Dying guinea pigs and kids

[unlikelychump]

I think one of our guinea pigs might be on his way out.
We've only had him a month and they are our first pets. Kids have been so desperate for them and spent so much time with them both. Really love them.
They are 22 months old, rehomed. This one has a couple of lumps and bumps and is booked in for the vet on Friday anyway as a check up. He seems to have stopped poo-ing or is doing tiny little ones.
So sad.

This is going to be so awful for the kids. 11, 10 and 8. Am I going to get them to school tomorrow?

[ohtowinthelottery]

My (now adult) DS learnt about life, death and animal husbandry when he got his first pet guinea pigs at the age of 8.
To start with the 2 girl guinea pigs turned out to be one male, one female. The resulting baby guinea pig was quite a shock to us all - and especially DS when we found it in the hutch one morning. Sadly the baby only lived for 8 months. We buried it in a shoe box in the garden after a little 'funeral'. DS read a poem, we sang All Things Bright and Beautiful and laid a bunch of daffodils on the grave. DS made a little wooden cross.
I'm sorry your GP is ill. Hopefully the vet can sort it out but if not then I'm sure your DCs will cope.

[unlikelychump]

Thanks for your reply. So a funeral might be a good idea. Box in the garage then something after school. Quick is better?

[Ihatethenewlook]

You suspect your young pet is dying which your children will be distraught about, but instead of rushing them to an emergency vet you’re going to wait a few days to see if it survives until a basic check up? If it was a 2yo dog covered in tumours, unable to defecate and you thought it was dying, would you be posting ‘oh I’ve booked him in for a check up for the end of the week, I hope the kids aren’t too traumatised to go to school’??!!

[Lifestylechoices]

@Ihatethenewlook

You suspect your young pet is dying which your children will be distraught about, but instead of rushing them to an emergency vet you’re going to wait a few days to see if it survives until a basic check up? If it was a 2yo dog covered in tumours, unable to defecate and you thought it was dying, would you be posting ‘oh I’ve booked him in for a check up for the end of the week, I hope the kids aren’t too traumatised to go to school’??!!

I think some people don’t realise you can go to the vet or can’t afford it for smaller pets. We never had one vet appt for 3 hamsters, 2 Guinea pigs and a rabbit over the years. When they got sick they just died we honestly thought vets were for cats / dogs etc and when we knew with the rabbit he was quite old anyway so we wouldn’t have paid for treatment

[TwigTheWonderKid]

I don't understand why you are not taking the poor creature to the vet?

[RunningFromInsanity]

Jesus take the poor thing to a vet.
Sickens me when people treat small animals as lesser than cats or dogs.

[SoftSheen]

The problem with guinea pigs (and other small animals) is that they can go down hill very quickly. Therefore it is particularly important that you get them to a vet ASAP if there is any sign of illness. Not eating or not pooing are major red flags for guinea pigs, so I would suggest you try to get an emergency appointment tomorrow.

[Ihatethenewlook]

@Lifestylechoices

I think some people don’t realise you can go to the vet or can’t afford it for smaller pets. We never had one vet appt for 3 hamsters, 2 Guinea pigs and a rabbit over the years. When they got sick they just died we honestly thought vets were for cats / dogs etc and when we knew with the rabbit he was quite old anyway so we wouldn’t have paid for treatment

I don’t know which is worse between you or the op. Her for not taking a terribly suffering animal to the vet, or you for thinking they’re only for cats and dogs?? This isn’t the 1800’s. Vet treatment has been available for decades, and there’s these things called books (never mind the internet) for people who are willing to put an iota of effort into researching the animals they’re forcing into their care.

[Thereisnoname]

Sorry to hear your gp is unwell so quickly after getting them and so young.
But a trip to the vet is much more distressing for small animals than a dog or cat, as is any treatment. Plus small animals can also deteriorate so quickly often vets can't do a lot due to the likelihood of the stress killing them anyway.
I took a youngish ( around 3 years old) gop to the vet and it actually died on the vets table probably due to stress and I slightly regret taking him rathet than waiting a little bit longer and letting him go peacefully at home with his companion.

[Fink]

First off, I'd get him to a vet. No one here can say whether he's dying or just has a minor condition.

Secondly, if he does unfortunately die young, get the other one checked out to make sure it was nothing infectious.

Thirdly, make sure you don't keep a guinea pig alone. If one dies, you need to rehome the other one or get it a new companion. If you do introduce a new one, it has to be done carefully to give them time to bond.

[Newuser75]

I'd recommend calling the vet. Guinea pigs can and are treated by vets frequently. They can be given fluids, meds and syringe fed if needed. They can often be treated very successfully actually. (Obviously depending upon the cause).

This guinea pig is pretty young so would certainly not just be waiting for them to die.

[unlikelychump]

Gosh, this is not what I came here expecting. I thought more experienced people might want to offer some help and advice.

I have spent quite a lo of time reading up both on books and the Internet since we realized something was wrong today we have spent the evening loving and caring for him as best we can, trying to encourage him to eat and drink. and it looks like this is serious and apparently they can go downhill fast. I didn't read what the vet might do to make them well again.

I mentioned the Friday vet as a point to say we are wondering about his health anyway, in case someone said - oh yes it might be related etc.

I hope future posts will be a little less nasty or else I guess i will learn that small pets is not as nice as j thought it would be.

