Bloat after pneumonia treatment

[Popcorns & Wheeks]

Thank you very much that you cared for me and taco .. I hope he is in a better place now with his best friend.. it’s very hard for me, but I have to move on with my life because I quit studying those weeks to take care of him, and now I have to focus again, and i can’t take my mind of him …I’m totally broken and sad I don’t know how I will move on You seem like such a caring person , I wish you and your piggies have the best life !

I do really care and I really am truly sorry that Taco didn’t make it. You did the right thing ending his suffering, he will be with his best friend now happy, free of pain and eating neverending treats. You will be reunited again one day, hold that in your mind. That's what gets me through each day, knowing I'll see my babies again. They will all be playing together now, having so much fun.

It is going to be very hard for a while. I lost 3 piggies in just 4 months and still cry myself to sleep every night. Grief is an awful thing to have to cope with but you can do it.

I really wish you all the best and goodluck with your studies. You will be OK, you just need time. Thankyou for your wishes, I wish you and your family the best life too. If you ever need to talk then I am here ❤

 

[Sofia99]

I do really care and I really am truly sorry that Taco didn’t make it. You did the right thing ending his suffering, he will be with his best friend now happy, free of pain and eating neverending treats. You will be reunited again one day, hold that in your mind. That's what gets me through each day, knowing I'll see my babies again. They will all be playing together now, having so much fun.

It is going to be very hard for a while. I lost 3 piggies in just 4 months and still cry myself to sleep every night. Grief is an awful thing to have to cope with but you can do it.

I really wish you all the best and goodluck with your studies. You will be OK, you just need time. Thankyou for your wishes, I wish you and your family the best life too. If you ever need to talk then I am here ❤

I hope our piggies will be in a good place happy and healthy .. I can’t imagine your pain , it must be really hard to lose 3 piggies in 3 months , but I’m sure you did everything you could for them to have a happy life. They give us so much love,and all of a sudden we lose them,probably that’s the price of unconditional love.. I don’t think I will adopt again piggies ,cause when they’re getting sick, I am getting sick too ,and it is a disaster .. If I ever learn how to be stronger , I will adopt again..
Thank you for the support again ! i am here also whenever you need to talk

 

[Popcorns & Wheeks]

I hope our piggies will be in a good place happy and healthy .. I can’t imagine your pain , it must be really hard to lose 3 piggies in 3 months , but I’m sure you did everything you could for them to have a happy life. They give us so much love,and all of a sudden we lose them,probably that’s the price of unconditional love.. I don’t think I will adopt again piggies ,cause when they’re getting sick, I am getting sick too ,and it is a disaster .. If I ever learn how to be stronger , I will adopt again..
Thank you for the support again ! i am here also whenever you need to talk

I'm sure they will be, they will now be happy and back to their healthiest times, I know it. Yer, I really have been living in a nightmare since August 2021! That's when my first piggie Susie took ill, we got her sorted after months of vets visits then I decided to spay her in September and she died the same night in my partners arms. I will honestly never forgive myself.

I then lost my nana piggie Heidi in October to what we think was cancer, she had surgery in the March and recovered well but unfortunately, it must have spread, she died in my arms a week after she took ill again.

Then I lost my only boy Dexter, I got him neutered in June and the poor boy had nothing but complications, ended up with 3 abscesses and two hernias, I had him operated on twice but couldn't put him through anymore so I made the most difficult decision to put him to sleep. I will never forgive myself for that either. I spent £4000 in vets bills since August 21 trying to protect them and keep them healthy and lost them anyway.

I now have my Ruby and my Delilah left. 5 became 2 . I have decided no more now, it's too heartbreaking when we lose them and when they take ill. Here's pics of my babies Susie, Heidi, Dexter, Ruby and Delilah.

 

[Popcorns & Wheeks]

I also found it a little comforting writing a tribute to my babies in the Rainbow bridge section of the forum, it let me release how I feel and also share some wonderful memories, it may help you too.

You are not alone when you say your piggies getting sick also makes you ill, I am constantly on edge with anxiety, hoping and praying nothing else goes wrong with my other 2 piggies or my German shepherd Sasha. I always think now they are going to get ill, it's awful so I know how you feel. Hopefully we will both get stronger. Here is Sasha just so I don't leave her out of a photo opportunity lol.

 

[Sofia99]

I also found it a little comforting writing a tribute to my babies in the Rainbow bridge section of the forum, it let me release how I feel and also share some wonderful memories, it may help you too.

You are not alone when you say your piggies getting sick also makes you ill, I am constantly on edge with anxiety, hoping and praying nothing else goes wrong with my other 2 piggies or my German shepherd Sasha. I always think now they are going to get ill, it's awful so I know how you feel. Hopefully we will both get stronger. Here is Sasha just so I don't leave her out of a photo opportunity lol.

View attachment 218111

. All of your piggies are adorable ,and your dog too (Sasha looks like she is posing ,I guess she is enjoying to take pictures of her).
I understand your pain , because I feel it too.. You’ve tried to make me feel like i was doing everything I could for my taco, that’s the way you need to think about yourself too . I believe that we will always feel that we didn’t do enough when our piggies passed ..But I don’t think that’s actually true .. I miss my taco and my other piggy rati.. and I will always will .. and I will always believe that I could do more .. But I think even if my taco had survived ,he could never be the same without rati ,they were together since taco was 1month old until 6years old .. They loved each other even if they weren’t brothers .. Now he is with him ,without pain and discomfort.. When I had surgery I was put under general anaesthesia for hours ,and it was the best sleep I’ve ever got in my life , it was like living normal I could imagine things .. Many people who experienced the same or were in a coma and experienced this,tell me that this is how you feel when you die .. And if this is how our piggies that passed, feel now , I’m sure they’re feeling great and peaceful..I strongly believe that because I experienced it ,The body is sleeping but the soul is alive.. Think about that You’re lucky that you live in a developed country and you can provide your piggies and your dog with the best treatments , Here in my country Greece it’s not always possible.. Especially now that our country is running out of most of the medicines for animals and for humans..You’re a good owner , struggling with anxiety is very hard , and it will always makes our life harder , but we need to keep going , and be stronger , well I’m not strong yet and I don’t know if I will ever be ,but I will try and you have to try too. When my piggies became 5years old ,I’ve started thinking all the time that they’re getting older and probably they will get sick , those thoughts didn’t let me to enjoy time with them because I was scared ,sometimes I was even ignoring them even if I wanted to play with them and hug them ,because I didn’t want our connections to get even deeper as the years were passing,in my mind I was like they will leave me alone one day and I won’t be able to handle that , I really regret that I let my self feel like this ..Keep strong for those you love and show your feelings to them

 

[Popcorns & Wheeks]

. All of your piggies are adorable ,and your dog too (Sasha looks like she is posing ,I guess she is enjoying to take pictures of her).
I understand your pain , because I feel it too.. You’ve tried to make me feel like i was doing everything I could for my taco, that’s the way you need to think about yourself too . I believe that we will always feel that we didn’t do enough when our piggies passed ..But I don’t think that’s actually true .. I miss my taco and my other piggy rati.. and I will always will .. and I will always believe that I could do more .. But I think even if my taco had survived ,he could never be the same without rati ,they were together since taco was 1month old until 6years old .. They loved each other even if they weren’t brothers .. Now he is with him ,without pain and discomfort.. When I had surgery I was put under general anaesthesia for hours ,and it was the best sleep I’ve ever got in my life , it was like living normal I could imagine things .. Many people who experienced the same or were in a coma and experienced this,tell me that this is how you feel when you die .. And if this is how our piggies that passed, feel now , I’m sure they’re feeling great and peaceful..I strongly believe that because I experienced it ,The body is sleeping but the soul is alive.. Think about that You’re lucky that you live in a developed country and you can provide your piggies and your dog with the best treatments , Here in my country Greece it’s not always possible.. Especially now that our country is running out of most of the medicines for animals and for humans..You’re a good owner , struggling with anxiety is very hard , and it will always makes our life harder , but we need to keep going , and be stronger , well I’m not strong yet and I don’t know if I will ever be ,but I will try and you have to try too. When my piggies became 5years old ,I’ve started thinking all the time that they’re getting older and probably they will get sick , those thoughts didn’t let me to enjoy time with them because I was scared ,sometimes I was even ignoring them even if I wanted to play with them and hug them ,because I didn’t want our connections to get even deeper as the years were passing,in my mind I was like they will leave me alone one day and I won’t be able to handle that , I really regret that I let my self feel like this ..Keep strong for those you love and show your feelings to them

Thankyou , yer Sasha definitely loves the camera. I know what you mean, we know we did our best and did everything we could but still there's something that tells us we could have done more.

My guilt comes from the fact that I chose to spay Susie and neuter Dexter, knowing the risks I still went ahead, therefore I feel like it's my fault they suffered and died. I should have left them alone, I do hate myself for it and in hindsight wouldn't have gone ahead with the surgeries. They were happy before that so I should of left them be.

Taco would have been missing Rati the poor soul, at least now they will be together. You really did do your best. Thankyou for sharing your experience about surgery, that is a nice thought knowing they felt peace when passing, like a nice long sleep.

Yer I believe the soul lives on too and one day we will all be together again in a better world. Your right, I am lucky to have the resources over here but in all honesty, I have now lost faith in my vets after so much heartache and disaster. I don't trust them anymore, that's probably part of my anxiety too. I hope we both do get stronger.

