Bereaved Winnie

LucyP

LucyP

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Hi all

I can’t believe we’re back here again, but our little Winnie has lost her second friend in two years and is now a solo piggy again which has come out of the blue to all of them.

I’m collecting winnie from the vets this morning (she was there as a companion pig for Mabel who did not make it and was sadly PTS last night when the vets were closing so I couldn’t bring her straight home.

Am I right in thinking we should leave some of the fleece pads etc that will smell of Mabel? She did get to see Mabel’s body but as we weren’t there I don’t know how she responded. Last time this happened Winnie went into active pining and refused to eat and needed syringe feeding so I want to give her the best chance of getting through this. Hopefully the fact she saw Mabel afterwards might help with her grieving? I will have another full read of the guide too.

😢
 
LucyP said:
Hi all

I can’t believe we’re back here again, but our little Winnie has lost her second friend in two years and is now a solo piggy again which has come out of the blue to all of them.

I’m collecting winnie from the vets this morning (she was there as a companion pig for Mabel who did not make it and was sadly PTS last night when the vets were closing so I couldn’t bring her straight home.

Am I right in thinking we should leave some of the fleece pads etc that will smell of Mabel? She did get to see Mabel’s body but as we weren’t there I don’t know how she responded. Last time this happened Winnie went into active pining and refused to eat and needed syringe feeding so I want to give her the best chance of getting through this. Hopefully the fact she saw Mabel afterwards might help with her grieving? I will have another full read of the guide too.

😢
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BIG HUGS

I am so very sorry that you had to help Mabel to the Bridge. She was lucky to find Winnie and you to look after her.

Yes, please leave scented reminders of Mabel to snuggle into (if she wishes) but hopefully Winnie is not going to pine as badly this time round; my own piggies who couldn't cope with the loss of a mate did deal with it better the second time round. Not great, but no acute pining. All we can do is to offer a bereaved one the option for a proxy snuggle if they wish to; it is their own choice whether they take it or not - but they have that important choice.
Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig
 
Thanks so much. We are still reeling about Mabel (bloat/kidney issues out of the blue) and in bits but of course we want to make sure Winnie has what she needs. It will be good to get her home as she must be wondering what’s going on after a night alone in hospital.
 
I’m so very sorry you lost your precious Mabel. Hugs. When Bert lost his first cage mate he was clearly pining. When he lost his second mate he seemed to accept it quite quickly and get on with life. Thinking of you and Winnie x
 
Thank you. I’m just waiting for a can back with Winnie. They said she was quiet but has eaten with some coaxing. I’ll see how she gets on at home. Last time she kept running around looking for Betty which was really sad. Mabel was only 2 and all quite sudden. Winnie is 5 and was difficult to match last time but we got there in the end.
 
I'm so sorry to read you have had to put Mabel to sleep.Its a devastating loss made out of love.i hope your other piggie picks up soon.Take care of yourself.xx
 
Many thanks. Winnie’s had some hay and coriander but is not very enthusiastic. but she’s enthusiastically taken 12ml of emerald since she got home and I’ll keep offering her that. She seems to remember to eat a bit of hay after a few mouthfuls of the feed. She’s mostly in her hidey and looking a bit sad but at least she’s not refusing food altogether.

I’ll contact the rescues soon. I think we’re struggling so much with the stress and trauma that we probably need to end the cycle after this so a plan would be to keep Winnie until the end of her life but if her new companion then remains, to surrender them ideally to a retirement type set up. That’s assuming our next pig outlives Winnie. Mabel was 1 when we got her and Winnie was 4 so we expected Mabel to be more likely to outlive Winnie but as with human life, things don’t always turn out that way.

Anyway my question is - if the next piggy we bring in is to be ultimately be the last one standing, does it make a difference if they’re a boy or girl or what age in terms of their chances of finding a good home after?

Maybe there’a no point overthinking this as Winnie will choose who she chooses, and we’ll probably fall in love with the next piggy and never want to give it up. But for existing family health/life event reasons we don’t feel we can keep the cycle going indefinitely so the next one may need to be the last one. There’s no way we can surrender Winnie so we will bring her someone in.

Hope that makes any sense, haven’t slept much for a few days!

Thanks
 
LucyP said:
Thanks so much. We are still reeling about Mabel (bloat/kidney issues out of the blue) and in bits but of course we want to make sure Winnie has what she needs. It will be good to get her home as she must be wondering what’s going on after a night alone in hospital.
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Try to take consolation that when the fast metabolism that guinea pigs have (and that we tent to forget about) turned against Mabel at the end of life you ensured that she suffered as shortly and as little as possible. We can only get our own piggies so far in life with our good care but we have never any control over when, in which form or under which circumstances the end comes. All we can do is our best; she same as we have done every day they have been with us - which is how piggies rate a good life by.

Give yourself time to digest the shock and the pain of loss in the coming days and weeks but please don't blame yourself. Old age is a reality; something will inevitably give way sooner or later, whether it is the immune system or an organ and the rest is an unstoppable runaway process. Death is sadly only very rarely like the vague, heavily sanitised version that most of us have in mind.
 
Thanks, I think we did do all we can, but I wish I had known what we were up against. I thought it was a dental issue because on weds she was moving her mouth funny and not eating properly so she was at the vets that day for that. They felt her abdomen as part of her health check and felt no signs of bloat. Next morning still a being funny with her mouth but eating. In the afternoon she was refusing food, we rushed her in to find full on bloat that had blown up in the space of a couple of hours. On top of that she’d had lung disease, and ovarian cysts and then in the end they suspected kidney failure. That’s when we decided to let her go peacefully. Such a lot for a lovely girl who wasn’t even 3 years old. She came via a rescue and had been found in a vacated property abandoned to fend for herself.

