Tumor in abdomen; piggie “hospice”

[mccreanna]

Hi everyone. My sweet Autumn was diagnosed with a tumor in her abdomen on her last vet visit. The vet told me it would as if she was on hospice and I would just need to focus on treating her pain. Autumn and my other guinea pig, Olivia, were my first pets, and I’ve never dealt with losing a pet before. I’ve been very stressed and worried about what will happen when she passes. She has seemed okay since our vet visit a couple of months ago. She is excited to eat and will run up to the cage like always, though she isn’t quite as fast anymore. It used to be hard for me to catch her but today I had no problem getting her and picking her up. She’s a fluffy girl by nature but everyday her abdomen just seems more and more swollen. I know that sometimes guinea pigs will eat and act normal up until the day they die and that’s what worries me the most. I’m worried that I won’t notice when she gets too ill and that I won’t be with her or won’t be able to take her to the vet so they can let her pass more peacefully. I don’t want to bring her to the vet when she’s still doing well… but I don’t want her to get worse and it be too late. Any words of advice would be greatly appreciated.
(I included some photos of Autumn too. The last 2 were from when I first adopted her when she was still a baby. )

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

I am so sorry you are going through this with your beautiful piggy. This is the situation i hate the most, trusting yourself when to make the right decision.
If you don't already, start weighing her every week and if she is losing weight then change to weighing her daily.
Her weight will tell you how much background eating she is doing, ie how much hay she is getting through, which in turn will help monitor how her illness is progressing.
Tumors are often benign in piggies but as they grow they can affect other things such as the guts by pushing on them and depending on where they are located the functioning of some or other organ.
If you are are worried about how things are going take her back to the vet for a revisit.
In the meantime try to enjoy the time you have with her. She will let you know when it is time to let go
I am attaching some guides that should be of help x

Death, Dying, Terminal Illness; Human Grieving and Bereaved Companions: Information and Support for Owners and Their Children
A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs

 

[piggieminder]

I am sorry you and Autumn are having to go through this. The threads linked above are very helpful. Autumn will let you know when she's ready to go.

 

[Guineapigfeet]

It’s so much harder, in some ways, when you know the end is coming.
I always think that it is better a week ‘too soon’ than a day too late. They don’t have a concept of future time like we do, so she won’t mind.
I had the opportunity with just one of my three to say ‘enough’ before it got critical and I’m so glad for it. I wish I had been able to do that with my other two.
Trust your instincts, and be kind with your self as grieving often starts as soon as you know it’s terminal. I’ve lost a lot of pets and it hits me like a train every time!

 

[Freela]

Awww, I'm so sorry. We had a similar diagnosis a couple years ago with one of our pigs, Leela. She had an ovarian mass and we were told that she didn't have long to live, but she actually lived for about 10 months after that diagnosis and then passed on her own pretty peacefully. When she was diagnosed, we decided we just had to make it about quality of life for her... so we spent lots of time with her, we gave her lots of romaine lettuce (her favorite!) each day, we gave her pain relief, and we generally just made sure she was eating, drinking, and doing normal guinea pig things and tried to make the most of every day with her. At least I know that all of her days were happy ones and the last ten months of her life were probably the best ever for her... she just got lots of love and treats, she didn't understand she was sick at all.

I would definitely make all the days special and make sure she's eating, drinking, and walking around, not sitting hunched and ruffled, which can be a sign of pain. It's definitely hard knowing that the end is coming, and in my experience guinea pigs do tend to decline quick quickly when it's their time to go. But remember, she doesn't know this. She'll just know that she's living her best life for as long as she can. ((HUGS)) to you... I know it's hard, I think everyone here can relate. All the best and I hope you have little Autumn for a long time yet.

 

[Bertie & Jelly]

So sorry to hear about your gorgeous Autumn. When Jellybaby was on palliative care I found myself wondering if ‘today would be the day‘ if he seemed quieter or less active. Then he would perk up so I had to remind myself occasionally to just enjoy every day with him. His decline was very sudden but he had lots of love. Thinking of you and Autumn

 

[Pantalaimon]

Sorry to hear you’re going through this. I hope you have a reasonable while with your guinea pig still being happy.
Having had a guinea pig with terminal cancer, I can honestly say my one regret is letting him go on 1-2 days too long. I felt that because all they know is in the moment, all he knew was pain.

I agree with what others have said about the decision being entirely down to you. It can suddenly seem like a huge amount of pressure though. You have had her for her whole life and know her as an individual better than anyone else in the world, you will know when she starts to feel bad enough that the good bits don’t make up for it. Make sure to give her lots of her favourite things (of course within safe limits), it will make her happy in her last weeks/months as she knows she will get nice things whenever she wants, it may also help by acting as an indicator of how she’s feeling (her enthusiasm levels for things she likes), as well as helping you feel that you are giving her the best time she could possibly have in the circumstances.

I hope you and your pigs next few months go smoothly and calmly.

 

[Merab]

So sorry that you are dealing with this.
Having cared for terminal piggies I focussed on giving them the best possible time, lots of happy todays and we made lots of memories.
Deciding when is the right time to let go is a tough call but go with your instincts - you will know.
Remember that you started grieving for beautiful Autumn as soon as the vet gave you the diagnosis so be gentle with yourself.