Guinea pig died of suspected pneumonia

[Lance_Percy]

Hello,

My guinea pig (Lance) died yesterday morning of suspected pneumonia. He was nearly 3 years old.
He first had a URI a few months after we adopted him, he would have been 6 or 7 months at that point. Since then he’s had 2 more URIs and he responded well to antibiotics. His last URI was in March, he had antibiotics for this and we thought he was better. He seemed like his normal self again.
It was 3 days ago that we noticed he was struggling to breathe and wasn’t eating as much, it seemed to come on really quickly and I took him to the emergency vets. He was given antibiotics and anti inflammatories, I took him to our local vets twice the next day because I was worried about him and they upped his dose of antibiotics and nebulised him for 30 minutes. We nebulised him for a further 30 minutes at home but he wasn’t improving, he was very lethargic and wouldn’t eat or drink. When I woke up in the morning I found he had passed away and his friend (Percy) was cuddled up next to him.

I am absolutely heartbroken and I’m really struggling. We loved him so much. He was an indoor guinea pig and we always checked on him, fed him well and let him exercise around the house and in the garden when it was warm. He’d have cuddle time with us often.

I am probably torturing myself but does anyone know how he could have caught this? I know it can be from bacteria, is it something he could carry or has he caught it somehow?

I’m terrified of Percy getting poorly, he’s 2 and has never had any issues so I’m not sure if Lance was just unlucky. I want to make sure I’m doing everything I can. Watching Lance suffer was unbearable.

Sorry for the long post.

 

[fluffysal]

I'm sorry for your loss. I'm afraid I have no advice I just wanted to let you know that you can post a tribute to Lance in the rainbow bridge section if you want.
Please don't apologise for long posts, this forum has been a good sounding board for distressed forum members on multiple occasions.

 

[Lance_Percy]

I'm sorry for your loss. I'm afraid I have no advice I just wanted to let you know that you can post a tribute to Lance in the rainbow bridge section if you want.
Please don't apologise for long posts, this forum has been a good sounding board for distressed forum members on multiple occasions.

Thank you, I will definitely post a tribute to him!

 

[Bill & Ted]

I am so sorry you lost Lance, you really had done everything you possibly could have. he may have had some weakness in his chest that made him very sensitive to URI’s. You gave him a happy time filled with care and love and he will have known that, take care of you and Percy

Popcorn high little man

 

[Wiebke]

Hello,

My guinea pig (Lance) died yesterday morning of suspected pneumonia. He was nearly 3 years old.
He first had a URI a few months after we adopted him, he would have been 6 or 7 months at that point. Since then he’s had 2 more URIs and he responded well to antibiotics. His last URI was in March, he had antibiotics for this and we thought he was better. He seemed like his normal self again.
It was 3 days ago that we noticed he was struggling to breathe and wasn’t eating as much, it seemed to come on really quickly and I took him to the emergency vets. He was given antibiotics and anti inflammatories, I took him to our local vets twice the next day because I was worried about him and they upped his dose of antibiotics and nebulised him for 30 minutes. We nebulised him for a further 30 minutes at home but he wasn’t improving, he was very lethargic and wouldn’t eat or drink. When I woke up in the morning I found he had passed away and his friend (Percy) was cuddled up next to him.

I am absolutely heartbroken and I’m really struggling. We loved him so much. He was an indoor guinea pig and we always checked on him, fed him well and let him exercise around the house and in the garden when it was warm. He’d have cuddle time with us often.

I am probably torturing myself but does anyone know how he could have caught this? I know it can be from bacteria, is it something he could carry or has he caught it somehow?

I’m terrified of Percy getting poorly, he’s 2 and has never had any issues so I’m not sure if Lance was just unlucky. I want to make sure I’m doing everything I can. Watching Lance suffer was unbearable.

Sorry for the long post.

Hi and welcome

BIG HUGS

I am very sorry. Bacterial URI is an opportunistic disease. It needs the combination of exposure and a suppressed/not yet fully developed immune system or another underlying issue to happen - that is why young pet shop piggies, piggies with another underlying health issue (could be genetic problem/disposition that has not yet fully shown its own hand), the pregnant, the frail and elderly are at the highest risk. My suspicion is that there was an underlying issue that has caused the immune system to become overwhelmed but I am going by my own gut instinct on this and am just guessing.

