Is it cruel

[jayrawson]

Hi. My guinea pig is 7 years old. He's partially blind and has arthritis. He's getting really aggressive and cranky recently so the vets gave him 2 different medications which he hates taking. I'm asking am I being cruel by keeping him alive and in pain or shall I just let him go. The vets want to see him next week but they have mentioned putting him to sleep. What would you do

 

[Wiebke]

Hi. My guinea pig is 7 years old. He's partially blind and has arthritis. He's getting really aggressive and cranky recently so the vets gave him 2 different medications which he hates taking. I'm asking am I being cruel by keeping him alive and in pain or shall I just let him go. The vets want to see him next week but they have mentioned putting him to sleep. What would you do

Hi

You are in the 'grey area' where there is no right or wrong as long as you make any decision with your piggy's welfare foremost in mind. In your case it is all about whether you feel that he has enough quality and enjoyment of life or not; your case is not so clear cut that there is only one possible answer. It is always the most difficult when you come close to the point, though.

We cannot tell you what you should do; this your very own responsibility or burden as an owner - depending on how you want to look at it. I would recommend that you sleep over it and then listen to your gut so you come to the answer you can live with best in the long term.

A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs (see chapter 'When is the right time to say goodbye')

 

[jayrawson]

Hi

You are in the 'grey area' where there is no right or wrong as long as make any decision with your piggy's welfare foremost in mind. In your case it is all about whether you feel that he has enough quality and enjoyment of life or not; your case is not so clear cut that there is only one possible answer. It is always the most difficult when you come close to the point, though.

We cannot tell you what you should do; this your very own responsibility or burden as an owner - depending on how you want to look at it. I would recommend that you sleep over it and then listen to your gut so you come to the answer you can live with best in the long term.

A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs (see chapter 'When is the right time to say goodbye')

Yeah. Your right. I'll keep an eye on him over the next week and see. Thankyou

 

[Eriathwen]

I personally use the below chart to assess my animals quality of life. I find it really helps when I have end of life pets as you can use the numbers to track if theyre declining and see it in front of you rather than feeling like youre guessing based on behaviour, although you have to kind of keep in mind it's worded for dogs and cats mainly so going for walks would be floor time or garden time for example, Plus it's something you can print out, fill in and then take with you to the vet to discuss and help you have an open and frank discussion about their current welfare

I was going to sit down with it this week and fill it in for my Tilly, who is going to be 9 in August, she is totally blind and has neurological issues, she recently lost the use of her back legs and xrays showed it was due to hip dysplasia and pretty awful arthritis. Luckily she has improved a bit after altering her pain meds and she has been enjoying all the extra attention of keeping her clean, taking her out to enjoy the sun and grass etc.

I think it's really important to make sure they're enjoying things they used to enjoy, when that joy has gone from their life, its definitely getting time to think about helping them over, but there's also no wrong in wanting to try changing up their pain relief if it's a possibility.

As Weibke said above, at this point there really isn't a right or wrong way to go but unfortunately it's a very individual decision that's different for each person and each piggy.

 

[Trish B]

I personally would take my cue from your piggy's behaviour and his reluctance to take the prescribed medication. When his quality of life is poor and he is aggressive..and the vets are talking about euthanasia...then maybe the kindest thing you could do for him would be to alleviate his pain? Always a really horrible decision though.

 

[Bill & Ted]

It’s a horrible decision to make, I feel for you

 

[CTWC]

Awful position to be in but you know him better than anyone, take this week to think what is best for him any decision will be made with love for him but it must be one of the worst choices to have to make

 

[Bertie & Jelly]

I’m so sorry you are in this position. When my RB piggie Jelly was diagnosed with lymphoma I too agonised over when would be the right time. Although I did eventually make the decision based on his overall quality of life he still had good days which made it harder to decide but ultimately I know it was kinder for his particular circumstances. Thinking of you x

 

[Freela]

I'm sorry, it's such a hard place to be and a hard decision to make. I know when I've had to make this decision, I've tried to look at overall quality of life and ability to enjoy life... are they able to do the normal guinea pig things that they enjoy doing? Are they eating and interested in food? Do they behave like themselves or are they showing signs of stress? Often there's no 'right' answer and that's what makes it so hard.

It's also worth talking to the vet at your next appointment if you have a good rapport and trust their opinion. The last time I had to make the choice to put a pet to sleep I booked a vet consult first because I felt so awful about making the choice and the vet really reassured me that it was the right time and that if I let her continue she was only going to suffer, and I think hearing that from a vet I trusted made it easier to trust myself and let her go peacefully.