Old pig anxiety

Tigermoth

Tigermoth

Adult Guinea Pig
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My two are getting old now. They look old. Timmy has bilateral cataracts and looks and feels skinny now. Jenny has a funny bump on her back end (that the vet is happy with and tbf, looks much better than it did). I can’t remember the last time I saw zoomies and popcorns.

Every time I come down in the morning I hold my breath. They’re fine, there is nothing to suggest that there is anything wrong, it’s just the inevitability of time. They could have another year or so in them (They are pampered piggies) but they are a good 7 now and like I say, looking their age.

I don’t like this 😔
 
I know exactly what you mean. Holly is now 5 and rather creaky. She was the piggy room barometer - always on alert and out and about whenever there was any sound. Nowadays she seems to sleep more frequently and more deeply. This morning I had to wake her up to give her her meds, and I’ll be honest I sort of feared the worst. I know we can’t roll back the years and/or put off the inevitable but I wish that we could.
 
VickiA said:
I know exactly what you mean. Holly is now 5 and rather creaky. She was the piggy room barometer - always on alert and out and about whenever there was any sound. Nowadays she seems to sleep more frequently and more deeply. This morning I had to wake her up to give her her meds, and I’ll be honest I sort of feared the worst. I know we can’t roll back the years and/or put off the inevitable but I wish that we could.
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That’s horrid. A few times one or the other hasn’t come out in the morning and I’ve lifted up the log bridge holding my breath.

It’s tough isn’t it?
 
Sad isnt it, I have the same thing with Jezzy and Clover, both over 5 and in poor health. Every time they dont appear for breakfast I fear the worst, Clover often doesnt get up if her arthritis is bothering her and I have to search her out and check she's alive then give her metacam and veggies in bed :(
 
My old girls are getting on a bit now. Betsy is around 5 and a half, Meg is 5 years 3 months and Patsy is at least 6. Meg and Patsy are
both on long term Metacam for spinal arthritis and Betsy is being treated for a UTI. They don't zoomie anymore. The most I can hope for is them having a wander around the cage and a popcorn is an occasional arthritic old lady jump. They all sleep a lot now.
 
I have similar worries with Patch the rabbit. He is 8 1/2 now so while it is the lower end of the range and he is in good health for his age, you never know when it'll be his time.
I can see him from our landing window so I always look for him from there every morning. My daughter does most of his care and I dont want her to be the one to go out to them before me and find him.
 
I totally understand how you are all feeling. Our pets work their way firmly into our hearts. They give us so much. They are a focal point of the family. My dog Eddie is 16 and a half. He’s had an amazing life. When it’s his time to go over the bridge I will hopefully hold on to the memories of the fabulous life he had. You all know you have given your pets the best life and that’s all you can do. Take care everyone.
 
It's interesting how we perceive things.

Of course I worry about my older pets, and seeing them decline is hard, but I think I probably worry equally about all of them in one way or another.

For many years I adopted retired greyhounds, and when I went to pick one the first thing I always asked was 'which dogs are currently least likely to be chosen?'. It was usually the old ones, so they were the ones I adopted.
I went through a rough patch where I list 4 dogs in 6 months and decided that i just couldn't do it anymore and i deserved a break.
So I adopted the bright, bouncy, failed racer Tegan- she was a gorgeous picture of perfect health and was only 5 years old.
My plan was she would see me through the loss of several oldies, and be a longer term dog that I would really enjoy.

Tegan died suddenly in her sleep at age 7 and was the youngest dog I ever lost.

I guess the way I look at it is that every day is an unexpected gift.
It's been the same with the piggies - we lost some suddenly and very young, and have had others for longer.
It's hard watching them age, but I am always grateful for those days too, because the loss will always be hard no matter how long they have been part of our lives.
 
Both my old ladies still alive this morning anyway but poor Clover couldnt quite get her right leg and hip going until after her metacam and lettuce, she made it halfway down the cage then sort of tipped over at the back end... she was only at the vet yesterday too for another check up, the vet increased her metacam slightly but she doesnt trust vets and resolutely hides all her pain symptoms and wont walk around for them so they cant see how she is at home :(
She ate all her lettuce though and finally made it to the hay room, and where there's hay there's hope! But sad, she used to be the big boss lady pig all muscular and powerful and dominant but now she's old lady bony round the shoulders and very stiff in the legs and hips in the mornings...
Hugs to all the elderly pets and their devoted carers, wishing them all many more happy days and nice dinners once we can wake them up and get them moving x
 
PigglePuggle said:
Both my old ladies still alive this morning anyway but poor Clover couldnt quite get her right leg and hip going until after her metacam and lettuce, she made it halfway down the cage then sort of tipped over at the back end... she was only at the vet yesterday too for another check up, the vet increased her metacam slightly but she doesnt trust vets and resolutely hides all her pain symptoms and wont walk around for them so they cant see how she is at home :(
She ate all her lettuce though and finally made it to the hay room, and where there's hay there's hope! But sad, she used to be the big boss lady pig all muscular and powerful and dominant but now she's old lady bony round the shoulders and very stiff in the legs and hips in the mornings...
Hugs to all the elderly pets and their devoted carers, wishing them all many more happy days and nice dinners once we can wake them up and get them moving x
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Oh bless her. I have to say that we are really lucky that they are both pretty well and don’t need medication to get them going in the morning… yet!

Merab's Slave said:
Even slow and creaky these piggies are living good lives.
They are loved and cared for, even if they don’t like vets or meds.
Treasure each day as a gift and remember it’s only because you are all looking after them so well that they live so long.
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This is true. For a pair pulled out of a shed overcrowding situation, Jenny pregnant and Timmy with ripped ears and a broken leg, they have done really well. They do live good lives and have been pampered throughout. They don’t know that every morning I’m holding my breath to see if they are still alive, that burden is all on me. They just carry on living their best life.
 
((HUGS.)) I feel you here. It's so hard. I honestly find watching them age and knowing there's only so much time harder than saying goodbye.

I've been feeling that a lot lately... between March and June we lost an elderly hamster and Hadley, our much loved older piggie (she was almost seven.) Although Leela isn't 'old' per se (she will be 5 around Christmas), we know she has enlarged (probably polycystic) kidneys and things could go downhill at any time. I definitely have moments where I am afraid to check on her. I just keep reminding myself that Leela doesn't know she has bad kidneys, she can't tell a long life from a short life, she just wants to have happy days and it's my job to give her as many of those as nature allows. But yes... it sucks understanding the passage of time and the nature of mortality... though I keep reminding myself that the pets themselves don't know, the only one dealing with it is me, and I should try to just be like them and take things as they come!
 
I can't believe this thread is nearly two years old 😳 Since then Timmy has crossed the bridge but Jenny keeps rolling on. I think we are approaching the end though. She is on metacam for arthritis and was a new pig when she started that but this last week or so has seen her less mobile again with a wet bum more than I would like. I want to up the painkillers and then review how she is but I'm almost willing her to take the decision out of my hands. I think what is making it super hard was when she went to the vet last time they took her out back to see the lead and her little face as she left... 🥺 She was shouting "Mum" with her eyes. (Of course she won't have been, I'm anthropomorphising her and not helping myself) but the thought of taking her like that and her not coming back is just too much.
Of course she did try to zoom this morning. It was slow but it was there. She wheeks for food and for head scratches. And she lives for her metacam.

It's hard.
 
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