Worried I Killed My Piggies

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Cavy.girl

Cavy.girl

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Right now I'm feeling so low and such a failure. I've lost three of my pigs in the last few months and I'm worried I've not done enough, even caused them to get ill and die.

First Max died in July, then Stewie the end of September and Timmy just the other day on Friday. Stewie and Timmy were 5 year old brothers who we had from babies together with their brother Scooby who I have left. Max came to us when he was 5 a few years ago so was getting on 7. They were good ages but I just can't believe they've died so close together. I miss them badly.

Stewie's and Timmy's symptoms were similar and seemed to die from kidney failure or similar. Max went the same way but was quicker, so I thought it was just old age.

I took a video of them all eating grass and foraged leaves and I was watching today. It's made me worry. They were eating sorrel which we have growing outside the back door. All summer I've been taking them out there and they've been eating it. Scooby never really likes weeds and I don't think he ever ate the sorrel. I've been looking it up online and read it can be toxic, with the poison affecting the kidneys. Now I'm worried I killed them by feeding them sorrel and this is really upsetting me.

What are your thoughts on sorrel and the oxalic acid risk? Do you think they could have been poisoned?

Becky x
 
HUGS!

I am very sorry; it strikes you hard when a lot of your piggies die in close succession. It has happened to me, too, this year; in once case I lost three middle aged piggies completely out of the blue in the space of a month at the beginning of the year and then three older piggies from the same group in quick succession over the summer, so I can relate to you. It has whacked me hard despite my head knowing that I did my best in each case.

Sorrel is not highly toxic and they would have to eat a whole heap of it to really make a difference. Kidney failure is unfortunately not at all rare in older piggies (I lost one of my elderlies in May to it). The majority of older piggies die from one kind of organ failure or other and sometimes all organs are packing in at the same time. The symptoms of that are pretty similar; they often just vary in the order to which the body is closing down. It is much more likely that the stress of the loss of the companions has hurried on the decline in the others, as it did with mine. :(

However, we have the need to find answers where there are none. It is an inescapable part of the grieving process for any loving pet owner to suffer from feelings of guilt and to often latch onto something that feeds into this need. you have not failed your boys, and you have given them a long and very happy life!
 
It is a natural part of grieving to question whether we could have done something differently & if there could have been a different outcome.

I think your piggies were a good age & you've just had rather a lot of losses all at once. Don't blame yourself. It sounds like your guineas were much-loved & cared for.
 
I came here with guilt tonight; I sympathise with yours. I am so sorry that they had to go so close together. They were good ages; take comfort in that if there is any to be had. You got Max as an oldster and you gave him even more years, that is something to look on with satisfaction.
 
As the others have already said it is not your fault. I remember reading an article by the Late Great Peter Gurney in which he wrote that guinea pigs are very intelligent creatures and do not normally eat anything that is overly bad for them. I certainly do not think they would have repeatedly eaten the sorrel if it was bad for them. Feeling for your loss x
 
Please don't beat yourself up over the loss of your boys. We all do it when we lose a piggy, the 'what ifs' can really get us down.

But your boys were happy and well cared for. They lived to a good age and it was obviously just their time to go. As we get older, and piggies too, our organs don't work as well as they did and sooner or later one or other body system will give up and then it's time to go. With your boys it may well have been their kidneys but if it hadn't been that then it would have been something else.

It's awful to lose one piggy, let alone 3 so close together. Sympathy from our gang here. x
 
I know how you feel. We lost our beautiful 5 year old Dosha last night ..she choked on the Septerin we were syringe feeding her. We feel so awful today that we should have just left her alone.
 
As Weibke says, sometimes you go through terrible times with all animals. I remember one year when I lost 3 guinea pigs, a horse and a hamster all in 3 months. All died of different causes and every single one I questioned what I could have done better. It was a terrible time for me, it ripped me apart and I never wish to repeat it but in the end I had to deal with it otherwise I would never have any more animals. An old farmer said to me once 'where there is livestock, there is dead stock' it shocked me at the time but he is right. Sadly our animal friends have a much shorter lifespan than us and we just have to accept that. That phrase has stuck with me. Its the journey and the love you give on the way which counts.

