Potatoes

[Kaparsis]

I just want to let everybody know, "NEVER" let your genie pig eat RAW POTATO SKINS. My genie died last night.
I gave him two silver dollar size shavings of potato skins before I went to work. by the time I got home he was not moving much. I picked him up and found that he was very weak, his eyes looked sunken and red. His back was arched when I put him down, and his belly seemed to be larger than usual. I touched the side of his stomach and it felt like rapid muscle contractions. All of the exotic vets were closed and did not open until 7 AM so I was hoping he would make it long enough for me to get him to a vet. About 15min later he could not walk at all and was laying on his side squeaking lightly like he was miserable. Around midnight he stopped breathing. I had never saw that potatoes were poisonous to genie pigs. I can not stop crying. In trying to be good to my pet, I in ignorance KILLED my little guy

Again "NEVER GIVE YOUR GUNIE PIG POTATOES NOR RAW POTATO SKIN" if it happens by mistake get them to a VET as fast as you can, as they can DIE from it very quickly.

 

[Swissgreys]

I am so sorry for your loss

 

[Claire W]

Oh goodness. I’m so very sorry but please don’t blame yourself as you didn’t know xx

 

[Wiebke]

I just want to let everybody know, "NEVER" let your genie pig eat RAW POTATO SKINS. My genie died last night.
I gave him two silver dollar size shavings of potato skins before I went to work. by the time I got home he was not moving much. I picked him up and found that he was very weak, his eyes looked sunken and red. His back was arched when I put him down, and his belly seemed to be larger than usual. I touched the side of his stomach and it felt like rapid muscle contractions. All of the exotic vets were closed and did not open until 7 AM so I was hoping he would make it long enough for me to get him to a vet. About 15min later he could not walk at all and was laying on his side squeaking lightly like he was miserable. Around midnight he stopped breathing. I had never saw that potatoes were poisonous to genie pigs. I can not stop crying. In trying to be good to my pet, I in ignorance KILLED my little guy

Again "NEVER GIVE YOUR GUNIE PIG POTATOES NOR RAW POTATO SKIN" if it happens by mistake get them to a VET as fast as you can, as they can DIE from it very quickly.

Hi and welcome!

I am very sorry that it is under such sad circumstances.

It sounds like your piggy has potentially suffered a twisted gut from the symptoms you are reporting. Sadly this is always fatal unless you have a very experienced exotics vet and a scan/x-ray handy right away - which most people don't.
It always happens out of the blue and leads to a very, very quick deterioration; is not related to what you have fed/eaten as it is basically a piece of the gut that is throttled and cut off by a sling of another part of the gut - like a string knot that is being suddently tightened.
A twisted gut is a life-threating/fatal condition for humans, too, if not treated in hospital straight away.
Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating

Potatoes are not poisonous to guinea pigs, but they should NOT be part of a piggy diet in any shape or form as they are far too starchy, and like all starchy foods will be converted to sugar in the body - that is basically feeding your piggies on a diet of sugar cubes. It can contribute to derailing the gut microbiome and can contribute towards bloat or diarrhea; but the symptoms you are reporting are not consistent with either of these issues although there has obviously been some bloating caused by the twisted gut in your piggy - the convulsions are the key for my guess as to the cause. Unfortunately only a post mortem examination at the vet's will be able to give you a definite answer.

I am very sorry; seeing your piggy dying in agony and not being able to access emergency care, if only to spare them any further suffering, is extremely upsetting. I have been there with a piggy who died from a blockage over Christmas once when one emergency clinic in my city had to close because of building major damage just before Christmas (the clinic roof had collapsed) and the other service was hopelessly snowed under with life or death emergencies...

Of course you try to make sense of what has happened and instinctively seek the cause in yourself. Feelings of guilt/failure are very typical for the onset of the grieving process. In situations like yours, they tend to be much stronger and it is not uncommon at all that you put two and two together and come up with 125. There are quite a lot of these 'warnings' around online where the wrong connections have been made by grieving owners.

Please try to take consolation that you have not killed your piggy and that you have just been very unlucky with the timing when it happened. But nothing of that is your fault; it was not caused by you and it was out of your control.

Please take the time to read these guides here. You will find them very helpful now to make sense of what you are currently feeling, as well as what you are likely to experience in the coming days and weeks as you go through the grieving process:
Human Bereavement: Grieving, Coping and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children
Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig