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My guinea pig is dying. I want to be with him in his last moments, but my mom wants to put him out of his misery. What do I do?

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Charalias

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Flash had moss in his waterbottle while being taken care of by my grandparents, and start losing health gradually. He was then found laying down, so I put him next to me in my bed. I want to be with him up until he passes, but my mom wants to put him out of his misery. What do I do?
 
Please take him to a vet as a matter of urgency.
Moss in a water bottle will not kill your guinea pig, but if he is truly dying the kindest thing to do is have him humanly put to sleep by a medical professional.
At this point any vet will do and they should allow you to be there as he passes.
 
Claire W said:
Hello and welcome. I’m sorry to hear this :( Are you sure he’s actually dying and not poorly which may or may not be treatable? I’d have him seen by a vet and take it from there x
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We can't nor have ever taken him too a vet, since we unfortunately can't afford it... we had planned to take him to Mexico since it's cheaper there, but were hit with covid. So we can't do anything.
 
I’m sorry that you have Covid. Could a friend or family member take him to the vets for you? He really does need to be seen whether that is for treatment or put to sleep
 
Swissgreys said:
Please take him to a vet as a matter of urgency.
Moss in a water bottle will not kill your guinea pig, but if he is truly dying the kindest thing to do is have him humanly put to sleep by a medical professional.
At this point any vet will do and they should allow you to be there as he passes.
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Swissgreys said:
Please take him to a vet as a matter of urgency.
Moss in a water bottle will not kill your guinea pig, but if he is truly dying the kindest thing to do is have him humanly put to sleep by a medical professional.
At this point any vet will do and they should allow you to be there as he passes.
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We can't. We're too poor to afford it, my mom wanted to drown him/bury him alive. I just want to be with him in his final moments. He's starting to twitch, is this a sign he's starting to go?
 
I'm sorry you're in this situation. Drowning/burying him alive is cruelty and in no way putting him out of his misery, the only way to do that is for a vet to humanely put him to sleep. It would be illegal in the UK and I'm sure elsewhere to drown/bury an animal alive.
 
Charalias said:
We can't. We're too poor to afford it, my mom wanted to drown him/bury him alive. I just want to be with him in his final moments. He's starting to twitch, is this a sign he's starting to go?
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Please, please do not do this - it is incredibly cruel, and will cause him to spend his final moments suffering and in fear.
A vet to put him to sleep will not cost a huge amount - maybe a family member or friend can contribute to thee cost.
If you truly can't afford to end his life gently, then please put him in a box somewhere quiet with a towel or blanket and allow him to pass naturally.
This make take a while, but is still kinder than a violent death.
 
Liz47 said:
I'm sorry you're in this situation. Drowning/burying him alive is cruelty and in no way putting him out of his misery, the only way to do that is for a vet to humanely put him to sleep. It would be illegal in the UK and I'm sure elsewhere to drown/bury an animal alive.
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Yes, I was VERY against it. And she luckily left me alone, I think the sight of him in such pain scared her. I'm still with him, singing to him. I just want him to be comfortable. We can't do anything, can we?
 
Please don’t let your mum do that. Drowning an animal or burying them alive is both illegal and cruel as well as inhumane and he will suffer. Could a family member or friend not contribute to the cost of having him peacefully put to sleep at the vets? It shouldn’t cost a lot
 
Swissgreys said:
Please, please do not do this - it is incredibly cruel, and will cause him to spend his final moments suffering and in fear.
A vet to put him to sleep will not cost a huge amount - maybe a family member or friend can contribute to thee cost.
If you truly can't afford to end his life gently, then please put him in a box somewhere quiet with a towel or blanket and allow him to pass naturally.
This make take a while, but is still kinder than a violent death.
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He's on one of my comfiest blankets, laying down next to me. If I really have to put him in a box, however, I will do so. Thank you.
 
Charalias said:
He's on one of my comfiest blankets, laying down next to me. If I really have to put him in a box, however, I will do so. Thank you.
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That is fine, but it could take a while, and if you can't keep him next to you then please put him somewhere safe and comfortable.
One other option, as you say you have never taken him to a vet before, would be to take him to a vet and say you found him in the box and don't know what to do. It is awful to have to lie, but is still better than allowing him to suffer.
 
Swissgreys said:
That is fine, but it could take a while, and if you can't keep him next to you then please put him somewhere safe and comfortable.
One other option, as you say you have never taken him to a vet before, would be to take him to a vet and say you found him in the box and don't know what to do. It is awful to have to lie, but is still better than allowing him to suffer.
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I'm not sure where the nearest vet is, and.. I think I'm too late anyways. He isn't breathing, nor is he twitching anymore. He's just laying there. Is he gone?
 
Charalias said:
I'm not sure where the nearest vet is, and.. I think I'm too late anyways. He isn't breathing, nor is he twitching anymore. He's just laying there. Is he gone?
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Nevermind, I still see his stomach move up every-once-in-a-while... are these death contractions?
 
If he is not breathing then it sounds like he may have passed.
Can you lay him on his side and place two fingers underneath his front leg - this is roughly where his heart would be - see if you can feel a heart beat.
To be 100% sure place him somewhere safe for an hour, and when you come back if he still hasn't moved then he has passed.
 
Many animals continue to make involuntary movements for a while after they have passed.
This is why you should put him somewhere safe for an hour to be sure he has really gone.
 
Yes, I can hear his heart-beat! Oh, my poor baby... he's twitching more! I think I heard him weakly squeak a little.
 
Charalias said:
Yes, I can hear his heart-beat! Oh, my poor baby... he's twitching more! I think I heard him weakly squeak a little.
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You are doing a good job, and you were right to defend him and not allow your Mum to end his life cruelly.
Unfortunately a natural death is not always a peaceful and fast as we imagine.
Just keep doing what you are doing.
It really does sound like he is close now.
 
Swissgreys said:
Many animals continue to make involuntary movements for a while after they have passed.
This is why you should put him somewhere safe for an hour to be sure he has really gone.
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He's safe in the blanket with me, and I do not want to leave his side. He's been in this position for about an hour now, laying down on his side.
 
Claire W said:
It very much sounds like the end is near. Just keep him safe, warm and comfortable. It’s sadly all you can do
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Thank you so much. I'm glad I don't have to worry anymore, and know what is coming.. I want to make a post on him - memorializing him. I hope that's okay to do on this forum. He's squeaking a little. I don't know why, but I'll keep petting him gently.
 
We put him in a box with blankets, and are prepared to walk to a park to bury him. Wish it could've been next to Sparkles, our other guinea pig that passed away 2 years ago.

I still hear him slightly gasping every once in a while, so I'll keep waiting until he's fully gone so we can take him.
 
Charalias said:
We put him in a box with blankets, and are prepared to walk to a park to bury him. Wish it could've been next to Sparkles, our other guinea pig that passed away 2 years ago.

I still hear him slightly gasping every once in a while, so I'll keep waiting until he's fully gone so we can take him.
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As I said, it might take some time.
You are doing everything you can, but let nature take it's course and make sure he has fully passed before you take him to the park.

If you bury him in a public place please make sure the hole is deep, and you place something heavy like a large stone on top to make sure he doesn't attract the attention of other animals.
 
Charalias said:
Thank you so much. I'm glad I don't have to worry anymore, and know what is coming.. I want to make a post on him - memorializing him. I hope that's okay to do on this forum. He's squeaking a little. I don't know why, but I'll keep petting him gently.
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Yes, you can post a memorial to your beautiful piggie, when you are ready to do so. Be brave for him and keep him safe until he passes x
 
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