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Clarice has lymphoma

Bethan

Bethan

Forum Donator 2023/24
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Evening all,

Just thought I’d make a post here as I’m feeling really low tonight.

We first had a piggie with lymphoma last year. He was almost 6 years old and we’d had him since he was 7 months. He passed around 6 weeks after diagnosis, but he was happy and eating until the very end, and passed away in my arms at home only 1.5 hours after he started slowing down!

We adopted Clarice on 22nd June last year, I found lumps under her chin on 28th March this year. Diagnosed officially on 6th April when her biopsy results came back. The lumps grew so fast and the vet said the treatment was limited.

She’s still with us currently and until today she’s been her normal self - she takes her steroids and painkillers with no issues and eats like a trooper. But, she seems so much slower all of a sudden today. She’s only just 4 years old, we haven’t even had her for 1 year. We are her 3rd, and forever home. I just feel so so sad that she finally found us and now she’ll be taken from me so soon. 😭 I don’t know if there’s much point to this post other than to just vent my heartbreak.

I’m scared that I’m not doing right by her - she lets us fuss her as normal and is eating drinking etc as normal - she’s just not her usual feisty, cheeky self today. We can increase her pain meds (vet says this is okay), maybe I should try that so at least she is more comfortable if the worst happens. Her lumps are so huge now, it is so sad to see.

Any other piggie parents experienced pigs with lymphoma before? How did you manage at the “end”? 😔
 

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I am really sorry to hear this, she is so lucky to have found you.
If you removed the painkillers do you thinks she would act normally? Or would she struggle to cope with day to day things.

It seems you have a good hold on what is going on.
Many people on this forum, including myself, follow the saying “Better a day to early than a minute too late”.
Whatever decision you make will be the right one, as it came from a place of love.

Please be kind with yourself at this time, she is absolutely gorgeous.

You may find these guides nice to read through, the first link talks about euthanasia and making such a decision - Death, Dying, Terminal Illness; Human Grieving and Bereaved Companions: Information and Support for Owners and Their Children
 
Just to add, although it is different for everyone, I have put a pig down before they were in a “crisis” state.
I sometimes feel there is a bit of pressure to hold onto a pig as long as possible, but you should do whatever is right for you and your girl, there is no shame in either.

As I said you are in a gray area, you will unfortunately need to make this decision as her owner who is with her and has her best interests at heart.

My thoughts are with you x
 
Bethan said:
Evening all,

Just thought I’d make a post here as I’m feeling really low tonight.

We first had a piggie with lymphoma last year. He was almost 6 years old and we’d had him since he was 7 months. He passed around 6 weeks after diagnosis, but he was happy and eating until the very end, and passed away in my arms at home only 1.5 hours after he started slowing down!

We adopted Clarice on 22nd June last year, I found lumps under her chin on 28th March this year. Diagnosed officially on 6th April when her biopsy results came back. The lumps grew so fast and the vet said the treatment was limited.

She’s still with us currently and until today she’s been her normal self - she takes her steroids and painkillers with no issues and eats like a trooper. But, she seems so much slower all of a sudden today. She’s only just 4 years old, we haven’t even had her for 1 year. We are her 3rd, and forever home. I just feel so so sad that she finally found us and now she’ll be taken from me so soon. 😭 I don’t know if there’s much point to this post other than to just vent my heartbreak.

I’m scared that I’m not doing right by her - she lets us fuss her as normal and is eating drinking etc as normal - she’s just not her usual feisty, cheeky self today. We can increase her pain meds (vet says this is okay), maybe I should try that so at least she is more comfortable if the worst happens. Her lumps are so huge now, it is so sad to see.

Any other piggie parents experienced pigs with lymphoma before? How did you manage at the “end”? 😔
Click to expand...

Hi

HUGS

I am so sorry.

