Sudden passing

[Brendansmum]

Hi all. I have sadly awoken this morning to the sudden passing of our Luna. She was nearly 2 years of age . Very shocked and now worried for her sister who she shared cage with and also my boys in cage next door.
I have moved coco, her sister, to a different room away from the boys to monitor her, in case it was something contagious Luna had been masking. How long should I keep her in isolation if she appears well? Thanks in advance x

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

BIG HUGS

I am ever so sorry for your sudden and unexpected loss. What a sad shock!

Please bring Coco back into the room and to her usual place. She will need the comfort of her usual surroundings and piggy sounds more than ever right now.

There are no infectious diseases for guinea pigs that kill instantly out of the blue without any previous symptoms but strokes and heart attacks/sudden acute heart failure can sadly happen at any age.
In younger piggies like Luna the cause of a sudden death is usually a genetic defect or inherited predisposition which can happen at any age (even in newborns) and it is not something you can do anything about. It is also not down to you missing anything. These piggies live with a bomb in their body that can go off without warning at any time, sadly, as I know from my own experiences with losing a couple of similarly aged piggies to Luna myself.

In the unlikely case of a transmittable disease, exposure and infection would have already happened anyway. Quarantine is recommended when you are bringing home new piggies over 4 months of age from a place that doesn't conduct their own quarantine (like a good standard rescue).
It is generally done for preventing the spread of opportunistic bugs like a respiratory bacterial infection (URI), ringworm (fungal) or skin parasites etc. especially if you have an ill/frail piggy that is particularly susceptible because of a lowered immune system.
For piggies under 4 months of age the need for company outweighs any other consideration. If necessary, they will have to spend the quarantine in another room with their new companion.

Here are our tips for what you can do for bereaved piggies in the short to longer term:
Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig

Quarantine and new arrival illnesses:
New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights

 

[Brendansmum]

Hiya, thank you.
Luna was slightly quiet yesterday and not that interested in her veggies but nothing really apart from that. I was going to call vet this morning if she was same. Unfortunately , was too late . I was just worried if she had been hiding something it could spread. I know they can be good at hiding their illnesses and so worried for other 3 x

 

[Wiebke]

Hiya, thank you.
Luna was slightly quiet yesterday and not that interested in her veggies but nothing really apart from that. I was going to call vet this morning if she was same. Unfortunately , was too late . I was just worried if she had been hiding something it could spread. I know they can be good at hiding their illnesses and so worried for other 3 x

Hi

It could have been the start of acute heart failure or sudden organ failure but it doesn't sound like a transmittable illness with specific symptoms to me - and they usually come with them since infection, acute outbreak, transmission and death don't happen instantly but over the course of several days.
You haven't mentioned any significant symptoms - and you would have noticed, don't worry! - so we can exclude that. There are quite simply no highly infectious diseases for guinea pigs that move as quickly. If they were, you would be already faced with more ill piggies.

Please take a deep breath. Your other three piggies are not going to die. You are quite simply still in shock - understandably so.

HUGS

 

[weepweeps]

I’m so sorry Luna has left suddenly for the rainbow bridge. What a shock for you. Sending you hugs.

 

[Brendansmum]

Hi

It could have been the start of acute heart failure or sudden organ failure but it doesn't sound like a transmittable illness with specific symptoms to me - and they usually come with them since infection, acute outbreak, transmission and death don't happen instantly but over the course of several days.
You haven't mentioned any significant symptoms - and you would have noticed, don't worry! - so we can exclude that. There are quite simply no infectious diseases for guinea pigs that move as quickly.

Please take a deep breath. Your other three piggies are not going to die. You are quite simply still in shock - understandably so.

HUGS

 

[Brendansmum]

I’m so sorry Luna has left suddenly for the rainbow bridge. What a shock for you. Sending you hugs.

Thank you

 

[Engel]

I'm so sorry. I've had similar shock with my boy Jupiter. The only thing out of the norm was a strange odour in the shed the previous morning but had disappeared by the evening. Everyone was eating and drinking normally, running around, popcorning. I shut the shed up at 11pm (it was a nice evening), opened it back up Sometimes between 8:30 and 9 and found him in his forever sleep with his son sat next to him. All the other pigs were and still are fine. I had his sister PTS 6 months later for an unrelated issue but everyone else is still here, including his son. Sometimes the call from the bridge is just too strong. I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[CTWC]

Heartbreaking

 

[Eriathwen]

I'm so sorry for your loss, I had a similar shock this morning with my Pippin, she was fine when I turned lights on, 15 minutes later when I came up with everyone's meds she was gone. Seemingly dropped where she stood at over 6 years old though it's a little easier to bare than at 2, poor Luna. But I have also lost much younger piggies 1-2 years old, to sudden heart failure. Heart defects and weaknesses can go undetected but be present from birth sadly.

 

[fluffysal]

I'm sorry you lost your little lady. Popcorn over the bridge sweetie

 

[CTWC]

I'm so sorry for your loss, I had a similar shock this morning with my Pippin, she was fine when I turned lights on, 15 minutes later when I came up with everyone's meds she was gone. Seemingly dropped where she stood at over 6 years old though it's a little easier to bare than at 2, poor Luna. But I have also lost much younger piggies 1-2 years old, to sudden heart failure. Heart defects and weaknesses can go undetected but be present from birth sadly.

I am so sorry to hear this too