Hello, My guinea pig is always very active and running around. He gets very excited for his veggies and eats his hay and drinks his water. But this morning he looked sickly. He was not warm he was kinda cool. He also does not like to be picked up at all he always runs away and very hard to catch but I could easily pick him up. He was dragging his feet and when I picked him up his breathing was very raspy like he was gasping for air. So I took him to the bathroom and sat down on the toilet and turned on the shower to make steam cuz I thought that would help. But then he started to twitch and trying to get out of my arms. I quickly went into my living room and put him in a blanket trying to get him to calm down. And then my mom just told me to put him in his cage. Then he started going side ways and then he died. I don't understand why this happened?
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Guinea pig raspy breathing and twitching
- Thread starter Namara
- Start date
tabelmabel
Adult Guinea Pig
It sounds as if your piggy might have had a pneumonia but I'm not a vet. Because pigs hide illness so well, the infection can be deep set in by the time you hear raspy breathing and only rapid treatment at the emergency vet with anti biotics can give them a chance.
When i first started with pigs, i had the exact same experience as you describe as i just had no idea how quickly these things progress.
The twiching is common as the pig's organs close down. It is distressing to see.
Your remaining pig has a good chance of remaining well though!
What to do now is to get your remaining pig vet checked to ensure the chest is clear and healthy. Weigh your pig every single day at the same time each morning and write the weight down.
Weight loss is often the first clue something is amiss. When a companion is lost, the surviving pig's appetite can drop off a bit as they grieve but should pick up within days.
When your pig has the all clear from the vet, check out rescues that do bonding so that you can find a new companion to live with your pig.
Once everything is stabilised, you can drop the daily weighing to weekly weighing. Any weight loss of 50g or more needs a vet visit.
When i first started with pigs, i had the exact same experience as you describe as i just had no idea how quickly these things progress.
The twiching is common as the pig's organs close down. It is distressing to see.
Your remaining pig has a good chance of remaining well though!
What to do now is to get your remaining pig vet checked to ensure the chest is clear and healthy. Weigh your pig every single day at the same time each morning and write the weight down.
Weight loss is often the first clue something is amiss. When a companion is lost, the surviving pig's appetite can drop off a bit as they grieve but should pick up within days.
When your pig has the all clear from the vet, check out rescues that do bonding so that you can find a new companion to live with your pig.
Once everything is stabilised, you can drop the daily weighing to weekly weighing. Any weight loss of 50g or more needs a vet visit.
Hi and welcome
I am very sorry about your experience. A piggy going into multiple organ failure and dying can be a very frightening experience; it is much more physical than you would expect.
The link below does have a chapter about the dying process (including multiple organ failure) and what to expect. I have written it specifically for people who like you are confronted with their piggy dying at home while unable to see a vet immediately. Perhaps it can help you make better sense of your experiences and help you to put them into perspective, so they are not going to haunt you. There is sadly hardly any practical information about the dying process around. This is to my knowledge the only one for guinea pigs but you would not have found it if you only googled for symptoms of illness and not for dying: A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs
You may also find these two guide links here helpful; they are very practical with lots of helpful tips:
- Here is what you can do for the companion: Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig
-Here is what you can do for yourself and understand a bit more of your strong emotions now and in the coming days, like the urge to make sense of what has just happened. It is very normal for the onset of the grieving process; every responsible and caring owner will have the need for soul-searching and experience feelings of failure and guilt in some form or other. The guide will also tell you what to expect in the coming days and how you can help yourself or where you can find support if you need it: Human Bereavement: Grieving, Coping and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children
I am very sorry about your experience. A piggy going into multiple organ failure and dying can be a very frightening experience; it is much more physical than you would expect.
The link below does have a chapter about the dying process (including multiple organ failure) and what to expect. I have written it specifically for people who like you are confronted with their piggy dying at home while unable to see a vet immediately. Perhaps it can help you make better sense of your experiences and help you to put them into perspective, so they are not going to haunt you. There is sadly hardly any practical information about the dying process around. This is to my knowledge the only one for guinea pigs but you would not have found it if you only googled for symptoms of illness and not for dying: A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs
You may also find these two guide links here helpful; they are very practical with lots of helpful tips:
- Here is what you can do for the companion: Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig
-Here is what you can do for yourself and understand a bit more of your strong emotions now and in the coming days, like the urge to make sense of what has just happened. It is very normal for the onset of the grieving process; every responsible and caring owner will have the need for soul-searching and experience feelings of failure and guilt in some form or other. The guide will also tell you what to expect in the coming days and how you can help yourself or where you can find support if you need it: Human Bereavement: Grieving, Coping and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children
