breetheflea
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,379 
Location: PNW
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Post by breetheflea on Jul 11, 2024 17:55:28 GMT
Ugh...
When we go on vacation we usually have a friend stop by and feed and check on the guinea pigs once a day.
Right after we got back from our last trip out of town, one of the guinea pigs did something to her eye. Today was her follow up appointment, and the eye is not going to heal. We can either schedule expensive surgery, or eventually put her to sleep. In the meantime, she needs eye medicine twice a day regardless. It's a 2 person job, that involves chasing down the guinea pig (not easy) and smearing stuff on her eye lid (also not easy.)
In two weeks we are supposed to go on vacation... Our rental house says no pets.
She's in a contained cage, does not go out of the cage except for eye medicine, and is quiet.
WWPD?
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pilcas
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by pilcas on Jul 11, 2024 18:06:38 GMT
If you are not planning on the expensive eye surgery I would probably euthanize the Guinea pig.
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breetheflea
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Location: PNW
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Post by breetheflea on Jul 11, 2024 18:11:55 GMT
If you are not planning on the expensive eye surgery I would probably euthanize the Guinea pig. We are going to, eventually. Right now she is acting like she always does, and is not acting like she is going to die. My question was more of, do we take her on vacation or cancel the trip since the rental house says no pets. |
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pantsonfire
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Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy your life with those who you love.
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Post by pantsonfire on Jul 11, 2024 18:13:28 GMT
If you opt not to do the surgery (I wouldn't either), I think it would be best to help her cross over the rain or bridge before the trip.
This isn't to make your trip easier, but to make the guineas life less stressful and if it has to be done because you aren't doing the surgery...
It would also suck to get a call on vacation that the pet got worse and needs to be out down now. That is an expense you are putting on someone else.
Do NOT take the pet on vacation. If not pets are allowed, no pets are allowed.
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Post by Lexica on Jul 11, 2024 18:13:46 GMT
If you are not yet ready to euthanize your Guinea pig, I would contact the owners or rental company responsible for the rental house and explain the situation and ask permission to bring your pet with you. Reassure them that the critter is fully contained and that there will be zero damage to the rental unit. I would even offer to pay an extra deposit to assure them that you will not be letting the Guinea pig out in their home.
*I have never had Guinea pigs so I am not sure of their habits. I was thinking they would behave like a hamster and use a corner of the cage as a restroom.
I made the huge mistake of agreeing to watch a friend’s two birds for them. At the time, I had a large cockatoo so I was comfortable handling a bird. What I didn’t know is these little birds, lorikeets, were horribly messy. She left me a big bag of fruit with instructions on how much to keep in their cage. They ate a lot of fruit. That meant a lot of water in their system. Rather than stand on a piece of driftwood when they pooped, they typically hung onto the side of the cage and let loose, sending a watery ejection out a couple feet into the room.
Fortunately I was standing right there and witnessed this the first time it happened. I cleaned that up and grabbed several newspapers from the recycle pile. I had to cover my floor in several layers of newspaper and be very cautious when walking into that room. I ended up cutting up cardboard boxes and making a taller enclosure around their cage to further make sure their mess was contained. It was awful.
She wanted me to give them time out of their cage daily, but after seeing them poop there was no way I was going to let them decorate my house with that. I called her and left a message that they would be remaining in their cage for the two days. I would never ever watch lorikeets again.
So as I said, I don’t know that bathroom habits of a Guinea pig. If they are tidy pets that do not make a mess around their enclosure, I would ask permission to bring the cage.
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pantsonfire
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Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy your life with those who you love.
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Post by pantsonfire on Jul 11, 2024 18:15:56 GMT
^I wouldn't do that. That is pressuring the home owner and I don't agree with that. No pets is no pets. As a pet owner you handle the good and bad, even if it means missing out on something or going
Your best bet would be to see if anyone can help the pet sitter or find a new one. Ask the vet if they recommend anyone who handles medical needs.
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anaterra
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Jun 29, 2014 3:04:02 GMT
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Post by anaterra on Jul 11, 2024 18:19:10 GMT
I would not take your pet on vacation to a no pets allowed place... either find another rental... or cancel and stay home...
But to be completely honest.... id would euthanize... even though ur pet is running around like normal... its has to be stressful and not easy on ur pet... the chasing and the eye issues and the medication...
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snyder
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,294
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Post by snyder on Jul 11, 2024 18:19:33 GMT
Could you call the rental house place and ask if there could be an exception?
Some places don't allow pets due to allergies that a new tenant may have, but more likely the common travel pets (dogs & cats) are known to cause the most damage by peeing on the carpets or scratching furniture. If its not for allergy reason, maybe the owner would allow your Guinea pig since it won't be out of its cage.
