I think i might need to up the dosage back to 60 ml critical care. When i started with 40 ml, his weight went down. The exotic vet did run some tests on him, took a photo, but it all seemed fine. But you can never be too sure with guinea pigs!
what a difficult day it has been for my beloved Chase. Between 11 am en 5 pm he was so so lethargic en barely responsive. I even called up my wife to come home from work earlier as i worried like crazy. He looked so tired and somewhat fragile. We discussed what is best to do. We bought some extra cage enrichtment and put it in there. Around 6 pm he turned around quite a lot. He was pretty active and ate a lot of hay. He walked around a bunch and interacted with the new goodies we bought him. He liked the hay roll a lot and ate a good amount from that. He was up and about for about 35 minutes and had an hour sleep then got up again for another 15 minutes to eat. Now he is resting quite a lot again. I find this whole recovery proces very intense. The ups and downs are massive. There are moments that he appears great, and then there are moments where i worry myself to death. I am very pleased today with his food intake, he is really getting up when he wants something to eat. Somewhere i do suspect something might bigger might be going on than just a bloat. The bloat was really severe when it started, he was minutes away from death. He bounced back so properly. By tuesday evening there was no bloat anymore. He was really improving a lot everyday. Becoming so much more stable and independent. Friday evening until this saturday evening has been so much more rough. I really am starting to worry about how he is not actual healing even tho his bloat has been gone for awhile. Why does he remain so sickish looking? The vet said she didn’t see any cause for concern, that was only 2 days ago.
I want my boy back
Thanks for your wise words, it is nice to have a different perspective on things when i get so stuck in my headBIG HUGS
You are a very loving and caring owner. Round the clock care for the longer term is very exhausting - not just physically but also mentally.
I agree that Chase is still exhibiting too much zest for life and normal species behaviour to warrant euthanasia at this particular moment and that I would feel conflicted as much as you were I in your shoes (I have been in similar situations though). You are however coming very close to the area where is no right or wrong as to whether euthanising sooner or later; it is just a matter of how you approach the issue and which factors weigh heavier for beyond your personal convenience or fears of loss.
The fear that Chase may pass away while you are not there is also another major factor that is in play because you are feeling very guilty already for having to leave him when your special baby is so fragile and hanging in the balance.
It's not the kind of conflicted or highly charged scenario that anybody of us would want having to deal with because there is no clear and easy path. Whichever way out you choose will come with an emotional price because you have to sacrifice something important for the benefit of an other aspect. All you can do is follow your heart - having done the best you can and having styed true to your heart is the rock to which you can cling to whatever happens; because that is the one thing you as the owner has control over but most of the rest is out of your control and you have to deal with it as it comes at you. And in that way you have a foundation that you have not betrayed Chase in the most important way for yourself.
these things are never easy, many pet owners will face a dilemma at some point. We just want what is best for our fluffballs <3
he looks almost normal
. It’s very stressful and exhausting caring for a sick piggy.