Hypochondriac?

[fgcb]

Hi everyone,

A bit over a month ago I lost one of my piggies. It was a very difficult experience for me since we were very close and he died in my arms. However I feel that since his passing I also became a bit of a hypochondriac with my other pig. He was recently sneezing and I immediately panicked, I was checking in him but with so much fear that it is affecting my mental health and my sleep and overall enjoyment of having pets. I was ready to go to the vet but when I explained the situation he asked me a few questions and told me that I should just keep taking a look. He had recently finished a 3-week course of antibiotics for a respiratory infection and his lungs were clear. He said it sounded more like an irritation or reaction to dust or something like that (I’m moving houses so there’s indeed some dust despite my best efforts).

I don’t know if some people have the same experience. I don’t think is healthy or sustainable to go to the vet every time there’s a little something or get into panic mode, but at the same time they can become super sick in a matter of hours so I feel I need to be as vigilant as I can when I’m at home.

 

[ScrufflesRules]

Hello,
I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your little one.
I think that many of us on the forum are also slight hypochondriacs when it comes to the health of our precious piggies.
I have found this guide really useful in the past: Pet Owners Anxiety - Practical Tips For Sufferers and For Supporters
I hope you'll find the forum a useful place to read about others' experiences- sometimes this helps alleviate some of the anxiety.

 

[fgcb]

Thank you so much, that is so kind. I read the article and I cried. It described exactly how I feel and it was very validating. For the past couple of days I’ve been interacting with my pig just to check him, instead of taking our usual chill time together. I think part of me still thinks I could have saved my other pig, but the rational part knows I even travelled to a different city to see the best vet, I bought all the required medicines, paid for all the studies and took him to all his appointments. Sometimes it just takes a while to admit that despite your best efforts life happens and we cannot control the outcome. Thank you so much for your response. It meant a lot.

 

[Wheekallweek]

It shows how much you care about you piggies! As you say, just enjoy chill out time, try a new tasty snack or give piggy a brush, don't focus on checking him over, just enjoy each others company and have fun!
You sound like an amazing piggy owner and your piggies are lucky to have you

 

[weepweeps]

I’m so sorry for your loss. It sounds like you did all you could for your piggy and that’s all any of us can do.

When I first got piggies I was so stressed I nearly gave them away.

I hope you can start to enjoy them again.

 

[fgcb]

It shows how much you care about you piggies! As you say, just enjoy chill out time, try a new tasty snack or give piggy a brush, don't focus on checking him over, just enjoy each others company and have fun!
You sound like an amazing piggy owner and your piggies are lucky to have you

It shows how much you care about you piggies! As you say, just enjoy chill out time, try a new tasty snack or give piggy a brush, don't focus on checking him over, just enjoy each others company and have fun!
You sound like an amazing piggy owner and your piggies are lucky to have you

Thank you so much. I just feel they give me so much that I need to do right by them. I saw so many ideas on pig enrichment I had no idea! I’ll try a few over the weekend.

 

[fgcb]

I’m so sorry for your loss. It sounds like you did all you could for your piggy and that’s all any of us can do.

When I first got piggies I was so stressed I nearly gave them away.

I hope you can start to enjoy them again.

Thank you so much. I was also thinking at some point to not have more piggies because of all the heartache. But I know is crazy because I absolutely adore them and just looking at them makes me happy.
I’m so happy I found this forum. It’s been a bit difficult to grieve because for some reason people understand the pain when a dog or a cat die but not a Guinea pig . So I have only been able to share with my husband and a friend who understand how much you can get attached to your pet no matter size.

 

[weepweeps]

We all understand here.

 

[PiggyPoo]

I’m so sorry for your loss. Go easy on yourself. You gave your piggy a good life and this one too!

We all understand the pain here and it’s very comforting to find piggy minded people alike.

Take care of yourself xx

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome

I am very sorry about your loss.

We have quite a number of members with anxiety on this forum. Our forum ethos is to be friendly and supportive. It is however very normal for anybody to have the jitters in the wake of a loss.

