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?

Poorly pets are a nightmare all round- especially if you are on a tight budget. Guineas and rabbits definitely need vet treatment when they stop eating! As other posters say, just because they are small pets it doesn’t mean they don’t need to go to the vet when in pain. Gut stasis would be agonising and it can’t be left.
I pay a fortune for our bunny. Healthy pet club and insurance. Annual vaccinations- the works! No different from the dog. Things have changed dramatically since the 70s/80s when they only lived for a couple of years, but that’s clearly down to improving their care.
Hope the vet can help and the kids aren’t too distraught.

OP, you taking him to the vet has taught your kids a lot about caring for small creatures even if your piggie doesn’t pull through. I hope they do and make a full recovery. We certainly do treat piggies (some of us treat ONLY small furries). Anyway, they’re in good hands now and you’ve done your best

Your massive lack of empathy is shocking op, which was mirrored in the replies. A normal response to ‘a beloved pet is severely sick and dying’ is to seek help for the pet. Not question whether if sticking its corpse in the garage and burying it quickly after school is best, when it’s literally still alive, suffering and potentially able to be saved, or at least given a painless death at this point

Please just get this poor little thing to the vet as fast as you can. It might be small but it can suffer as much as any larger animal.

Gosh these guys.
Dh has called. Vet says he is seems ok, anddh thinks he isn't too concerned. Has food in his mouth and isn't dehydrated. He is however a little bit cold.

He was sitting with his feet by his hands earlier - all bunched up -just before we took him so it did cross my mind.

They've offered to keep him for 24h and watch him so we will do that.

No poos to be seen yet but I don't know what is normal. The other guy is a poo machine by all accounts. He did about 50 in 30 mins when we separated them. Maybe one always does more than the other? This one is certainly the quieter of the two all round

Dh has called again. He thinks they aren't going to be able to help him. 😕 Please will he pull through

Oh no I'm so sorry to hear that. What changed so quickly? Has he deteriorated suddenly?

I just don't know tbh. This is so far out of my frame if reference I am just trying to understand. I think dh thinks he might be more comfortable at home in his familiar surroundings and also doesn't think that the special medicine will do anything. He doesn't know either really and is a panicker.

Ive said to leave him there and accept the vet will offer good care (I have no idea what it is like as a place bug it looks fine).

I've got the number to call again in the morning.

@unlikelychump how's the guinea pig today? Hope they have pulled through?

Hey all, I'm back. Good news she is home and alive. They fed her through the night and day and she has perked right up, warmed up and poos are better

And yes it turns out she is a girl. She is still in tomorrow to look at the lump and her brother is too. And obviously we need to try to work out if one is neutered. More research on this required as I didn't read about this when we bought them in the book I got in advance of buying them.

The drama is over for now. I'm very grateful for the help. I feel like I know a whole lot more. And we are so relieved

I still think some of you appear to lack empathy, especially the person who suggested I did just because I didn't send you a picture of myself crying as I typed.

@unlikelychump oh I'm so pleased to hear this!! Hope she carries on eating well.

I'm sure you know already but just in case she goes off food again they seem to really like herbs such as coriander and parsley , also spinach, brocolli and kale. They shouldn't have too many pellets, most of their food should be grass or hay and occasional bits of fruit/non green veg as a treat such as chopped up grapes, carrot, apple. Not too much though as they are high in sugar.

So pleased she is ok. Bet the kids are relieved!!

Thanks. We have a lot of kale in but, I haven't had coriander or parsley for them. I'll also get broccoli. We give them carrots but I haven't done apple yet or any fruit as there are lots of warnings about being too sweet. Maybe I've taken the books too literally and should give them those again.

They've got plenty of hay now. I think we haven't given them enough and this might have been the problem. It is hard to know how much is the right amount. I guess more is more.

Yeah they can have fruit but really only a small bit occasionally.

With hay I'd give as much as they can eat so they always have some available. Unfortunately little guinea pigs are fragile and when they get ill they go downhill really quickly. I'm sure it's nothing you have done. These things just happen from time to time and you did the best thing for her.

Hope piggy is on the mend
i have looked after a friend’s piggies and I know that they absolutely love parsley. Get some in when you can?
hope she’s back to her usual self very soon

I am 28 years old & have only just found out my parents 'replaced' our Guinea pigs multiple times as kids so we didn't know they had passed! I believe they lived 15+ years lol could be an idea for you?