It is always hard to tell when to call it shots as we all weight different aspects differently. There is kind of a grey zone between clearly too soon and clearly too late where there is no right or wrong. Whether you feel that the joy of life has gone or whether you prefer to give her as many more days as you reasonably you can, you are not failing her as long as you are keeping her welfare and her interests upmost in mind before your own fears of loss. When you have experienced a certain terminal or several progressive terminal illnesses before you often tend to call the shots a bit sooner than when it is your first experience.

Go with your heart. That way it is easier for you to make peace for the long term. Lymphoma comes in a wide range of aggressiveness; sometimes it can be a matter of just days when it is diagnosed and sometimes is more like weeks or even months in a milder form. There is not a fixed cut off point; it is whenever it feels right for your piggy and for you in your heart of hearts. You are now in that zone.

I have written a guide which doesn't make the easiest of readings but which will hopefully help you make any decision with a clearer mind as to what is important to you if not with a less aching heart. The pain of the actual loss never gets easier but you have more control over some other aspects when you know that the end is coming very close.
Here is the link: A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs
 
Oh I’m so sorry that you are in this position. Please be gentle with yourself. There is no right or wrong decision - just go with what you comfortable with when it comes to the time. I’m always an advocate of better a day too soon than a moment too late, but sometimes it’s quite finely balanced. It’s a tremendously difficult decision and sometimes I review it several times daily. We are here to support you as you go through this very tough time.
 
@piggl @Wiebke @VickiA - Thank you all for your replies. We are definitely in the “grey area”. She is definitely slowing down quickly but it’s so hard when she’s still so happy and excited when her veggies come, still eats her hay and biscuits etc… but the lumps are so big now and they are everywhere 😔💔
 
Bethan said:
@piggl @Wiebke @VickiA - Thank you all for your replies. We are definitely in the “grey area”. She is definitely slowing down quickly but it’s so hard when she’s still so happy and excited when her veggies come, still eats her hay and biscuits etc… but the lumps are so big now and they are everywhere 😔💔
Click to expand...

The day she is no longer interested in food is the day to make her journey to the Bridge; that is the line where the 'grey zone' ends and pts becomes a necessity and no longer a discretionary decision. As long as she has the zest to eat and therefore the will to live you do unfortunately have to live with being torn by very conflicting emotions and a constant mind searching as to when the right time has come - that is how we humans are wired. Right now is obviously not yet quite the right time but you are coming very close to it. The last quickening deterioration is so hard and heart-breaking to watch - like a nightmare in slow motion that you can neither stop nor exit. :(

Calling the shots for another being that we love so deeply is one of the most difficult and complex challenges we can come up against. It never gets much easier although you do no longer have to do the whole emotional and ethical homework from scratch once you know where you really stand in this; you just have to work out the individual case for case parameters.

There is actually a hidden bonus for you in all of this: it is these challenges by which you grow and mature as a human being and by which you become more empathetic and understanding of others. It is not all just bad and sad. But you can only grow by solving the challenges and by bearing the pain they come with for yourself.
Don't overtax yourself with the need to get it absolutely right down to the exact second - that is also part of your learning process and why accepting that there is a stage where you have some leeway is so important. You are working within a window and not with a specific moment. Learn to trust your own instincts that tell you when the time has come.

Treasure those last days as the bitter-sweet gift when time is running out and yet those special moments where life is winning out that the two of you are sharing are timeless in themselves. ;)

HUGS
 
Hi..I'm so sorry about your piggy Clarice. 💔😭

We had a piggy, Vegas, who was diagnosed with an aggressive lymphoma too on Feb this year. Here is the thread about her in case you want to read (Lymphoma).

It is hard and difficult to be in the position you are currently in. It's the decision whether to continue or it's time to end that is always the hard thing to do. In our case, Vegas only showed sign of illness on the last day when we decided to help her to cross the rainbow. She stopped eating and receiving water that day, plus we can see she was having laboured breaths. That let us know it was time. It took 3 weeks from diagnosis to the last day, 2 weeks of those was when she had the steroids treatments. We knew she was dying slowly everyday so we made it a point to cherish every moment with her. We had loads of extra happy memories, extra cuddles & kisses, and photos during those times and I was just really thankful that she was still a happy piggy playing with her 2 mates until the last day. We had Vegas since she was 4 months old and She was 4 months short of being 4 yrs old when she passed away.

