7.5 year old Guinea Pig - operate or not?

[ellyinexile]

Hi everyone,

Its been a while since I posted but I hope you will give me some advice or thoughts.

Our boar, Yogi, our only surviving piggy from our little herd has a rotten tooth which has caused an abscess. Our vet says that he could try to remove it under GA but he doesn't feel the chances of survival for Yogi are great given his age and is hesitant to put him through that. If we do nothing he will be in pain and unable to eat by himself and our vet estimates he would only survive another 2 weeks and suggests that we consider letting him go to sleep.

Obviously I am in bits writing this, he is my baby!
I know that he is very old and I want what is best for him...If letting him go is the right thing then I will do that...but I am clinging to thoughts of 'what if' he would survive!
Deep down I know that this is just me being selfish...realistically I don't think he would recover this time.
But can I please ask what would you all do in this situation?
Please be honest...

For background information he has always had tooth problems, and regularly needs his back teeth trimmed. He went through a phase of breaking his front tooth which is why it's gone bad. He had a tooth operation on his back teeth years ago when he was 1.5yo and it took him over a month to recover that time with pretty much 24hr care.
He has arthritis as well and can no longer toilet himself properly either so needs a lot of care, which of course I am happy to do.
He is currently on 0.3 metacalm everyday for pain management. And recently finished a course of Sulfatrim antibiotic to see if it would help with the abscess.
Our vet is very good and has gotten Yogi through all manner of illnesses and ailments in the past so I do trust him and I have faith in his skills and abilities. But this is such a horrible decision.

 

[Guineapigfeet]

If it were as simple as putting him to sleep or trying an operation that he may not survive, I would try the operation, what is there to loose? But given his history of slow recovery, persistent tooth troubles, arthritis and toileting difficulties, even if he survives the op, it would possibly be a long and difficult road back to even his ‘normal’. I would be thinking very hard about what was in his best interests over what would make my heart hurt less right now.
It is of course your decision, you know him and you best, and I’m sure everyone here would support you no matter what you choose.

 

[Wiebke]

BIG HUGS

Decisions between a rock and hard place do very often come as a bad shock and are very upsetting to make as you can't win; all you can do is choosing the path of least hurt.

Yogi is at the upper end of the average life span, which is a huge credit to your good care in view of his dental issues; he would not have been able to live to such a great age without you.

Your decision is basically about letting him go in peace (please don't wait until the very last moment as he is already unable to eat and is in major discomfort) or putting him through a very risky op and a protracted recovery with only a fairly small chance that he may come through it all, given his history and the fact that he is not in the best of general health.

We cannot make that decision for you because it is a very personal one; either way one has something for it. Listen to your guts and go with them because ultimately it is you who has to live with your decision and has to be OK with it past all the normal doubts, guilt and soul-searching that come in the immediate wake of making it and especially a resulting loss. Your grieving process has just started; hence your current state. Apart from the loss itself, it is the second worst time when you come face to face with the reality of loss.

In my own experience, it is your gut that will tell you what you are most comfortable with in the long term when your head and your heart come finally back together again.
There is no right or wrong in this area as long as you are putting Yogi's wellbeing and welfare before your own fears of loss and your own desire to keep him beyond all reasonable expectations.

Please take the time to read this guide here. I have written it specifically for people in situations like yours. It is not just a practical guide but it also deals with the ethics and the various factors in play to help you make your own decision in a way that it works for you in the years to come and not just now.
Here is the link: A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs

Having been in comparable situations all too often myself, I feel for you!