[unlikelychump]

Thanks for the later comments, all really helpful. Are you saying the vet might be open now? I'll Google the actual now

[BigBundleOfFluff]

1 of our Guinea pigs died 2 weeks ago, he was 5, so I presume/hope old age. We had a little funeral and my kids helped buy a little plant to plant on top of him. Definitely have a funeral. Mine are 10 and 12 so old enough to process it well. They were sad, but not as sad as me. You get very attached to them, don't you.

[Newuser75]

@unlikelychump

Thanks for the later comments, all really helpful. Are you saying the vet might be open now? I'll Google the actual now

Yes all vets have emergency out of hours service. It's important to find a vet that specialises in small animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs as honestly not all are that clued up.

If not then if the guinea pig isn't eating you could blend up some greens such as herbs, kale, etc in a blender and use a tiny syringe such as a calpol syringe to syringe feed every few hours until morning but this can be tricky and if you aren't confident doing it then can cause extra problems which is why a vet is best placed.

The problem with guinea pigs is that they are designed to graze and eat constantly so if they stop then they can go downhill very quickly. They are actually pretty tricky things to look after properly!

I really hope they pull through!

[User13579367337]

@Thereisnoname

Sorry to hear your gp is unwell so quickly after getting them and so young.
But a trip to the vet is much more distressing for small animals than a dog or cat, as is any treatment. Plus small animals can also deteriorate so quickly often vets can't do a lot due to the likelihood of the stress killing them anyway.
I took a youngish ( around 3 years old) gop to the vet and it actually died on the vets table probably due to stress and I slightly regret taking him rathet than waiting a little bit longer and letting him go peacefully at home with his companion.

Oh Dear Lord they walk amongst us 🤦🏼‍♀️ please do not leave your suffering animals to die at home, scared and in pain. As the founder and co owner of an exotics animal rescue, I promise you that your guinea pigs and any other small animal can and will be treated by a vet, they will not keep over and die ‘from stress’. I’ve not long had one in that we were told was a male with a penile prolapse (easily treatable). It turned out to be a female with a massive rectal prolapse. I was up all night with her applying lubricants to her intestines every 20 mins that were outside of her body, until I could get her to a vet. After an op she recovered 100%. It is not ok to leave an animal to suffer like this. And is certainly not true that they die ‘from stress’ if you take them to the vet.

[WonderLife]

Sounds like gut stasis which is an emergency for guinea pigs. You need to take it to a vet urgently, not just leave it to die.

What are you feeding them on?

[User13579367337]

@unlikelychump

Gosh, this is not what I came here expecting. I thought more experienced people might want to offer some help and advice.

I have spent quite a lo of time reading up both on books and the Internet since we realized something was wrong today we have spent the evening loving and caring for him as best we can, trying to encourage him to eat and drink. and it looks like this is serious and apparently they can go downhill fast. I didn't read what the vet might do to make them well again.

I mentioned the Friday vet as a point to say we are wondering about his health anyway, in case someone said - oh yes it might be related etc.

I hope future posts will be a little less nasty or else I guess i will learn that small pets is not as nice as j thought it would be.

The experienced people are telling you to take the sick animal to a vet. I’m not sure what else you are expecting. An internet diagnosis over ‘not really pooing, might be dying, dunno really’, is not going to help you. I’d encourage you to not even listen to us. Just take the time to phone an actual vet for advice. Yes, emergency helplines are open 24/7 to tell you what to do

[alldonefortoday]

Yeah I'm sorry OP but I couldn't leave any animal in the state you've described until Friday, it should be seen by a vet as a priority

[feelingalittlehorse]

Eh?!? You were just going to leave the poor little thing wasting away for a couple of days? They aren’t toys to keep your children entertained. Or a science experiment so you can broach life and death.
You need to catch on and get some actual factual books re how to care for GPs- not just google. They are actually complicated little creatures and require very specific diets. They are also prey species so become very sick, very quick- so you need to read up on the preliminary signs of any illness.

[Lifestylechoices]

@Ihatethenewlook

I don’t know which is worse between you or the op. Her for not taking a terribly suffering animal to the vet, or you for thinking they’re only for cats and dogs?? This isn’t the 1800’s. Vet treatment has been available for decades, and there’s these things called books (never mind the internet) for people who are willing to put an iota of effort into researching the animals they’re forcing into their care.

I just didn’t realise at the time as it was how my parents did it too and I just wasn’t aware - I am now and we now go to the vets for things like neutering and vaccines for smaller pets

[unlikelychump]

I'm so glad for this help. I've called the vet and they said to bring him in. He seems to have perked up a bit when j went back down and I'm trying to work out if he has pooed normal ones - it looks possible.

It is only up the road and they've just left so i am now waiting to hear

(The advice was fine, it is the aggressive tones and swearing that was a bit much. Doesn't exactly match the mood of a really worried poster asking for help)

[frayble]

I'd be taking him to the vet a lot sooner than Friday if he's that poorly he might die. It might be something that can be fixed or alternatively he might need putting to sleep if he's suffering.

For the kids, I'd start introducing the idea that he might not get better sooner rather than later so they have some time to begin to process before the shock of him actually dying. I remember my childhood Guinea pig dying after he got attacked by a cat - even though looking back it was clear he wouldn't get better, at the time my mum and dad kept encouraging me to be positive and think he was going to get better so when he didn't it was a real shock.

[SapphireBracelet]

Poor piggy. His teeth might need a trim. Not eating or pooing can be a sign. Hoping and praying it's something simple and piggy will be fine.

[unlikelychump]

This is the problem with peg ownership isn't it. They take your heart.

Come on poor little guy