Take all the happy memories you can still have with her. Cherish every moment. Spoil her with food if she still gets excited about getting her fave food. It's the least you can do for her to still be happy. Big hugs to you and you are doing your best for Clarice. :hug: ❤️
 
I'm very sorry you have to make this difficult decision. I've lost two piggies to lymphoma in the course of the years, one with 4.5 years and one with 6+. Both of them were eating fine until the last moment, but that was the only thing that they were still doing. The sparkle of life was gone (if you know what I mean) and the lymph nodes in the neck were so hugh, the swelling was clearly visible. In one case there was also bullying by one cage mate.
Since I was afraid that the swelling would impair their breathing, they both got a huge last meal and then we said goodbye. It's heartbraking, but an agressive lymphoma is a merciless killer. There is nothing you can do except cherish the last days as long as you have got together and then give your girl the last gift of love.
She knows that she is in a safe place now where she is loved. That's all that count.

Take care! 💔
 
My skinny Jellybaby was diagnosed with lymphoma. The lumps were so obvious being a skinny. He was on steroids too. It‘s an agonising decision when you see them running around and eating ’as normal’. He did start sleeping much more and I moved the hay pile by his hidey so he didn’t have to venture far so I knew he didn‘t have long but even on the last day in the morning he welcomed me as usual by bar biting for food and jumping on his hidey. In the afternoon though he deteriorated suddenly and we helped him on his way to the rainbow bridge with cuddles and kisses. Sending hugs and love to you and Clarice 💕
 
Thank you all for your replies. It is at least somewhat comforting to know I am not alone. I think the heat isn’t helping the situation - it is slightly cooler where we live today and she has been a lot more chipper and she also seems a little less swollen? It’s only a small improvement and I know she’s not going to get better, but I will take each good day as it comes. She has certainly eaten more normally and been more awake today. I know it’s temporary, but we are enjoying every good moment while it lasts ❤️
 
So sorry that you are dealing with this.
I’ve had a couple of terminally ill piggies.
I gave them as many happy todays as possible. Ensured they were comfortable and pain free and kept a careful watch over them.
In my case both died peacefully at home before I had to make the pts decision.
Holding you in my heart ♥️
 
I’m so sorry to read about poor Clarice, make lots if happy memories :hug: She will know how much you care and love her
 
You’ve all been so kind and helpful - thank you so much. It was very humid again yesterday and she slept a lot of the day but still ate a bit. Again, it’s cooler today and she’s eaten a lot more and been awake a lot more too. Again, I know these moments don’t last forever but we are trying to be grateful for the good days. We lost our last lymphoma piggy 3 weeks after diagnosis so while I am grateful for the extra time with Clarice (she was diagnosed 9.5 weeks ago) I feel I am more panicked as I am hyper aware that we are on borrowed time. It is so hard. X
 
I'm sorry that Clarice has lymphoma. We recently lost our lovely Mavis to the same disease. She had a few happy weeks after her diagnosis. One day she climbed into her favorite bed and would not get out even for her favorite food. We hand fed her that day and knew it was time for us to say goodbye.

You will also know when it's the right time, Clarice will tell you in her own way.

Sending big hugs.xx
 
I wonder if anyone here has any advice or experiences with this… Clarice has been eating better again now for a few days after her blip when I made this post. I will say though that she is drinking less. I am absolutely sure of this as we can tell by how much the bottle has gone down, and I also watch her on pig cam for most of the day lol! To counteract this I am washing her veggies and leaving a lot of water on them to get the extra fluid in. She isn’t taking her medicine as well as she has been either (she’s on a steroid and painkiller), so syringing her extra water isn’t really an option unless I force her but I don’t want to make her uncomfortable. She is still toileting as normal and seems much more herself than she was a few days ago!
 
