The guinea pig we were watching just died!

[mhawk4]

This morning we picked up three guinea pigs which we are watching for 1 week. My DDs9 were playing with them, feeding them lettuce, and having them sit on the couch next to them. One of my daughters had one of the guinea pigs sitting on the couch next to her and suddenly she started screaming for me. The guinea pig had stopped moving and when she picked it up its heart was beating really fast and he was not responding. When I picked it up I could feel its heart beating really fast. I tried to rub its chest and then he suddenly went entirely limp.

I called the vet to see what might have happened and he thought that the gp had a heart attack. I worried that maybe we had done something wrong but he reassured me that it was nothing we had done.

I just had to call the family to tell them that the guinea pig was dead

I feel so awful! I feel like I am going to be sick. We were supposed to take care of the guinea pig and instead it died.

 

[tink_lover]

Oh no! What an awful thing to happen, especially being that it was a guinea pig you were watching. We have one and it is about 6 years old.

Were you able to reach the owners? What are you going to do with it? What a bummer!

 

[dandave]

We had a dwarf hamster die just hours before we were scheduled to take him to friends for petsitting. Thank goodness it happened with us, or those children would have been so upset!
It's not your fault! Sometimes they get traumatized by a move, even from the pet shop to home. At least he died while playing and happy.

 

[mhawk4]

Oh no! What an awful thing to happen, especially being that it was a guinea pig you were watching. We have one and it is about 6 years old.

Were you able to reach the owners? What are you going to do with it? What a bummer!

My daughter is just devastated. She loves animals and is so sensitive. She is also very careful.

I emailed them and called them. I want to know how they would like us to handle the guinea pigs body. I am also going to offer to replace the guinea pig (although I know that another one will not replace him) and tell them that I we are not going to accept payment for watching the other two.

I just feel so bad. He was fine one minute and the next he was not moving. She had been so careful and sweet with all of them.

 

[Snowflakey]

I'm so sorry you had to experience this! My DD just got done watching a 14 year old chocolate lab who is somewhat blind and deaf and I was SO AFRAID something would happen. That stresses me out!

 

[Bren's Mom]

to your dds. How upsetting!

Dh was asked to check on a friend's house, pool, and feed their pet rabbit while they were gone on vacation a few weeks ago. The friend said the rabbit just stays in the fenced yard, no cage. Bring it lettuce, recheck the water. So dh did. The first day the bunny was afraid of him I think, but the next few days the bunny came right up to dh. On like the 4th day my ds was with dh and when they got into the yard dh could see something wasn't right so he sent ds (5) back to the deck.

Something swooped down or dug under the fence and got the bunny. What was left of him was strewn over the yard...with a 6 foot diameter of fur scattered all around. It was very upsetting to dh and ds!

It happens, sometimes it's just no one's fault.

 

[DWGal210]

Poor sweetie, I hope your daughter feels better! We had many guinea pigs go to heaven when I was a kid. Hugs to you!

 

[Wall-E1]

We had something similar happen years ago. My son was watching a friend's hamster. We also had a hamster. He took the two hamsters out to play together. Our hamster swiped and nipped at the other hamster. The physical assault wasn't anything major, but the hamster we were watching promptly had a heart attack and died. It was terrible. I'll never forget the blood curdling scream that I heard coming from my son, and the crime scene I laid my eyes upon when first entering his bedroom. I had to call his friend's mother and explain what happened. She took it well, as her house was full of furry creatures and she was looking for a way to get rid of some of them. My son hastily threw together a formal funeral for the deceased rodent. He even wrote something that he read aloud before we lowered the shoebox into the ground. It was all quite dramatic.

My adult friends forever referred to our hamster as "Killer Clyde" from then on.

 

[KeroKero]

Good that you told them before they returned. Would have been a horrible surprise to return home to.

I had a pet frog years back and I left it with my friend when I went overseas to Japan to teach English, she didn't call to tell me it had died a couple days after I had left, so I didn't find out til I flew home for Christmas almost 5 months later

 

[Aisling]

I am also going to offer to replace the guinea pig (although I know that another one will not replace him)

Don't offer to replace it! That makes it look like you killed it!

 

[minniebeth]

This morning we picked up three guinea pigs which we are watching for 1 week. My DDs9 were playing with them, feeding them lettuce, and having them sit on the couch next to them. One of my daughters had one of the guinea pigs sitting on the couch next to her and suddenly she started screaming for me. The guinea pig had stopped moving and when she picked it up its heart was beating really fast and he was not responding. When I picked it up I could feel its heart beating really fast. I tried to rub its chest and then he suddenly went entirely limp.

I called the vet to see what might have happened and he thought that the gp had a heart attack. I worried that maybe we had done something wrong but he reassured me that it was nothing we had done.

I just had to call the family to tell them that the guinea pig was dead

I feel so awful! I feel like I am going to be sick. We were supposed to take care of the guinea pig and instead it died.

I'm sure it's an upsetting situation for all of you~
You handled the situation perfectly and I'm sure the family of the guinea pigs you are caring for is appreciative.

 

[mamacatnv]

I came home to a dead guinea pig a couple of weeks ago. They are rodents with fairly short life spans. I'm sorry your child had to experience that trauma.
We are heading out on vacation and our other piggy will be going to a friends house, if it were to die in no way would I hold them responsible nor would I expect to not pay the sitter as arranged or to have them replace the piggy. Stuff happens.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I don't know if it will be any comfort, but Guinea pigs sometimes just up and die like that. They don't do it as much as gerbils and hamsters, but they're all in the same family.

I had to put down my dad's horse while he was away on vacation once. That was very uncool.

 

[mhawk4]

I just got off the phone with the owner of the guinea pig. I told her that I had to tell her something about the guinea pigs and her immediate response was "did x guinea pig die?" I said no and told her which one. She was not at all surprised. She thought the other guinea pig might have been the one to die but as it was older (6 yrs) but that this one was 5 years.

She even joked with me that her husband would probably call to thank me as he never wanted them in the first place and has just been waiting for them to die. She was so sweet and talked to my daughter and told her it was okay and reassured me that if they came home and none of the guinea pigs were alive it would be okay. She kept reassuring me that it was okay.

I feel relieved but still very sad. My daughter feels better but is still sad.

 

[Michelle67]

I'm so sorry that happened to you.

My best friend was house-sitting once and the woman's llama died while she was taking care of it. She felt so horrible too, but it wasn't her fault, just as it wasn't your fault. Just bad timing for the pet-sitter.

I'm glad the owners were so comforting when you called. They are right, it is just not your fault. Don't feel badly.

 

[Poohforyou]

Your poor DD. I'm sure she was very careful with them. They're very easy going animals so it would be hard to do something to hurt them. We have guinea pigs and I never knew they could have heart attacks. I guess any living creature can but I never really thought about it.

 

[Pakey]

I'm so sorry for you and your DD; it must have been quite traumatizing. I'm glad the owner talked to your DD. It won't take away what happened but hopefully she won't feel that she did anything wrong.

 

[stevenpensacola]

they all look alike...just go and buy a new one the same size...

 

[Poohforyou]

they all look alike...just go and buy a new one the same size...

No, they don't.

 

[doxdogy]

Don't offer to replace it! That makes it look like you killed it!