It is also very normal to have strong feelings of failure and guilt in the wake of a loss since we are wired to reflect everything ono ourselves. These intense emotions are not a sign that you have failed but of the depth to which you love. You wouldn't feel so strongly if you didn't love deeply. Your piggy was lucky to have found you.
Here is our grieving guide. It will hopefully help you make more sense of what you are going through. Grieving is not being sad but a whole gamut of often very unexpected strong emotions and moods: Human Bereavement: Grieving, Processing and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children

Here is what you can do for the companion:
Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities (includes chapters on bereaved singles and how to spot when they transfer their social needs onto you)
Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs (lots of ideas for all senses)

Here is the access link to our full information resource, which you might find interesting and want to bookmark: Comprehensive Owners' Practical and Supportive Information Collection

 

[fgcb]

Thank you so much, I’ve been reading the articles and they are incredibly helpful. I was feeling like I was losing my mind and I was the only one doing this. It’s just so hard to think about losing someone you love so much after that just happened to you. I'm happy I found this community.

 

[fgcb]

I’m so sorry for your loss. Go easy on yourself. You gave your piggy a good life and this one too!

We all understand the pain here and it’s very comforting to find piggy minded people alike.

Take care of yourself xx

Thank you. It is indeed very comforting and validating. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you so much, I’ve been reading the articles and they are incredibly helpful. I was feeling like I was losing my mind and I was the only one doing this. It’s just so hard to think about losing someone you love so much after that just happened to you. I'm happy I found this community.

Thank you. It means a lot to me.

It has not always been easy for me to write about sensitive issues in a very practical and hopefully constructive but still respectiful way that give them a handle. Most articles I have come across tend to skim over the really sticky details that throw people.

You are most welcome to join our lively community, You are not the only one that feels alone in their love and in their grieving for small animals that have such huge personalities and be able to talk about everything else, too...

 

[fgcb]

Thank you. It means a lot to me.

It has not always been easy for me to write about sensitive issues in a very practical and hopefully constructive but still respectiful way that give them a handle. Most articles I have come across tend to skim over the really sticky details that throw people.

You are most welcome to join our lively community, You are not the only one that feels alone in their love and in their grieving for small animals that have such huge personalities and be able to talk about everything else, too...

Thank you so much for writing them. I've never come across this information and written in such a good way: straightforward but very empathetic.

 

[fgcb]

So my hypochondriac thought started last week when I saw my 2-year-old Bellini making some sounds to clear his nose, and I spotted a tiny snot. He's always made those noises, but I thought they were more frequent, and I've never seen a snot (before or after that episode). Two months ago or so, my two piggies got a respiratory infection and Iost Beertje due to this, so I think I've been more vigilant than before. I've been working from home from the same room where they live, so I notice more things.

My husband thought I was exaggerating because he didn't see what I saw, but I called the vet on Friday. He asked me some questions about his breathing, but it's hard to judge because Bellini has always had quicker breathing, but it didn't look like when he had the RI. He told me to keep an eye on him because it could just be some debris from the hay or dust making his nose a bit irritated. So, anyway, everything looked ok during the weekend, so I thought going to the vet was unnecessary. However, today I weighed Bellini. He's usually 1.200, but today he's 1.150.

I am unsure where the line is between being responsibly concerned and being a paranoid hypochondriac. I think about this because my vet is in a different city (35 min drive each way), which means stressing out the pigs, and I have to ask someone to take me (I do not drive). My husband can only take me on Tuesdays, so I will book an appointment for tomorrow. Hopefully, as my husband says, it is just my anxiety, and there's nothing wrong with Belli. I guess this appointment is more for my mental health, and I will take it as an opportunity to ask many questions. I think that since I lost Beertje, I am very afraid of missing any symptoms. At the same time, I am trying just to enjoy them without trying to spot any tiny symptom, because that mindset was robbing me of the joy of having my pigs, and I am sure it was just stressing them out.

 

[Viennese Furbabies]

It's probably a good idea that have him seen tomorrow. If there is something sinister going on, your vet will be able to spot it.
And if there is nothing to worry about, you don't have to go into full panic mode every time your boy sneezes. Because sometimes (a lot of tlmes really) guinea pigs just sneeze because they get dust into their little noses. You would too, if you would be near hay all day.

 

[fgcb]

It's probably a good idea that have him seen tomorrow. If there is something sinister going on, your vet will be able to spot it.
And if there is nothing to worry about, you don't have to go into full panic mode every time your boy sneezes. Because sometimes (a lot of tlmes really) guinea pigs just sneeze because they get dust into their little noses. You would too, if you would be near hay all day.

Yeah, thank you so much. I think if I could take him any time to the vet, I would wait a couple of days to see if there are any other weird symptoms and if his weight came back to normal. But since my husband can only take me on Tuesdays, I do not want to make the wrong call and then have him wait too long or be obsessed for the rest of the week. At least this prompted me to try to get my driver's licence again and avoid bothering other people with such long drives.