How did they miss this?

[Kazza34]

Feel like I'm losing my mind right now. I had to have my beautiful little boy Kovu put to sleep yesterday. My heart is so broken. Today, I'm starting to wonder and get angry about some things so need some advice please.
Last year Kovu had surgery for bladder stones, he came through it like a star and recovered well. I did all I was meant to do, low calcium diet etc. He was doing really well. About 10 days ago he wasn't eating much so I took him to the vet. They reckoned it was his teeth so advised me to syringe feed if need be and booked him in for dental. He got that done and was losing weight by then. He got through that and they said hed eaten some veg and pooped afterwards. Took him home and all was downhill from there. Wouldn't eat, wasn't pooping and just hiding all the time. There followed daily visits to vet, diagnosed with upper respiratory infection and gave me antibiotics. 2 days later I had no option but to put him to sleep. He wouldn't even take medication by then and had lost around 30% of his body weight. That last day he was peeing blood and vet said his abdomen was really tender. Definitely bladder stones. Why wasn't this picked up given his history. Didnt they examine him properly? I know guinea pigs can go downhill fast but this just seems like someone dropped the ball. It wont bring him back but these questions are tormenting me now.

 

[Free Ranger]

It looks like the overgrowth of teeth could be because he was in discomfort from his underlying condition and eating less hay over a few weeks

I lost a lovely big boy after a bladder stone operation. I was in torment for a while afterwards for putting him through surgery only for him to die afterwards. I felt like I had to give him every chance but they warned me beforehand that this happens quite regularly. They also warned me (in fact it was the first thing they said at diagnosis) that pigs who make it through the surgery very often reform the stones - sometimes within weeks. The vet had an old boy who was living out the last of his life on high doses of metacam because of this - that wasn't an option for Panda though.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that if they had spotted the stones they might not have gone in for the dental, and maybe he might not have gotten the URI, but he still might not have been able to be saved. It's also quite possible that by this point the dental was necessary for his overgrown teeth and the challenging path you have walked was inevitable. Without this complication you could just have been in the same position as Panda and I, facing a tricky surgery and knowing the chances of the stones returning quickly were high now because it had happened before. Stones are a nightmare.

I can fully understand how angry and upset you are about this situation. When I took Ivy in to be pts last year I sat in the car-park and bawled for my poor brave pig. A whole bunch of vets weren't able to find out what was wrong to make her stop eating and it's the not knowing keeps you awake at night. I would not make any decisions until a little time has passed because it will be difficult not to rant right now. Your lovely boy is pain free and at peace, but you are left grieving. If in the future you want to let the vets know how you have felt maybe lessons could be learnt to help future piggies. Take care of yourself - it can take time to get over losing a piggy you have been nursing with so much love x

 

[Bill & Ted]

I am so sorry, I know how upset you must feel x
It’s all so sad and what if’s and doubts and anger are all part of grieving. I think most people have experienced wondering whether a vet has missed something. Try to concentrate on the wonderful life you gave him and how happy he was x

 

[VickiA]

Firstly, let me say I am so sorry for your loss.
I’m afraid that after the loss of a piggy it tends to be part of the grieving process to question what we did or didn’t do and what the vets did or didn’t do. Sadly, my own experience is that even in the best of hands, a very poorly piggy’s mineral and calcium absorption can go wildly out of kilter and they can develop life threatening stones very quickly. My own dear Felix (who I lost a couple of years ago) managed to develop a huge stone within a fortnight (an X-ray a fortnight earlier was completely clear). Please try not to torment yourself with what ifs. They can’t change the past but they can make your present even more painful. Try to remember your piggy at his most glorious best, and not as he was at the end.