Trixy
Member
Cavy Slave
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2014
- Posts
- 12
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2014
- Messages
- 12
Bought 2 piggies back in Feb. Piggy (broken link removed) (Butterscotch) broke out in Ringworm 3 days after we got her. Piggy (broken link removed) (Wilma) died 5 days after that. Both were pet store piggies. Spent over $150 at the Vet for Butterscotch. Never made it to my vet appt for Wilma because she died right after I made it. Brought Butterscotch back to the store and insisted they care for her since they sold me two sick piggies, one of which died. They took her and said they'd call after treatment so I can have her back. They offered to clean her cage so she wasn't reinfected when I get her back, refunded me the cost of the cage and the two piggies and then gave me $150 in a gift card to make up for my vet expenses. They actually went above and beyond.
Fast forward to last Thursday. Called the store, said Butterscotch was doing great and her hair was growing back and no trace of ringworm. Last weekend marked 30 days on meds so they said I most likley will get her back at the end of the week. Went in on Thursday to get my cage cleaned and ready for her return. Got to see her and she looked great. Was told the Vet wants her to stay on the meds for another 30 days so they need to keep her. Daughter was looking at their other piggies and fell in love with one of them. Against my better judgement, and because we wanted Butterscotch to have a buddy and because I had this $150 gift card that I needed to use up, I agreed to get Piggy (broken link removed) (Shirley).
All was well. Shirley was super sweet and cute. Pooping and peeing a lot. Eating hay like it was going out of style. Loving her two servings of romain lettuce each day (one in the morning and one at night), but noticed she really wasn't eating much of her Oxbow pellets - eating it, but very little of it. Definately not eating it like Wilma did. She was a piggie (no pun intended). Shirley would even repond when we'd call her and after a few minutes of "talking" to her, she'd come out of her hiding spot and come over to us. We waited 3 days to touch her or take her out of the cage to help reduce her stress from the move. She was active and when we finally took her out, she had a blast running on the couch between my daughter and husband and playing on our laps (or just sitting there allowing us to pet her). She was very curious and seemed to love the attention we were giving her.
On Sunday (3 days after getting her), I noticed she wasn't eating much of her lettuce, but was still eating her hay and I saw her eating her pellets. She was drinking as usual. I spot cleaned her cage, added new bedding, dumped her pellets and gave her fresh ones, and added more hay to her holder. By 8 pm, I noticed she wasn't as active as she was in the previous days. Also noticed there were only 4 pellets of poop since I cleaned her cage several hours earlier. I picked her up to hold her before I went to bed and she seemed SAD for a lack of better words. Also noticed she didn't touch any of her evening lettuce either.
Yesterday, I worked from home and when I went to get her out, she whimpered and whined, jerked around and seemed lathargic. I whipped out my syringe and started giving her water to keep her hydrated. Called my Vet and got in soon after. Vet said her heart and lungs sounded good but her belly was disended (is that the word?). He said he could feel the poop in her intestines backing up and said she was constipated/had a blockage. Told me she probably wasn't getting enough fiber in her diet to keep things moving along. I couldn't believe it. Told him she was eating romaine lettuce twice a day, plus all her hay. Then he said she might not have been used to the good food and it backed her up. He implied they get the bare minimum at pet stores. Gave me an antibiotic for any possible bacteria infection that was caused from the constipation, something to help move things along, some Oxbow critical care and he told me to give her fresh squeezed pineapple juice (has enzymes in it to help get things moving). Luckily, I am a juicer and had a pineapple on my counter. Then he gave her some pain meds at the office before we left - she was in a lot of pain.
I did everything I was told. Held that little girl all day hand feeding her and petting her trying to make her comfortable, whcih at one point she started to refuse the food. Then she seemed to be getting better around 5 pm. 7 poops. I was so excited!!!! And she was moving around. Not much but some. I was hopeful she was on the mend. I was wrong. After those 7 poops, she didn't push out any more. Finally around 9 pm, I put her back in her cage after her last round of meds and food, and bid her good night. Woke up at 2 am this morning and had to check on her. It was a scary sight. She lay there on her side in the middle of her cage having mini convulsions and whimpering non-stop and opening and closing her mouth constantly. I swooped her up as she cried in pain, got her Critical Care, some more pineapple juice and started to feed her. She was in a massive amount of pain. She didn't take much of the food and juice so I just carressed her and told her it was okay to let go. I told her how sorry I was I couldn't help her. She laid in my arms and 2 hours later, the glimmer of light left her eye, and she took her last breath. She laid there dead in my arms. I sobbed, placed her back in her cage and went back to bed. I dreaded the thought of telling my 10 year old another one died.
