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Missing Miss Opal and some questions

GraceWilson99

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Miss Opal was about 1.5 years old and I had to put her down today due to some pretty gruesome conditions. I do have a question, with which I will have to get specific, so if you don't want to read about that I want to warn you to look away.

I woke up this morning and Opal had diarrhea in multiple spots around the cage. She was also lethargic and unable to move well at all and her little nose and lips were blue. They were going to treat her, as her chances were 50/50, but she quickly declined during our visit and began seizing. She began making unearthly noises and I made the decision to put her down as opposed to put her through any more pain on my account. This was all very sudden. I am having her cremated and I will introduce her ashes once they arrive to her two cage mates.

This is where my question comes in: the vet said that the other guinea pigs should not be in danger of having any illness (this was all VERY sudden for Opal. She weighed in fine yesterday and matched her weight for the week prior. She had been eating and had water yesterday. She had some softer stool for about two weeks but her pellets had always been strange since I rescued her) but I wanted to see if anyone had had a similar experience and might have some insight to what could have happened? As of current, I have the fleece bed that i took her to the vet in in the cage so they can smell her (they've been looking for her all day) and she did not defecate into the bed so I don't believe there would be any bacterial transmission there. I do notice that some pellets in the cage are smaller than others, but one of my guinea pigs is smaller than the other so this makes sense.

I'm sorry if this seems all over the place. I am just heartbroken and want to give my babies the best life possible and that includes seeking out knowledge of what Opal's condition could have been. She had some abnormalities as a piggy from day one as she was quiet and, as of recent, had become pretty violent. I know this could mean she had a neurological condition which would mean it wasn't contagious.

I'm going to take my loves for a well visit once the office makes themselves available for such visits (because of quarantine, they aren't doing yearly things right now) but I want to go into that visit as educated as possible.

Thank you all so much. I joined this forum a long time ago and am now back hoping someone can give insight <3
 

spy9doc

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What a beauty! Fly free over the Rainbow Bridge, Miss Opal. :love:

You know, it's so very human to want answers and to make some sense of what happened today. But, sometimes there just are no answers. From your description of her history and what just happened today, I think that you may be spot-on with your diagnosis. I would suspect a genetic or neurological underlying cause. These little creatures are so fragile and sometimes despite our best intention and efforts, they just don't live that long. I know that none of my babies who died prematurely did so because I did anything wrong or neglectful. We give them the best life possible and love them beyond reason, and yet their time with us is always much too short.

Godspeed for Miss Opal on her journey! Be comforted by what a good life she had with you.
 

GraceWilson99

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Thank you for your kind words <3 Right now, it means the world.

She truly was a beauty <3 I saved her from a breeder at 13 weeks who said she was "too old to sell" and he eluded to putting her down for that and because she had red eyes. I quickly fell in love and she was my little mashed potato.

I'm thankful that you also agree. I was afraid that I was making up scenarios in my head so that I wouldn't be so anxious about the others being impacted. They are eating and drinking water as I type this so I know that they're okay they just seem sad. They're taking turns sleeping in the little fleece bed I put in there that had Opal's smell. I truly do think since we thought that Opal was mute to begin with and she had such weird mannerisms such as chewing apart the seams of bedding and such that it was a brain thing. I'll never know, but at least what I do know is she is not in pain.

Again. Thank you so much!
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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I am so very, very sorry for your loss. Opal was beautiful little thing.

As [MENTION=19714]spy9doc[/MENTION] said, sometimes there are no answers. And even though the decision you had to make was painful, you made the right one. Sometimes it isn't possible to know what happened. All you can know now is that she is at peace.

Rest in peace, beautiful Opal. You'll find so many new furry friends at the Rainbow Bridge.
 
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