Tumor Cancer :(

[CakePig]

Hello,
My guinea pig was diagnosed with cancer today. It is not looking good, and she probably does not have much time left. The vet said there are no options aside from euthanasia now, or once her condition worsens. Of course I chose to wait until her quality of life decreases, and there is nothing left I can do for her. I am at a loss as to what to do...

She has pain killers from the vet as well as a high-calorie food to stop her from losing too much weight. Aside from that, though, I don't know what to do other than spend as much time with her as possible to make her feel comfortable and loved.

Has anyone gone through this before, or something similar? I have never had a pet get terminally ill before, and I just want to make my pig so happy while I still can. I can't stand the thought of her being alone and scared.

 

[Alexander]

i'm sorry that you are going to loose your piggy../.\
i have loose all my hammies b4 and it is very painful
it is best if you can stay and keep your piggy as comfortable as possible
hope i helped
and i'm sorry that your piggy has canser

 

[pinky]

I'm terrible sorry about your guinea pig. She doesn't know she has cancer and as long as she's on pain meds and is without pain and is eating and enjoying life, allow her to just take one day at a time. She'll let you know when it's become too difficult for her when she loses interest in eating or shows signs of pain. Death is part of the cycle of life. She's lucky to have someone as compassionate as you are to help her along her on her journey. I'm glad you posted this blog because you'll find there are a lot of people who understand what you're going through. I don't think she's frightened or scared one bit. In fact, I'm sure she's always happy spending time with you.

 

[bpatters]

Ditto pinky. If she's not in pain, your pig doesn't know there's anything different going on. You'll know when the time comes to let her go. It's hard, I know -- we just had to have our cat put to sleep, and we're all still grieving. But she was suffering, and it wasn't fair to her to try to keep her going just for our sakes. Just take lots of pictures so you can remember your friend in later years.

 

[CakePig]

Thanks, everyone.

I was hoping someone could shed some light on how exactly you can tell when it's time to let go? My pig is still eating and drinking normally. But her tumors have grown very large, almost over night. She is much more lethargic, and hardly wants to walk at all. She still grooms herself and doesn't seem to be in pain. I am mostly concerned about the fact that she hardly wants to move at all. I'm not ready to let go yet and will do whatever I can to take care of her for as long as she wants me to. I just want to do the right thing for her.

Thank you for whatever insight you may have.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

If the tumors are in a place on her that drags or rests on the ground, they can start to open or bleed. Also, some tumors can inhibit breathing, so watch for labored breathing as well. Tumors grow very quickly, as you know, so it can be a day by day thing.

 

[Eustace]

im so sorry you should give that pig all the broccoli and veggies you can so it will be happy

 

[foggycreekcavy]

Eustace, please refrain from giving medical/care advice until you've been a member for some time.

Broccoli can be a gas inducing vegetable, so it's not recommended to give a large amount at a time.

 

[Eustace]

well if its gonna die anyway than you should at least make it happy

 

[Duffinvt]

Bloat from too much broccoli is going to be painful, so that is not good advice. Giving her some favorite treats, of course, but there is no point upsetting her system with overloads of any one thing.

 

[Eustace]

you guys are taking this the wrong way

 

[Duffinvt]

Eustace, I am not sure what you mean. We're just trying to help the original poster get through the last days/weeks with her dear pet without intentionally causing it discomfort.

 

[Eustace]

i know cool