Palliative Care Advice

[elena]

Hey everyone!

I will try to keep this short. But my beloved guinea pig Picasso, who would be turning 6 on November 18, won't stay much longer with me.

Pls before reading keep in mind he is the first guinea pig I ever had and the first one I will be ever saying goodbye.

I noticed he stopped drinking water a couple days ago, 3 days later her lost weight, his wheek and teeth are now as soft as a nail. I am so incredibly sorry and I cannot help but feel guilty.

He apparently developed cancer around his belly part (? Or something around that area, that is not making him properly absorb nutrients any longer. Apart from that, his arthritis is here. No vet ever told me this

I will stop with that now. Thing is, there is no saving for by boy, no miracles will happen. The vet gave me some meds as prescription, vitamins, and advice this will simply be palliative care because there is no recovery from now on for my little sunshine, specially because of his age.

I was wondering, would you guys give me any advice for him? The vet NEVER recommended me to put him to sleep because he is; eating, he walks, he is hungry, she just advice me to keep taking care of him and giving quality of life for as little as he has. Do you guys think this is the right idea? I don't want to be unfair to my little baby. But on the other hand I don't want to put him to sleep I don't want him to think I gave up and forgot him.

Apart from that, any advices for his cage? I have him in a 2x2, which is less than the minimum, but this is because I want him to have everything as close as possible, because he has trouble moving and because, ever since he lost so much weight, he is susceptible to the cold, so I covered much of it but one side with blankets. He still has one side to communicate with the rest of the guinea pigs. Any advices on how the cage set up should be?

I am sorry if I have any errors, english is not my first language. And I am so deeply sorry to him, he was my first guinea pig ever, he has been with me ever since I am 15. I don't know how I will be able of being myself or even living without him. I keep wondering if this was my fault. My Pica will leave a hole in my heart nothing will ever fix.

I really wanted him to be 8 years, 10, or to be forever here with me.

I will attach some pictures of him, you guys will see and prove he's the loveliest baby in the world. Some of them were from 2017, some from 2021..22..23.

 

[piggieminder]

I am so sorry you find yourself in this situation with Picasso. I am adding links to some of the information guides that you may find helpful. Hopefully one of the forum experts will see your post soon.

Caring for Older Piggies and Facing the End - A practical and supportive information collection

Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility

 

[Bertie & Jelly]

So sorry to hear about Picasso. I’m not an expert and cannot advise about the cage size but my first piggie was on palliative care too. My vet gave similar advice - love him, enjoy the time with him, make more memories. Sometimes you just know when it’s time to say goodbye. Sometimes it‘s not so obvious - apart from being less active my piggie was still eating, bar biting, chattering even on the day we helped him over the rainbow bridge. He deteriorated very suddenly. You aren’t giving up on Picasso - you have clearly given him many years of love - and you certainly won’t forget him. Give him all your love and enjoy each day with him. You know your piggie best and the kindest act of love is saying farewell when his zest for life has gone. Big hugs x

 

[weepweeps]

I’m so sorry Picasso is unwell. It sounds like you have given him the best life ever and he has reached a wonderful age.

I had to help my 16.5 year old dog over the bridge a couple of years ago. I knew that he had been loved every single day of his life and he’d had the best life ever with me and I vowed that I would not let him suffer at the end and I’d give him the best death I could. I have no guilt. I didn’t give up on him. I let him go with love.

It’s a painfully hard decision but you love Picasso so much you will be able to let him go when the time is right. Take care

 

[Wheekallweek]

What a gorgeous piggy, I'm sorry he's not well. He knows how much you love him

 

[Merab]

So sorry that you are in this situation.
It’s not a great place to be.
When I have had terminally ill piggies I have ensured they were pain free and focussed on giving them as many happy todays as possible.
I took lots of pictures and made happy memories.

Remember that you have already started grieving for Picasso so be gentle and patient with yourself.

 

[Viennese Furbabies]

I'm very sorry! The last part of the journey can be incredibly painful, but you clearly love your boy and only have his wellfare on your mind.

Did your vet give you pain medication? That's the most important thing at the moment.
If he feels cold, try to keep him warm, with a snuggle safe maybe. But be careful that he can move away from the warmth.
If he doesn't move around much any more, you have to be careful to keep his sleeping place as dry as possible.

If he has trouble eating you could cut up his veggies, maybe handfeed him. As long as he is still able to eat hay.
You could try to tempt him to eat more hay if you add dried herbs in a small amount to his hay - sometimes the more intense smell helps. But some piggies don't like it.

Please keep in mind that six years is a great age for a guinea pig to reach. I hope that you'll still have many days with your gorgeous boy. You'll know when the right moment comes to say goodbye. His eyes will tell you.

Take care!