pre-death symptoms

Question
QUESTION: Hi.  My 5 year old female piggy, Calliope, has been growing thinner over time, and her muscles have shown less and less tone.  Because she was acting normally, the vet said to just wait and see.  She also had lots of soft, moveable lumps on her body, as do my other piggies.  Over the last 2 days, she has been sleeping more and more, with her back feet kicked out, and not wanting to eat.  I fed her and watered her with an eyedropper as she would let me.  Today, she began having seizures, and on the way to the vet, her eye (the white part) became very large, and the dark part became very small.  There appeared to be a white liquid forming around her eye, then the liquid seemed to spill out of her eye down her cheek.  By this time she was very near death, and laying there calmly.  Do you know what this liquid was and why her eye looked so strange?  Is there anything that could have prevented her sickness or death?  There are no exotics vets anywhere near here, so I have been reading up on piggies as long as I've had them.  I just don't know what was going on with Calliope.  I also wonder how her 4.5 year old son will handle her absence, since they were a bonded pair.  Thanks very much.
ANSWER: Candy,

I am sorry that you lost Calliope. Make sure her son gets extra attention now as he can and most likely will become very depressed otherwise.

Abnormal signs that warrant an examination by an experienced veterinarian.
Signs:
Crusty eyes, Watery eyes, Cloudy eyes, Receding eyes, Protruding eyes, Ulcerated eyes

What these signs may mean:
Upper Respiratory Infection, Injury, Abscess, Tooth Problem, Dehydration/Illness, Cataracts, Diabetes

Upper Respiratory Infection (URI)
Refusal to eat or drink, no feces (as a result of not eating), Labored breathing, wheezing, Sneezing, coughing, Crusty eyes, eyes that are almost sealed shut, Discharge from eyes or nose, Dull and/or receding eyes, Rough or puffed-up coat, Lethargy, hunched posture.

Generally speaking, there are two "styles" of seizures in guinea pigs. If your guinea pig's seizures involve them lifting their head straight up in the air (without a "tilt" to one side), then the seizures could be caused by mites. Some varieties of mites burrow deep into the skin, and can affect the nervous system, causing these seizures.

If the seizure causes the guinea pig to "tilt" their head to one side, and/or curl their body, then it is most likely not related to parasites. These seizures can be caused by a variety of factors: everything from genetic seizure disorders to dietary problems. Start off by taking your guinea pig to a vet to have a blood test done. Abnormal levels of sugar, calcium, phosphorus or potassium can all be responsible, as can other blood-related factors. Some guinea pigs, however, do have seizure disorders, and they can be genetic or idiopathic (ie, having no known cause). Brain tumors are also a possible cause, though these are very rare. The frequency and severity of the seizures will determine whether or not they will need to be treated with anti-seizure medication.

Most seizures involve, in addition to the head lift or tilt, twitching of the muscles and eyes. The eye twitching can last for several minutes after the seizure has passed, as can some of the head tilt. Some guinea pigs will also vocalize during or after the seizure, with load squeals or screeches.

Calliope could have had Mange Mites, but this would have been noticeable from the itching, patchy hair loss, sores and even seizures.

The most likely event is that she had URI or even Pneumonia or even anorexia from the sound of it.

As for preventing it, just being aware of their normal behavior, slight changes in behavior that are out of the ordinary, and watching for signs that are possible signs of illness. A vet that knows something of Guinea Pigs also helps a lot. It doesn't have to be an exotic vet just a vet who has had experience in treating Guinea Pigs or even owns a Guinea Pig. Other then that there isn't much you could do, it sounds like you did everything right.

Here is a good web site full of medical information that can help a lot in any situation. It may help you out a lot in becoming familiar with signs of illnesses and what needs to be done to treat them. The site is www.guinelynx.com

I hope everything works out for you and Calliope's son. Again I am sorry for you loss of Calliope. I hope this helps you some.

Take care now,
         Jules

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much Jules, for your reply.  It seemed like every time I took her to the vet, they didn't know what to do, but this time I wished I had taken her sooner.  She had none of the symptoms you mentioned except weakness/eating and drinking less in the last few days.  The seizures came only about 30 minutes before she died, and the thing I can't understand is the way her eye bulged out and her iris became very small, as white liquid poured out.  I have never seen that but it almost seemed like eye/brain pressure was too much or something.  She had a slight raspiness when breathing off and on, but the vet usually disregarded it.  I phoned a local vet a month ago about an appt. and the receptionist actually told me the pig would die soon and nothing could be done--without even a full description, and without the vet seeing her first!  
I fed her with a syringe Critial Care and she liked that until a few days ago also.  It seems there could be a lot of reasons she was sick, but other than some weight loss, she was acting well until now.  Thank you again for your attention and the link.

Answer
Candy,

Again I am sorry for your loss. She could have had a brain issue or even something totally different. I've had a Guinea pig die of pneumonia because the vet didn't know anything about Guinea Pigs. I've had one die due to old age and a spinal injury. Yet another of unknown causes she was loosing her hair but, she acted normal, no scratching or anything.

Sometimes things happen that we never see coming or even know why. It just happens with no clear reason.

Take care now,
        Jules