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Vets can't find the problem with my pig (2yo sow)

MenisMenis said:
But I confess that I came here just to talk. It's been very difficult to keep my hopes, especially with the sleep deprivation. Tomorrow will be a month since I have been dedicated to her 24/7.
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imo a whole month doing 24/7 guinea care is a lot! You're a hero in my eyes 🥰

Other people probably manage longer, some people like me didn't - we can't help who and how we are and when it gets too much - that's dependent on various things.

I very much understand feeling guilty tho feeling guilty doesn't mean we are guilty. It is also something that I have managed to overcome or at least greatly reduce the feeling of. My circumstances are the way they are, your circumstances are the way they are. We're human, we're not God (or some higher power, super power, deity - whatever you might believe in). It's more that I grieve for my poor little piggies that I couldn't save and feel very sad about the sides in me that get overwhelmed so easily and not just emotionally, but it means accepting the way I am too (which has not always been easy, but is getting easier after about 25 years of work-on-self).

I hope something of what I have written has been helpful. I encourage you to keep talking, sometimes it does help to get at the deeper stuff. HUGS ❤️
 
You're doing so well ❤️
I hope and pray it's good news and the abscess is treatable. My bunny had one which we treated successfully - but it was her lower jaw which is a bit different. Keep going - whatever happens you love her and that's the main thing 🤞
 
I’ve had a piggy with a tooth root abscess. It was a lower incisor so didn’t affect his eye. If there is an abscess a really good antibiotic is Zithromax. My piggy had a six week course of it. It did stop his appetite though so he had to be completely syringe fed throughout his treatment.

Good luck. You are doing amazing. It’s so hard caring for a sick piggy. Sending you hugs. ❤️
 
Take a breather and let it be for a few minutes. You are doing a very good job, caring for a poorly piggy is taxing and so overwhelming, both emotionally and physically.

Let’s hope she starts showing improvement. The feeling of coming out on the other side with your little one is worth it, as long as her life quality remains. Sometimes switching into “emotional neutral” will help.

Thinking of you.
 
Bless your heart. You have done so much for your girl, she is lucky to have you.

Trust me, we all get it - the late nights, the middle of the night feeds etc, it all takes its toll, and you get to the point where you just want to cry, then you get your break through moment where piggie turns a corner and starts to improve.

It's great news that she's interested in food and is jumping up for it.

Hopefully you get the results soon and she gets her treatment and you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Give yourself a pat on the back, do something for you, whether that's a nice bubble bath, movie night etc, make sure you take care of yourself physically and mentally, if you're not okay how are you going to look after Dilma.

Fingers crossed for you both!
 
Thank you guys, your words mean a lot to me <3
The results came back: she has a tooth root abscess in the third molar, which is causing the eye to pop out.
We sent the CT scan to another veterinarian with more experience in dental surgeries to see if it is possible to treat it with medication, if it will be necessary to go with surgery or even remove the tooth (I know that this is not recommended in the case of molars, but this option was presented to me as a last treatment to consider).
 
MenisMenis said:
Thank you guys, your words mean a lot to me <3
The results came back: she has a tooth root abscess in the third molar, which is causing the eye to pop out.
We sent the CT scan to another veterinarian with more experience in dental surgeries to see if it is possible to treat it with medication, if it will be necessary to go with surgery or even remove the tooth (I know that this is not recommended in the case of molars, but this option was presented to me as a last treatment to consider).
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I hope the second vet comes up with a plan to help your piggy 🤞🏻
 
Hi, everyone
Dilma had surgery yesterday. Her molar ended up needing to be extracted. The root was very compromised and infected, and the abscess had fistulated into her mouth, making marsupialization impossible.
The surgery was complex (the tooth had to come out piece by piece because it was the last one, deep in her mouth) and she spent more time under anesthesia than recommended.
By some miracle, once again, she survived. We just completed the first 24 hours. Her face is completely swollen, it looks like she had been stung by a bee. She has watery eyes and a runny nose (which the vet told me was to be expected: it's not a respiratory problem, but swelling in the area). It really breaks my heart. However, despite the obvious discomfort, she is ok with syringe feed and taking her meds and is already trying to eat her veggies on her own, even though she still can't.
It was something I thought a lot about: whether it was worth subjecting her to such a serious surgery. But she always seems so eager to live, so anxious to get back to doing her little things... I hope everything works out and that I made the right decision.
 
Aww that's such good news, it sounds like she is recovering well. Although she has a road ahead of her, with such a caring owner by her side I'm sure she will get through it.

It's so hard seeing them after surgery but it's so worth it when they are back to themselves.