I know how you feel about not enjoying the time with your piggies because of anxiety. I am a huge sufferer of OCD and it really does rule my life. I got evicted about 6 weeks before Susie's surgery and moved into a house I absolutely hated. I felt like the house was riddled with germs and this sent my anxiety through the roof, making me stay away from my piggies thinking if I went near them they might catch something, seems silly but true.

Anyways, due to feeling this way I wasted Susie's last 6 weeks staying in bed crying and not going near her incase she got ill. I let my anxiety steal that time we had left when I should have been enjoying having her. This is something I cannot forgive myself for and is still going on now with my other pigs. The same happened with Heidi and Dexter too and now they are gone and I'll never get that time back. I'm sick of thinking somehow I will make them ill.

Isn't life so difficult with mental health to cope with x

 

[Sofia99]

Thankyou , yer Sasha definitely loves the camera. I know what you mean, we know we did our best and did everything we could but still there's something that tells us we could have done more.

My guilt comes from the fact that I chose to spay Susie and neuter Dexter, knowing the risks I still went ahead, therefore I feel like it's my fault they suffered and died. I should have left them alone, I do hate myself for it and in hindsight wouldn't have gone ahead with the surgeries. They were happy before that so I should of left them be.

Taco would have been missing Rati the poor soul, at least now they will be together. You really did do your best. Thankyou for sharing your experience about surgery, that is a nice thought knowing they felt peace when passing, like a nice long sleep.

Yer I believe the soul lives on too and one day we will all be together again in a better world. Your right, I am lucky to have the resources over here but in all honesty, I have now lost faith in my vets after so much heartache and disaster. I don't trust them anymore, that's probably part of my anxiety too. I hope we both do get stronger.

I know how you feel about not enjoying the time with your piggies because of anxiety. I am a huge sufferer of OCD and it really does rule my life. I got evicted about 6 weeks before Susie's surgery and moved into a house I absolutely hated. I felt like the house was riddled with germs and this sent my anxiety through the roof, making me stay away from my piggies thinking if I went near them they might catch something, seems silly but true.

Anyways, due to feeling this way I wasted Susie's last 6 weeks staying in bed crying and not going near her incase she got ill. I let my anxiety steal that time we had left when I should have been enjoying having her. This is something I cannot forgive myself for and is still going on now with my other pigs. The same happened with Heidi and Dexter too and now they are gone and I'll never get that time back. I'm sick of thinking somehow I will make them ill.

Isn't life so difficult with mental health to cope with x

The same happened to my dog Jessica with surgery because we chose a cheap vet,and that was a crime .. After her surgery she got major health problems , and she had a painful life for her last year .. I understand your feelings for your piggies surgeries , I also believe that I overdose my baby taco with antibiotics for pneumonia,because I thought that he didn’t take them so I was giving him a bit more sometimes , and after that he developed the twisted gut .. Yes I know that feeling for the vets , but we have to take them there .. In my mind there is always a possibility that if we we were living in country like England ,maybe my piggies would be alive now.... I understand what you did for Suzie , I got into a big fight with my fam many times because I thought that because my sister is communicating all the time with new people at her job she would transmit to my piggies diseases .. I even told her one day that probably because of her my piggy Rati died (I know very bad behaviour) but I apologised for that.. To be honest my anxiety hadn’t let me enjoy most of the times with my piggies , when I first got them ,especially Rati I used to think that he was always sick.. 1 day he didn’t poop for about half an hour and I started panicking ,the other he was sleeping for a bit more ,I also started panicking,and it goes like this for most of the times.. I even use to take them to different vets for no reason in the beginning,because I was sure they were sick and no one could find it .. At least I could saw that they were having fun together my 2 piggies , and that’s amazing , because if my piggies were expecting to get the happiness from me (like dogs) their life would be a total misery .. Life is super hard to cope with mental issues , but we still have to ..

 

[Popcorns & Wheeks]

The same happened to my dog Jessica with surgery because we chose a cheap vet,and that was a crime .. After her surgery she got major health problems , and she had a painful life for her last year .. I understand your feelings for your piggies surgeries , I also believe that I overdose my baby taco with antibiotics for pneumonia,because I thought that he didn’t take them so I was giving him a bit more sometimes , and after that he developed the twisted gut .. Yes I know that feeling for the vets , but we have to take them there .. In my mind there is always a possibility that if we we were living in country like England ,maybe my piggies would be alive now.... I understand what you did for Suzie , I got into a big fight with my fam many times because I thought that because my sister is communicating all the time with new people at her job she would transmit to my piggies diseases .. I even told her one day that probably because of her my piggy Rati died (I know very bad behaviour) but I apologised for that.. To be honest my anxiety hadn’t let me enjoy most of the times with my piggies , when I first got them ,especially Rati I used to think that he was always sick.. 1 day he didn’t poop for about half an hour and I started panicking ,the other he was sleeping for a bit more ,I also started panicking,and it goes like this for most of the times.. I even use to take them to different vets for no reason in the beginning,because I was sure they were sick and no one could find it .. At least I could saw that they were having fun together my 2 piggies , and that’s amazing , because if my piggies were expecting to get the happiness from me (like dogs) their life would be a total misery .. Life is super hard to cope with mental issues , but we still have to ..

Sorry to hear Jessica also had health problems after surgery, it really is devastating. I am sure you wouldn't have overdosed Taco, I actually sometimes do the same thing with my piggies with their medicine, thinking that I had spilled some or that they haven't swallowed it properly, so I would always give them a little more too. I think we would have to give them significantly more to overdose them. It's the anxiety tricking us into thinking we could have, anxiety is a nasty thing.

Unfortunately, we will never know if your piggies would have survived if you were here in England, but in all honesty, look at the trouble I've had and my vets are listed as one of the most recommended in my area. I think it's just bad luck we have both had, very unfair.

I completely understand what you mean fighting and thinking your family are making the piggies ill. My relationship broke down at Christmas and I moved back with parents but before that my partner would take off for days on end drinking and disappear, it was very stressful. God knows where he had been and who with. But when he used to come back I used to panic incase he was bringing germs into the house and round the piggies and if I asked him to wash his hands before touching them it would turn into a blazing row.

I am exactly like you, even when the pigs are fine, I think there's something wrong and if poops become less or even if they sneeze I panic. I have also taken them to the vets when there has been no need. It's obviously because we love them but also because we suffer with this horrible anxiety, I wish I could be normal but I can't see me ever being normal again.

I'm sure you would never make any of your pets life a misery, that's once again the anxiety taking grip. It is really difficult to live your life with it.

 

[Sofia99]

Sorry to hear Jessica also had health problems after surgery, it really is devastating. I am sure you wouldn't have overdosed Taco, I actually sometimes do the same thing with my piggies with their medicine, thinking that I had spilled some or that they haven't swallowed it properly, so I would always give them a little more too. I think we would have to give them significantly more to overdose them. It's the anxiety tricking us into thinking we could have, anxiety is a nasty thing.

Unfortunately, we will never know if your piggies would have survived if you were here in England, but in all honesty, look at the trouble I've had and my vets are listed as one of the most recommended in my area. I think it's just bad luck we have both had, very unfair.

I completely understand what you mean fighting and thinking your family are making the piggies ill. My relationship broke down at Christmas and I moved back with parents but before that my partner would take off for days on end drinking and disappear, it was very stressful. God knows where he had been and who with. But when he used to come back I used to panic incase he was bringing germs into the house and round the piggies and if I asked him to wash his hands before touching them it would turn into a blazing row.

I am exactly like you, even when the pigs are fine, I think there's something wrong and if poops become less or even if they sneeze I panic. I have also taken them to the vets when there has been no need. It's obviously because we love them but also because we suffer with this horrible anxiety, I wish I could be normal but I can't see me ever being normal again.

I'm sure you would never make any of your pets life a misery, that's once again the anxiety taking grip. It is really difficult to live your life with it.

