HeatherW
Adult Guinea Pig
My lovely Belle went to the vet on Friday for a health check-up as I noticed she'd lost a bit of weight, her breathing was a bit heavy at times, and she hadn't been devouring food with quite her usual gusto. Today, she went in for x-rays and an ultrasound, and the vet found quite a few things!
First off, she has an enlarged heart. Usually, they'd measure it, but due to the amount of fluid around it which is the reason for her heavy breathing, they were unable to do so. She'll therefore start some heart medication to make life a bit easier for her as there's no cure; it can only be managed.
Secondly, she has ovarian cysts which we expected anyway after her last appointment a month or so ago. Her uterine horns are also enlarged, but due to her age (she's ~5 years) and heart condition, she's highly unlikely to recover from a spay, so she'll start a course of hormone injections from today. She'll need two more doses 7-10 days apart, but whether these work is dependent on whether the cysts are caused by hormones.
Lastly, she has some sediment in her bladder. My piggos are already on filtered water and grain-free pellets, but I'll have to further limit Belle's veggie intake to just watery salad leaves like Romaine lettuce. Fortunately, those are her favourite anyway.
Ultimately, while none of these things are necessarily terminal, the chances are high that I'll have to make a decision to PTS when she no longer has quality of life. She's a very lovable and docile piggy, and I always anticipated on adopting her that our time together would be limited, so we'll make the most of the time she has left.
First off, she has an enlarged heart. Usually, they'd measure it, but due to the amount of fluid around it which is the reason for her heavy breathing, they were unable to do so. She'll therefore start some heart medication to make life a bit easier for her as there's no cure; it can only be managed.
Secondly, she has ovarian cysts which we expected anyway after her last appointment a month or so ago. Her uterine horns are also enlarged, but due to her age (she's ~5 years) and heart condition, she's highly unlikely to recover from a spay, so she'll start a course of hormone injections from today. She'll need two more doses 7-10 days apart, but whether these work is dependent on whether the cysts are caused by hormones.
Lastly, she has some sediment in her bladder. My piggos are already on filtered water and grain-free pellets, but I'll have to further limit Belle's veggie intake to just watery salad leaves like Romaine lettuce. Fortunately, those are her favourite anyway.
Ultimately, while none of these things are necessarily terminal, the chances are high that I'll have to make a decision to PTS when she no longer has quality of life. She's a very lovable and docile piggy, and I always anticipated on adopting her that our time together would be limited, so we'll make the most of the time she has left.
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It's just a case of managing her quality of life.
