Vet Stress ?

[Skunks_n.bees]

Hi, I had to fill out a consent form to take my pig to the vet. It said that they some exotics can die due to stress, and I was wondering if anyone’s heard of this happening with a guinea pig at the vet? I’m extra nervous about it now that I’ve filled out the form.
Thanks!

 

[Bill & Ted]

It’s just to acknowledge that you understand some pets can die when over stressed, it doesn’t happen that often and it’s more likely to be small birds like budgies etc Try not to worry, if your Guinea pig is poorly then it’s better to get it seen asap

 

[CTWC]

They have to inform you of every possible eventuality I guess to cover themselves

 

[Wiebke]

It's there to cover themselves not because it is likely to happen. In fact, it is pretty rare with guinea pigs.

In around 100 piggies over many years and with countless vet visits even with frail ones I only ever lost one piggy on the examination table - and that was a sow who was found to be in sudden acute heart failure who would have died at home very shortly anyway.

 

[weepweeps]

I’ve had 10 piggies and no one has ever died from stress visiting the vets. So it’s a very small occurrence.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Please try not to worry. As the others have said it’s to cover themselves not because it’s something the happens a lot.

Ive kept small animals for 35+ years and never had one die simply because of stress of going to the vet.

 

[Skunks_n.bees]

It's there to cover themselves not because it is likely to happen. In fact, it is pretty rare with guinea pigs.

In around 100 piggies over many years and with countless vet visits even with frail ones I only ever lost one piggy on the examination table - and that was a sow who was found to be in sudden acute heart failure who would have died at home very shortly anyway.

I’m sorry for your loss, and I appreciate your input

 

[Wiebke]

I’m sorry for your loss, and I appreciate your input

People losing their piggies usually reflect their pain of loss back on themselves in the form of strong feelings of guilt or failure at the onset of their grieving process but if they think that it is down to a vet mistake they can turn the same strong feelings as an irrational anger against the treating vet or the clinic. We have seen a number of cases of this happening over the years on this forum.

What you also need to be aware of is that nobody becomes a vet or a vet nurse without caring deeply. It is one of the professions with the highest suicide rate and a very high rate of young vets dropping out early after a just a few years between the long hours, comparatively small salary and the high stress/burnout risk.

Guinea pigs and other small exotics do unfortunately fall very much into the gap that they do not feature much on a general vet's curriculum and that research is lagging way behind other common pet species since they have far too long been seen as short-lived children's pets. Treatment options are still lagging behind and are either very, very basic or experimental in using unlicensed medication. For this reason and based on bad experiences a number of vet general vets clinics won't even see guinea pigs.

I hope that this is putting things into a bit more of a perspective?

PS: I am certainly not holding it against my then vet for kindly seeing me as an emergency with what I now know was an already dying piggy. It did come as a shock to them as much as to me.

 

[Viennese Furbabies]

I agree with evetything writen above. I've had piggies for more than 30 years. Sudden deaths can happen but they happen at home as well (and most of the times do they happen at home).
The only stress related deaths I've heard of in guinea pigs were always cuys who are affected much more by stress than our usual guinea pigs because the original breeding lines were for meat production only and not for being able to handle the stress of living as pets.

 

[Piggies2023]

Hi, I had to fill out a consent form to take my pig to the vet. It said that they some exotics can die due to stress, and I was wondering if anyone’s heard of this happening with a guinea pig at the vet? I’m extra nervous about it now that I’ve filled out the form.
Thanks!

I dropped off a very stressed Nancy on Monday, she was shaking at times. She came through surgery just fine. My two pigs have been under general anaesthetic 7 times. Once, we've had some problems but Pumpkin now has an underlying breathing problem, probably heart related.