Sending lots of healing vibes your way xx
 
MenisMenis said:
Hi, everyone
Dilma had surgery yesterday. Her molar ended up needing to be extracted. The root was very compromised and infected, and the abscess had fistulated into her mouth, making marsupialization impossible.
The surgery was complex (the tooth had to come out piece by piece because it was the last one, deep in her mouth) and she spent more time under anesthesia than recommended.
By some miracle, once again, she survived. We just completed the first 24 hours. Her face is completely swollen, it looks like she had been stung by a bee. She has watery eyes and a runny nose (which the vet told me was to be expected: it's not a respiratory problem, but swelling in the area). It really breaks my heart. However, despite the obvious discomfort, she is ok with syringe feed and taking her meds and is already trying to eat her veggies on her own, even though she still can't.
It was something I thought a lot about: whether it was worth subjecting her to such a serious surgery. But she always seems so eager to live, so anxious to get back to doing her little things... I hope everything works out and that I made the right decision.
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Sending vibes for a full recovery!
 
Hi everyone
Dilma is getting better from the swelling and the secretions caused by the surgery, but she still can't eat anything on her own (except for a little piece of watermelon yesterday — irresistible).
However, my main concern at the moment is weight loss. Over the last three days, I've managed to gradually increase the amount of cc I give her. I've been giving 52ml, 57ml and 62ml. Still, she's continuing to lose weight (790g, 772g, 764g). The strange thing is that, with 60ml of cc I was able to make her maintain her weight before (pre-surgery). What could be going on? And is it okay for me to take a 5-hour break to sleep? I'm really exhausted from the 3-hour routine for over a month.
 
MenisMenis said:
Hi everyone
Dilma is getting better from the swelling and the secretions caused by the surgery, but she still can't eat anything on her own (except for a little piece of watermelon yesterday — irresistible).
However, my main concern at the moment is weight loss. Over the last three days, I've managed to gradually increase the amount of cc I give her. I've been giving 52ml, 57ml and 62ml. Still, she's continuing to lose weight (790g, 772g, 764g). The strange thing is that, with 60ml of cc I was able to make her maintain her weight before (pre-surgery). What could be going on? And is it okay for me to take a 5-hour break to sleep? I'm really exhausted from the 3-hour routine for over a month.
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Hi

I am very sorry. It sounds like something is going on if the weight is going down slowly on the same amount of care. :(

Please switch to a feeding pattern that eliminates getting up in the middle of night once your piggy is at 60 ml a day or more (i.e. she is out of the immendiate life-and-death battle) and make sure that you get 5-6 hours of unbroken rest yourself as soon as you can make the switch to 3-5 feeds during the day with getting 10-15 ml into your piggy with every session or even a bit less but try to up the amount you are feeding.

Is Dilma on painkillers? If yes, try to up them a little and see whether that helps and then contact your vet.


As the primary carer, your first duty is to look after yourself and to manage your own physical needs on a longer sustainable level. This is not selfish: If you run out of steam or fall ill from exhaustion, who is looking after those you are looking after? Even very ill piggies will be able to survive a night off food if they can get enough little feeds over the course of a day to give you that crucial amount of unbroken sleep. Finding a sustainable balance between two conflicting needs can be a tough decision but it can also be a very tough lesson for any dedicated and loving owner.

You are such a dedicated and loving owner. Dilma is so lucky to have found you.

HUGS
 
Wiebke said:
Hi

I am very sorry. It sounds like something is going on if the weight is going down slowly on the same amount of care. :(

Please switch to a feeding pattern that eliminates getting up in the middle of night once your piggy is at 60 ml a day or more (i.e. she is out of the immendiate life-and-death battle) and make sure that you get 5-6 hours of unbroken rest yourself as soon as you can make the switch to 3-5 feeds during the day with getting 10-15 ml into your piggy with every session or even a bit less but try to up the amount you are feeding.

Is Dilma on painkillers? If yes, try to up them a little and see whether that helps and then contact your vet.


As the primary carer, your first duty is to look after yourself and to manage your own physical needs on a longer sustainable level. This is not selfish: If you run out of steam or fall ill from exhaustion, who is looking after those you are looking after? Even very ill piggies will be able to survive a night off food if they can get enough little feeds over the course of a day to give you that crucial amount of unbroken sleep. Finding a sustainable balance between two conflicting needs can be a tough decision but it can also be a very tough lesson for any dedicated and loving owner.

You are such a dedicated and loving owner. Dilma is so lucky to have found you.

HUGS
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Thank you Wiebke
I really trust the opinion of the people here (and yours especially) and maybe this is the first time I feel "authorized" to rest a little without feeling like a horrible owner. You're right, what you said makes sense... I'll try to reach 70ml today (an hour ago she took 15ml in one sitting, so fingers crossed) and then I'll go to sleep at night. Thank you again.
 
MenisMenis said:
Thank you Wiebke
I really trust the opinion of the people here (and yours especially) and maybe this is the first time I feel "authorized" to rest a little without feeling like a horrible owner. You're right, what you said makes sense... I'll try to reach 70ml today (an hour ago she took 15ml in one sitting, so fingers crossed) and then I'll go to sleep at night. Thank you again.
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Hang on in there but please make sure that you look after yourself as well and not feel bad about it. You are a crucial and precious resource and your own health is essential in keeping Dilma going.