Winnie is the older girl and she was very particular about choosing a new friend last time. We searched high and low and I wonder how she’ll be this time. Probably best to get some application forms in to the rescues soon.
 
hi,i hope you find a friend soon.a neutered boar is a good fit,it depends what your piggie wants as a compatible friend.
 
Thanks eileen, appreciate that. She’s not eating as normal and is very subdued but she is eating a bit and having syringe feed. We’ve contacted some rescues for her and will see what they have.
 
So very sorry that you lost Mabel.
She will leave a huge hole in your heart.
I’m sure that with your love and care Winnie will cope with her grief.
Holding you in my heart ❤️
 
Thank you. It’s a horrible feeling looking for a ‘new one’ when we’re still reeling and can’t really believe it. I haven’t even packed up all Mabel’s medical equipment and tidied it away yet because it’s too much. Getting another one will be hard. But I have to remember that we felt like this before and Mabel came along after the loss of another beloved piggy and she very quickly won our hearts. It’s the right thing for Winnie and I keep reminding myself that it’s not a replacement, just another new chapter. It feels really sad. But at least we’ll be giving another rescue pig the chance of a loving home. (I know one pig is a drop in the ocean for the rescues but every bit helps). i hope Winnie hasn’t become even more fussy about choosing friends this time around but we will see. As long as she finds someone she likes we don’t mind who it is.
 
I'm so so sorry 💔 That's so horrible to have to deal with, especially with no warning of what was coming, but you did what was best for her and let her rest. Poor Mabel, she must have been such a little fighter. I can't imagine how difficult it is to have to start looking for a companion for Winnie right now when you've only just begun to grieve. You're an amazing owner and will give love and happiness to whichever little friend Winnie chooses. Best of luck to you, and love to Winnie 🩷
 
Looking to Winnies best interests now absolutely does not mean that you didn't love Mabel. It demonstrates that you give your piggies happy todays because you prioritise them and their needs over yourself ❤️
 
Thank you so much. Winnie is eating a bit but we’re topping her up, and she’s still very withdrawn, bless her. It’s SO quiet without the chief wheeker and bar biter Mabel. Mabel was an absolute sweetheart and will leave a massive hole in our hearts. I will miss our constant contact, where I picked her up for food and twice day nebuliser, and watched her boldly climb all over me, sniff my face or look for food in my mouth when she ran out (!).

I’m glad we were able to spare her further suffering at least.

We will see what the rescues say re next steps..
 
LucyP said:
Thank you so much. Winnie is eating a bit but we’re topping her up, and she’s still very withdrawn, bless her. It’s SO quiet without the chief wheeker and bar biter Mabel. Mabel was an absolute sweetheart and will leave a massive hole in our hearts. I will miss our constant contact, where I picked her up for food and twice day nebuliser, and watched her boldly climb all over me, sniff my face or look for food in my mouth when she ran out (!).

I’m glad we were able to spare her further suffering at least.

We will see what the rescues say re next steps..
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What a wonderful little piggy 💔 You and Winnie must be missing her terribly, but at least you can help each other through this difficult time and cherish all the happy memories you have of Mabel 🩷
 
Hoping you can friend a little friend that will make Winnie happy again🤞

My Posh took on a new vigour once she was bonded with little Tilly
 
Thanks - it does help to see them with a new friend doesn’t it and your little Tilly is gorgeous.
 
She’s eating enough I think, with the top up, we’ll keep weighing her daily. She’s not right but it does feel different from the acute pining she did last time, where she barely moved or ate for days, so that’s a relief. Hopefully we can get her a friend in soon but I know the waiting lists for single pigs can be a while so we started already to put the feelers out.
 
Hi all

The good news is that less than a week after her loss, Winnie is eating well, seems actually quite perky and is using all the tricks Mabel taught her to beg when she wants more. She’s even done some of the running and spinning she does when she’s waiting for her veg. This is such a relief and a world apart from how she responded when her previous friend Betty died two years ago.

We are waiting to hear back from the rescues to find her a friend. My question is about age- Winnie is 5 and a half, has always been the dominant one and was quite picky last time choosing a friend. This time we are looking for a pig from 3 upwards really (esp as we intend to end the cycle after this pair). But do older girls tend to find it easier to accept much younger ones? I guess Winnie will decide anyway and we will keep an open mind but I wondered if it’s quite rare for two middles aged or older sows to get on. This would be Winnie’s third new friend. Her first one was the same age as her and Mabel who we lost last week was only 1 when they bonded (Winnie would have been 3’5 then).

Many thanks
Lucy
 
I think it’s all down to personality really, older sows can be a bit trickier but really it is all down to who she likes. If she is the dominant one then hopefully there will be a little lonely lady out there just waiting to meet her and let Winnie be the top piggie. 🤞
 
LucyP said:
Hi all

The good news is that less than a week after her loss, Winnie is eating well, seems actually quite perky and is using all the tricks Mabel taught her to beg when she wants more. She’s even done some of the running and spinning she does when she’s waiting for her veg. This is such a relief and a world apart from how she responded when her previous friend Betty died two years ago.

We are waiting to hear back from the rescues to find her a friend. My question is about age- Winnie is 5 and a half, has always been the dominant one and was quite picky last time choosing a friend. This time we are looking for a pig from 3 upwards really (esp as we intend to end the cycle after this pair). But do older girls tend to find it easier to accept much younger ones? I guess Winnie will decide anyway and we will keep an open mind but I wondered if it’s quite rare for two middles aged or older sows to get on. This would be Winnie’s third new friend. Her first one was the same age as her and Mabel who we lost last week was only 1 when they bonded (Winnie would have been 3’5 then).

Many thanks
Lucy
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That's amazing news, I'm so happy she's coping well. Best of luck with getting her a friend 🩷
 
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