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Kidney Failure

Queenjellybeany

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi all!
I’m
starting a fresh post after one of my old ones as I finally have the diagnose that my Yen has kidney failure.

The vet saw her two weeks ago and said she is quite steady atm, she has lost weight but not a worrying decline so shes basically said to take each day as it comes. She said it can change with each pig, sometimes they can live with failure for a while and sometimes they go quite quickly.

I went away for a few days so a friend fed them while I was gone, but she let me pick her up very easily today, she’s normally quite skittish but it didn’t seem like she could be bothered. She has been eating still with no problems and is still excited for food however she feels very frail to me when I held her. I will weigh her again later and compare it to last times results but atm I would like to leave her to rest.

I know kidney failure can take a pig very quickly, I’m just wondering what experience people in this group have with pigs and kidney failure and if there’s any tips at all on how I can keep her comfortable.

It’s hard to say if she’s lethargic because she’s always been very lazy lol!
Also she is 4 years old 💕
Thank you!
 
Hi all!
I’m
starting a fresh post after one of my old ones as I finally have the diagnose that my Yen has kidney failure.

The vet saw her two weeks ago and said she is quite steady atm, she has lost weight but not a worrying decline so shes basically said to take each day as it comes. She said it can change with each pig, sometimes they can live with failure for a while and sometimes they go quite quickly.

I went away for a few days so a friend fed them while I was gone, but she let me pick her up very easily today, she’s normally quite skittish but it didn’t seem like she could be bothered. She has been eating still with no problems and is still excited for food however she feels very frail to me when I held her. I will weigh her again later and compare it to last times results but atm I would like to leave her to rest.

I know kidney failure can take a pig very quickly, I’m just wondering what experience people in this group have with pigs and kidney failure and if there’s any tips at all on how I can keep her comfortable.

It’s hard to say if she’s lethargic because she’s always been very lazy lol!
Also she is 4 years old 💕
Thank you!

Hi

I am ever so sorry.

Please have her seen for painkillers. Kidney failure can be painful; the gain in quality of life can extend the life span outweighs any other considerations.

Please step in with feeding top up and if she is not moving around much, follow the practical care tips for guinea pigs with reduced mobility. See your vet again next week.

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility

It's not a guide I enjoy linking into a post but you may find it helpful in case she suddenly goes downhill: A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs

Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
 
Hi

I am ever so sorry.

Please have her seen for painkillers. Kidney failure can be painful; the gain in quality of life can extend the life span outweighs any other considerations.

Please step in with feeding top up and if she is not moving around much, follow the practical care tips for guinea pigs with reduced mobility. See your vet again next week.

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility

It's not a guide I enjoy linking into a post but you may find it helpful in case she suddenly goes downhill: A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs

Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Thank you so much.
She was on metacam but came off for a few days as my vet said it can not help with kidneys and make it worsen quicker. I think I can sense she is coming near the end anyway so I’ve put her back on metacam today because I’d rather her be comfortable.

Thank you for the info, I feel so blessed to have this forum. She is still walking over to eat from her bowl, which I’m taking as a good sign and I’m thinking once she’s less interested in food will be the time we let her go but I have a gut feeling it will be some point this week. Who knows!
Our only issue is she feels so old and frail and small. It feels like she’s a very old woman.
 
Thank you so much.
She was on metacam but came off for a few days as my vet said it can not help with kidneys and make it worsen quicker. I think I can sense she is coming near the end anyway so I’ve put her back on metacam today because I’d rather her be comfortable.

Thank you for the info, I feel so blessed to have this forum. She is still walking over to eat from her bowl, which I’m taking as a good sign and I’m thinking once she’s less interested in food will be the time we let her go but I have a gut feeling it will be some point this week. Who knows!
Our only issue is she feels so old and frail and small. It feels like she’s a very old woman.

HUGS

See whether she improves a little on the metacam or not, and take it from there. Guinea pig metabolise it differently to other pet species. None of my piggies on long term high metacam has died from kidney failure but I have lost several otherwise healthy middle aged piggies to it.

Kidney failure or the kidneys going wrong is one of the more common major organs to pack in first when it comes to a natural end of life; it is usually down to a genetic disposition if it happens in younger piggies. :(

When their much faster metabolism turns against them, it can be somewhat upsetting to watch your beloved ones age in fast forward but it also comes with the boon of not being a drawn out death; the frailer the quicker the end as a rule of thumb when 'their day' arrives. If there are other underlying problems in play, then the body will crumble much more quickly once a keystone organ is starting to fail.

Treasure what time you have left and take consolation in that she has been loved and cared for well, and has had a happy life with you beyond her wildest dreams. It is never about quantity but about quality. You cannot buy happiness but you can give it - you have done this and have made all the difference in a precious and treasured life.

Be aware that you are already grieving; the process starts the moment you realise that a beloved one is on limited time and not with the actual death. Be kind with yourself and try to make the best of the bitter-sweet days left; you have control over how sweet or bitter they are going to be.
 
HUGS

See whether she improves a little on the metacam or not, and take it from there. Guinea pig metabolise it differently to other pet species. None of my piggies on long term high metacam has died from kidney failure but I have lost several otherwise healthy middle aged piggies to it.

Kidney failure or the kidneys going wrong is one of the more common major organs to pack in first when it comes to a natural end of life; it is usually down to a genetic disposition if it happens in younger piggies. :(

When their much faster metabolism turns against them, it can be somewhat upsetting to watch your beloved ones age in fast forward but it also comes with the boon of not being a drawn out death; the frailer the quicker the end as a rule of thumb when 'their day' arrives. If there are other underlying problems in play, then the body will crumble much more quickly once a keystone organ is starting to fail.

