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Ugent Advice Please, Vets At 10:10

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Toffeewoffee

Toffeewoffee

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My 5.5 year old boar Lily has been having issues with his weight of late, and to cut a long story shot, he has very quickly lost alot of weight again, i noticed last night he had soft poo's so he didn;t get any veg last night just lots of hay and pellets which he was tucking into. I went in this morning and his breathing is really fast and he seems slow, though he was munching on the fresh hay and veggies.

My main concern in the last breathing, what can this mean?

I am in pieces. x
 
Chloe please calm down. His breathing could indicate anything even a uri. It is good you are going to the vets soon. I wish you luck. Contact me anytime you need to.
 
It's hard not to panic but you need to keep as calm as you can because the piggies pick up on our panic too.

Well done for booking the vets, just go and have a good check, hopefully it's just something simple. Paws crossed for you. x
 
Well we have been, Lily has 24 hours of pain relief, baytril and around the clock syringe feeding before any decisions are made.

The vet i saw (I wasn't impressed with) thinks he can feel a large abdominal tumor, i cant feel it but i am not the expert. he think the tumor is causing him pain which is why his breathing is fast?! Would that be the case, and would a guinea pig in pain willingly eat and run around like normal? I suggested pneumonia which he says is a possibility, he wanted to PTS there and then, but i said while he is still fighting i am going to give him another 24 hours, however should be decline anymore and i feel it is time i wont let him suffer or see him in pain.

I feel like i am being selfish? x
 
Why would they suggest being put to sleep when he is eating drinking and alert? You are not being selfish wanting to give him a chance. I really hope he picks up soon.
 
Oh bless Lily, rapid breathing can also be a sign of a heart problem (aswell as laboured breathing). Is there any fluid on their chest or anything like that?
 
No the lungs and heart all sounded fine apparently, just fast. I am going to try my best and do all i can, i just feel as though i am prolonging the inevitable :( x
 
Let Lily be your guide, that's what my friend always says to me. Is there any way the vet can do an xray to see if it is a tumour?
 
Chloe is it a Tumour for certain? I ask as faisel was at the gfets about a year ago for dental work. The vet called me and said he feels like he has a mass in his stomach and if he does not eat he will need to be put to sleep. I was distraught but he was fine. I have no idea what the vet was talking about. Lilly may be fine too.
 
I think i have decided what i need to do, I cant let him suffer, regardless of weather it is a tumor or something else, he wont survive any anesthetics. He has gone downhill so very rapidly. x
 
Oh I am so sorry. One of mine had a tumour and had laboured breathing. I assumed the laboured breathing was either a pain response or the tumour pushing on other organs. I hope Lily improves but if not, you know you have done everything you can. ((BIG HUGS))
 
It sounds like you are making the right decision, seems funny for a tumour to have affected him so suddenly though which makes me wonder if something else is going on.

Re the xray, can your vet not do conscious ones?
 
Toffeewoffee said:
I think i have decided what i need to do, I cant let him suffer, regardless of weather it is a tumor or something else, he wont survive any anesthetics. He has gone downhill so very rapidly. x
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You love him so much and you will know in your heart what you have to do when the time comes. You can give him the best chance you can but ultimately you will be led by nature.

Thinking of you and sending giant hugs x
 
To be honest @helen105281 he has been battling weight issues for a while now, which we have dealt with, and he has been looking old and acting slower for a few weeks, i just put it down to age being nearly 6, but then this morning with his breathing going double time i couldn't just leave it. So it wouldn't surprise me if this has been the secret problem all along.

Thanks everyone for your love and support, thanks Gigi. x
 
That makes sense. Hugs, you are doing the kindest thing we can do for our pigs.
 
I recently went through something similar with one of mine, lost weight for no reason as was active and eating, then went off food, my piggy had a tumour in his bladder and I had him put to sleep. I knew in my heart it was the right decision never makes it any easier though. You are in my thoughts x
 
The bravest and kindest thing we can do for our pets sometimes is to let them go and I think they know when it's time to leave. It is never any easier so have some huge hugs from me and my boys, our thoughts are very much with you.
 
Just a quick question, when the time comes (he is a group of 4, he has 3 wife pigs) should i take them all, so that when he is gone they can see him and say their goodbyes? I only ask as i will have him cremated so i wont be taking him home again. Or being as they will all be in a strange environment will they not register what has happened? I have read that it is good for cagemates to see their friends when they are gone so that they accept whats happened. x
 
I'm so sorry this is happening. It does sound like you are making the best decision for your piggy and putting them first is the kindest thing you can do. Regarding taking the others, I'm no expert but the piggies who I have shown the bodies to seemed to grieve far worse. I'm not sure though because it may be different in a group dynamic.

*hugs*

Please feel free to message me if you need to talk or need anything

~ Amy
 
I'm not sure. We brought Suilvy home on Monday as we were laying him to rest in the garden so we showed him to Struan. I think he got upset by that but we wanted him to know what happened. I think taking them all might be really stressful for not only them but for your unwell lad as well.

I am a firm believer that pigs know well before we do when it's the end and I've often seen them ignore a poorly, dying piggy as they've already said their goodbyes so whatever you choose be sure your girls knew he wasn't well and they will grieve in their own way.

I hope it all goes as well as these things can.
 
Thanks Merrypip, its funny you say that as mine are not cuddly pigs atall, but just recently he has always been snuggled up with a piggie either side of him, so i think this is their way of looking after him and keeping him warm, its so sad, they are so intelligent!

So Sorry to hear about Suilvy, i saw his post, sorry i haven't replied, i avoid the RB section at the best of times but have been especially avoiding it just lately with this on my shoulders. How is Struan coping?

x
 
I agree they know. I noticed cookie spending less time with cream before I had cream put to sleep and whilst I did show him cream when I got home he just walked past him to the food bowl. Animals sense these things x
 
Toffeewoffee said:
Thanks Merrypip, its funny you say that as mine are not cuddly pigs atall, but just recently he has always been snuggled up with a piggie either side of him, so i think this is their way of looking after him and keeping him warm, its so sad, they are so intelligent!

So Sorry to hear about Suilvy, i saw his post, sorry i haven't replied, i avoid the RB section at the best of times but have been especially avoiding it just lately with this on my shoulders. How is Struan coping?

x
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Stru is doing remarkably well but he had lived on his own for years before moving in with Suilvs in September so I think he is kinda used to it. I just can't get used to seeing him on his own as they were very close. For the 24 hours we had Suilvy home from the vet before he died Struan was so excited to have him back, it made me cry to see. He's just getting lots of cuddles whether he wants them or not...

I know what you mean, when things are tough, the last place you want to look is the RB section. Sending you virtual hugs with great understanding at this time. xxxxxxx
 
I am so very sorry you are going through this Chloe.

It sounds very similar to what happened to Eleanor last year. She lost an awful lot of weight and sometimes had laboured breathing even though her heart and lungs sounded fine. She was still happy and eating until one morning she suddenly stopped and went downhill very quickly.

The vet could feel a mass in her tummy near her kidneys. Her urine was also very diluted so it is very likely she had kidney failure and a tumour.

I decided to let her go that same day as after the examination, she started bleeding heavily which indicated thee was something seriously wrong :(

After she had gone, it also became obvious how much water she was drinking as the water bottles didn't empty anywhere near as fast as they once did.

Thinking of you and Lily. People can advise you on what they would do but ultimately the final decision must be yours. You know Lily better than anyone xx
 
You will know when it is time. I'm sorry you are having to go through this but you are doing your best by him- let him be your guide. When Rosie was poorly, they all kept going up to her in her tunnel and snuggling her- they definitely can sense it x
 
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