@Pinki Try not to beat yourself up, I would be amazed if she choked on Septrin, it could well have been a heart attack or similar. Without getting into graphic detail I lost a beautiful girl to heart failure, she was on my lap when it happened and it was as if she was choking, so please dont beat yourself up. Sadly, its natures way sometimes.
 
Thank you so much. Your words help a lot. I hope it was a heart attack.
It's such a comfort coming here as people 'out there' just don't understand what guinea pigs do to our heartstrings. It's crazy, 12 years ago I had no consciousness of these bonds that are possible with guinea pigs. It's extraordinary and gives so much…..but also takes away and yes we must get used to the short lives of animals…but it's not easy and right now I don't know if I can go through it again. 'Ripped apart' is the right way of describing it.
 
I am so sorry to hear of your loss! *Hugs* but I'm sure you did everything you could! your piggies were loved and cared for. And as a few people have said so far it is hard accepting that they haven't got such a long lifespan. They were a good age and i would think that for Timmy and Stewie the loss of their buddy could of played a big part in that.It was the same with my old pigs Mopsy and Flopsy. Mopsy had to be put down due to dental issues and Flopsy just seemed to go throw the motions after that! i tried my hardest to keep him happy with tonnes of cuddlez and even had a teddy in his cage but you could see he lost his sparkle! :( and passed away some months later. Even the vet said it looked like he just gave up! It's hard but time will heal! Scooby will help you too! Thoughts are with you! x
 
Thank you SO MUCH. I thought I hadn't any responses to my post as I hadn't received any email notification, so I am overwhelmed by each and every reply.

I think it helps immensely to talk with you about the pain because you know what's it like. The guilt is insidious.

I'm so relieved none of you think the sorrel was the culprit, I really hope it was just their bodies departing on their own accord. I miss them so much but I'm trying to think of them in their happy, healthier days.

Thankfully Scooby seems to be doing okay. He was ridiculously upset when he realised Timmy was no more. I'd never seen it before but after he'd sniffed and licked Timmy he stood back and had this freaked out look on his face. It sounds silly but he looked like he could cry. That cut me. But Scooby has got back to his old, lively self. He's so funny and loves to be fussed which is really giving me pleasure.

We have another pig who we took in a few weeks before Timmy died. He is so skittish and afraid which makes him defensive near Scooby. But at least we have him! He had terrible skin at the beginning so it'll be nice to work on him and help him live a happy well cared for life.

Thank you again for your kindness and encouragement, it means a lot to know I have good, piggy loving friends who understand me. :hug:
 
I'm glad to hear it's been helpful! :) and aww bless little Scooby! That even has me welling a bit! :( but perhaps time will create a bond for the two of them! and i you wanna talk anytime just give me a shout! :)
 
Sorry for your run of bad luck; that happened to me 2 years ago, I lost a couple of pigs in one year. My vet (who is great with pigs) told me that many pigs, at least here in the States, may be descended from pigs which were taken from lab-animal stock, and many have been bred over time to have certain weaknesses (respiratory, tumors, etc), for research purposes. So even though we do the best we can for our little friends, if they have a weak link somewhere in their genetic chain, they can still die at early ages. All we CAN do is the best we can do and while we have them, give them good care and lots and lots of love.
 
I know it may be some small comfort but when Star was being seen by Simon at Cat and Rabbit Clinic as she is over 5 her referred to her as a geriatric piggy (just dont tell her to her face). I think any of us who have piggies over 5 are actually quite fortunate.
 
Jeez! As if animal testing isn't bad enough they breed them to make them ill! That's awful! I would not mind finding these labs and giving them what for! :/
 
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