It is impossible to say when the exposure has happened. Lance could have even arrived at yours with a small but inactive reservoir of the bacteria as long as his immune system was strong enough to keep it under control; especially if he is a rescue piggy. It could have also been one of the nastier bugs that can affect the respiratory tract and that can cause pneumonia although that is a bit less likely in your case. They are usually more aggressive than what you are reporting.

Healthy companions can usually fend it off courtesy of a strong working immune system so I would not worry about them. For a fatal URI you need several things to come together.
However if Percy is showing symptoms in the coming few weeks please see your vet promptly and have a nasal swab lab tested; in this case you are more likely to deal with one of the nasty bugs. I would however recommend that you keep this just at the back of your head as this is 'just in case' advice to cover all bases and not what is likely to happen.
For the same reason I would also recommend that you wait 3-4 weeks before adopting a companion for Percy; so he has basically done a full quarantine period and you won't have to worry about any further potential transmission on to a new arrival. It is a common sense measure we always strongly recommend after the passing of a piggy with an infectious disease. As long as Percy is eating and drinking, he will hold for that time or even a little longer.
You can use that time to look for a new friend for him once you feel you can cope a bit better.
Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig
Importance Of Quarantine

Please try not to feel like you have failed Lance; you have done all the right things. What has happened is out of your own control. The quick deterioration when the body is overwhelmed at the end can come as a traumatising shock when you have never witnessed before how the much faster metabolism can turn against what is essentially a much smaller animal. Piggies are such big personalities that we tend to forget about that side of them.
Please try to take comfort that guinea pigs don't have a concept for an average life span; what they measure a life by is good care, safety and many happy todays. Quality always comes before quantity and you have quite obviously given that to Lance, so you haven't failed him in any way; no matter how short or long you have had him. What from and when the end comes is not something we can ever choose. Lance has been lucky to find such a dedicated and caring owner.

Strong feelings of guilt at the onset of the grieving process are not beause you have failed Lance but because you care and love so deeply; you wouldn't experience them if you didn't care in the first place. As humans we are wired to reflect everything back onto ourselves. We all experience it to some degree or other but it is always worse after a sudden/quick decline or an unexpected death. If you feel overwhelmed or stuck in this pernicious loop please contact the free Blue Cross (UK animal charity) pet bereavement services. Talking is the best thing you can do for yourself.
This guide here is for human owners to help them understand better what they are going through and what they can do for themselves: Human Bereavement: Grieving, Processing and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children
Pet bereavement and pet loss

Take care and try to be kind with yourself in the coming days.

 

[Lance_Percy]

I am so sorry you lost Lance, you really had done everything you possibly could have. he may have had some weakness in his chest that made him very sensitive to URI’s. You gave him a happy time filled with care and love and he will have known that, take care of you and Percy

Popcorn high little man

Thank you, I really appreciate that

 

[Lance_Percy]

Hi and welcome

BIG HUGS

I am very sorry. Bacterial URI is an opportunistic disease. It needs the combination of exposure and a suppressed/not yet fully developed immune system or another underlying issue to happen - that is why young pet shop piggies, piggies with another underlying health issue (could be genetic problem/disposition that has not yet fully shown its own hand), the pregnant, the frail and elderly are at the highest risk. My suspicion is that there was an underlying issue that has caused the immune system to become overwhelmed but I am going by my own gut instinct on this and am just guessing.

It is impossible to say when the exposure has happened. Lance could have even arrived at yours with a small but inactive reservoir of the bacteria as long as his immune system was strong enough to keep it under control; especially if he is a rescue piggy. It could have also been one of the nastier bugs that can affect the respiratory tract and that can cause pneumonia although that is a bit less likely in your case. They are usually more aggressive than what you are reporting.

