

Thank you for sound advice and kind words.

 

[Flutterby]

I'm so sorry for your loss xx

 

[Freela]

I'm sorry for your loss. There's not really any such thing as a 'dwarf' guinea pig that I have ever heard of... there are a wide range of adult sizes, however. Like humans, they are all unique. Unfortunately, it's impossible to say for sure why Elf passed on. Guinea pigs can hide illnesses very well, it's the nature of being a prey animals. They can get quite sick with minimal outward signs until it's too late. They can also pass suddenly from heart or stroke issues without any illness beforehand.

In the future, I would not use garbage bags under the bedding, as it's possible for pigs to eat the plastic and that can potentially cause intestinal blockage or other problems of that nature. I doubt that was the cause of the death, but it's just a safety tip for the future.

Sorry for your loss. I know it's particularly hard with kids when they lose a beloved pet. ((HUGS)) to you.