Treasure what time you have left and take consolation in that she has been loved and cared for well, and has had a happy life with you beyond her wildest dreams. It is never about quantity but about quality. You cannot buy happiness but you can give it - you have done this and have made all the difference in a precious and treasured life.

Be aware that you are already grieving; the process starts the moment you realise that a beloved one is on limited time and not with the actual death. Be kind with yourself and try to make the best of the bitter-sweet days left; you have control over how sweet or bitter they are going to be.
I couldn’t reply to this straight away because it made me cry. Thank you for your beautiful words. As I’ve said she’s eating fine with no problems, once that starts to fade will be when I contact my vet. I am desperate for her to not suffer, that’s my biggest priority atm so I hope I’m doing the right thing!

How have you found your piggies with kidney failure, do they often tend to leave us on their own accord or defo pts?

when she was sick before I basically would wipe her butt twice a day because she couldn’t keep it clean down there, sometimes she’d lick me back and that’s how I knew she was happy with what I was doing and that I’d helped her.

Thank you x
 
After the care you gave her when she had that massive infection your bond with her must be so very strong and special ❣️
 
Sending you hugs, I am so sorry. It’s incredibly hard to watch a beloved piggie’s vitality fade away. I hope you still have some more happy times together
 
After the care you gave her when she had that massive infection your bond with her must be so very strong and special ❣️

I feel like it so is, we are so close, she will run up to the cage when she sees me or my partner walk in haha thank you so much
 
I spoke to my vet, unfortunately the only options left will be to PTS however she is a lot less lethargic today and I’ve been taken her out the cage separately to eat on her favourite food, which she seems to enjoy, she eats a lot slower than my other pig so I’m hoping it will help her at least feel more comfortable.

She weighs 675g today and was 690g when I came back home (Saturday, I came back from a trip) 😔 she’s still enjoying food and plodding about so I feel like she’s happy enough just very very small and looks old? I’m really stumped at what to do, me and my partner have both been crying because we thought she’d pass sooner rather than later, but today she seems a little happier

Anyway I’ve been spending a lot of time with her here she is outside as it’s a lovely sunny day (don’t worry it wasn’t too hot lol)
 

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Hi all!
So after all the fuss she’s received, yen yen has turned a huge corner! Shes gone from 675g to 740g today!

All we can assume is she really struggled when we left for a holiday and she was giving up a bit but she’s fighting again now, enjoying food, even running around again!?

She has also been completely bald on her belly for months now as she wees a lot and sits in it, however today after weighing her I’ve noticed she’s getting very light fur back on her belly so it seems to be growing back!

All my vet suggested was to take her off metacam as that can sometimes make kidney failure worse and that seems to have helped her? She still leaks urine but no where near the level she was and defo has appetite back.

Obviously not a cure for the kidneys, but just glad she’s gaining weight each day instead of losing and that she’s more comfortable, which is all we truly want!

Enjoy a pic of Miss Yen Yen in the sunshine

Thank you
 

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This was not what I expected to read. She's such a fighter. You must be making her life so good for her to have this much determination
Well done you for giving her so much love and excellent care 💖
 
I am so pleased for her and you. What lovely news.
I expect it's been mentioned before but are you using vetbed in the places she lies the most, it really helps to keep them dry. I bought some off cuts on ebay and cut them into small piggy size mats. A newspaper or absorbent (non shiny) supermarket leaflet folded to size underneath will absorb the urine and keep the top dry.
 
This was not what I expected to read. She's such a fighter. You must be making her life so good for her to have this much determination
Well done you for giving her so much love and excellent care 💖
We didn’t expect it all we were assuming we’d lose her in a few days but she randomly turned a corner, I got my partner to check her one morning because I feared she’d pass in the night and she was literally running around the cage doing zoomies for breakfast 😂💕

Thank you so much
 
I am so pleased for her and you. What lovely news.
I expect it's been mentioned before but are you using vetbed in the places she lies the most, it really helps to keep them dry. I bought some off cuts on ebay and cut them into small piggy size mats. A newspaper or absorbent (non shiny) supermarket leaflet folded to size underneath will absorb the urine and keep the top dry.

Thank you I’ll give these a go !
 
I couldn’t reply to this straight away because it made me cry. Thank you for your beautiful words. As I’ve said she’s eating fine with no problems, once that starts to fade will be when I contact my vet. I am desperate for her to not suffer, that’s my biggest priority atm so I hope I’m doing the right thing!

How have you found your piggies with kidney failure, do they often tend to leave us on their own accord or defo pts?

when she was sick before I basically would wipe her butt twice a day because she couldn’t keep it clean down there, sometimes she’d lick me back and that’s how I knew she was happy with what I was doing and that I’d helped her.

Thank you x

HUGS

Kidney piggies develop a characteristic 'hunchback posture' that you learn to spot. Because it is one of the more painful ways to go I have ended up more often to opt for pts than with other types of organ failure; usually once they lost their appetite and went into a decline despite maxed out pain medication. You will know it in your heart when the day to let them go in realtive comfort has come.

You may find these links here helpful in caring for her, how to deal with terminal illness care and what goes into making the decision when to call it shots so you can do that hopefully with a clearer mind if not with a less aching heart; but it is going towards easing the inevitable soul-searching afterwards. The guides don't make the easiest of reading (they have certainly not been the easiest to write!) but they can make an invaluable practical guide through a very difficult time and give you the guidance that you are looking for. I have tried to make them as precise and easy to follow as possible; especially in the sticky areas where most available (scant) information is usually just glossing over.
Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility
Caring for Older Piggies and Facing the End - A practical and supportive information collection
A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs
 
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