Healthy companions can usually fend it off courtesy of a strong working immune system so I would not worry about them. For a fatal URI you need several things to come together.
However if he is showing symptoms in the coming few weeks please see your vet promptly and have a nasal swab lab tested; in this case you are more likely to deal with one of the nasty bugs. I would however recommend that you keep this just at the back of your head as this is 'just in case' advice to cover all bases and not what is likely to happen.
For the same reason I would also recommend that you wait 3-4 weeks before adopting a companion for Percy; so he has basically done a full quarantine period and you won't have to worry about any further potential transmission on to a new arrival. It is a common sence measure we always strongly recommend after the passing of a piggy with an infectious disease. As long as Percy is eating and drinking, he will hold for that time or even a little longer.
You can use that time to look for a new friend for him once you feel you can cope a bit better.
Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig
Importance Of Quarantine

Please try not to feel like you have failed Lance; you have done all the right things. What has happened is out of your own control. The quick deterioration when the body is overwhelmed at the end can come as a traumatising shock when you have never witnessed before how the much faster metabolism can turn against what is essentially a much smaller animal. Piggies are such big personalities that we tend to forget about that side of them.
Please try to take comfort that guinea pigs don't have a concept for an average life span; what they measure a life by is good care, safety and many happy todays. Quality always comes before quantity and you have quite obviously given that to Lance, so you haven't failed him in any way; no matter how short or long you have had him. What from and when the end comes is not something we can ever choose. Lance has been lucky to find such a dedicated and caring owner.

Strong feelings of guilt at the onset of the grieving process are not beause you have failed Lance but because you care and love so deeply; you wouldn't experience if you didn't care in the first place. As humans we are wired to reflect everything back onto ourselves. We all experience it to some degree or other but it is always worse after a sudden/quick decline or an unexpected death. If you feel overwhelmed or stuck in this pernicious loop, please contact the free Blue Cross (UK animal charity) pet bereavement services. Talking is the best thing you can do for yourself.
This guide here is for human owners to help them understand better what they are going through and what they can do for themselves: Human Bereavement: Grieving, Processing and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children
Pet bereavement and pet loss

Take care and try to be kind with yourself in the coming days.

Thank you so much for this. I think you’re right and I’m just hurting so much because of how deeply I cared for him, I will have a read through the guide and hopefully feel better soon.

 

[Freela]

I'm really sorry for your loss. It sounds like you did everything you possibly could. From what my vet told me when we had an otherwise healthy indoor pig treated for a respiratory infection, a lot of pigs are exposed to and colonized with bacteria when they're really young, before they even leave their mom. This can flare up later on and pigs can develop a susceptibility to this kind of infection. It's 100% nothing you did wrong, without your help he might not have survived the first infection when you got him. You gave him a wonderful life with you that he might not otherwise have had.

((HUGS)) to you and so sorry for your loss. Lance sounds like a lovely pig and he was obviously much loved.

 

[Lance_Percy]

I'm really sorry for your loss. It sounds like you did everything you possibly could. From what my vet told me when we had an otherwise healthy indoor pig treated for a respiratory infection, a lot of pigs are exposed to and colonized with bacteria when they're really young, before they even leave their mom. This can flare up later on and pigs can develop a susceptibility to this kind of infection. It's 100% nothing you did wrong, without your help he might not have survived the first infection when you got him. You gave him a wonderful life with you that he might not otherwise have had.

((HUGS)) to you and so sorry for your loss. Lance sounds like a lovely pig and he was obviously much loved.

Thank you, I think I really needed to hear this.
He was such a sweet boy and so cheeky too

 

[weepweeps]

I’m so sorry you have lost Lance. You definitely did all you could for him. Take care

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you so much for this. I think you’re right and I’m just hurting so much because of how deeply I cared for him, I will have a read through the guide and hopefully feel better soon.

Try to see it like that: it is your love that Lance has been feeling and experiencing every day of his life and in his illness. He was blessed to find you and you are blessed to have had him in your life. It works both ways. Love transcends time and yours has filled Lance's time with you right until the very end.

Of course it hurts so badly when you cannot save a beloved one's life and when you lose him so suddenly and unexpectedly. That side never gets any easier since every bond is unique and special. He was your precious boy because of his health issues; that creates a closer bond. Sadly, you can only ever do your best in the existing circumstances and practical limitations - but you have done that; the outcome is never in your control.

But hopefully my post and the guide links can help you with the mechanics of the grieving process and with helping putting certain things into more of a perspective and give you ideas how you can support your grieving process in the way that suits you best as well as your mental health as you go through it.

 

[Merab]

So sorry for your loss.
Be gentle with yourself as you grieve