My piggy is over 6 years old and is about to pass. He does not seem to be having much pain, just an occasional whimper squeal. Otherwise he is just very quiet lying in his favorite spot in his hay bin. He has stopped eating and drinking completely, is extremely weak, almost limp, hasn't pooped except for 10-15 little poops yesterday, and I'm not sure if is peeing at all now. I've never been through this before with a piggy. But I was a Registered Nurse for 40 years and have cared for many dying humans. The two things we focused on for people were comfort, and not being alone. My piggy boy is still somewhat aware of His surroundings, changes position every now and then, but otherwise isn't doing much. I honestly would prefer keeping him with me until the end but it seems to be a very long process. Plus I don't want him to be suffering for an extended period. He doesn't appear to be right now, but I don't know if that is actually true. Anyway... any sage advice that could be offered would be greatly appreciated.
Hi
It is always hard when you have to judge whether the natural dying process is running smoothly and quickly enough and the decision isn't clear cut. Yours is currently somewhat borderline in my own experience with quite a number of my own oldies passing away naturally at home, as long as they are not in too obvious pain or the process suddenly stalls, a piggy is waking up from a coma-like sleep but without any chance of the dying process being able to be reversed or they are in real agony... So whichever way you take it is OK.
If you feel in your heart of hearts that you'd rather keep him with you at this stage instead of risking him to pass away on the journey to the vets, then that is perfectly fine; there is no right or wrong - just following your heart and any own experience as best as you can and stang on top of the tiger wherever it takes you.
Make sure that he is warm but not hot and - if possible - keep an eye on him without disturbing him every few minutes.
There could be a more painful stage shortly before the end when the last organs break down and oxygen deprivation is hitting hard. This stage should ideally no last longer than 15-30 minutes but it can be traumatic when you are not braced for it. Thankfully, by that stage the piggy is no longer really with it. I often liken this stage to climbing the really steep part of the Rainbow Bridge.
Each passing is different, depending on how frail a piggy is, how strong the individual organs are and in which order they are breaking down so there is no exact tick list that you can follow.
If you have any serious doubts or concerns, contact your (or any open) vet clinic for advice as to whether it would be advisable to bring your piggy in or not.
Because there is so little you can do and you love so deeply, just sitting there and listening to the process is a rather unsettling experience; especially when it is your first encounter with a natural dying process or any death.
One thing you can do, whether that is with a dying piggy or a dying human during occasional periods of unrest is to send them sensory thoughts of a favourite place or activity of theirs with you imagining the scents, feel, sights etc. It can really help to calm them down. If your boy likes burrowing in his hay, then you imagine that.
With my mother-in-law I imagined her sitting on her bench under the apple tree in the garden with listening to the birds and insects, feeling the dappled sunshine on the skin, the soft grass under the feet and smelling her lilac on the gentle breeze, just as an example. It did the trick a couple of times. See whether that helps yours. It also helps you incidentally.
HUGS
My thoughts re with you.