Wiebke said:
Hi

HUGS

I am so sorry.

It is always hard to tell when to call it shots as we all weight different aspects differently. There is kind of a grey zone between clearly too soon and clearly too late where there is no right or wrong. Whether you feel that the joy of life has gone or whether you prefer to give her as many more days as you reasonably you can, you are not failing her as long as you are keeping her welfare and her interests upmost in mind before your own fears of loss. When you have experienced a certain terminal or several progressive terminal illnesses before you often tend to call the shots a bit sooner than when it is your first experience.

Go with your heart. That way it is easier for you to make peace for the long term. Lymphoma comes in a wide range of aggressiveness; sometimes it can be a matter of just days when it is diagnosed and sometimes is more like weeks or even months in a milder form. There is not a fixed cut off point; it is whenever it feels right for your piggy and for you in your heart of hearts. You are now in that zone.

I have written a guide which doesn't make the easiest of readings but which will hopefully help you make any decision with a clearer mind as to what is important to you if not with a less aching heart. The pain of the actual loss never gets easier but you have more control over some other aspects when you know that the end is coming very close.
Here is the link: A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs
Click to expand...

Morning - Clarice has now stopped eating her hay a pellets. She is still enthusiastic about eating her favourite food (lettuce and peppers) but won’t take anything else and is trying her best to decline syringe feeding and her medication. Even when eating her veggies, she is very slow in doing so now. She hasn’t moved from her bed all night and didn’t move much yesterday evening either, though she was still eating some hay then. My husband thinks it may be time. She just seems so happy when she’s eating her veggies, this is why I’m struggling with the decision 😭 @Wiebke
 
I’m so very sorry. It’s such a hard decision. I’d give her lots of her favourite veggies and tons of cuddles and make her last day as special as you can.

A day too early is better than a day too late. She’s had a wonderful life with you.

Sending you a massive hug. Take care ❤️
 
Bethan said:
Morning - Clarice has now stopped eating her hay a pellets. She is still enthusiastic about eating her favourite food (lettuce and peppers) but won’t take anything else and is trying her best to decline syringe feeding and her medication. Even when eating her veggies, she is very slow in doing so now. She hasn’t moved from her bed all night and didn’t move much yesterday evening either, though she was still eating some hay then. My husband thinks it may be time. She just seems so happy when she’s eating her veggies, this is why I’m struggling with the decision 😭 @Wiebke
Click to expand...

HUGS

It is always rather difficult when you have to make the decision together with somebody else who has a slightly different weighting of factors because you are both equally right. You are now definitely 'in the zone' where it is no right or wrong.

It is a daily weighing up just how far you want to take it; I don't think that it is going to take long now until the growth of the cancer and the resulting pain will take over for good. It means a constant assessment by both of you and being very much torn between letting her go at the last flicker or wait until it has gone entirely. Your mighty love is very much at odds with her growing pain right now. Do you call it shots at the last flicker of the flame or wait until it has died down and the pain has become all consuming? :(

My thoughts are with you.
 
I also found the decision really difficult but I knew in my heart that it was time. I really didn't want my beautiful girl to suffer. It really is the hardest but biggest act of love we can give.

Sending big hugs.xx
 
So sorry that you are in this very difficult place.
I was in the same position a few months ago with Priscilla.
It’s hard when you know one thing with your head and your heart says something else.
Holding you in my heart ♥️
 
I am very sorry to hear this, I can tell how loved she was and she would have known this all the way till the end.

Be kind to yourself x
 
I’m so sorry. Popcorn pain free over the bridge Clarice. Take care ❤️
 
So very sorry that Clarice has crossed the rainbow bridge. She had a wonderful life with you, full of happy piggy days. Be gentle with yourself as you grieve.

Sleep tight beautiful girl. 🌈 ❤️
 
Sorry sorry that you have lost Clarice.
Even when a death is expected it’s still hard.
Be gentle with yourself as you grieve.
Holding you in my heart ♥️
 
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