The fact that Guinea pigs are very sensitive animals and hide their illnesses ,triggers our anxiety more ,that’s what my doctor told me today .. I am also scared for my dogs and cats, , but for my piggies I felt like I was going to get a heart attack sometimes,even if I have the same love for all my pets ! You’re right I will never know if my piggies would have survived if I was in another country .. But there will always be a possibility in my mind .. you are lucky because you can provide your animals with everything, on the other side me I have to travel for 2hrs to even take them to the vet ! I understand the guilt you feel for your piggies,but it’s not your fault honestly (For my dog it is our fault because we chose to go cheap) You wanted to do the best for your piggies , and if I had the opportunity to get Rati neutered I would have done it too , he had very dominant behaviour because of hormones .. Uh I can imagine how stressful this situation with your relationship must have been.. It’s hard when you try to deal with everything .. I also got into a lot of fight with my boyfriend, and family during the two weeks I was taking care of taco. but especially my boyfriend was acting like I was crazy, maybe I am,I lost 7kg in 2 weeks,but from him I was waiting more support , so I dump him and believe me or not I don’t care at all.. I miss my piggies so much ,every morning that I wake up for some reason I think that they’re alive ,but after a few minutes I’m coming back to reality .. I also feel guilty because now I don’t feel as bad as I was feeling the 2 weeks that I was taking care of taco .. Those 2 weeks were much worst I was feeling like my life was over because of my anxiety to take care of him..I wasn’t going out ,I wasn’t sleeping good ,I wasn’t eating , I had sometimes breathing problems and stomach pains .. But now I’m just sad , I’m still not going out ,only to work and then straight back home ,I don’t even wanna go the super market , but at least I’m eating and reading for my exams .. That makes me feel like I’m such a bad person.. It’s so weird that I was feeling worst when my piggy was alive (but sick) , but now that he is not alive ,I don’t feel so bad like those 2weeks …

 

[Popcorns & Wheeks]

The fact that Guinea pigs are very sensitive animals and hide their illnesses ,triggers our anxiety more ,that’s what my doctor told me today .. I am also scared for my dogs and cats, , but for my piggies I felt like I was going to get a heart attack sometimes,even if I have the same love for all my pets ! You’re right I will never know if my piggies would have survived if I was in another country .. But there will always be a possibility in my mind .. you are lucky because you can provide your animals with everything, on the other side me I have to travel for 2hrs to even take them to the vet ! I understand the guilt you feel for your piggies,but it’s not your fault honestly (For my dog it is our fault because we chose to go cheap) You wanted to do the best for your piggies , and if I had the opportunity to get Rati neutered I would have done it too , he had very dominant behaviour because of hormones .. Uh I can imagine how stressful this situation with your relationship must have been.. It’s hard when you try to deal with everything .. I also got into a lot of fight with my boyfriend, and family during the two weeks I was taking care of taco. but especially my boyfriend was acting like I was crazy, maybe I am,I lost 7kg in 2 weeks,but from him I was waiting more support , so I dump him and believe me or not I don’t care at all.. I miss my piggies so much ,every morning that I wake up for some reason I think that they’re alive ,but after a few minutes I’m coming back to reality .. I also feel guilty because now I don’t feel as bad as I was feeling the 2 weeks that I was taking care of taco .. Those 2 weeks were much worst I was feeling like my life was over because of my anxiety to take care of him..I wasn’t going out ,I wasn’t sleeping good ,I wasn’t eating , I had sometimes breathing problems and stomach pains .. But now I’m just sad , I’m still not going out ,only to work and then straight back home ,I don’t even wanna go the super market , but at least I’m eating and reading for my exams .. That makes me feel like I’m such a bad person.. It’s so weird that I was feeling worst when my piggy was alive (but sick) , but now that he is not alive ,I don’t feel so bad like those 2weeks …

I think your doctor is right and piggies are susceptible to so many illnesses the poor souls, I think that's another reason we seem to constantly worry and think they are sick. Yes the anxiety is definitely worse when it concerns our piggies, again because they can get so many illnesses and as you say, it's because they hide it so well and sometimes when we realise it is too late.

Yer, there always is the possibilty that your piggies may have lived longer but please don't torture yourself thinking about the maybes and what ifs, I do it myself and it makes you feel much worse. In all honesty, whether a vet is cheaper or not, they are still trained, still know what they are doing and are a qualified vet. So whether you chose a cheaper vet or not, you still gave your dog the care it needed. Please don't blame yourself, at least you tried, many people don't even do that, it's sad but true.

Yes it was the same for me, my partner also was acting like I was crazy because of my OCD. It really hit him hard losing our piggies to be honest because he did love them but instead of being a decent person and supporting me when I needed it, he chose to take off and drink so I left him, he can be very selfish. Sounds like your boyfriend was too. Sometimes I think we are better off without men.

I know, it's awful, I miss them everyday too. I got mine cremated and every night I stroke their urns and tell them "Mammy loves you and misses you." I talk to them everyday aswell, some people might think I'm crazy but I don't care lol. I think when we first wake up we tend to forget for that first minute or so and then it hits us like a ton of bricks again. Mornings and bedtime are always the worst.

Honestly do not feel guilty. The truth is the last two weeks Dexter was alive I really struggled. By this time I had left my partner and he was always the one to syringe feed and give medicines, he made it look so easy.

Anyways, I was like you, I struggled and really dreaded having to do it because I knew if I couldn't then it would be my fault if he died. In the end, putting him to sleep crossed my mind everyday because the anxiety of knowing it was upto me to keep him alive was too much. I also wasn't eating, wasn't sleeping and felt so ill.

After he went downhill and got more and more in pain I had to let him go. I was devastated and heartbroken but in a way felt some relief. I felt relief because he was no longer suffering but also because now I would no longer suffer by worrying, not eating and not sleeping. So if you are a bad person (which you are not) then I am too. We can only do our best and we both really did . Now like you I am just heartbroken and sad.

 

[Sofia99]

I think your doctor is right and piggies are susceptible to so many illnesses the poor souls, I think that's another reason we seem to constantly worry and think they are sick. Yes the anxiety is definitely worse when it concerns our piggies, again because they can get so many illnesses and as you say, it's because they hide it so well and sometimes when we realise it is too late.

Yer, there always is the possibilty that your piggies may have lived longer but please don't torture yourself thinking about the maybes and what ifs, I do it myself and it makes you feel much worse. In all honesty, whether a vet is cheaper or not, they are still trained, still know what they are doing and are a qualified vet. So whether you chose a cheaper vet or not, you still gave your dog the care it needed. Please don't blame yourself, at least you tried, many people don't even do that, it's sad but true.

Yes it was the same for me, my partner also was acting like I was crazy because of my OCD. It really hit him hard losing our piggies to be honest because he did love them but instead of being a decent person and supporting me when I needed it, he chose to take off and drink so I left him, he can be very selfish. Sounds like your boyfriend was too. Sometimes I think we are better off without men.

I know, it's awful, I miss them everyday too. I got mine cremated and every night I stroke their urns and tell them "Mammy loves you and misses you." I talk to them everyday aswell, some people might think I'm crazy but I don't care lol. I think when we first wake up we tend to forget for that first minute or so and then it hits us like a ton of bricks again. Mornings and bedtime are always the worst.

Honestly do not feel guilty. The truth is the last two weeks Dexter was alive I really struggled. By this time I had left my partner and he was always the one to syringe feed and give medicines, he made it look so easy.

Anyways, I was like you, I struggled and really dreaded having to do it because I knew if I couldn't then it would be my fault if he died. In the end, putting him to sleep crossed my mind everyday because the anxiety of knowing it was upto me to keep him alive was too much. I also wasn't eating, wasn't sleeping and felt so ill.

After he went downhill and got more and more in pain I had to let him go. I was devastated and heartbroken but in a way felt some relief. I felt relief because he was no longer suffering but also because now I would no longer suffer by worrying, not eating and not sleeping. So if you are a bad person (which you are not) then I am too. We can only do our best and we both really did . Now like you I am just heartbroken and sad.

My piggy Rati was eating and playing normally with taco the one day , and the other day he was sitting on an edge and not eating, I took him to the vet , and even if I knew that he was in bad condition I chose not to put him down,I thought that maybe there was a possibility to survive. He died later, but he suffered a horrible death from pneumonia , but couldn’t go back to the vet it was late and vet wasn’t there , i knew that my decision not to put him down was completely wrong , that’s a reason I didn’t want taco to suffer..
I understand your struggle with Dexter when he was sick.. Those 2weeks almost made me lose my mind .. But to be honest if my piggies hadn’t died ,I would be really sad that I broke up with my bf , but right now for some reason i feel like nothing happened and I don’t even give a damn .. That’s exactly how I feel , I’m heartbroken and sad ,but I also felt relief when my poor taco passed.. He was looking so unhappy after Rati passed , and watching him like this was breaking my heart everyday ..I was planning on adopting a new piggy because I thought that my taco would have Survived ,so I could get him a new friend , but that never happened .. At least I didn’t adopt ,imagine if I had adopted another piggy that would be a disaster ,I wouldn’t only have to deal with my tacos death,I would also have to deal with a new piggy that didn’t have company I miss my piggies ,everything I see in my house reminds me of them, I can’t even look vegetables anymore,they remind me of them

 

[Popcorns & Wheeks]

My piggy Rati was eating and playing normally with taco the one day , and the other day he was sitting on an edge and not eating, I took him to the vet , and even if I knew that he was in bad condition I chose not to put him down,I thought that maybe there was a possibility to survive. He died later, but he suffered a horrible death from pneumonia , but couldn’t go back to the vet it was late and vet wasn’t there , i knew that my decision not to put him down was completely wrong , that’s a reason I didn’t want taco to suffer..
I understand your struggle with Dexter when he was sick.. Those 2weeks almost made me lose my mind .. But to be honest if my piggies hadn’t died ,I would be really sad that I broke up with my bf , but right now for some reason i feel like nothing happened and I don’t even give a damn .. That’s exactly how I feel , I’m heartbroken and sad ,but I also felt relief when my poor taco passed.. He was looking so unhappy after Rati passed , and watching him like this was breaking my heart everyday ..I was planning on adopting a new piggy because I thought that my taco would have Survived ,so I could get him a new friend , but that never happened .. At least I didn’t adopt ,imagine if I had adopted another piggy that would be a disaster ,I wouldn’t only have to deal with my tacos death,I would also have to deal with a new piggy that didn’t have company I miss my piggies ,everything I see in my house reminds me of them, I can’t even look vegetables anymore,they remind me of them

Piggies really can go downhill so quickly. I do not blame you for bringing Rati home, thinking he could improve. Again, I went through the same thing, my Heidi got very ill and was at the vets 7 times over the space of two weeks being treated for a very severe UTI, the day before she passed, she stopped eating and we rushed her to vet again. The vet gave us 2 options, the first was to open her up and find out what the problem was or the second to take her home and try and get her eating again.

