Elder guinea pigs with severe athritis - when it is selfish?

Cinnabuns Legacy

Post   » Wed Dec 25, 2013 2:09 pm


I am so sorry to hear of the cavies here who are not doing well. I am also sorry to bring up such a depressing topic, it is just something I have been struggling with having had some very arthritic pigs over the course of keeping these wonderful creatures. Sometimes I feel like I waited too long for a couple of them who were doing poorly, I stupidly thought just throwing more money at the problem would "fix" them.

I use Dasuquin (under advisory of an exotics veterinarian) for cats, about an eight of a capsule when they will take it and have a chondroitin and glucosamine supplement made for small animals (it is a compressed timothy hay tablet with the glucosamine and chondroitin in it, I think along with omega 3 which has natural anti inflammatory properties). Some days are better than others it seems though with arthritis and general aging.

piggycosy

Post   » Wed Dec 25, 2013 5:42 pm


I have two five year old guinea pigs so this thread is of much interest to me.

Are flax seeds okay for guinea pigs? It might add some omega-3 to their diet. Purslane (which refers to several plants - one of which is portulaca oleracea) is high in omega-3 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_oleracea) but also may also high in oxalic acid (https://www.guinealynx.info/diet_oxalic.html). Where would a guinea pig get additional omega-3? (Edit: Ah, along with glucosamine and chondroitin supplement).

Swimming therapy would help guinea pigs with joint mobility as the water supports their weight without putting stress on the joints (as long as they don't mind it):
http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/swimming.htm

High-dose vitamin C (150mg/day) makes arthritis worse? I wonder how big the study was. I wonder if medium dose (30mg) helped, as vitamin C helps collagen production.
http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/v ... ritis.aspx

Aside from medications and supplements, warmth and light massage should help pain relief.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Dec 25, 2013 9:29 pm


I don't think flax seeds would be a problem if given in very small amounts, fresh (not rancid). Flax seed seems to go rancid very easily.

User avatar
pig wrangler
Supporter in '13

Post   » Tue Dec 31, 2013 6:26 pm


I also have an elderly pig (8+) who has spinal arthritis and other health issues. We do metacam and chiropractic as needed, and have her on a restricted diet, but she is happy and will still purr and occasionally even popcorn (in an old lady with a walker kind of way). I do not think there is anything selfish about caring for an aging pig and making their lives comfortable and happy.

When your pig decides its time to go, it will let you know. As long as they are fighting for their lives, you should help them fight.

Cinnabuns Legacy

Post   » Tue Dec 31, 2013 11:11 pm


I have been told by two local exotics veterinarians that flax oil would be fine to give in small amounts to my cavies who have had dry skin or inflammation due to old age arthritis.

I have had a couple of guinea pigs with severe arthritis coupled with other serious medical issues (one kidney issues and the other with heart issues and bone density loss - a satin pig), and I felt like maybe I pushed too hard or something because eventually their bodies just gave up on them. I have such guilt wondering if I should have intervened sooner, but you know you also want to see them alive and enjoying vegetables and such.

User avatar
jacqueline

Post   » Wed Jan 01, 2014 6:58 am


Annie is my oldest pig. She's somewhere over 7 years old (she was a rescue). She has cardiac issues and has been on salix for a while, and more recently digoxin. I started to add metacam because she looked like she was having some joint pain.

She's always been a trooper taking her meds by syringe. The past few weeks she's been very resistant. She flat out refuses to open her mouth for the syringe meds. I'm still giving the salix (if I skip that she starts to hoot) and the metacam. I have stopped the digoxin.

My gut tells me that she's refusing her meds on purpose. I think she's just had enough. I want to keep her comfortable, so I'll keep doing the salix as long as I can.

Thoughts?

ClemmyOddieIndy

Post   » Wed Jan 01, 2014 11:03 am


My girls are getting older, so this is an interesting thread. None suffer from any joint problems at this time (knock on wood).

As for letting go, I'm probably not the best person to help with that topic because my animals usually either die in their sleep, unexpectedly drop dead, or die on the operating table. The only time we euthanize is if they are dying, and there is nothing we can do (e.g. hemorrhaging and the vet can't stop it).

Having grown up on a large horse farm (I'm talking over 100 horses at some points), we do have a lot of family friends who are vets, and the general consensus among them is, "if they are eating, drinking, and pooping you shouldn't give up". There was even one vet who would refuse to euthanize most animals that were still eating. He would ask owners to surrender their animals to him for care, and he would take care of them. Granted, we usually surround ourselves with people who have similar world perspectives as ours, so I'm sure there are other vets who don't have that perspective.

Cinnabuns Legacy

Post   » Wed Jan 08, 2014 12:54 am


I guess if they are still eating they must be fine. I just never know when is too soon, and I always feel bad because in a few cases I felt like I waited too long and they had to suffer unnecessarily; I just did not want to give up on them, I love them so much.

couchon

Post   » Wed Jan 08, 2014 8:00 am


I have recently read an article about the overuse of euthanasia in pets, and I thought it made a great point about how euthanasia basically is often done as a replacement for pain management (and a lot of vets use it that way as well because they are not really good at pain management).

Pain management can be tricky to get right, but I would focus on throwing everything into that - trying out different medicines for arthritis management as well as pain and also trying things like maybe accupuncture or water therapy, etc. If it were me, I would definitely make that my focus.

User avatar
jacqueline

Post   » Wed Jan 08, 2014 8:57 am


Pardon me while I wax a bit philosophical, but this is a topic I've been thinking alot about.

The thing about animals being sick is that in the "wild" a sick animal is easy prey and often becomes someone's meal pretty quickly. An animal doesn't really suffer long in it's natural habitat.

Euthanasia is such a difficult, personal, and painful decision to make. I understand that my above thought doesn't exactly relate, since we're talking about domesticated pets here. I guess the point I wanted to throw in is that it isn't "natural" for animals to suffer long, or to deal with chronic physical conditions. They get sick and either recover veryquickly or die.

We intervene and bring them to the vet, give them medications, and wean them through their sickness. But that's our need, not theirs. .

Does anyn of that make any sense? Like I said, I've been thinking alot aboiut this, so it's still a thought inprogress. . .

User avatar
Jaycey
Supporter in 2014

Post   » Wed Jan 08, 2014 9:16 am


I think euthanasia is overused a lot for many reasons. For many people it's that or paying the vet bills, and for some it prevents them the heartache of looking after an ill pet.

I definitely know what you mean jacqueline. Piggies are prey animals and can hide their illnesses well. They can seem find one moment, and the next they've passed away. They don't suffer for long, they wouldn't be able to in the wild. Although they are domesticated they still have a lot of natural instincts from their wild relatives, such as hiding away from the "eagles", herd behaviour. So, it should be one thing to consider when having to make that decision.

lunarminx

Post   » Wed Jan 08, 2014 3:27 pm


For me it's when we keep them when they need more and more meds for the good days. When the bad days out weigh the good days.

Post Reply