Sorry for the title typo.
I think we might need to make the tough decision to say goodbye to Dash. I won't go into the details, but we knew this day might come.
He and his brother Spud have both had a long term respiratory illness. I've cared for them for three years now and they've surpassed all expectations. But they'll never be cured. We don't know exactly what the issue is, but as lifelong antibiotics have kept it manageable, it's reasonable to assume it could be transmitted to other piggies.
So here is my issue. If we say goodbye to Dash, Spud will be alone. They live as neighbours as they never got along, but they still chat at the bars.
I don't think I want to keep the piggy cycle going, it's been a very painful journey and I'm really worried that I'd get a new piggy and he'd come down with the same illness. I can't re-home Spud either, not that I want to, because a rescue would be at the same risk of transmission, nevermind the cost or the issues with finding a home for a medical pig.
So how would I give Spud the best life I can if he has to stay alone? I'm heartbroken and just want to do the best for my boys
BIG HUGS
I am ever so sorry for the situation you are finding yourself in and the heart-breaking decisions you have to make; especially since you are such a loving and caring owner. Your boys couldn't have been luckier to find you to have as happy and as long as life as possible, which they would have otherwise not had.
Against our standard advice, I agree that in your particular case it would be better to not look for a companion. Multi-sensory enrichment activities will help as can little training sessions with treats and cuddles. You can also consider playing videos with normal every day piggy sounds to give Spud a vague feeling of companionship and species comfort somewhere near by. It is not ideal but better than nothing.
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities (includes a chapter on how to spot when single piggies transfer their species needs onto you - for outside readers of this thread)
Moody Guinea Pigs: Depression, Bullying, Aggression, Stress, Fear and Antisocial Behaviour
Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs
I would recommend that you place a cosy bearing Dash's scent right by the divider where Spud can sniff it and snuggle up against if he wishes to. Leave it there to let the scent gradually fade or place it in his cage to snuggle up with if he keeps staying by it. Only wash it once the scent has fully faded; it doesn't matter if gets grotty. Then put it back in Spud's cage as his comfort cosy.
My thoughts are with you, Dash and Spud.
Death, Dying, Terminal Illness; Human Grieving and Bereaved Companions: Information and Support for Owners and Their Children
Would it be a comfort for you to know that my older single widow Cerian is now coming to the end of her own life as well? Unfortunately, she and Breila have always been close and very wrapped up in each other, and have never accepted any other piggy. Despite having next door company (the only piggies Cerian was not badly teeth chattering at through the bars), she has never got her sparkle back again. With a heavy heart I have made the decision to allow Cerian to live out her life in comfort but to not provide any life prolonging operations or major measures. I don't want my piggies to primarily have a long life but I want to give them the happiest life possible - the way they measure their lives by. Sadly, I can't give Cerian what she really wants: having Breila back. She is only the second piggy in nearly a hundred going through my life in half a century where I have made that decision; and it hasn't been an easy one. For Brathlys, who just died a week ago I have made the opposite decision - to give her medical support for as long as possible since she was clearly happy with her friends despite going totally blind and becoming very crippled with arthritis but she retained her zest for life until the very last.
Please follow your heart and do what works best for Spud. Love means a lot more than just following the obvious advice. Sometimes, this isn't possible and then we have to get creative or make different decisions for them. You have to do this every time on its own merits. As long as you make any decisions with your piggies' welfare in mind before your own fears and heartbreak, you are not failing them in any way and are in fact giving them the most precious gift we can give our beloved ones because it comes at such a high cost. Sometimes you cannot win a battle but you can still get a surprising amount of mileage out of it for the benefit of your piggies - and you have done that. It is a win of a different sort; and since it is so much harder won it is a win that is a true testimony to you.
Please be kind with yourself and know that any feelings of guilt, failure and intense soul-searching are an expression of the huge depth of your love and sense of responsibility you feel but not based in fact. You have gone way beyond of what is expected of any good owner anyway. Unfortunately, you have to grieve as much as you love; they are the two sides of the same coin but as you have clearly done a fair deal of your grieving homework already, you will hopefully not find it too hard apart from the very real pain of the actual loss.
You do not grieve any less overall but you grieve differently when you are living consciously with a loss for a long time. If you feel a sense of relief at some point that a much longer than expected journey has finally come to an end, then do not feel bad but feel proud instead about having carried this very heavy burden for much further than you could have ever imagined. This is a lesson a have learned from the three years my dad battled with terminal cancer. I sincerely hope that it will help you, too.
PS: The good news is that respiratory infections are airborne and are passed along like Covid or flu. Any bugs won't be able stay alive outside the body for long so the risk of any new guinea pigs getting infected is not there; especially not after a good deep clean of the premises.
If you ever want to start afresh after a due break, I would recommend to look into healthy, fully quarantined guinea pigs (or any other pets at that) from a good standard and practice rescue. They are by far the safest place to get guinea pigs from without any nasty surprises and they are also providing back-up with real emergencies.
PS2: I have corrected the title for you.