She was so weak that I thought if they went ahead with surgery she wouldn't survive so I asked my vet what she would do and she said take her home and bring her back next day for surgery if she began eating again, so that's what we did. Unfortunately, she died the next morning. It was the most traumatic, awful death I have experienced.

She began losing weight by the hour, refused to eat or drink and got to the point where she could not walk. She died in my arms and began to suffocate and the seizure was unbearable to watch, I was frantic as I could not do anything. I always regret not getting her put to sleep and saving her from that awful suffering but like yourself with Rati, I thought there was hope. That's actually why I made the decision to put my poor Dexter to sleep. I didn't want him going through the same as poor Heidi. Again, just like yourself with Taco.

The reason you don't give a damn about your break up is because when you really needed your boyfriend, in your hour of need, he wasn't there for you and did not support you. I feel the same way.

I know, it probably is a good job you didn't rush out to get another piggie or things could of ended up worse now. I think it's time for you to give yourself a rest and try and let your heart recover. Maybe hold off getting anymore animals until you are much better, I know that's what I am gonna try and do, get strong again eventhough it's gonna be hard and even near impossible.

You will always miss your piggies but hopefully with time your heart will begin to heal, I sure hope so .

 

[Sofia99]

Piggies really can go downhill so quickly. I do not blame you for bringing Rati home, thinking he could improve. Again, I went through the same thing, my Heidi got very ill and was at the vets 7 times over the space of two weeks being treated for a very severe UTI, the day before she passed, she stopped eating and we rushed her to vet again. The vet gave us 2 options, the first was to open her up and find out what the problem was or the second to take her home and try and get her eating again.

She was so weak that I thought if they went ahead with surgery she wouldn't survive so I asked my vet what she would do and she said take her home and bring her back next day for surgery if she began eating again, so that's what we did. Unfortunately, she died the next morning. It was the most traumatic, awful death I have experienced.

She began losing weight by the hour, refused to eat or drink and got to the point where she could not walk. She died in my arms and began to suffocate and the seizure was unbearable to watch, I was frantic as I could not do anything. I always regret not getting her put to sleep and saving her from that awful suffering but like yourself with Rati, I thought there was hope. That's actually why I made the decision to put my poor Dexter to sleep. I didn't want him going through the same as poor Heidi. Again, just like yourself with Taco.

The reason you don't give a damn about your break up is because when you really needed your boyfriend, in your hour of need, he wasn't there for you and did not support you. I feel the same way.

I know, it probably is a good job you didn't rush out to get another piggie or things could of ended up worse now. I think it's time for you to give yourself a rest and try and let your heart recover. Maybe hold off getting anymore animals until you are much better, I know that's what I am gonna try and do, get strong again eventhough it's gonna be hard and even near impossible.

You will always miss your piggies but hopefully with time your heart will begin to heal, I sure hope so .

I know the pain you had when Heidi was dying.. I Saw my Rati dying too , he couldn’t breath from pneumonia so he was opening his little mouth full ,and pressing his little hands against the wall .. I was crying so hard ,and I was begging god to let him go .. I felt so horrible that I didn’t let him sleep when we were at the vet before .. We have so many similar things happening to us ,but the problem is that all those similarities are not good .. Yes I will take a big break from animals .. I can’t handle those situations … I guess some people can do better and be more patient..But I can’t .. From the first moment that we adopt an animal ,we know that they don’t have long lifes and probably they will get sick when they get older ,like humans , but personally even if I know it from the beginning ,it is always so painful,and I can’t control my feelings during the period of taking care of someone who needs me .. My piggy Rati was 7, and even if I knew he was old , I was acting like he had years to live and I wasn’t accepting the fact that he could die soon..It’s hard to take care of someone,when you can’t take proper care of yourself.. I hope too that time will heal our brokenhearts

 

[Popcorns & Wheeks]

Awwww poor Rati, it's unbearable isn't it, when you can't do anything to help them. He's at peace now . Yes, I agree, we do have so many similar things happening to us and yes unfortunately, they are all not nice.

Yer, I'm definitely not getting anymore pets. 2 piggies and a dog left and after that no more. As I too cannot cope. Everyone is different, some people are able to cope and others just can't and we fall into the category that can't. It's our mental health I think that makes our emotions and the way we worry worse.

Yer, I do the same. I know that they are not gonna live forever and know the heartache that waits further down the line but still choose to have pets and I also slip into denial like yourself, knowing they are getting older but choosing to think they have years and years left.

I think I get pets because I think that I know they will have a nice, good life with me for however long they may live but with the way my anxiety is now, I just can't commit to anymore. I've even thought about rehoming the pets I have but know it will break my heart.

I remember years ago when I wasn't so ill, I went into a pet shop for dog supplies, anyway this screaming young child was shouting (I WANT A HAMSTER NOW MAMMY) and I had this awful feeling that if they got one, it wouldn't be looked after properly, it was a gut instinct. Maybe I was wrong. I don't know. Anyway, I ran to the counter and bought the last hamster in the store just so I knew it would be cared for properly. Crazy? Yes probably lol.

I too hope we get better and our hearts heal someday. We both are so similar in nature I think x

 

[Sofia99]

Awwww poor Rati, it's unbearable isn't it, when you can't do anything to help them. He's at peace now . Yes, I agree, we do have so many similar things happening to us and yes unfortunately, they are all not nice.

Yer, I'm definitely not getting anymore pets. 2 piggies and a dog left and after that no more. As I too cannot cope. Everyone is different, some people are able to cope and others just can't and we fall into the category that can't. It's our mental health I think that makes our emotions and the way we worry worse.

Yer, I do the same. I know that they are not gonna live forever and know the heartache that waits further down the line but still choose to have pets and I also slip into denial like yourself, knowing they are getting older but choosing to think they have years and years left.

I think I get pets because I think that I know they will have a nice, good life with me for however long they may live but with the way my anxiety is now, I just can't commit to anymore. I've even thought about rehoming the pets I have but know it will break my heart.

I remember years ago when I wasn't so ill, I went into a pet shop for dog supplies, anyway this screaming young child was shouting (I WANT A HAMSTER NOW MAMMY) and I had this awful feeling that if they got one, it wouldn't be looked after properly, it was a gut instinct. Maybe I was wrong. I don't know. Anyway, I ran to the counter and bought the last hamster in the store just so I knew it would be cared for properly. Crazy? Yes probably lol.

I too hope we get better and our hearts heal someday. We both are so similar in nature I think x

What you did for the hamster means that you have a big heart.. And for sure they wouldn’t take care of the hamster,because kids and their parents see the hamsters as an easy game that their kids can have .. if you rehomed your pets it would be another trigger for anxiety because you would always think of the things you didn’t do ,even if you did everything .. I know things don’t work easy with anxiety and ocd,especially when we always think about our animals getting sick.. What made me happy about my piggies was the fact , that even if was in a very bad mood and I couldn’t show them my love for them , they didn’t care ,they were just waiting for their food to be happy ,and playing with each other , my piggies were independent and they were always happy even if I was super sad(that was making me feel good ,(I didn’t want them to be sad because of me) My dog on the other side is getting affected when he sees me or another member of my family sad so this is super hard …. My grief is getting worst.. I had to leave my family’s home and go back to my own place ,and I’m crying most of the times for my piggies now.. When I find a reason to be happy after a few moments I will start getting sad again .. I didn’t expect that it would be harder as the days were passing .. Now I’m just alone thinking about my piggies most of the time .. I want to remember my piggies with love ,but when I am thinking about our memories ,I just want to cry

 

[Popcorns & Wheeks]

What you did for the hamster means that you have a big heart.. And for sure they wouldn’t take care of the hamster,because kids and their parents see the hamsters as an easy game that their kids can have .. if you rehomed your pets it would be another trigger for anxiety because you would always think of the things you didn’t do ,even if you did everything .. I know things don’t work easy with anxiety and ocd,especially when we always think about our animals getting sick.. What made me happy about my piggies was the fact , that even if was in a very bad mood and I couldn’t show them my love for them , they didn’t care ,they were just waiting for their food to be happy ,and playing with each other , my piggies were independent and they were always happy even if I was super sad(that was making me feel good ,(I didn’t want them to be sad because of me) My dog on the other side is getting affected when he sees me or another member of my family sad so this is super hard …. My grief is getting worst.. I had to leave my family’s home and go back to my own place ,and I’m crying most of the times for my piggies now.. When I find a reason to be happy after a few moments I will start getting sad again .. I didn’t expect that it would be harder as the days were passing .. Now I’m just alone thinking about my piggies most of the time .. I want to remember my piggies with love ,but when I am thinking about our memories ,I just want to cry

Awww thankyou ❤! That's exactly what I thought that's why I brought him home with me. Yer that's the thing, I think if I did rehome my piggies that I would constantly still worry about them. I would always wonder if they were ok and whether they were getting taken care of properly and I'd hate it if they were broken hearted because I gave them up. It's just with my anxiety/OCD I am finding it so hard and since I've been back at my parents they have not had any floortime because there's no room. I feel so guilty, they do have a big cage but it's not the same is it.

