What Caused It?

[Charlotte01]

I woke up the other morning to one of my guinea pigs not using her back legs. We found a scratch on her back and she had a hernia on her belly. We took her to the vets who pushed the hernia back in and gave us anti-inflammatory medicine. When we came home, I gave her plenty of fresh hay, water and food and she slept in a warm hutch in the shed with her favourite Piggy. The medicine gave her diarrhoea so I kept her hydrated (sometimes syringe feeding her water) and gave her fresh food. On christmas morning, I woke up and she was barely moving and she hadn't eaten. I managed to feed her a tiny amount and she took her medicine. I checked on her every hour and she wasn't improving. I kept her warm and dry and all the other piggies were cuddled round her. I checked on her every half hour and by the evening, she was unresponsive. She wouldn't take medicine and she seemed lifeless but I could still feel a faint heartbeat. I wrapped her in a towel and put her back in the dry hay where the other piggies huddled round her. She died later that night and I don't understand why. She seemed ok the day before. I miss my little girl so much and her favourite Piggy is missing her so much. I can't stop crying and I don't understand why she died. I looked after her so well and I thought she was getting better. What could of caused her death? I miss her so much and wish I could cuddle her one last time. Please help

 

[Goth Mummy]

I'm so sorry for your loss, I don't know what caused it but didn't want to "read and run". Piggies are frail and go downhill very quickly despite our best efforts, I lost one myself last week who was fine in the morning, then dead by the evening with no warning

 

[Wiebke]

It is very difficult to say what has caused your girl's death; only a proper (and rather expensive) post mortem will give you the answer. Sadly, sometimes we are left with lots of questions when a piggy is going downhill very quickly and despite our best efforts.

Please contact your vet asap if a guinea pig has a bad reaction to an antibiotic (baytril is especially known for causing diarrhea and loss of appetite) and if there is a deterioration. Antibiotics are appetite killers, as they attack not only the bad bacteria but also the good ones in the gut. Giving a probiotic additionally can help somewhat; about a pinch twice daily. It is of course always so much worse when something like this happens over the holidays or a weekend.
We have got a step-by-step syringe feeding guide if you ever need to: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

It is very normal to feel like you have your girl and to have feelings of guilt if you lose a piggy so suddenly. That is part and parcel of the of the onset of the grieving process for most loving owners. There is nothing you have done wrong; you had your girl seen promptly and you have taken good care of her. That is all we can do.

 

[Charlotte01]

It is very difficult to say what has caused your girl's death; only a proper (and rather expensive) post mortem will give you the answer. Sadly, sometimes we are left with lots of questions when a piggy is going downhill very quickly and despite our best efforts.

Please contact your vet asap if a guinea pig has a bad reaction to an antibiotic (baytril is especially known for causing diarrhea and loss of appetite) and if there is a deterioration. Antibiotics are appetite killers, as they attack not only the bad bacteria but also the good ones in the gut. Giving a probiotic additionally can help somewhat; about a pinch twice daily. It is of course always so much worse when something like this happens over the holidays or a weekend.
We have got a step-by-step syringe feeding guide if you ever need to: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

It is very normal to feel like you have your girl and to have feelings of guilt if you lose a piggy so suddenly. That is part and parcel of the of the onset of the grieving process for most loving owners. There is nothing you have done wrong; you had your girl seen promptly and you have taken good care of her. That is all we can do.

Than you, it means a lot Betty was on meloxidyl and she seemed to be eating ok. Over the past few weeks she lost some weight but once one the medicine, she atr quite well and had no problems eating. She was a rescue but I think she was about six when she died so it was a good age and her immune system was weaker with age. She wasn't in any pain and went peacefully with her friends

 

[Freela]

I'm sorry for your loss. Unfortunately, sometimes we lose pigs and never really know why. I lost one of my senior pigs pretty suddenly last winter without any clear reason. She was fine, and then all of a sudden she went downhill very quickly. ((HUGS)) to you.

 

[VickiA]

So sorry for your loss. Sometimes we don't know why we lose them. I think sometimes they just give up. Other times they are hiding serious illnesses. It's natural to question whether we could have done any different but please don't doubt that you did all you could.

 

[Charlotte01]

I'm sorry for your loss. Unfortunately, sometimes we lose pigs and never really know why. I lost one of my senior pigs pretty suddenly last winter without any clear reason. She was fine, and then all of a sudden she went downhill very quickly. ((HUGS)) to you.

Thank you

 

[Lady Kelly]

So sorry for your loss, I think sometimes it's just a pigs time to go... same as with humans. It certainly doesn't make the loss any easier to cope with though and all you can do is focus on how well you took care of her and how comfortable you made her during her final days.

 

[piggieminder]

So sorry to hear of your loss. Please take comfort from the thought that you gave her a wonderful life and you were there doing all you could at the end, she knew she was loved.