I think my Guinea Pig is in his last days.

[ZZVI]

Hi everyone,

Sorry if this post is in the wrong place, this is my first time here.

I just wanted to talk to other guinea pig carers as I’m going through a hard time at the moment. Two months ago, one of my two 6 year old guinea pigs sadly passed away. My remaining guinea seems to have been alright since then, however two days ago he suddenly stopped eating and was very lethargic. We decided to take him to the vet, who gave him some medicine and gave us a syringe to feed him with. The medicine was to get his digestive system moving again, and we believe it’s worked, as he is now eating, however only grass and not as much as before. We fed him with the syringe a few times, and he seems to have recovered, apart from only voluntarily eating grass, and not lettuce or cabbage or carrot, which he’s always loved. Hopefully in the next few days he’ll be back to his usual self.

The problem is I can’t help but think that even if he does fully recover, he’s in his final days. I think his digestive system might be failing, and he’s on borrowed time. And I can’t bear the thought. I’m so worried about losing him any second I just can’t do anything else. He might still live a lot longer, but I have no way of knowing, and just feel so depressed. And I don’t know if he’s happy, or if he’s lonely.

I’m sorry for the long post. If anyone has had any similar experiences, please share your thoughts, what happened and how you coped. Thank you.

 

[Siikibam]

I’m sorry for your loss. You have to consider the fact that your remaining piggy may still be grieving for his lost friend as well. So two things.

First is that you should start weighing him daily at the same time. If he’s losing weight then he’s not eating enough hay. You’ll have to step in with syringe feeding more regularly to help him maintain his weight.

Secondly, I know you say he is old but do consider getting him a friend to live with. If you want to get out of the cycle of piggies, then there is an option. I don’t know where you’re located, but here in U.K. some rescues can foster out a piggy to keep your lone one company until they pass away. At which point you’d then ‘surrender’ the fostered piggy back to the rescue. Perhaps ask around at rescues near you to see if they offer that service.
Remember to take care of yourself as well.

 

[ZZVI]

I’m sorry for your loss. You have to consider the fact that your remaining piggy may still be grieving for his lost friend as well. So two things.

First is that you should start weighing him daily at the same time. If he’s losing weight then he’s not eating enough hay. You’ll have to step in with syringe feeding more regularly to help him maintain his weight.

Secondly, I know you say he is old but do consider getting him a friend to live with. If you want to get out of the cycle of piggies, then there is an option. I don’t know where you’re located, but here in U.K. some rescues can foster out a piggy to keep your lone one company until they pass away. At which point you’d then ‘surrender’ the fostered piggy back to the rescue. Perhaps ask around at rescues near you to see if they offer that service.
Remember to take care of yourself as well.

Thank you for your reply.
I looked into getting him a friend, but decided not to. He was more independent than his brother, and we thought getting him a friend might just stress him out, as he’d be worried about his food being stolen and so forth. Also I do live in the UK, however none of the rescues within 2 hours of me foster any. I will do some more research though, as I really want him to be happy. Again thank you for the reply, it means a lot.

 

[Siikibam]

Getting him a friend shouldn’t stress him out. They really do need company of their own kind. Food being stolen is also normal and nothing to worry about. If you don’t mind then email around and let them know your boar is looking for a friend. You may have to go a little further afield.

Hopefully someone else will be on in the morning who knows more about the fostering option. Please add your location to your profile. County is fine.