Yer I agree, piggies always seem to be happy aslong as they get their treats . It does make you happy seeing them happy, watching them play without a care in the world. If only we could be the same. Yer, my dog also picks up on my anxiety and whenever there is conflict in the house. Your right, it is really hard seeing this, especially when you can't help the way you feel or hide it. They know we love them though.

Yer, I think grief does get worse for a long while before it gets better. I am like you, an emotional mess most of the time and like yourself, I have moments where I zone out and forget but then remember again and well...feel devastated all over again. We are human and I think feeling this grief as much as we do is normal, it's just not nice.

I think when we are on our own, we definitely feel it more. That's why it's best to keep occupied around family etc but I can't, I just feel like I wanna lock myself up away from the world and be left alone which isn't good but I can't help it.

Whenever I begin to feel overwhelmed or guilty, I picture and remember all the good times and things I did for my piggies. I try to wipe out the terrible memories from my mind cos I know they wouldn't want Mammy sad. Try and do that, it is still upsetting cos we miss them so much but it does help a little. And if you do want to cry then do it, get your emotions out because bottling them up doesn't do any good. If only we lived near eachother, who knows maybe we could have helped eachother through these tough times.

 

[Sofia99]

You’re welcome To be honest my piggies stopped having so much floor time after 3 years old ,because I was very tired after work ,I still feel guilty about that I understand your feeling.. My piggies never enjoyed so much floor time anyway ,because their cage was huge and they preferred it .. But I needed floor time because taco was fat and I needed to make him move more .. I still feel bad about it .. Exactly the same is happening to me ,yesterday I was crying so much almost all day .. But today I’m completely fine ,and thinking about good moments with my piggies .. Probably I’m like this because I cried so much yesterday so no more tears left to cry today .. Tomorrow it’s another day and I’m scared that sadness is gonna hit me again.. It’s much worst when we are on our own.. But it helped me to be on my own because I can cry as much as I want , when I’m with my family I’m trying to avoid my sadness,and that makes it even worst I’ve tried today to picture the good times with my piggies ,and today they made me happy for the first time .. Yesterday I couldn’t even think about anything good .. I still feel guilt because I think that I didn’t provide them with the best life as other piggy owners, I wasn’t even taking care of them on my own , most of the times my family was helping me because I couldn’t ... My piggy Rati was only eating his veggies from our hands ,and if we didn’t give it to him with the hands ,he would eat just a little bit ,and then taco would steal his food .. Sometimes I was even feeling so angry because I was tired ,and I had to feed Rati his food ,and that makes me super guilty right now .. Basically there are so many things that make me feel guilty ,I can’t count them .. Vet is telling that if my piggy wasn’t happy with his life he wouldn’t manage to to live until the age of 7..But It’s still hard for to believe it .. I am sure we would help each other if we were close ,because I think the only people that can help you are those who understand your feelings .. I’ve told today to one of my good friends what happened with my piggies , and her answer was “sad” not even in our language but in English language(we use English words when we speak Greek ,when we say something funny most of the times,not for bad things!) I didn’t expect that from her .. Really when my piggies passed ,I understood that some people in my life , just want to hang out with me and have fun, but they’re not here to support me as I thought before

 

[Popcorns & Wheeks]

You’re welcome To be honest my piggies stopped having so much floor time after 3 years old ,because I was very tired after work ,I still feel guilty about that I understand your feeling.. My piggies never enjoyed so much floor time anyway ,because their cage was huge and they preferred it .. But I needed floor time because taco was fat and I needed to make him move more .. I still feel bad about it .. Exactly the same is happening to me ,yesterday I was crying so much almost all day .. But today I’m completely fine ,and thinking about good moments with my piggies .. Probably I’m like this because I cried so much yesterday so no more tears left to cry today .. Tomorrow it’s another day and I’m scared that sadness is gonna hit me again.. It’s much worst when we are on our own.. But it helped me to be on my own because I can cry as much as I want , when I’m with my family I’m trying to avoid my sadness,and that makes it even worst I’ve tried today to picture the good times with my piggies ,and today they made me happy for the first time .. Yesterday I couldn’t even think about anything good .. I still feel guilt because I think that I didn’t provide them with the best life as other piggy owners, I wasn’t even taking care of them on my own , most of the times my family was helping me because I couldn’t ... My piggy Rati was only eating his veggies from our hands ,and if we didn’t give it to him with the hands ,he would eat just a little bit ,and then taco would steal his food .. Sometimes I was even feeling so angry because I was tired ,and I had to feed Rati his food ,and that makes me super guilty right now .. Basically there are so many things that make me feel guilty ,I can’t count them .. Vet is telling that if my piggy wasn’t happy with his life he wouldn’t manage to to live until the age of 7..But It’s still hard for to believe it .. I am sure we would help each other if we were close ,because I think the only people that can help you are those who understand your feelings .. I’ve told today to one of my good friends what happened with my piggies , and her answer was “sad” not even in our language but in English language(we use English words when we speak Greek ,when we say something funny most of the times,not for bad things!) I didn’t expect that from her .. Really when my piggies passed ,I understood that some people in my life , just want to hang out with me and have fun, but they’re not here to support me as I thought before

Yer my piggies don't really seem to enjoy floortime much either but I still feel guilty about it. Awww nearly all of my pigs I've had have been a bit on the chubby side to be honest, I know what you mean by trying to get them to move, sometimes it's easier said than done .

In all honesty, I don't think grief actually ever goes away completely and in 5 years time we will probably still have our days where we break down and cry. You just need to take each day as it comes, get through everyday as best you can.

Yer I'm the same, I do feel better when I'm on my own and I can get my emotions out but that's also when our minds go into overdrive thinking of the what ifs and maybes and when the guilt creeps back in. It is really really hard, I hope it will get less over time.

I feel the same, feel like I could of provided mine with a better life but we did give them everything they needed and more, even if our minds tell us we didn't. Again, that's part of the grief. Because of my OCD and fear of germs I wouldn't and can't let anyone else take care of my piggies, I wish I could then life would probably be a little easier. I know if I do it then my hands are clean and then they are less likely to get sick. Hand washing constantly is the main part of my OCD, I must wash my hands upto 100 times a day, it tires me out. I wash them after everything I do and still think they are not clean.

Your piggies sound like mine. My Ruby always tries to steal my Delilah's food so I have to stand guard/watch and sometimes hand feed too. I get what you mean as I too get angry having to hand feed when I am mentally exhausted. It's because we are not well but I too feel guilty.

Your vet is completely right, 7 years old is a great age and shows you cared for him properly. I lost my Susie when she was just 2, my Heidi at 4 and my Dexter at 2 and a half. I hope my remaining two live into their golden years with no more health issues, would be nice wouldn't it.

It's nice that you do have friends to confide in. In all honesty, I don't even have one anymore. My mental health is that bad I can't even leave the house, I used to have 100s of friends but now that's sadly not the case. But my friends were like you say, only wanted fun and when I needed them were never there. I agree, the only people who help are those who understand.

 

[Sofia99]

It would be nice if the reason that my piggy was old was because I took properly care of him ,but it’s not.. I strongly believe that it’s because of the climate where I live , it’s always spring here (it’s never getting too cold and never too hot), and that affects Guinea pigs lives theyre always in the same temperature without using air condition heaters etc .. I know someone here who has 3 piggies and the 2 are 8yrs old and the other 7, and their first four years he would never take good care of them because he was always drunk ..now he is more responsible .. I even had 2 piggies in the past with my fam ,that we didn’t know how to properly care for them cause I was young, and I would overfeed them everyday, one day I even gave him almost a whole lettuce,and in my young mind I thought that I did good and that he was happy . And the one survived at 9yrs old , and the other at 7,5 yrs old.. And now that I provided Rati and taco with better care,they didn’t live so long like them …. I understand your struggle with ocd ,I have a friend in work who has the same ,and she is washing almost all day her hands ,but she also wants to clean all day because she is scared of germs ,and believes that she will make her kid sick.. She even told me that she didn’t enjoy even 1 moment of her daughters first year,because she would just live in fear,she was scared to even touch her child ..My main problem is anxiety and depression.. Depression makes me do many wrong things cause I think that they will make me feel better for a short time of period.. Like now ,I believe that plastic surgery makes me happy , and I’ve had surgeries that I didn’t even need , because I thought they made me happy .. But the pain of the procedures made me forget about all the other problems I had ..and I really enjoyed it even if I was in great pain .. Today I have appointment for facial fillers,because I think it will make me feel better ..I know it’s sick .. To be honest I don’t really know if I have friends ,I’m losing all of them day by day .. But I don’t care so much , cause I used to have a lot of friends because I was pretending that I was someone else that I was always happy and that I wanted to hang out with them all day and have fun , but I can’t do this anymore .. I understand how you feel , with Covid I didn’t leave my house for 2years , I’ve just left for 2 months for plastic surgery .. So now I I can’t believe that I’m 23years old , because at 21 22 I spent them all in my bed doing nothing.. But I needed money so I had to work, if I didn’t had to work ,I think I would never be able to leave my house

 

[Popcorns & Wheeks]