You need to stay a flowing well of water, not a bucket whose supply of water is limited and will run out sooner rather than later. You will also have to accept that you as an owner will always have physical, financial and circumstantial limitations. You are not God and will always be able to do only so much; if you don't accept that you are setting yourself up for an inevitable fail that can lead to a mental health crisis for yourself. We can always only do so much but we don't have any control over the outcome and cannot force it by sheer will power.
But doing our (clever) best can still make a big difference for a life in our care even if all we do is buy more lifetime and quality of life for those we love so dearly. We can just never buy the guarantee of a big win but we can make plenty of little gains.

See a month longer in Dilma's life as a year in a guinea pig life and appreciate your effort this way. It is not very exact but the closest we can come for some quick comparison in what our support means to a piggy with their much faster metabolism and a more appropriate appreciation as what kind of positive difference we can actually make. ;)
 
You're doing a fantastic job! As long as you can get 60ml+ in a day try not to worry.
Make sure to look after yourself too ❤️
 
Dilma's updates:
It's been a slow healing process. All the swelling is gone, so her face looks like it used to. She's managing to maintain her weight at 780g — I give her 75ml of cc a day. She's also starting to eat veggies and grass again, but she doesn't want any hay yet. She has such a high spirit, though... she continues to walk around the house and show interest in everything.
However, one thing has been worrying me: she's not able to pick up food from the floor or break veggies into pieces. I have to almost fit the food in her mouth, as if her incisors were sensitive. Which would be expected, considering the surgery, but the funny thing is that she's using her incisors normally to... chew on the playpen door 🤡 (which is how she asks to go for a walk). So I don't understand why she hesitates to use her lips to feed herself.
Anyway, I really appreciate the advice about sleeping. It's much easier to be patient and optimistic with a few hours of sleep...

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Hi, guys
It's been a while since I've given any updates, but I was processing everything that happened.

Dilma had to be PTS 15 days ago.
After recovering from the first surgery, she had no improvements in her ability to eat. So we did another CT scan, which showed that another molar was compromised due to the abscess. We went for the second surgery, but when the vet opened the gum, there was no abscess at all, but rather a neoplasm that was compromising the roots of all the teeth in that area. We sent a sample to the lab, and ended up discovering that Dilma had an ameloblastoma, a benign tumor (in the sense that it does not cause metastasis to the organs) that corrodes bone tissue. It also occurs in humans, and the treatment consists of removing a large piece of the affected area, performing radiotherapy and then surgery to reconstruct the bone. As you can imagine, this is not very feasible for guinea pigs. Besides, it is a tumor with a high chance of recurrence in such accelerated metabolisms. It would be very painful for her, and with little chance of success. Meanwhile, all of her teeth and the bone in her jaw were becoming compromised.
So we made the difficult decision to let her go. She went PTS at home, lying next to her sisters, very peaceful.
I am devastated, but happy that we reached a diagnosis that left me at ease knowing that we did everything possible. It was more than 70 days taking care of her 24/7.
Dilma was a very special little pig. I miss her every day. 💔


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A kind decision made with love and respect for a pigwig who would have suffered otherwise. You are so strong for tackling this illness together with your girl, until the end! You've done really well, so proud of you.

Sweet darling girl. Landed on your paws when your family found you. Enjoy the Bridge 🌈 ❤️
 
MenisMenis said:
Hi, guys
It's been a while since I've given any updates, but I was processing everything that happened.

Dilma had to be PTS 15 days ago.
After recovering from the first surgery, she had no improvements in her ability to eat. So we did another CT scan, which showed that another molar was compromised due to the abscess. We went for the second surgery, but when the vet opened the gum, there was no abscess at all, but rather a neoplasm that was compromising the roots of all the teeth in that area. We sent a sample to the lab, and ended up discovering that Dilma had an ameloblastoma, a benign tumor (in the sense that it does not cause metastasis to the organs) that corrodes bone tissue. It also occurs in humans, and the treatment consists of removing a large piece of the affected area, performing radiotherapy and then surgery to reconstruct the bone. As you can imagine, this is not very feasible for guinea pigs. Besides, it is a tumor with a high chance of recurrence in such accelerated metabolisms. It would be very painful for her, and with little chance of success. Meanwhile, all of her teeth and the bone in her jaw were becoming compromised.
So we made the difficult decision to let her go. She went PTS at home, lying next to her sisters, very peaceful.
I am devastated, but happy that we reached a diagnosis that left me at ease knowing that we did everything possible. It was more than 70 days taking care of her 24/7.
Dilma was a very special little pig. I miss her every day. 💔


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I am so very sorry. You have absolutely made the right and most loving, but also most heart-breaking decision any owner can make. Dilma was lucky to find you and to have the best of piggy lives filled with love and good care she could dream of - you have not failed her in any way.

Thankfully, new diagnostics are so much better than they used to be so you can make your decisions on a much more informed basis and with a clearer mind, although never with a less hurting heart.

Dilma will always have her own nest in your heart with all the precious memories she is leaving you and that will always be there for you.

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I'm sorry you had to make the hardest decision for your beautiful little lady. Popcorn high over the bridge Dilma 🌈 💔
 
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