Euthanasia – saying goodbye

The life expectancy of a pet guinea pig is generally much longer than that of a guinea pig living in the wild. On average a pet guinea pig may live for about 4-8 years and some even survive past that. But at some stage it may become obvious that your guinea pig’s life is drawing to a close. It is then that you will need to face that painful and difficult decision. Talking to friends and family, especially your children, at this difficult time is very important.

Euthanasia (often called ‘putting to sleep’ or ‘putting down’) is the term used by veterinarians for the process of bringing about an easy and painless death to prevent the suffering of an animal which is too old or sick to have a happy and fulfilled life. It is never an easy decision and many owners understandably delay making it for as long as possible. The decision should always be discussed with your veterinarian beforehand if possible; this allows you to understand what to expect and request anything that will make this easier for you at the time.

Pain is not the only form of suffering; quality of life is important too and there are a number of situations in which euthanasia is the kindest thing to do for your guinea pig. You may want to consider euthanasia if your guinea pig:

• Is suffering untreatable pain, eg from a large tumor or mass that cannot be successfully removed.
• Is no longer able to eat or drink normally and maintain their weight.
• Has such severe disease in the lungs that it is unable to breathe properly.
• Can no longer empty its bowels or bladder without pain or is incontinent.
• Is unable to stand or move normally.
• No longer enjoys playing or co-habiting with friends or their owner.
• Has become so blind or deaf that it cannot have a fulfilled life.
• Is ill and the emotional or financial demands of caring for it are more than you can manage.

Please take as much time as you need with your pet during this time, if you need anything or more time please speak to the veterinarian, they will be more than accommodating. It is important to discuss beforehand if you want to be with your guinea pig during the euthanasia process. To be able to give your pet the euthanasia drug they will need to be sedated, so that they are calm and still. This can be done by an injection of sedation drugs or by an anesthetic gas via mask or chamber to make it go to sleep. This cannot be done in front of the owner due to the Health and Safety regulations concerning anesthetic gases. Once they are sedated the veterinarian will be able to administer the euthanasia drug, this is done by injecting the drug into the chest or abdomen. An overdose of a drug which makes your guinea pig lose consciousness (and ability to feel pain or fear) is injected. Your guinea pig will be asleep in a very short time (usually a matter of seconds). Breathing and their heartbeat will stop a few seconds later. Once this is done the veterinarian will check your pets heart using a stethoscope to make sure it has worked.

The process is completely painless. Your pet will not suffer during this process but in their last moments your guinea pig may give a gasp which can continue for a couple of minutes after the injection has been given; the sound is caused by a muscular spasm which is perfectly normal. Other muscles in your guinea pig’s body may also twitch and, as its body relaxes, its bowels or bladder may empty.

Discuss in advance with your veterinarian whether you wish to be with your pet when is it euthanased, so that the veterinarian can make a plan with you. It may be less stressful for your guinea pig to be held in your arms and to be able to hear a familiar voice. You may be comforted by knowing that your pet suffered no pain and met a peaceful end. However, if you are frightened or anxious your guinea pig may sense this and may also become upset, if this is the case it may be better for your guinea pig to be taken away from the consult room and brought back to you once the veterinarian has done the injection. This is a personal choice, and you should not feel pressured into being present if you do not wish to.

Veterinarians usually prefer to see their patients in their own clinic where all the equipment and trained staff they need is close at hand. But euthanasia is a special situation for both you and your veterinarian. If you want to have your guinea pig euthanased at home, then most veterinarians will be able to accommodate this.

It is you who must decide whether or when euthanasia is the right thing for your guinea pig. Your veterinarian will be able to advise you on what the options are and make a sensible recommendation but won’t make the decision for you.

It is rare that a decision has to be made on the spur of the moment, so it is much better to make your choice after talking it over with your veterinarian and with other members of your family. It is important that all members of the family are involved in the decision-making process and that they are all in agreement. Do not exclude children from this – talking with them before the decision has been made may help them to come to terms with it.

It is perfectly natural to feel grief after losing a pet and there is no shame in feeling strong emotions. Sometimes the first response to a pet’s death is anger or guilt, that more could not be done to save them. However, people experience grief in different ways and there are no hard and fast rules about what you will feel. It may help if you have someone to take you home after your guinea pig has been gone so that you don’t have to return to an empty house. Talking to friends and family is important, especially your children.

Losing a pet is often the first time that a child becomes aware of death. It is usually best to be honest with a child and explain the truth as clearly as you can. Children may want time to say goodbye to their pet and seeing the dead body may help them understand what has happened. Marking the occasion with some kind of memorial such as a burial can be very therapeutic. Talking about the happy times and looking at photos of the pet will often help them and you to come to terms with the change in your lives. Children frequently get over the loss of a pet much more quickly than adults.

Your veterinarian will explain what can be done with your pet. They can arrange for your guinea pig to be cremated, or you may choose to bury them yourself. If you want to bury your guinea pig in your garden check first with your local authority that this is allowed and make sure that they are buried at least 2 feet (about 600 mm) below the surface. If your guinea pig is cremated, you should be offered the option of having the ashes returned to you and usually you can choose different boxes or ornaments. There are now independent companies that can turn ashes into many different objects and keepsakes; it may be worth researching into this if you think it may be something that you are interested in. The other option is a communal cremation where the crematorium scatters the ashes at the crematorium, usually within their garden. Your veterinarian will do their best to accommodate your wishes.

This can often be a difficult decision and may require you to talk things through with friends and family. If you are considering getting another family pet its worth discussing this with the whole family to see how everyone feels about the situation. Guinea pigs are social animals therefore you may end up with a guinea pig by itself. Ideally, a guinea pig should not live by themselves but if you do not feel ready for another pet then it is possible have them alone, you will need to give them extra attention throughout the day and make sure that they are behaving normally. If you need assistance with this, don’t hesitate to speak to your veterinarian. The relationship you build with another pet will never be the same as the one you had, but it can be equally rewarding. Overall, it is a very personal choice of what feels right for you and must be your decision.