Worst Guinea Pig carer in the world or the unluckiest?

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rjespicer

Post   » Wed Feb 05, 2020 5:02 am


I guess you are probably right, it may be related to the issues she had 18 months ago (when the vet told us to consider euthanasia) but up until yesterday she was full of life.

Im going to try to get some sleep now, I need it. These little furballs break your heart.

RIP Nala
Image

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Wed Feb 05, 2020 5:15 am


They indeed do. That's a lovely photo of her.

Take care of yourself and do try to get some rest. Sending you a gentle hug.

Lisa12

Post   » Wed Feb 05, 2020 5:52 am


We are very sorry for your loss:,(.

I always liked to read about your gang of pigs, cause you were all so on point and cool and even have your own oppinions if vets suggested something that didnt seem the best.
And if you did everything you could than thats it and of course you did. I can imagine she was living like a queen.

Beside my friend went to euthanise dog (he was 16+)very old and than she said you know what for me it was so difficult to do that and stresful for both on the other hand it was obvious that it would be easier for me and for him if he would die at home-he didnt have more than couple of months ahead of him and all painkillers and stuff, so.. I think you decided more than right, especially if she felt great until the end.

The greatness of man(pig) is in his integerity and his ability to affect thoose around him positively as Bob Marley said and i bet she did..take care.
From Irie&co.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Feb 05, 2020 11:03 am


I am so very sorry you lost her. I doubt the metacam was the issue. I don't think it is a narcotic type pain reliever.

The drug calculation page I recommend is:
https://www.guinealynx.info/calculate_dose.html

To find out what the dosage is, find the medication first on this page:
https://www.guinealynx.info/medications.html

The medications page will send you to the right page (antibiotics, analgesics, antiparasitics, etc.).

rjespicer

Post   » Wed Feb 05, 2020 12:26 pm


OK I missed that. I permanently have the dose calculator open on my iPad and didn't see it in the list so decided to check back on previous doses from the vet but it seems that those were both high doses.
I wonder if she had heart problems, when she was ill last time the vet had her on lasix and that helped but the said it was to remove the fluid that showed up not for any heart condition She has been full of life since then up until late Monday evening when I noticed that her breathing was more visible but I couldn't hear any rasping or popping. She wasn't hunched over but just seemed to want to lay on her side and sleep a lot. That said she was climbing up on my knees to get pea flakes earlier Monday evening.
I just keep second guessing myself right now wondering what I did wrong or what I should have done better but it all seemed to happen so fast.

Bookfan
For the Love of Pigs

Post   » Wed Feb 05, 2020 2:02 pm


I'm so sorry you lost her, but don't second guess yourself. We all seem to do it, especially with pigs that go fast. I'm sure you had nothing to do with it and she had a great life with you.

rjespicer

Post   » Wed Feb 05, 2020 3:22 pm


Its difficult not to. My head is full of "What ifs"
What if I had spotted something sooner
What if I had spent more time trying to find and confirm dosages (I'll admit I was panicking more than I should)
What if I hadn't given her the meds
What if I hadn't picked her up to try and feed her and just let her rest.

I am now also worried about what might have happened with Piglets high dose and whether that might have done any damage

However I did find something on the net saying that "
It can be concluded that meloxicam is well tolerated in guinea pigs at the recommended dose, and no
treatment related adverse events were noted at doses up to 3x the proposed dose for 3 times longer
than recommended."

With the 3x dose being 0.6mg/kg

I guess on the plus side she had 18 more months with us than the vet had given her when she was ill in July 2018.

Still sad, gonna miss that fluffy little face peering at me out from under the hay pile.
Image

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Feb 05, 2020 5:03 pm


He was so handsome. I am not surprised you will miss his cute face.

Is this the page you use to calculate doses?
https://www.guinealynx.info/calculate_dose.html

rjespicer

Post   » Wed Feb 05, 2020 5:12 pm


Nala is a She but yes a real cutey. I felt we had really bonded after me having to syringe feed her everyday for 6 weeks.

This is the page that I tried to use as I had used it for the Ivermectin and Antibiotics in the past but when I didn't find Meloxicam there I looked through teh dosing info we had received from the vet the last time and adjusted it for her current weight.

https://www.guinealynx.info/dose_calculator.html

I shoudl have looked harder and did a search on teh forums and found a post where a dosage of .3cc twice per day was mentioned so since that kind of matched with what the vets dosage scaled to I thought it was fine.
I wonder if she did have heart issues if the Meloxicam was too much for her.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Wed Feb 05, 2020 7:12 pm


I'm so, so sorry, rjespicer. I feel your pain, I really do. I will say again, though: I don't believe there was any connection between her death and the Metacam. That's a higher dose than normal, yes, and I wouldn't suggest dosing it at that rate long-term, but I absolutely do not believe that a single dose at that amount contributed to what happened to her. I was thinking about this today, and it occurred to me that in 15+ years of being involved with guinea pigs, I have not seen a single case of guinea pig dying from a Metacam overdose. Cats and dogs, yes; guinea pigs, no.

In those 15 years, I have lost my fair share of sweet little pigs. And yes, I have beat myself up and second-guessed so many of the things that I did or didn't do and decisions that I had to make. The fact remains, though, that we're not God. We are human beings who love these little guys and do the best we can with the information that we have at the time and the resources available to us. That's all any of us can really do.

You are a good, caring cavy slave who loved Nala very much. She had a good life with you and, at the end of the day, that is everything. Please try to focus on that in the days to come, and let yourself be at peace.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Wed Feb 05, 2020 11:27 pm


I'm so sorry you lost Nala. It sounds like she had a stroke since she was on her side when you arrived home. Please don't blame yourself for trying the Metacam. I agree with others that it probably helped with any pain she was having, and it's unlikely to have caused her condition to worsen.

There are studies posted online about tests done to evaluate safe use of Metacam in guinea pigs. One study administered 0.6 mg/kg of Metacam each day for 3 days, and then 0.3 mg/kg daily for 3 more continuous days with no side effects.

You take such good care of your piggies - now you need to take care of yourself. My condolences.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Thu Feb 06, 2020 12:24 am


I'm very sorry you lost her, rjespicer. But like the others, I don't think the metacam had anything to do with it. My last guinea pig had very severe arthritis in her knees, and was on a much higher dose of metacam than that for at least a year.

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