Guinea Pig sudden passing

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kailaeve1271

Post   » Mon Jun 21, 2021 10:38 pm


Good afternoon everyone. I’m sad to say that one of my male guinea pigs has passed away this afternoon.

I was unable to check on him throughout the day because I was at work (I try to interact with them frequently especially him since he was only a few months old and was just getting used to people), but this morning he was sweet as could be ran up to the end of the cage squeaking for food, and allowing me to pet him and even hold him. His belly was not hard, and he had access to fresh hay and water as they always do.

When I found him tonight he had just passed (still warm), but was covered in green vomit on his face and had some soft poops stuck in his fur. It was not caked around his butt he’s just a long hair so since it was soft it got stuck in his hair. His poops haven’t been soft since I adopted him as he was originally being fed an improper diet.

Would there be any reason for him to have passed suddenly with vomit since that is abnormal? Also should I be concerned for my other piggies? I had one older male with him and nearby I have a cage with three females, they don’t have contact with each other but if he had some sort of virus they all have contact with me and my clothes when I hold them.

kailaeve1271

Post   » Mon Jun 21, 2021 10:43 pm


Also in case it is important he was a Texel that I had gotten at a pet store to be a last second partner with the older male. The males original partner had died from neurological problems when he was young as well and he had gotten depressed very quickly and stopped eating. I partnered them about 4-5 months ago and they loved each other. There was no fighting and the piggie that passed away had no bite marks or scratches on him so I have already ruled fighting or infection from a cut/bite out

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Tue Jun 22, 2021 6:15 pm


I'm so sorry about the sudden loss of your guinea pig, my sympathy to you. This is puzzling since it sounds like he was healthy and eating in the morning. So speculation would be he ingested something toxic, which is unlikely since he was getting a healthy diet and had a buddy who would have been eating the same foods. Or possibly a sudden heart attack or stroke of some kind, which is unusual for a young pig. But you never know about congenital health issues, and they keep their illnesses hidden so it's difficult to know they have a problem.

I would keep an eye on your other guinea pigs, and hopefully everyone else will remain healthy. Again, my condolences.

kailaeve1271

Post   » Tue Jun 22, 2021 7:58 pm


Thank you for your condolences. It was definitely hard to get over especially when you don’t know what was done wrong.

They’re currently eating a mix of Oxbow and Sherwood pellets, along with fresh mixed greens, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and occasionally a treat like parsley or carrots. I don’t think it was their diet.

I did however just find a white fungus on my other male. He was just treated with a epsom salt soak on his belly where it was at and I’m cleaning his cage. There is scabbing under the fungus. I trimmed his hair back around the area to keep an eye on it since he is a Peruvian. I didn’t see this fungus on the passed piggie, however, he was a white piggie with lots of fur so it is possible that it was hidden if he had a small area of it, but again I doubt it since I gave him a full inspection after he passed.

My cages are cleaned very often. Poops are cleaned off of fleece nightly, fleece replaced every three to four days, and there feeding area has paper bedding that is cleaned weekly. This is done more is an area is especially soiled.

I’m wearing gloves when handing him because I don’t know if this is contagious to me or my other animals (I have the piggies, fish, frogs, a crab, and two cats). I don’t want anyone else sick. He’s not showing any signs of being sick except for the obvious wound and fungus. The other guinea pigs were fully inspected (with gloves changed between each piggie) and I found nothing on my girls so hopefully the fungus is isolating to just the little dude

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Jun 22, 2021 9:35 pm


I am so sorry for your loss.

Was what you describe as green vomit perhaps instead the smelly green cecal feces that a guinea pig reingests? If particularly soft, I imagine there could be the remote chance of asphyxiation (went down wrong or inhaled) - though we have not encountered a situation like you describe.

Sometimes a necropsy can give insight into what may have caused the death.

For your other guinea pig, you might want to read over this page:
https://www.guinealynx.info/fungus.html

kailaeve1271

Post   » Tue Jun 22, 2021 9:57 pm


Thank you! I’m really thinking it’s ringworm based on the link you sent me. I’ll be trying to get Nizoral tonight to try to treat him.

As for the green stuff out of his mouth it was green and smelly, however, it wasn’t solid. It was mainly running down the corners of his mouth, it did look like it had pieces of hay in it so maybe it was some mixed with some hay that he chewed on that he spat out when he passed?

And unfortunately I did want to have him sitting out in a fever overnight, he was a very sweet baby, so I already buried him and I don’t think I can bring myself to dig him back up to take in for a necropsy. I also live in Georgia where it is very hot so I imagine he’s already starting decay as well

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