How on Earth could this have happened TWICE!!! What the heck am I doing wrong? I almost don't want Butterscotch back. I'm afraid I'm going to kill her, too! Can someone please tell me what I should be doing? I thought I was doing everything right.
Fast forward to last Thursday. Called the store, said Butterscotch was doing great and her hair was growing back and no trace of ringworm. Last weekend marked 30 days on meds so they said I most likley will get her back at the end of the week. Went in on Thursday to get my cage cleaned and ready for her return. Got to see her and she looked great. Was told the Vet wants her to stay on the meds for another 30 days so they need to keep her. Daughter was looking at their other piggies and fell in love with one of them. Against my better judgement, and because we wanted Butterscotch to have a buddy and because I had this $150 gift card that I needed to use up, I agreed to get Piggy (broken link removed) (Shirley).
All was well. Shirley was super sweet and cute. Pooping and peeing a lot. Eating hay like it was going out of style. Loving her two servings of romain lettuce each day (one in the morning and one at night), but noticed she really wasn't eating much of her Oxbow pellets - eating it, but very little of it. Definately not eating it like Wilma did. She was a piggie (no pun intended). Shirley would even repond when we'd call her and after a few minutes of "talking" to her, she'd come out of her hiding spot and come over to us. We waited 3 days to touch her or take her out of the cage to help reduce her stress from the move. She was active and when we finally took her out, she had a blast running on the couch between my daughter and husband and playing on our laps (or just sitting there allowing us to pet her). She was very curious and seemed to love the attention we were giving her.
On Sunday (3 days after getting her), I noticed she wasn't eating much of her lettuce, but was still eating her hay and I saw her eating her pellets. She was drinking as usual. I spot cleaned her cage, added new bedding, dumped her pellets and gave her fresh ones, and added more hay to her holder. By 8 pm, I noticed she wasn't as active as she was in the previous days. Also noticed there were only 4 pellets of poop since I cleaned her cage several hours earlier. I picked her up to hold her before I went to bed and she seemed SAD for a lack of better words. Also noticed she didn't touch any of her evening lettuce either.
Yesterday, I worked from home and when I went to get her out, she whimpered and whined, jerked around and seemed lathargic. I whipped out my syringe and started giving her water to keep her hydrated. Called my Vet and got in soon after. Vet said her heart and lungs sounded good but her belly was disended (is that the word?). He said he could feel the poop in her intestines backing up and said she was constipated/had a blockage. Told me she probably wasn't getting enough fiber in her diet to keep things moving along. I couldn't believe it. Told him she was eating romaine lettuce twice a day, plus all her hay. Then he said she might not have been used to the good food and it backed her up. He implied they get the bare minimum at pet stores. Gave me an antibiotic for any possible bacteria infection that was caused from the constipation, something to help move things along, some Oxbow critical care and he told me to give her fresh squeezed pineapple juice (has enzymes in it to help get things moving). Luckily, I am a juicer and had a pineapple on my counter. Then he gave her some pain meds at the office before we left - she was in a lot of pain.
I did everything I was told. Held that little girl all day hand feeding her and petting her trying to make her comfortable, whcih at one point she started to refuse the food. Then she seemed to be getting better around 5 pm. 7 poops. I was so excited!!!! And she was moving around. Not much but some. I was hopeful she was on the mend. I was wrong. After those 7 poops, she didn't push out any more. Finally around 9 pm, I put her back in her cage after her last round of meds and food, and bid her good night. Woke up at 2 am this morning and had to check on her. It was a scary sight. She lay there on her side in the middle of her cage having mini convulsions and whimpering non-stop and opening and closing her mouth constantly. I swooped her up as she cried in pain, got her Critical Care, some more pineapple juice and started to feed her. She was in a massive amount of pain. She didn't take much of the food and juice so I just carressed her and told her it was okay to let go. I told her how sorry I was I couldn't help her. She laid in my arms and 2 hours later, the glimmer of light left her eye, and she took her last breath. She laid there dead in my arms. I sobbed, placed her back in her cage and went back to bed. I dreaded the thought of telling my 10 year old another one died.
How on Earth could this have happened TWICE!!! What the heck am I doing wrong? I almost don't want Butterscotch back. I'm afraid I'm going to kill her, too! Can someone please tell me what I should be doing? I thought I was doing everything right.
