Sudden loss

[asmolenski]

I’m new here, but not new to cavies. I’ve had 5 piggies with my oldest being in my care for about 2 years.

I just dropped my ladies off at my parents to care for them while my family and I are on vacation. Shortly after I left, our middle ‘aged’ piggie passed away suddenly. My daughter did notice some sudden onset drooling this morning, but nothing else out of the ordinary. She was active and eating with no signs of malloclusion or weight loss.

My wife will take our baby to the vet tomorrow once we get her back from my parents to have her cremated, and maybe get an answer as to what happened.

Any ideas/assumptions here? We're guessing she was about 3 years old.

 

[DM030819]

@asmolenski I have seen drooling before but the pig was ill with it too. The pig had bloat and had to be put to sleep shortly after.

If it had been a breathing issued or fluid on the chest I would imagine the pig wouldn't be very active either.

I'm very sorry for your loss. Unfortunately we don't always get answers. As they're prey animals they can hide their illnesses quite well, sometimes until it's too late to react.

 

[Merab]

So sorry for your loss.
Hope the baby is ok.
It’s hard to lose a piggy unexpectedly but sadly it does happen as they hide illness so well.
Welcome to the forum

 

[Wiebke]

I’m new here, but not new to cavies. I’ve had 5 piggies with my oldest being in my care for about 2 years.

I just dropped my ladies off at my parents to care for them while my family and I are on vacation. Shortly after I left, our middle ‘aged’ piggie passed away suddenly. My daughter did notice some sudden onset drooling this morning, but nothing else out of the ordinary. She was active and eating with no signs of malloclusion or weight loss.

My wife will take our baby to the vet tomorrow once we get her back from my parents to have her cremated, and maybe get an answer as to what happened.

Any ideas/assumptions here? We're guessing she was about 3 years old.

Hi! I am very sorry. A sudden death always comes as a shock; but it is even harder when it happens while you are away and is even tougher on their holiday carer.

Sudden drooling is an emergency sign meaning that a guinea pig has a blockage somewhere in the digestive tract or it is no longer able to swallow; when saliva builds up and no longer goes down, a piggy is suddenly drooling very strongly as the fluid has go somewhere.
It can be a blockage in the guts, a throat infection swelling shut the esophagus, a swelling in the throat closing the esophagus or the neurological loss of the ability to swallow. I've lost piggies of mine to all these issues; usually rushing them to the vets for pts/euthanasia. Symptoms developed very quickly and the piggy deteriorated in a matter of hours.
It can also mean overgrown premolars trapping the tongue and preventing a piggy from swallowing although dental problems usually come on a bit more slowly.

Unfortunately only a post-mortem at the vets will tell you exactly what has happened.

Here are our tips on what your can do for the bereaved companion: Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig

 

[Pig007]

I just lost a pig today also so I feel your loss. Oddly enough I have also just come back from vacation and it also came quite sudden as well - seemed fine yesterday but woke this morning to find the pig bloated and tight as a drum. Took her to the Vets as soon as they opened and they rushed her in - their first thought was that it was fluids but when they x-rayed/operated they found a twisted stomach, which seems to have been caused by an internal growth. The stomach had started to die so the vet put her to sleep. I have now lost three out of my four guniea pigs to tumours/growths - it is scary how aggressive these are and how hard they are to spot/treat.

 

[Merab]

So sorry for your loss @Pig007. Putting her to sleep was the kindest gift you could give her. She would have been in such pain with that.
Be kind to yourself as you grieve

 

[Freela]

I'm so sorry for your loss. One of my pigs passed away within a few hours of having sudden-onset drooling as well, though she was an older pig. The vet thought that he felt a mass in her abdomen and suspected that she might have had a malignancy that was causing a blockage. She had no real signs of illness up to that point, though at 6.5 years she was on the older side and was generally more frail than she had been when she was younger. ((HUGS))- it's never easy, especially when it's so sudden.

 

[Abi_nurse]

From the signs of drooling I would suspect a GDV. (Its called gastric dilitation and volvulus.) This is when bloat develops very quickly and the stomach flips over and causes them to pass away very quickly. (Within hours). I've had one pass away with this very suddenly.

So sorry for your loss.

 

[asmolenski]

From the signs of drooling I would suspect a GDV. (Its called gastric dilitation and volvulus.) This is when bloat develops very quickly and the stomach flips over and causes them to pass away very quickly. (Within hours). I've had one pass away with this very suddenly.

So sorry for your loss.

What's the cause of that usually?

 

[Abi_nurse]

What's the cause of that usually?

Many apologise I have been very busy with work etc. A GDV is usually caused by a quick onset of bloat. The underlying cause of this isn't always completely known but there are things which can increase the risk or cause bloat including:
- respiratory infections
- heart problems
- pain of any sort
- certain types of veg in high qualities
- an imbalance of PH or bacteria in the guts

Often we do not ever find the reason behind it.

 

[Seven7]

Sorry about this.

I wondered if 3 years of age is too soon, middle, or old age for cavies to die.