Can’t get over it 😞 How do I get over these concerns?

[Claire W]

Back in 2012 / 13 I did an animal nursing assistant course where I had a placement at a local vets for a few hours a week. Around this time, I had a guinea pig called Eleanor who was very poorly. I took her to that particular vets with me for a second opinion. Anyway, the vet at the time diagnosed kidney failure as her urine was very dilute and her blood after a blood test was very dilute which also pointed towards kidney failure. What I can’t get over is the fact that Eleanor wasn’t sedated when the blood test was carried out even though the blood came from a vein in her neck. I have since read on here and other sources that guinea pigs have to be sedated for blood tests. Now I fear that Eleanor (who was pts that day and by the same vet) was in pain when the blood was taken? I wasn’t present when she was pts as I couldn’t handle it but I’m also concerned that the vet didn’t sedate her before helping her to the bridge as she didn’t sedate her for the blood test How do I get over these concerns?

 

[flintstones]

It depends how much blood they took, I had a vet complete a small prick on the guinea pig to test for diabetes. The guinea pig never had to be sedated is it possible your vet also did this?

Where you present when the blood was taken? I believe it can be taken without sedation however it can be very risky.

 

[weepweeps]

I don’t know what to say to make you feel better. I wish I did. It just shows how much you loved her. I'm sure she had a wonderful life with you. I sometimes think about my past piggies. And wonder if there was any more I could of done or anything done differently. Times change. I think vets didn’t really know enough about piggies then (neither did I). I took a piggy to the vets once because he wasn’t eating and I’m sure they didn’t do anything to help him . We learn as we grow. I won’t make that mistake again. Take care Claire .

 

[Claire W]

It depends how much blood they took, I had a vet complete a small prick on the guinea pig to test for diabetes. The guinea pig never had to be sedated is it possible your vet also did this?

Where you present when the blood was taken? I believe it can be taken without sedation however it can be very risky.

Yes I was present when the blood was taken and the vet definitely took the blood from her neck and there was a fair bit

I was present when my own vet took a sample of blood to test for diabetes and it was just a tiny prick done behind the ear and there was no sedation for that x

 

[Claire W]

I don’t know what to say to make you feel better. I wish I did. It just shows how much you loved her. I'm sure she had a wonderful life with you. I sometimes think about my past piggies. And wonder if there was any more I could of done or anything done differently. Times change. I think vets didn’t really know enough about piggies then (neither did I). I took a piggy to the vets once because he wasn’t eating and I’m sure they didn’t do anything to help him ☹. We learn as we grow. I won’t make that mistake again. Take care Claire ❤.

That’s what I’m worried about that the vet didn’t know enough about piggies even though she claimed to be a small animal vet x

 

[Wiebke]

Back in 2012 / 13 I did an animal nursing assistant course where I had a placement at a local vets for a few hours a week. Around this time, I had a guinea pig called Eleanor who was very poorly. I took her to that particular vets with me for a second opinion. Anyway, the vet at the time diagnosed kidney failure as her urine was very dilute and her blood after a blood test was very dilute which also pointed towards kidney failure. What I can’t get over is the fact that Eleanor wasn’t sedated when the blood test was carried out even though the blood came from a vein in her neck. I have since read on here and other sources that guinea pigs have to be sedated for blood tests. Now I fear that Eleanor (who was pts that day and by the same vet) was in pain when the blood was taken? I wasn’t present when she was pts as I couldn’t handle it but I’m also concerned that the vet didn’t sedate her before helping her to the bridge as she didn’t sedate her for the blood test How do I get over these concerns?

Hi!

Please keep in mind the time lapse of the better part of a decade. However, the issue of sedation is NOT the pain but the risk of damaging/ripping the blood vessel if a piggy suddenly jerks and the risk of the vein collapsing. So Elinor would not have been in agony.

These days, most piggy savvy vets take blood by just nicking the quick or from the ear, which is much, much safer in all respects. Things have moved on quite a lot in the meantime; especially where small pets are concerned.

I hope that this helps you?

 

[Bradshaw Piggies]

I’m so sorry to hear you’re having these concerns Claire. Please go easy on yourself. We only ever do what we feel is best for our fur babies. Every day I question if I did things wrong with Odin, or if I did enough? But I know he’s not wanting me to think like that, and neither is your girl. We do everything we can out of love, and they know that. They couldn’t ask for any more.

Hope you’re ok

 

[Wiebke]

Just to put your initial post into a bit more of a perspective for those that read this thread without the necessary background:

As confirmed, Elinor was at that time already very ill and frail, so the treating vet had to weigh up the added risk of sedation against that of taking blood without GA in order to be able to make an informed assessment as to what was going on with Elinor, trusting her own skills and knowing that they would not cause any serious harm or discomfort to Elinor in doing so.
It is one of those risk balancing acts that vets have to make all the time with the more severely ill, old and/or frail in terms of invasive examination methods, treatment options and medication cocktails.

It is no discredit to your vet for having tried their best for Elinor within the accepted methodology of their time; if only to ensure that they had a better idea of what was going on and being able to make an informed judgment as to whether a recovery or stabilisation of Elinor's health issue would be possible or not.

 

[Claire W]

Thank you for the replies. My mind has been put at rest that Eleanor didn’t suffer x

 

[Flutterby]

 

[Freela]

((HUGS))- I'm so sorry for your loss. Sometimes anesthesia is used to take blood from small animals, not because it's really painful, but because it guarantees the animal will hold still. Vets will weigh the pros and cons individually... in a sick animal, the vet may have felt that the risk of anesthesia would have been higher than the risk of her being uncooperative or squirmy for the blood draw.

I've been present when some of my small animals were put to sleep... in every case, if there was a needle involved, the vet used a gas anesthesia first. I'm sure Eleanor was also able to pass peacefully. I hope this puts your mind at ease a little bit.