Specialist Unidentified illness in guinea pig, sudden loss of appetite

[alexr]

Just a final update: He passed away peacefully an hour ago, didn’t make any painful noise, just a few twitches and finally stopped.

His buddy just wouldn’t go near him in the hut, I don’t know if it’s because he’s scared or just being distant. He was wriggling around in the hut on his own, so I took him out and placed him on my chest all day stroking him. He seemed to feel more comfortable as he wriggled less. It was hard watching life slowly drifts away but I think he would want some company during his final moment; either me or his buddy. I couldn’t stop crying throughout the process.

This is the first time I had a pet passing away which was solely nursed by myself. I had pets in the family throughout my life but since it was taken care of by others, just didn’t felt as bad as this. I don’t have any kids but I guess this is similar to losing a child. Regardless, I’m glad he didn’t feel much pain in the end, and I get to spend the whole day with him. Hope he’s in a better place now.

I’m so sorry. I hope you can take some comfort in the fact that you were there for him and that the end was peaceful. It is so hard to lose a much-loved piggy friend.

I normally let a buddy see their companion so they can acknowledge that their friend is gone but that’s personal preference. It sounds like his friend had already gained a fair understanding that his pal was dying if he withdrew.

Be kind to yourself and his buddy. It takes some time to recover from a loss. X