It would be nice if the reason that my piggy was old was because I took properly care of him ,but it’s not.. I strongly believe that it’s because of the climate where I live , it’s always spring here (it’s never getting too cold and never too hot), and that affects Guinea pigs lives theyre always in the same temperature without using air condition heaters etc .. I know someone here who has 3 piggies and the 2 are 8yrs old and the other 7, and their first four years he would never take good care of them because he was always drunk ..now he is more responsible .. I even had 2 piggies in the past with my fam ,that we didn’t know how to properly care for them cause I was young, and I would overfeed them everyday, one day I even gave him almost a whole lettuce,and in my young mind I thought that I did good and that he was happy . And the one survived at 9yrs old , and the other at 7,5 yrs old.. And now that I provided Rati and taco with better care,they didn’t live so long like them …. I understand your struggle with ocd ,I have a friend in work who has the same ,and she is washing almost all day her hands ,but she also wants to clean all day because she is scared of germs ,and believes that she will make her kid sick.. She even told me that she didn’t enjoy even 1 moment of her daughters first year,because she would just live in fear,she was scared to even touch her child ..My main problem is anxiety and depression.. Depression makes me do many wrong things cause I think that they will make me feel better for a short time of period.. Like now ,I believe that plastic surgery makes me happy , and I’ve had surgeries that I didn’t even need , because I thought they made me happy .. But the pain of the procedures made me forget about all the other problems I had ..and I really enjoyed it even if I was in great pain .. Today I have appointment for facial fillers,because I think it will make me feel better ..I know it’s sick .. To be honest I don’t really know if I have friends ,I’m losing all of them day by day .. But I don’t care so much , cause I used to have a lot of friends because I was pretending that I was someone else that I was always happy and that I wanted to hang out with them all day and have fun , but I can’t do this anymore .. I understand how you feel , with Covid I didn’t leave my house for 2years , I’ve just left for 2 months for plastic surgery .. So now I I can’t believe that I’m 23years old , because at 21 22 I spent them all in my bed doing nothing.. But I needed money so I had to work, if I didn’t had to work ,I think I would never be able to leave my house

I truly believe you gave your piggies a quality life and do think your mental health is playing a big part in you thinking you didn't because it's the same for me. Honestly, give yourself a break, you are a good person and were a fantastic piggie parent, I know it ❤.

Really 8 and 7, you know that really is a good age! I knew someone who said their piggie lived till it was a whopping 15 but I am skeptical if they were being honest. I am pleased to hear he has changed and is now more responsible.

It's strange when we are kids and have pets cos we do act and think completely different to when we are adults. Obviously, we don't have the same worries and anxieties and we think of the world as all butterflies and rainbows but when we hit adulthood, sadly we realise it isn't. In fact I think the world is an evil place at times! When we are young life is much easier. It shows even when you overfed your piggies back then, you did care for them properly, otherwise I certainly don't think they would have lived till 9 and 7.5 years old.

My OCD really is a living nightmare and seems to just get worse and worse. Yes, I understand exactly where your friend is coming from. It sounds like she thinks exactly like me and it is exhausting. That's how I go on with my piggies, don't enjoy having them and am frightened to touch them incase hands have germs, I even wear disposable gloves when handling their food if I am having a severe attack of it. My OCD won't let me enjoy anything anymore and I'm constantly thinking they will get sick. I am also someone who has to have everything clean and even when it is, I still think it's dirty.

Your anxiety and depression does sound similar to my OCD. I don't want to offend but it sounds like your plastic surgery is a compulsive obsession, just like my need to be clean all the time, if you understand? When you get your procedures, it takes your thoughts away from your anxieties/worries and when I scrub my hands etc, it takes my anxieties/worries away from causing my piggies/family to get sick. Eventhough I suppose it doesn't for me as I still worry about it after anyways! Also, I am sure you do not need all this work done but if it makes you happy then why not do it. Do whatever makes you happy, that does not make you sick.

Yer, I agree, same here. I used to pretend I was someone else aswell. This happy, fun person and now I'm not well my so called friends are nowhere to be seen. Yer, not leaving the house is no good, it's now gotten to the point where I'm that mentally ill I get panic attacks even thinking about going out. I used to work from home but lost my job in 2021 and now my mental health is that bad I couldn't work if I tried, my mind is constantly exhausted and concentrating on anything is impossible. I do think I need to see a doctor but I'm that down I just can't cope with it yet. I wish I was 23 again. I'm 34 next week and still look like I'm 23, sometimes act like I'm 23 but unfortunately, I am not 23 . I'd go back to childhood if I had the chance, not a care in the world, absolute bliss!

 

[Sofia99]

Thank you for the words for my piggies I appreciate that I really loved my piggies .. But believe me sometimes I didn’t take good care of them .. One day I was tired and I had to feed Rati , and I fell asleep while feeding him ..My piggy was alone in the room for at least 3 hours ,I don’t know what he was doing so many hours .. I found him under my bed in an edge when I woke up (that means that he fell down)..And I have many bad stories similar like this with my piggies .. Yes 15 is super big age for a piggy .. Piggies are old after 4years old so I don’t think that it is possible they can survive that long.. But I believe that some piggies can go up to 10 -11 years ,just by luck .. But my oldest piggy even if he was super old , after the age of 7 , he became very lethargic and not normal Guinea pig , so I don’t know if surviving that long is good for them ,because they don’t enjoy it so much .. I know that it’s bad living with ocd ,and you don’t enjoy so many moments of your life ,but you still have to try and deep inside you know you can .. For sure cosmetic procedures are an obsession for me.. And it’s super unhealthy , because I think that a new pain takes away my old pain (if you understand what I mean).. Now that all those things happened with my piggies ,my first thought was to go and get work done.. It makes me “happy” for a few days ,but then I need more .. It distracts my mind so much to the point that I forget all the sadness I’ve been through.. I know that it is hard ,the more you stay at home the harder it gets ,to go out .. Home is a safe zone ,and going out of our safe zone when we’re so vulnerable is very hard.. I used to stay all day home for 1 year ,and get drunk all day, but the problem was that when I was drinking I was also on strong pills for a condition I had back then,so I wasn’t supposed to drink! I was sleeping all day ,and the night I was awake drinking and listening to music .. I got super skinny back then like 39kg (now that I’m normal I’m 60kg). so as you guess I started getting sick.. One day I was so bad to the point I started having seizures , and we went to the hospital..Doctor said that I was about to get thrombosis and many more bad stuff,because of the pills and drinking and smoking .. So I had to get motivated again after going out of the hospital because I had to take care of my piggies and also my family didn’t want me to be like that .. I know it’s hard to see a doctor but it will help ..You can do it because I’ve did it too .. I’ve never became 100% okay ,but at least I'm not as bad as I used to be ,and my life is quite normal (not 100%) , because I’m working and I'm going out of home .. To be honest I also feel like I'm 16-17, I don’t really know how the years had passed .. Even with my piggies it feels like yesterday’s that I brought them home ,but it’s been 7 years ,and they’re not here anymore ..

 

[Livia Rabideau]

I am so sorry. We always question whether we made the right choice. You did everything you could do. Sometimes that means ending suffering as well. Sending you big hugs. I know how hard it is to make that decision and then wrestle with was it right or not. Ugh. So sorry .

 

[Sofia99]

I am so sorry. We always question whether we made the right choice. You did everything you could do. Sometimes that means ending suffering as well. Sending you big hugs. I know how hard it is to make that decision and then wrestle with was it right or not. Ugh. So sorry .

Thank you very much Everyday I am thinking that if tried more to syringe feed him , he wouldn’t lost so much weight.. But I couldn’t manage to give him more than 25-30ml of critical care everyday ,and he needed 50ml..the last days I couldn’t even feed him 15ml because it was coming out of his mouth .. I will never know if it was right or wrong to let him sleep ..

 

[Livia Rabideau]

Thank you very much Everyday I am thinking that if tried more to syringe feed him , he wouldn’t lost so much weight.. But I couldn’t manage to give him more than 25-30ml of critical care everyday ,and he needed 50ml..the last days I couldn’t even feed him 15ml because it was coming out of his mouth .. I will never know if it was right or wrong to let him sleep ..

Unfortunately, you cannot make them eat more than they are willing. I have been there many times. It's heartbreaking. You did everything you could. It sounds like he was not improving. I think you did the right thing. Please take care of yourself. Hugs.

 

[Sofia99]

Unfortunately, you cannot make them eat more than they are willing. I have been there many times. It's heartbreaking. You did everything you could. It sounds like he was not improving. I think you did the right thing. Please take care of yourself. Hugs.

. One day that I gave him a bit more water and a bit more food, than what he could handle,he started having diarrheia.. Whenever I managed to give him more syringe feed ,something bad would happen after that .. That’s one of the reasons I’ve decided to put him to sleep.. Yes it’s so heartbreaking,thank you .I will..

