• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Vet question

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deleted member 151640
  • Start date Start date
D

Deleted member 151640

Sorry if this sounds dark but I have to know,

My 5 year old boar is going under anesthesia this Thursday for an investigative appointment to figure out why he keeps being sick (sick as in ill, not vomiting as guinea pigs cant do that), hes been on medication for almost 3 and a half weeks now. I will be asking the vet if his little friend will be allowed to come with him to be there for him when he wakes up etc. to keep stress to a low hopefully.

But what I am wondering is if his friend isn't allowed and my boy passes away under anesthesia, I am not saying he will or I am not panicking ahead of time I am just genuinely wondering. Will taking his friend in to see his dead friend and say goodbye be the best option, because i fear he will just be lost if I never give him a chance to say goodbye.
 
It’s not a silly question. My Percy passed away while I was on holiday last year. Percy and Pepper were staying with my friend. Percy was recovering from a bladder stone operation at the time. Percy was taken to the vets and sadly passed without Pepper there and so Pepper didn’t get to say goodbye.

Pepper was quiet for a few days but didn’t overly show any negative signs of not saying goodbye.

I hope they can find out the cause of your boys illness. I’d definitely ask the vets that his friend be able to go on the day with him.

Good luck
 
pigmotherof6 said:
Sorry if this sounds dark but I have to know,

My 5 year old boar is going under anesthesia this Thursday for an investigative appointment to figure out why he keeps being sick (sick as in ill, not vomiting as guinea pigs cant do that), hes been on medication for almost 3 and a half weeks now. I will be asking the vet if his little friend will be allowed to come with him to be there for him when he wakes up etc. to keep stress to a low hopefully.

But what I am wondering is if his friend isn't allowed and my boy passes away under anesthesia, I am not saying he will or I am not panicking ahead of time I am just genuinely wondering. Will taking his friend in to see his dead friend and say goodbye be the best option, because i fear he will just be lost if I never give him a chance to say goodbye.
Click to expand...

Hi

In our practical guide for what you can do for bereaved companions, we tell owners that you can always bring your deceased piggy home for a last goodbye in less stressful surroundings if the companion is not with his mate as 'paw-holding companion' at the vets. You may find the advice in there helpful. Please be aware that the run up and wait is always the worst time because that is when your fears have free run.
Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig

Personally, I prefer not to take the companion to be there during the op if it is a make or break operation with a considerable risk that it may not come off or if the companion has stress issues and rather bring the dead piggy home for a goodbye in this case. It also depends on the vet; some allow you to bring the companion to there during the op while others prefer not to.

But we also have a post-op care guide (applies to any procedure under anesthetics) with practical advice for when your boy comes home, which also has a chapter on companionship aspects during recovery.
Tips For Post-operative Care
 
A friend for a vet trip is usually a good idea, but if there is a surgical procedure and/or the outcome is uncertain then the vet may advise against it.
If the worst should happen, then the vet should allow you to bring your boy home for his companion to say goodbye in less stressful surroundings, more like in a chapel of rest than in the rescuss bay of the emergency room.
Planning for potential goodbyes is always hard, but thinking of his companion's feelings shows you are a very caring person who is being realistic about the prognosis but also putting your other piggy's feelings first.
If it's any consolation, piggies often know before we do if a companion is terminally ill, and sometimes their removal can be a relief if they have seen them suffering- in the wild they would say their goodbyes then go off on their own at the end, to avoid attracting predators or scavengers to their friends.
Hopefully all will go well and you are worrying unnecessarily, as any caring and piggy savvy person would- but however this plays out, your sick piggy's companion will know he is sick, and how sick he is, and will know what to expect if his friend goes away x
 
When I have had a piggy pass at the vets i have always bought them home and placed them back in the cage with their cage mates.
Some piggies wander over, have a brief sniff and retreat and others have licked their freind around the eyes and ears, or in 1 case actually lay down next to them for a few minutes.

I truly believe it is very important to allow them the chance to know what has happened, and choose how they want to say goodbye.
 
Thanks for all your advice, I will keep in mind in the worst case to bring him home, not take his friend to him.

As for taking his friend with him, as with most bonds they are very close but I also have one very nervous guinea pig (his friend) and they are generally inseparable.
They are doing dental checks, then scans if its not the teeth (basically something is causing gut stasis, and we want to find out what). There shouldn't be any incision made, so its technically not a operation.

@Wiebke @PigglePuggle (I apologize for @'ing I just don't know how to mention you both in one response) - Since it isn't a actual operation, would bringing his friend, if the vet allows it be the best option?
 
pigmotherof6 said:
Thanks for all your advice, I will keep in mind in the worst case to bring him home, not take his friend to him.

As for taking his friend with him, as with most bonds they are very close but I also have one very nervous guinea pig (his friend) and they are generally inseparable.
They are doing dental checks, then scans if its not the teeth (basically something is causing gut stasis, and we want to find out what). There shouldn't be any incision made, so its technically not a operation.

@Wiebke @PigglePuggle (I apologize for @'ing I just don't know how to mention you both in one response) - Since it isn't a actual operation, would bringing his friend, if the vet allows it be the best option?
Click to expand...
Under the circumstances I would certainly ask whether I can bring him with a closely bonded companion.

Please don't apologise for tagging. If you don't get a response then we are simply not around.
 
Fingers crossed you get some good news for your piggy tomorrow! I think having his friend with him would help to keep him calm which can only be a good thing ❤️
 
I’ve just been the the vets with my dog and our vet has recommended we take him alone, which may cause a bit of a problem.

Apart from his friend being a big wuss when he (the patient) is not right next to him, I am also fearful if the anestesia or breathing issues doesn’t “get him”, maybe the stress will.
They are inseparable and going in a car journey with just one of them is in my mind a really big no, let alone going under and waking up by yourself.
I understand there is nothing i can do, as that is the rules and the safest thing for them, but is there anything i can do for them beforehand.

I was thinking i could take them both in the car then just take the patient in but that may be more confusing and i only have one carrier right now so I would have to hold the other one on the way home which would be okay but doesn’t feel the safest.

I apologise if i sound quite crude talking about how he might die, as i know he may very well be fine, I am just thinking ahead for all possibilities and he is technically in the risk category.
What I mean is I'm not thinking as if i’m dropping him off tomorrow and not getting him back, incase that’s how it comes off.

Either way, any advice to help keep them both calm would be great. x
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top