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Sick Guinea Pig

MochaLocha

MochaLocha

New Born Pup
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Location
Missouri
With Chestnut dying in September of this year I was hoping I would be able to get over her death and have no more of it but now one of my other piggies is sick I think I can't avoid it. She cannot breathe very well and is super stuffy, the smell of her reminds me of these cats I knew that had the same smell and were also very stuffy but I am very worried about her because she is barely eating. I am praying she will make it until tomorrow because we are going to the vet at 9:30 am to get her checked on. Her small eye, which was checked by a vet and just is a small eye defect is red and seems to be irritated possibly?


She may have pneumonia but I'm not sure, with her being very old she may just end up being put down :(

Expect to see some videos and images in the thread once I can take them
 
she is super puffed up because of it and has lost a lot of weight, but she is still trying to eat some what and is nibbling the food every so often. I'm just worried it won't be enough and when I wake up tomorrow she is going to be dead


Her eyes are crusty and so is her nose and I wipe them off with a warm wash cloth every so often, she barely opens her small eye because of how bad it is. The vet did say once about getting it removed when it gets messed up but I'm not sure it'll need to be removed possibly? Sorry I've never had a sick guinea pig before and I'm super worried she won't make it
 

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Pls syringe feed asap.
They are guides on her how and what . Mush up pellets etc. Piggie is trying as you say so that's a good sign.
 
MochaLocha said:
With Chestnut dying in September of this year I was hoping I would be able to get over her death and have no more of it but now one of my other piggies is sick I think I can't avoid it. She cannot breathe very well and is super stuffy, the smell of her reminds me of these cats I knew that had the same smell and were also very stuffy but I am very worried about her because she is barely eating. I am praying she will make it until tomorrow because we are going to the vet at 9:30 am to get her checked on. Her small eye, which was checked by a vet and just is a small eye defect is red and seems to be irritated possibly?


She may have pneumonia but I'm not sure, with her being very old she may just end up being put down :(

Expect to see some videos and images in the thread once I can take them
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Hi!

Please step in with fibrous feeding asap. Mushed up pellets will do.
You can find practical bridging and crisis care tips and information in these guides here. Your support care at home is as important as any medication can work on guinea pigs that are not eating and running out of steam. The need to breathe comes before the need to drink and only thirdly the need to eat, so any serious respiratory issue is an appetite killer.
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre

You can try and see whether the breathing eases a little with a bowl of steamed water right next to the cage where she is sitting.
Keep her warm but not hot.

Please keep in mind that the decision to pts/euthanise is always the owner's and not the vet's. You can always ask your vet for their as to her realistic recovery chances and quality of life, but they cannot make that decision for you. Any vet will encourage the owner to fight for a pet's life if there is a good chance of a recovery and stabilisation on a level that allows the piggy to do what piggies normally (i.e. quality of life).

All the best and fingers firmly crossed!
 
Wiebke said:
Hi!

Please step in with fibrous feeding asap. Mushed up pellets will do.
You can find practical bridging and crisis care tips and information in these guides here. Your support care at home is as important as any medication can work on guinea pigs that are not eating and running out of steam. The need to breathe comes before the need to drink and only thirdly the need to eat, so any serious respiratory issue is an appetite killer.
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre

You can try and see whether the breathing eases a little with a bowl of steamed water right next to the cage where she is sitting.
Keep her warm but not hot.

Please keep in mind that the decision to pts/euthanise is always the owner's and not the vet's. You can always ask your vet for their as to her realistic recovery chances and quality of life, but they cannot make that decision for you. Any vet will encourage the owner to fight for a pet's life if there is a good chance of a recovery and stabilisation on a level that allows the piggy to do what piggies normally (i.e. quality of life).

All the best and fingers firmly crossed!
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We are going to do what we can for now until the vet sees her, I will update in the morning! Pray for our little baby girl
 
Update: Managed to syringe feed her some and use steam to hopefully clear her up a bit, but I'm worried she may be too far gone from the sickness and will not make it through the night. I don't know if the vet can do anything to help her so she may be put down. I will update what happens in the morning and if she does live actually what the vet will say about her


Her ears are super red does that mean anything by the way? I know she is having trouble breathing but would that cause it?
 
MochaLocha said:
I'm sorry to say but she didn't make it :( sorry I couldn't save her
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BIG HUGS

I am very sorry. All you can try is your best in these situations, which you have done.

Guinea pigs can go downhill very quickly; older guinea pigs even more so. Pneumonia and other infections can hit seemingly out of the blue and blow up in a matter of hours when the immune system is no longer as strong and flexible. I can be a very frigthening experience. Please try to take consolation that your girl has not suffered for long and that any medication would not have kicked in fast enough to save her even if you had been able to see a vet straight away.

Be kind to yourself in the coming days. Here is our information and advice with resources for several countries, which will hopefully help you make sense of your feelings now and in the coming days and weeks: Death, Dying, Terminal Illness, Grieving and Bereaved Companions: Information and Support for Owners and Their Children
 
MochaLocha said:
Update: Managed to syringe feed her some and use steam to hopefully clear her up a bit, but I'm worried she may be too far gone from the sickness and will not make it through the night. I don't know if the vet can do anything to help her so she may be put down. I will update what happens in the morning and if she does live actually what the vet will say about her


Her ears are super red does that mean anything by the way? I know she is having trouble breathing but would that cause it?
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So sorry for your loss.
Sometimes we just cannot save them despite our best efforts and you did your very best .
Be gentle with yourself as you grieve
 
I'm so sorry. It's the hardest part of owning pigs. She's with her friend now. Take care and take it one day at a time. It's difficult to lose a family member.
 

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This is the second piggie this year to die on me, I am just glad I expected it to happen unlike when Chestnut died out of nowhere. I am going to be a bit worried about Buddy for awhile as he was with her since we first got them both. He seemed fine but I will keep a close eye on him
 
MochaLocha said:
This is the second piggie this year to die on me, I am just glad I expected it to happen unlike when Chestnut died out of nowhere. I am going to be a bit worried about Buddy for awhile as he was with her since we first got them both. He seemed fine but I will keep a close eye on him
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I lost one this year too. You tried your best. That's all you can do. Look.after yourself and your piggy. ❤
 
2020 has been a horrible year, I hope Buddy lives to the day after christmas because that is the day we got both him and patchy
 
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