 

[Popcorns & Wheeks]

Thank you for the words for my piggies I appreciate that I really loved my piggies .. But believe me sometimes I didn’t take good care of them .. One day I was tired and I had to feed Rati , and I fell asleep while feeding him ..My piggy was alone in the room for at least 3 hours ,I don’t know what he was doing so many hours .. I found him under my bed in an edge when I woke up (that means that he fell down)..And I have many bad stories similar like this with my piggies .. Yes 15 is super big age for a piggy .. Piggies are old after 4years old so I don’t think that it is possible they can survive that long.. But I believe that some piggies can go up to 10 -11 years ,just by luck .. But my oldest piggy even if he was super old , after the age of 7 , he became very lethargic and not normal Guinea pig , so I don’t know if surviving that long is good for them ,because they don’t enjoy it so much .. I know that it’s bad living with ocd ,and you don’t enjoy so many moments of your life ,but you still have to try and deep inside you know you can .. For sure cosmetic procedures are an obsession for me.. And it’s super unhealthy , because I think that a new pain takes away my old pain (if you understand what I mean).. Now that all those things happened with my piggies ,my first thought was to go and get work done.. It makes me “happy” for a few days ,but then I need more .. It distracts my mind so much to the point that I forget all the sadness I’ve been through.. I know that it is hard ,the more you stay at home the harder it gets ,to go out .. Home is a safe zone ,and going out of our safe zone when we’re so vulnerable is very hard.. I used to stay all day home for 1 year ,and get drunk all day, but the problem was that when I was drinking I was also on strong pills for a condition I had back then,so I wasn’t supposed to drink! I was sleeping all day ,and the night I was awake drinking and listening to music .. I got super skinny back then like 39kg (now that I’m normal I’m 60kg). so as you guess I started getting sick.. One day I was so bad to the point I started having seizures , and we went to the hospital..Doctor said that I was about to get thrombosis and many more bad stuff,because of the pills and drinking and smoking .. So I had to get motivated again after going out of the hospital because I had to take care of my piggies and also my family didn’t want me to be like that .. I know it’s hard to see a doctor but it will help ..You can do it because I’ve did it too .. I’ve never became 100% okay ,but at least I'm not as bad as I used to be ,and my life is quite normal (not 100%) , because I’m working and I'm going out of home .. To be honest I also feel like I'm 16-17, I don’t really know how the years had passed .. Even with my piggies it feels like yesterday’s that I brought them home ,but it’s been 7 years ,and they’re not here anymore ..

When I first got my Heidi I fell asleep with her on my bed too. Fortunately, when I woke up she was still where I put her, looking at me as if to say "how dare you have fell asleep Mammy," she also left me two presents, the first a big wee wee stain and the second a handful of poops .

Honestly, go easy on yourself. If Rati had been seriously hurt you would have known and piggies are pretty tough creatures too. He probably thought of it as explore time and made the most of being able to do what he wanted why you were having a well deserved rest.

Yer, I'm not sure I believe the 15 year old piggie story. Yer, I know what you mean, as just like us, with age usually comes problems and then life becomes even more difficult. Piggies unfortunately, will have to cope with the downfalls of old age too .

In all honesty, it's been a long time since I enjoyed anything because of my OCD and I really can't remember what life was like before it. Sad but true. I think your procedures are an escape for you from the other pains and miseries of life so I don't blame you for doing it. I wish I could find an escape! True, some obsessions are unhealthy but if it is helping you cope then...

Oh dear, sorry to hear you ended up having seizures and going to hospital, I hope you are OK now. It's so easy to fall into staying indoors, drinking and making yourself sick without even knowing it. I too have lost a lot of weight, I think it's down to my anxiety and especially my OCD. I have got to the point where I won't even cook because I'm scared I will poison myself and my family! It's sounds so stupid but in my head I really believe it will happen. Therefore I choose not to eat as much cos of that and because I'm always exhausted. I really need to sort myself out don't I!

Yes life certainly does fly by! When I turned 18, the days, weeks and years just seemed to vanish. I really don't know where they have gone, it's scary when you think about it. When your at school, it feels like your never gonna leave and then you turn 18 and bang, the years just pass you by.

Awwwww I know, feels like yesterday I brought my Heidi and my Ruby home and watched my other 3 being born. You will always miss them and I bet they miss you too ❤. One day you will be reunited, I truly believe that. That's what gets me through each day, knowing I will see all my pets again someday.

 

[Sofia99]

When I first got my Heidi I fell asleep with her on my bed too. Fortunately, when I woke up she was still where I put her, looking at me as if to say "how dare you have fell asleep Mammy," she also left me two presents, the first a big wee wee stain and the second a handful of poops .​

Honestly, go easy on yourself. If Rati had been seriously hurt you would have known and piggies are pretty tough creatures too. He probably thought of it as explore time and made the most of being able to do what he wanted why you were having a well deserved rest.

Yer, I'm not sure I believe the 15 year old piggie story. Yer, I know what you mean, as just like us, with age usually comes problems and then life becomes even more difficult. Piggies unfortunately, will have to cope with the downfalls of old age too .

In all honesty, it's been a long time since I enjoyed anything because of my OCD and I really can't remember what life was like before it. Sad but true. I think your procedures are an escape for you from the other pains and miseries of life so I don't blame you for doing it. I wish I could find an escape! True, some obsessions are unhealthy but if it is helping you cope then...

Oh dear, sorry to hear you ended up having seizures and going to hospital, I hope you are OK now. It's so easy to fall into staying indoors, drinking and making yourself sick without even knowing it. I too have lost a lot of weight, I think it's down to my anxiety and especially my OCD. I have got to the point where I won't even cook because I'm scared I will poison myself and my family! It's sounds so stupid but in my head I really believe it will happen. Therefore I choose not to eat as much cos of that and because I'm always exhausted. I really need to sort myself out don't I!

Yes life certainly does fly by! When I turned 18, the days, weeks and years just seemed to vanish. I really don't know where they have gone, it's scary when you think about it. When your at school, it feels like your never gonna leave and then you turn 18 and bang, the years just pass you by.

Awwwww I know, feels like yesterday I brought my Heidi and my Ruby home and watched my other 3 being born. You will always miss them and I bet they miss you too ❤. One day you will be reunited, I truly believe that. That's what gets me through each day, knowing I will see all my pets again someday.It’s so nice that your memories with heidi make you happy , and you’re not getting sad like me when I’m thinking about my piggies ..

It’s so nice that your memories with Heidi make you happy..Whenever I’m thinking about my piggies I’m just getting sad .. It’s like I forgot all the good memories with them ,and I only remember their last days when they were in pain.. Yesterday I saw a dream that my piggies were dying again ,but this time they were dying together and they were in extreme pain .. It felt so real.. I am so sad right now and I feel like when my grief is getting better ,then all of a sudden it’s getting worst again …. I understand the feeling that you don’t enjoy anything ,I’ve been there many times and it’s not nice .. Your thoughts are not stupid ,it’s just that your ocd is playing tricks on you ..Yes you need to start taking better care of yourself and ask for help whenever you are ready ,because the things that happened to me ,doesn’t need to happen to you too .. I know we never feel ready to try for something good for ourselfes.. And for me I got motivated to try again for my life and see a doctor ,only when I almost died.. I don’t want to lie I still don’t feel 100% okay, but I’m not like I used to be .. I used to be so bad to the point I started feeling like I wasn’t mentally in the world ..Believe me you don’t need something bad to happen to you to start trying again .. You look like such a nice person that would help anyone .. Even when I wasn’t answering in the thread when my taco was sick, because I was crying all day , you’ve still kept asking how we’re doing and if we’re okay .. Your the type of person that can motivate people to feel better , and I’m sure that if you could meet people like you ,you could be a life raft of someone who is struggling like you.. Don’t deprive yourself of the happiness you deserve.. And I think it’s time to stop hiding yourself from the world outside , because they are many people that You would be able to help ,and they would want to help you feel better too .. Also I just want to tell you that if you decide to see a doctor in the beggining it will feel really hard ,and maybe you will see it like a waste of time , but honestly it’s not ,it’s the best gift you could do for yourself .. I hope we will be able to see our piggies again and be happy , it would be the best thing for me to be able to feed them all the things that they weren’t allowed to eat all the time in real life

 

[Popcorns & Wheeks]

It’s so nice that your memories with Heidi make you happy..Whenever I’m thinking about my piggies I’m just getting sad .. It’s like I forgot all the good memories with them ,and I only remember their last days when they were in pain.. Yesterday I saw a dream that my piggies were dying again ,but this time they were dying together and they were in extreme pain .. It felt so real.. I am so sad right now and I feel like when my grief is getting better ,then all of a sudden it’s getting worst again …. I understand the feeling that you don’t enjoy anything ,I’ve been there many times and it’s not nice .. Your thoughts are not stupid ,it’s just that your ocd is playing tricks on you ..Yes you need to start taking better care of yourself and ask for help whenever you are ready ,because the things that happened to me ,doesn’t need to happen to you too .. I know we never feel ready to try for something good for ourselfes.. And for me I got motivated to try again for my life and see a doctor ,only when I almost died.. I don’t want to lie I still don’t feel 100% okay, but I’m not like I used to be .. I used to be so bad to the point I started feeling like I wasn’t mentally in the world ..Believe me you don’t need something bad to happen to you to start trying again .. You look like such a nice person that would help anyone .. Even when I wasn’t answering in the thread when my taco was sick, because I was crying all day , you’ve still kept asking how we’re doing and if we’re okay .. Your the type of person that can motivate people to feel better , and I’m sure that if you could meet people like you ,you could be a life raft of someone who is struggling like you.. Don’t deprive yourself of the happiness you deserve.. And I think it’s time to stop hiding yourself from the world outside , because they are many people that You would be able to help ,and they would want to help you feel better too .. Also I just want to tell you that if you decide to see a doctor in the beggining it will feel really hard ,and maybe you will see it like a waste of time , but honestly it’s not ,it’s the best gift you could do for yourself .. I hope we will be able to see our piggies again and be happy , it would be the best thing for me to be able to feed them all the things that they weren’t allowed to eat all the time in real life

In all honesty, every night before I go to sleep I picture my piggies last moments and it kills me so I do too seem to remember the bad times. I just try my hardest to picture them when they were at their best but the bad memories do seem to overpower the good ones and I think that is because they are tragic and do scar your mind.

