al34ex
New Born Pup
Hi y'all - it's been a while since I posted, and one of mine, Cora (gray and white - photo attached), has really been through a lot during the last few months, and I'm really considering if putting her to sleep is the kindest thing I can do for her.
I got Cora from a pet store in September 2020 (I now know that there are rescues a few hours away from me and I'll adopt from now on). Since I got her, Cora started developing digestive issues (mainly soft stools and squealing when pooping) in January 2021, ultimately leading my very cavy savvy exotic vet to try a few things:
Then, in August 2021, her painful pooping and digestive issues got worse, leading me to take her back and forth to the vet multiple times. In September 2021, the vet did a full body x-ray (previously had only looked at lower body for stones/bladder issues), and found that she had a spinal compression fracture, and the vet said that this likely happened before I got her since the bones had fused back together (picture attached - right 2nd and 3rd ribs from the bottom. You can also see where her spine is crooked. Ignore the 4 little "sticks" around her body - those are from her spay surgery).
We started her (again) on Metacam, and we also added in Gabapentin for nerve pain, specifically. The medication seemed to really help for a few weeks, though her digestion was always back and forth, and I always had Cisapride and Critical Care on-hand in case she needed some additional help moving her gut along.
Then, in November 2021, she became incredibly bloated to the point where she was not moving at all. I took her into the emergency vet and she stayed 5 nights in the hospital. She was diagnosed with Roundworm via fecal sample, which apparently is very rare in guinea pigs. For context, I never take my piggies outside, nor have they ever met another species of animal like a dog/cat. The vet again said that she's likely had the Roundworm since before I got her. She was started on a round of Panacur (de-worming medication), gut motility drugs, as well as her usual pain meds to keep her going. When she came home from the hospital, she did great for about 5 days: running around, pooping relatively normally, and having great energy. Then began to do poorly again.
So, I started her back on the Panacur again just in case she hadn't gotten rid of all the Roundworm with the first round, and kept her on all the other medications. When I took her back to the vet, the vet told me that she really thinks a lot of these digestion issues and her pain issues overall really stem from her compression fracture. When her nerve pain flares, she has a hard time passing poops.
When I took her home after that vet visit 2 weeks ago, she did great for another 5 days, then did poorly again, then did great for 5 days, then is now poorly again. When she is not doing well, she is clearly in pain: shaking, chewing on her wooden house obsessively, and drinking a lot of water.
At this point, the only diagnostic test left that I'm willing to do is a blood test, just to see if we've missed anything else, but that requires some anesthesia. In her current state, I don't think anesthesia is a good idea. I have another vet appointment tomorrow morning, and I am really now thinking that the kindest option is for me to put her to sleep. We have tried so many medications, multiple pain management options, and run so many tests... I don't think it's fair to her to keep her in pain, just in the hopes that she gets better for a few days, and then declines again.
My vet agrees that it's not wrong for me to think about humane euthanasia, especially since this her spine fracture is not curable, and the pain management options we've used have all been exhausted.
Is there anything I'm missing here or other steps I can take? I don't want to sound selfish, but this has also taken a great toll on my and my mental health, watching her do better and then decline every few days, nearly dying multiple times due to digestive issues, bloat, and pain. I'm very lucky to have supportive parents who will pay the vet bills, because Cora alone has cost me over $3,000 USD just in the past 6 months.
I hate watching her suffer like this, and this is a really hard conversation for me to have - she is the most affectionate out of all of my pigs, and has the biggest, sassiest personality. I love her so much.
Thank you for reading. Any guidance or support is appreciated.
I got Cora from a pet store in September 2020 (I now know that there are rescues a few hours away from me and I'll adopt from now on). Since I got her, Cora started developing digestive issues (mainly soft stools and squealing when pooping) in January 2021, ultimately leading my very cavy savvy exotic vet to try a few things:
- Eliminated veggies entirely - this helped to firm up the poops a bit. Cora really couldn't handle much veg, and I've kept her on limited veggies (and extra vitamin C supplement) since
- Treated for UTI 3 times - even had a culture done to make sure the antibiotic we were using was effective. Also ruled out stones with an x ray.
- Cora was spayed in June 2021 - she was always a bit feisty and the vet thought she might have some hormonal issues. This spay helped for a few months and she seemed more comfortable. She was also separated from my other 2 girls at this time since she was consistently not getting along with one of them (pulling clumps of hair and being aggressive) - they are separated by cage bars in a split 2x8 CC cage, so she can still interact with them.
Then, in August 2021, her painful pooping and digestive issues got worse, leading me to take her back and forth to the vet multiple times. In September 2021, the vet did a full body x-ray (previously had only looked at lower body for stones/bladder issues), and found that she had a spinal compression fracture, and the vet said that this likely happened before I got her since the bones had fused back together (picture attached - right 2nd and 3rd ribs from the bottom. You can also see where her spine is crooked. Ignore the 4 little "sticks" around her body - those are from her spay surgery).
We started her (again) on Metacam, and we also added in Gabapentin for nerve pain, specifically. The medication seemed to really help for a few weeks, though her digestion was always back and forth, and I always had Cisapride and Critical Care on-hand in case she needed some additional help moving her gut along.
Then, in November 2021, she became incredibly bloated to the point where she was not moving at all. I took her into the emergency vet and she stayed 5 nights in the hospital. She was diagnosed with Roundworm via fecal sample, which apparently is very rare in guinea pigs. For context, I never take my piggies outside, nor have they ever met another species of animal like a dog/cat. The vet again said that she's likely had the Roundworm since before I got her. She was started on a round of Panacur (de-worming medication), gut motility drugs, as well as her usual pain meds to keep her going. When she came home from the hospital, she did great for about 5 days: running around, pooping relatively normally, and having great energy. Then began to do poorly again.
So, I started her back on the Panacur again just in case she hadn't gotten rid of all the Roundworm with the first round, and kept her on all the other medications. When I took her back to the vet, the vet told me that she really thinks a lot of these digestion issues and her pain issues overall really stem from her compression fracture. When her nerve pain flares, she has a hard time passing poops.
When I took her home after that vet visit 2 weeks ago, she did great for another 5 days, then did poorly again, then did great for 5 days, then is now poorly again. When she is not doing well, she is clearly in pain: shaking, chewing on her wooden house obsessively, and drinking a lot of water.
At this point, the only diagnostic test left that I'm willing to do is a blood test, just to see if we've missed anything else, but that requires some anesthesia. In her current state, I don't think anesthesia is a good idea. I have another vet appointment tomorrow morning, and I am really now thinking that the kindest option is for me to put her to sleep. We have tried so many medications, multiple pain management options, and run so many tests... I don't think it's fair to her to keep her in pain, just in the hopes that she gets better for a few days, and then declines again.
My vet agrees that it's not wrong for me to think about humane euthanasia, especially since this her spine fracture is not curable, and the pain management options we've used have all been exhausted.
Is there anything I'm missing here or other steps I can take? I don't want to sound selfish, but this has also taken a great toll on my and my mental health, watching her do better and then decline every few days, nearly dying multiple times due to digestive issues, bloat, and pain. I'm very lucky to have supportive parents who will pay the vet bills, because Cora alone has cost me over $3,000 USD just in the past 6 months.
I hate watching her suffer like this, and this is a really hard conversation for me to have - she is the most affectionate out of all of my pigs, and has the biggest, sassiest personality. I love her so much.
Thank you for reading. Any guidance or support is appreciated.
This is so awful - I want to make the best decision for her.
