Is there anything I could have done?

captaingoat · Post » Sun Oct 01, 2017 3:07 pm

It's a little late now, my little guy died yesterday but I want to know if there was anything I could have done to prevent it.
Day 1, I noticed he was eating less and was being less active, not a lot, just less.
Day 2, it was less food and no water at all so I took him to the closest vet 1 hour away where I left him overnight, figuring they could do a better job then me. They said he wasn't eating that night but the next morning he was eating again, hay and pellets and was walking around so I thought that was good news.
Day 3, When I went to get him, about 24 hours after dropping him off he had diarrhea, was extremely listless and had dried blood on his nose. They released him so I took him home. He did nothing, didn't eat, we tried to medicate him and he squeaked every 15 minutes in pain. He died that night.

Is this a result of whatever was ailing him? Probably some GI or intestinal issues? I know once they're sick they're hard to cure but I wonder what happened at the vet's that he ate again and seemed to get better, then died later that day. I feel they shouldn't have released him to me in that way as he certainly didn't look that great. I couldn't tell on sight as he was nervous and scared of course, being at the vet's so I took their word for it and took him home but I knew something was wrong and he likely wouldn't survive the night, which he didn't. He was stiff by 7 am the next morning. I feel this is negligence by the vet that they didn't notice and didn't even notice his bloody nose when they released him to me.

bpatters · Post » Sun Oct 01, 2017 3:19 pm

I'm very sorry you lost him.

Without a necropsy, there's really no way to know what happened to him. It could have been bloat or some other digestive upset, a respiratory illness, or something else altogether.

Unless a vet has overnight staff at the clinic that can monitor and feed a pig through the night, it's best to take the pig home. Pigs MUST eat frequently, and if there's no one there between clinic closing and opening times, that's too long for a pig to go without food. Especially a sick pig. If he wasn't eating, he should have been force-fed about every 3-4 hours, as well as having fluids syringed to him.

I'm not sure about his bloody nose. If he had a URI, that could possibly have contributed to it. Or he could have had a small burst blood vessel.

captaingoat · Post » Sun Oct 01, 2017 3:34 pm

bpatters wrote: ↑Sun Oct 01, 2017 3:19 pm I'm very sorry you lost him.

Without a necropsy, there's really no way to know what happened to him. It could have been bloat or some other digestive upset, a respiratory illness, or something else altogether.

Unless a vet has overnight staff at the clinic that can monitor and feed a pig through the night, it's best to take the pig home. Pigs MUST eat frequently, and if there's no one there between clinic closing and opening times, that's too long for a pig to go without food. Especially a sick pig. If he wasn't eating, he should have been force-fed about every 3-4 hours, as well as having fluids syringed to him.

I'm not sure about his bloody nose. If he had a URI, that could possibly have contributed to it. Or he could have had a small burst blood vessel.

They did have overnight staff watching him and they said that he was eating again.

GPIG · Post » Sun Oct 01, 2017 8:00 pm

I'm sorry you lost him. Hard to say what happened but it sounds like whatever it was the outcome was going to be the same. You took him home and he was able to have his final time in comfortable surroundings surrounded by love instead of being anxious and scared. No small thing.

Post » Sun Oct 01, 2017 9:09 pm

I am so sorry you lost your little guy, captaingoat. It sounds like you tried to do all the right things.

I also believe a necropsy is the only way to know what happened. Do you know if your pet was given antibiotics? Do you know what they were? Did they mention syringe feeding him? I don't know if this vet was knowledgeable about guinea pigs but hope so.

You have our sympathy.

GrannyJu1 · Post » Mon Oct 02, 2017 10:41 am

I'm so sorry you lost him. Rest in peace, little one. Sending hugs and comfort to you, captaingoat.

Bookfan · Post » Mon Oct 02, 2017 10:47 am

I'm sorry you lost him. Sounds like you did all you could for him and loved him well.

captaingoat · Post » Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:52 am

Lynx wrote: ↑Sun Oct 01, 2017 9:09 pm I am so sorry you lost your little guy, captaingoat. It sounds like you tried to do all the right things.

I also believe a necropsy is the only way to know what happened. Do you know if your pet was given antibiotics? Do you know what they were? Did they mention syringe feeding him? I don't know if this vet was knowledgeable about guinea pigs but hope so.

You have our sympathy.

No antibiotics and they didnt need to syringe feed him they said he was eating on his own happily, pellets and hay. Had to do the fluid injections under the skin. He started pooping up a storm, which was good because he hadn't been, and then it turned to diarrhea and he stopped eating again later that day. Like he had a second wind?