Or that must have been awful, you are obviously dreaming about it because you are always thinking about it. Dreams like that really are not nice. I once had a dream that my Heidi was attacked by a dog and I woke up screaming, it was only a week before she died and I think I dreamt that because she was sick and I was so worried about her.

Grief will always come and go and because our piggies deaths are still raw, it will be more coming than going. It really is the hardest thing in life we have to cope with.

Yer I know, I do need to start taking better care of myself but last year was the worst year of my life and I just feel so drained from it. It feels like all the bad things that happenrd have just sucked the life out of me and it's definitely made my mental health worse. I think I've found my breaking point but when I do feel a little stronger I will see a doctor.

I am so sorry to hear you have been through a terrible time and am so happy that you are now on the mend. That must have been so frightening for you. I understand what you mean when you say you felt like you weren't mentally in the world as that's how I feel most of the time. It's not nice.

Awww thankyou, I certainly try to be a nice person but sometimes I can be ratty cos of my mental health and I hate being like that. Yer, when I read your post I really did feel for you and Taco and to be honest I was really worried and needed to try and help somehow. You seem alot like me and also are a nice person, I am sure if I needed help, you would be the one supporting me.

It's crazy cos I can motivate others, you are completely right, I used to be good at it but when it comes to motivating myself it seems impossible. I think it's because I'm so exhausted all the time and feel with my mental health that there is no point in anything, no point in life. Sounds sad doesn't it.

Yes I truly believe we will see our little babies again and we will be able to spoil them with everything they weren't allowed in this life

 

[Sofia99]

In all honesty, every night before I go to sleep I picture my piggies last moments and it kills me so I do too seem to remember the bad times. I just try my hardest to picture them when they were at their best but the bad memories do seem to overpower the good ones and I think that is because they are tragic and do scar your mind.

Or that must have been awful, you are obviously dreaming about it because you are always thinking about it. Dreams like that really are not nice. I once had a dream that my Heidi was attacked by a dog and I woke up screaming, it was only a week before she died and I think I dreamt that because she was sick and I was so worried about her.

Grief will always come and go and because our piggies deaths are still raw, it will be more coming than going. It really is the hardest thing in life we have to cope with.

Yer I know, I do need to start taking better care of myself but last year was the worst year of my life and I just feel so drained from it. It feels like all the bad things that happenrd have just sucked the life out of me and it's definitely made my mental health worse. I think I've found my breaking point but when I do feel a little stronger I will see a doctor.

I am so sorry to hear you have been through a terrible time and am so happy that you are now on the mend. That must have been so frightening for you. I understand what you mean when you say you felt like you weren't mentally in the world as that's how I feel most of the time. It's not nice.

Awww thankyou, I certainly try to be a nice person but sometimes I can be ratty cos of my mental health and I hate being like that. Yer, when I read your post I really did feel for you and Taco and to be honest I was really worried and needed to try and help somehow. You seem alot like me and also are a nice person, I am sure if I needed help, you would be the one supporting me.

It's crazy cos I can motivate others, you are completely right, I used to be good at it but when it comes to motivating myself it seems impossible. I think it's because I'm so exhausted all the time and feel with my mental health that there is no point in anything, no point in life. Sounds sad doesn't it.

Yes I truly believe we will see our little babies again and we will be able to spoil them with everything they weren't allowed in this life

I’ve also had a dream that my piggy taco was telling me “please help me I need you” , and I suddenly woke up and I took him out of his cage and started syringe feeding him with water ,and massaging his belly for 3 hours .. Those kind of dreams feel so real .. I can imagine your pain with Heidi ,but she was also 4 years , when an older piggy gets sick, it’s not the same ,it’s much harder for them ,even if something is not serious .. The key is to try to take better care of yourself and don’t skip meals .. After that you will decide when it’s the time to see a doctor.. I think the loss of your piggies made your mental issues got worst ,and that’s completely normal.. The same happened to me , even if I managed to be “normal” after all the struggles I’ve had in the past , when my piggies got sick , everything started hitting me again ,depression and anxiety! But I know that if I start getting sick again , probably I won’t be so lucky ,and things may get even worst! So right now I’m fighting with my demons ,and I’m trying .. Believe me I know how you feel everyday ..And I know how hard it is … But I honestly believe that you will get through it.. Because you’re still trying .. You are able to send messages ,you are feeding your pets ,you’re loving them ,you’re standing up from your bed.. All those things are enough ,and that means that you’re not in such a bad situation as you think , you still have strength inside of you even if you don’t feel it .. Haha I know what you mean when you say you get ratty sometimes .. I also do it when my mental issues are controlling me ,I’ve got into many fights ..You have a good heart and you care for people that you don’t even know ,that means a lot .. Honestly you’ve helped me to stop blaming myself and you’ve helped me understand that the fact that I couldn’t take care of my piggies because of my mental issues,didn’t made me a bad owner .. Of course if you needed help I would be the first one supporting you .. When I see someone trying to get over their mental issues ,it also motivates me to try harder too.. One step at a time ,and you will get what you deserve from life ..Let’s make our piggies proud for us

 

[Popcorns & Wheeks]

I’ve also had a dream that my piggy taco was telling me “please help me I need you” , and I suddenly woke up and I took him out of his cage and started syringe feeding him with water ,and massaging his belly for 3 hours .. Those kind of dreams feel so real .. I can imagine your pain with Heidi ,but she was also 4 years , when an older piggy gets sick, it’s not the same ,it’s much harder for them ,even if something is not serious .. The key is to try to take better care of yourself and don’t skip meals .. After that you will decide when it’s the time to see a doctor.. I think the loss of your piggies made your mental issues got worst ,and that’s completely normal.. The same happened to me , even if I managed to be “normal” after all the struggles I’ve had in the past , when my piggies got sick , everything started hitting me again ,depression and anxiety! But I know that if I start getting sick again , probably I won’t be so lucky ,and things may get even worst! So right now I’m fighting with my demons ,and I’m trying .. Believe me I know how you feel everyday ..And I know how hard it is … But I honestly believe that you will get through it.. Because you’re still trying .. You are able to send messages ,you are feeding your pets ,you’re loving them ,you’re standing up from your bed.. All those things are enough ,and that means that you’re not in such a bad situation as you think , you still have strength inside of you even if you don’t feel it .. Haha I know what you mean when you say you get ratty sometimes .. I also do it when my mental issues are controlling me ,I’ve got into many fights ..You have a good heart and you care for people that you don’t even know ,that means a lot .. Honestly you’ve helped me to stop blaming myself and you’ve helped me understand that the fact that I couldn’t take care of my piggies because of my mental issues,didn’t made me a bad owner .. Of course if you needed help I would be the first one supporting you .. When I see someone trying to get over their mental issues ,it also motivates me to try harder too.. One step at a time ,and you will get what you deserve from life ..Let’s make our piggies proud for us

Awww bless little Taco, it's like he was telling you he needed you by coming to your dreams. Your right, they do seem so real. Yer I agree, but it's just like every living thing in the world isn't it, as everything gets older, everything takes longer to recover or sadly, can't recover at all.

Piggies are susceptible to so many illnesses, I think that's why we are both the way we are with worrying and anxiety cos we know they can get sick so easily.

Yer, I really am gonna have to try and eat better. I have just started buying these drinks, they are like a milkshake but are supposed to be filled with all these vitamins and minerals so I'm gonna give them a try to see if they help me feel any better. They are very expensive though but everything is these days!

Or definitely, without a doubt the piggies health issues and deaths have had a huge impact on my mental health but also my partner has too, amongst other things, family health etc. It's a long story but I have been to hell and back with him. See he has bipolar disorder so again, mental health but the difference is he drinks and thats what makes him go off the rails. I am still speaking to him and he's desperate for me back but until he can show he's changed, I can't go back.

I think your completely right, when we go through awful and stressful things in life, our mental health starts to go off track again or even more off track than it already is. I wonder if we had absolutely no stress and upset if it would go away completely? It's impossible though isn't it!

I think we both have a lot of demons don't we, I am pleased to hear you are putting up a good fight with yours, maybe someday soon I can be stronger and fight against mine. Thankyou for sharing your experiences, you obviously also have a good heart. It does help knowing that you have come out of it stronger. Maybe not 100% but your on your way up.

To be honest the past few weeks seem to be getting harder for me. I know what you mean by I am still doing things like getting up, feeding pets etc but I do really seem to be struggling and most of the time I feel like I have no strength but I know I need to do those things so that's why I do it.

Ha ha, it really is so easy to get ratty and snap peoples heads off isn't it! All I seem to do when I'm ratty is get into fights. I hate being like that but sometimes can't help myself. Like you say it's when our mental health takes over.

I am so happy to know that I did help you through a dark time in your life and have made you feel and realise that things were not your fault. You were far from a bad owner believe me, your piggies were lucky to have you.

That makes me feel good too, knowing I am somehow motivating you to try harder. Yer your right, one step at a time and we will make our piggies proud ❤