Peppers are great too - full of vitamin c which they don't get from hay and they cant store in their bodies so need it daily. You can get vitamin c powder as well but giving them a variety of leaves and vegetables would be better.
They can't have too much hay. Think a mound the size of their bodies, each day. I get boxes of it off Amazon. Mine like to bury themselves in it too.

Hi.
For rabbits and Guinea pigs (speaking as someone who had rabbits before) the rule of thumb is..
Plenty of Timothy hay, it keeps food moving through the gut and stops gi stasis (deadly), alfalfa hay is fattening only recommended for youngsters, hay also wears the teeth down which is good in rabbits as they are continuously growing.. Might be same for guineas, both need unlimited hay.

Small amount of veggies I would say once a day, mainly leafy greens, kale is good and also rocket. Too much spinach is bad because it is prone to causing stones I think.
Fruit is a treat, not too much, you can get hay based or healthy treats like meadow flowers, too many fruits and veggies can cause an upset stomach and gi stasis (again mainly need hay).
If pellets are round and hard that is good, too many wet droppings is a sign the diet is too rich.
Hope that helps.

Also same thing for the supplementary nuggets you get, be careful of giving too many a small handful in a bowl a day will suffice.
You can find a lot of this info online.

Glad she’s doing better. Supplement vit C, OP! A poorly pig needs a lot and it can make all the difference. Try the Oxbow vit C treats or Pro-C

With hay, more is more. What they don't eat they can nest in. Replace it regularly.

If you now know you have a boy and a girl, do not under any circumstances let them be together until you are absolutely sure one is neutered. It is very very dangerous, often fatal, for a guinea pig to get pregnant for the first time after 6 months of age. If she has got to 22 months without a pregnancy, she must not be allowed to get pregnant now.

Do you want to tell us a bit more about their living quarters eyc.
Are they inside now for winter and free from draughts?
Do they have a hay rack to eat hay from and hay to bed down in?
Nuggets as well?
I always liked those little heat up pads you can put in their cage in winter to keep them snuggly as well
With good care you can expect them to live to 5+ so 2 would be really young. It's often teeth (they just need clipping but can cause a lot of pain) or cold (draughts, chills, respiratory infections) that get them ... if it's not foxes :(

Well what a week! She went back for her routine appointment today and she is back to being a boy!!!

It's all very modern here 😁😁

Yes to a hay rack and bedding. We will get vit c. Can they have the adult soluble ones? I've got loads of them.

We've changed the balances and proportions of the various food and things seem better now. They are in a warm draught free room in the kitchen getting lots of treats. Also well loved and cuddled by the kids especially .They have a separate pen in the kitchen which is big too

Here he actually is, on my daughter who also broke her arm on dramatic Wednesday...

Oh he she is beautiful/handsome. A real chunk!

Gorgeous guinea pig @unlikelychump and glad things are looking up.

I am a long-term guinea owner and can highly recommend website The Guinea Pig Forum for lots of brilliant advice on all things guinea pig https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/

Key things to bear in mind would be:

Diet should be 80% hay, 15% veggies (lettuce, cucumber, pepper etc - be careful about giving too much broccoli, kale and so on as can cause bloat), 5% pellets. They don't need vitamin C tablets in water, they get all the vitamin C they need from their food.

Aim to weigh weekly and do a general check over for each guinea pig to make sure all is well. Pigs should maintain their weight to within +/- 50g. Any loss of 50g + is concerning and should be investigated.

Get some critical care (essentially dried hay to which you add water to create a kind of puree) to keep in the house and give this if you have major concerns and can't get to a vet quickly. It's essential that guinea pigs don't just stop eating.

Most vets specialise in cats/dogs - very few are actual exotics specialists (guinea pigs, like reptiles/birds etc, come under the 'exotics' heading). However, many cat/dog vets do have a decent amount of experience in treating small furries and prompt treatment can make a huge difference. Over the years I have taken various guineas to our (excellent) general vet for all sorts of things - tooth problems, eye problems, urine infections, respiratory infections, etc etc. Yes sadly there are times when nothing can be done but I have known many other times when a simple course of antibiotics has sorted an issue and the guinea has bounced back to health.

Hopefully it will be onwards and upwards for your piggie now but for anyone else reading this, please always take a small furry to the vet if you suspect illness, and do it sooner rather than later - it can make all the difference.