What Is Doodles Dying Of? What Can I Do? If I Can't Do Anything, How Can I Help Her Pass Peacefully?

[Joelle]

My guinea pig, Doodles, is dying. I am by no means an expert, but I take care of her and she gets all the things she needs. She is 7 years old, and I'm 90% sure that's the culprit. However, if it isn't, and there's something I can do, I want to do everything I can to make her life longer. If I can't do anything, how can I make her comfortable while she passes?

We got her when she was about 3, from our neighbor. We had known Doodles, and she was VERY well cared for. We have owned her for 4 years, and have been good 1st time owners.

These are her symptoms:
-She is cool to the touch.
-She twitches, and has short spasms.
-She has loss of muscle control, and can't blink without effort.
-She WILL swallow if I squirt water in her mouth.

I have moved her to a more comfortable area, out of her habitat, and wrapped in her blanket. She's been like this for hours, so I've been using a syringe to squirt water in her mouth. I boiled her favorite vegetables in some water, and stained it so that is a broth; and squirted that in her mouth as well. I put a portable heater near her, and made sure to put in on low.

Any help whatsoever would be much appreciated! Thanks!

 

[MJG]

I would take her to the vet

 

[DM030819]

If you want to give her a slim chance of survival you need to take her to a guinea pig specialised vet.

If not then the options are to keep her warm and loved and let her pass at home, or take her to the vet and get them to help her pass. It's a very difficult decision but if she is showing any signs of pain or distress then it is sometimes the kindest option.

 

[VickiA]

I agree with the other posters. The kindest thing is to take her to the vet. If she can't be saved then at least she can be spared any suffering and helped to pass to the Rainbow Bridge free from pain and discomfort, you sound like a very caring owner, and I know this must be very hard for you.

 

[Tiamolly123]

I think the same as the others, it's a hard choice to have a piggy PTS, but it is often the kindest thing.

 

[Wiebke]

My guinea pig, Doodles, is dying. I am by no means an expert, but I take care of her and she gets all the things she needs. She is 7 years old, and I'm 90% sure that's the culprit. However, if it isn't, and there's something I can do, I want to do everything I can to make her life longer. If I can't do anything, how can I make her comfortable while she passes?

We got her when she was about 3, from our neighbor. We had known Doodles, and she was VERY well cared for. We have owned her for 4 years, and have been good 1st time owners.

These are her symptoms:
-She is cool to the touch.
-She twitches, and has short spasms.
-She has loss of muscle control, and can't blink without effort.
-She WILL swallow if I squirt water in her mouth.

I have moved her to a more comfortable area, out of her habitat, and wrapped in her blanket. She's been like this for hours, so I've been using a syringe to squirt water in her mouth. I boiled her favorite vegetables in some water, and stained it so that is a broth; and squirted that in her mouth as well. I put a portable heater near her, and made sure to put in on low.

Any help whatsoever would be much appreciated! Thanks!

Please speak to a vet or an out-of-hours vet as soon as possible!

Your Girl is likely already going into organ failure - being cold to the touch means that the blood circulation is no longer working properly and the heart may be failing. Keep her warm, but not overheated. You are doing the right thing in that respect.

Please do not feed boiled veg. Up to 80% of the daily Food intake is hay, so fibre either from a powdered recovery formula or mushed up pellets is what she Needs for as Long as she can still process Food. Stop feeding if she is either struggling far beyond her strength (meaning that she is no longer able to process food) or if she is too weak to swallow anymore. You give Hand warm mushed pellets/formula and water only as Little as she can process, i.e. 0.1 - 0.3 ml in one go and wait until it has safely gone down before you try more, as it is otherwise running down into the lungs.

I am very sorry. These things often happen at the most inconvenient time possible when competent vet care is not always accessible.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
How to contact a vet out of hours