I just feel.. Empty. And guilty to boot.
So, a little back story: I've been coming to this website for months, just as a guest as I didn't feel an account was necessary yet, getting advice from people and reading all about these wonderful animals.
I built my cage based off of the information I got from here, got my first piggies, and loved every second with them. Even when they kept me up at night wheeking, even when they trashed my room with litter and poo that they'd get every where when playing, even when I have to deal with hay dust and allergies. It was worth it all for them, my precious little pigoos.
I had two piggies, both females, one named Nidra and the other Fin. They are sisters and I've had them for just over 1 and a half years.
Almost everyone in my family are pet lovers, we have just about everything (or at one point did), dogs, cats, birds, snakes, rats, mice, gerbils, fish, crabs, lizards - You name it! We take great care for our pets, we do tons of research, buy them the healthiest food, give them tons of things to play with, make sure they get their out time and exercise. They are family to us.
So, on to what happened now.
My pigs are kept in my room, away from the predatory animals of the house (save for my cat who is older and not interested in even looking at them). We are very careful with the doors, making sure nothing goes in or out if it's not supposed to. I have a lidless C&C cage (which I now regret to no end), and I keep my door closed all the time unless I am right there, except when the dogs or ferrets are out then I always close it. I was getting ready for work, going in and out of my room a few times, not any more than usual though, and I was being as vigilant as always. I took my lunch back to my room to put it in my bag when out of the corner of my eye I saw a fast, small, very not-guinea-pig-shaped brown blur in their cage. I turn to check the cage and to my horror my sister's ferret is in there. I snatched her out asap but it was too late; she ravaged Nidra's face to bits. Nidra was whimpering in pain and fear. We rushed her to an emergency vet clinic (it was 3 AM at the time). The vet looked her over and with a heavy heart told us she has lost both her eyes and they needed to be surgically removed. He warned us that there was a high risk of failure because of how guinea pigs are with general anesthesia. He couldn't do the surgery himself because he did not have the instruments required, and he knew maybe one guy who could do it. We are not in the best financial situation at the moment. I just got my job a couple weeks ago, my dad lost his a few months ago and only just got another job, and my mom is too ill to work. And with the high risk involved.. I (by no easy means) decided to have her euthanized.
The loss of a pet hasn't effect me this bad in over a decade. I just don't know what to do, and while I try to tell myself it was a genuine accident and there's no point in blaming myself, I just can't stop beating myself up over it.
So I guess what I really want to know, for better or worse, is this really my fault? Should I feel guilty? And did I make the right decision to put her down?
I don't know. And I'm afraid to know the answer, though at the same time I feel like I need too.
Sorry for the depressing first post. I've just been a mess since it happened.
I promise to post happier threads about my surviving piggy and her new companion in the coming days.
Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
PS: Fin is okay and she didn't get even a scratch on her, and the ferret only got a minor cut to her chin.
So, a little back story: I've been coming to this website for months, just as a guest as I didn't feel an account was necessary yet, getting advice from people and reading all about these wonderful animals.
I built my cage based off of the information I got from here, got my first piggies, and loved every second with them. Even when they kept me up at night wheeking, even when they trashed my room with litter and poo that they'd get every where when playing, even when I have to deal with hay dust and allergies. It was worth it all for them, my precious little pigoos.
I had two piggies, both females, one named Nidra and the other Fin. They are sisters and I've had them for just over 1 and a half years.
Almost everyone in my family are pet lovers, we have just about everything (or at one point did), dogs, cats, birds, snakes, rats, mice, gerbils, fish, crabs, lizards - You name it! We take great care for our pets, we do tons of research, buy them the healthiest food, give them tons of things to play with, make sure they get their out time and exercise. They are family to us.
So, on to what happened now.
My pigs are kept in my room, away from the predatory animals of the house (save for my cat who is older and not interested in even looking at them). We are very careful with the doors, making sure nothing goes in or out if it's not supposed to. I have a lidless C&C cage (which I now regret to no end), and I keep my door closed all the time unless I am right there, except when the dogs or ferrets are out then I always close it. I was getting ready for work, going in and out of my room a few times, not any more than usual though, and I was being as vigilant as always. I took my lunch back to my room to put it in my bag when out of the corner of my eye I saw a fast, small, very not-guinea-pig-shaped brown blur in their cage. I turn to check the cage and to my horror my sister's ferret is in there. I snatched her out asap but it was too late; she ravaged Nidra's face to bits. Nidra was whimpering in pain and fear. We rushed her to an emergency vet clinic (it was 3 AM at the time). The vet looked her over and with a heavy heart told us she has lost both her eyes and they needed to be surgically removed. He warned us that there was a high risk of failure because of how guinea pigs are with general anesthesia. He couldn't do the surgery himself because he did not have the instruments required, and he knew maybe one guy who could do it. We are not in the best financial situation at the moment. I just got my job a couple weeks ago, my dad lost his a few months ago and only just got another job, and my mom is too ill to work. And with the high risk involved.. I (by no easy means) decided to have her euthanized.
The loss of a pet hasn't effect me this bad in over a decade. I just don't know what to do, and while I try to tell myself it was a genuine accident and there's no point in blaming myself, I just can't stop beating myself up over it.
So I guess what I really want to know, for better or worse, is this really my fault? Should I feel guilty? And did I make the right decision to put her down?
I don't know. And I'm afraid to know the answer, though at the same time I feel like I need too.
Sorry for the depressing first post. I've just been a mess since it happened.
I promise to post happier threads about my surviving piggy and her new companion in the coming days.
Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
PS: Fin is okay and she didn't get even a scratch on her, and the ferret only got a minor cut to her chin.