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breetheflea
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Location: PNW
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Post by breetheflea on Jul 11, 2024 18:23:25 GMT
Could you call the rental house place and ask if there could be an exception? Some places don't allow pets due to allergies that a new tenant may have, but more likely the common travel pets (dogs & cats) are known to cause the most damage by peeing on the carpets or scratching furniture. If its not for allergy reason, maybe the owner would allow your Guinea pig since it won't be out of its cage. It's more like a hotel but with rental houses. There isn't an owner like an Air B n B. |
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Post by Lexica on Jul 11, 2024 18:36:40 GMT
Could you call the rental house place and ask if there could be an exception? Some places don't allow pets due to allergies that a new tenant may have, but more likely the common travel pets (dogs & cats) are known to cause the most damage by peeing on the carpets or scratching furniture. If its not for allergy reason, maybe the owner would allow your Guinea pig since it won't be out of its cage. It's more like a hotel but with rental houses. There isn't an owner like an Air B n B. Since there isn’t a way to ask permission in advance, I would not bring the critter with me. Definitely don’t try to sneak it in. You will be out of your room when a cleaning person will be entering, so you would be found out. |
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Post by librarylady on Jul 11, 2024 18:42:42 GMT
1. Go ahead with euthanasia.
Or
2 delay vacation until pet issue is resolved.
3.
Change location for vacation.
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snyder
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,294
Location: Colorado
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Post by snyder on Jul 11, 2024 18:43:07 GMT
Could you call the rental house place and ask if there could be an exception? Some places don't allow pets due to allergies that a new tenant may have, but more likely the common travel pets (dogs & cats) are known to cause the most damage by peeing on the carpets or scratching furniture. If its not for allergy reason, maybe the owner would allow your Guinea pig since it won't be out of its cage. It's more like a hotel but with rental houses. There isn't an owner like an Air B n B. Surely there is a contact person?? |
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Post by jenb72 on Jul 11, 2024 18:48:17 GMT
If you're not going to euthanize now, I would either find other pet-friendly accommodations (yes, I know, difficult and expensive with last-minute notice like this), check with your vet or a local boarding place to see if they could board her and give her the medication as prescribed while you're gone, or cancel/reschedule the vacation. I would not try to sneak your pet in to a no-pets-allowed rental.
Jen
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Post by Merge on Jul 11, 2024 18:55:16 GMT
Can you board her at your vet and have them apply the medicine?
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christinec68
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Post by christinec68 on Jul 11, 2024 18:57:36 GMT
Does your vet board pets? Our cat was on several meds and we used to board her at the vet so we knew she was supervised most of the time and they were able to easily give medication.
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Tearisci
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Nov 6, 2018 16:34:30 GMT
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Post by Tearisci on Jul 11, 2024 19:02:55 GMT
I think the vet idea is a good one. I know that my vet has boarding and if I had to give my pet medicine, I'd board them there.
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GiantsFan
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Jun 27, 2014 14:44:56 GMT
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Post by GiantsFan on Jul 11, 2024 19:17:44 GMT
Board the guinea pig somewhere or ask your friend (or a different friend) to stop by twice per day. Look into a pet sitters. They're always advertising on our local ND and FB pages.
ETA: I would not bring my pet to a non pet place. Nor would I ask for exceptions.
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Post by katlady on Jul 11, 2024 19:17:59 GMT
Tough situation. I would see if you can board her with a vet that will apply the medication.
Also, two weeks is a long time in a guinea pig’s life. A lot can happen between now and when you go on vacation. 😢
Hugs!
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breetheflea
Drama Llama
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Location: PNW
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Post by breetheflea on Jul 11, 2024 19:49:31 GMT
DH does not want to put her to sleep just so we can go on vacation for 4 days.
I am trying to find a boarding place (there aren't very many that take guinea pigs) that also apply medicine (most don't) and has space, and I emailed the vacation main reservation desk asking if they could either make an exception or move our reservation to a house that is pet friendly...
If we cancel we won't get a refund (except the cleaning fee) which kind of stinks.
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Post by JustCallMeMommy on Jul 11, 2024 19:50:11 GMT
I would check with the vet about boarding or ask someone trusted if they could watch the little guy in their home rather than just checking in once a day. One of DD's friends is a vet tech training for vet school, so she's would probably be my first call. I've also had a receptionist at my vet's office pet sit before.
If that doesn't work, TBH, while I wouldn't ask about bringing a dog or a cat, I would consider asking about bringing a small caged animal that needs medical supervision. When I asked, I would be specific about how I would keep pet smells out of their house - putting down plastic sheeting under the cage, never allowing the pet to roam free, etc., so that they could see how serious I was.
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Post by littlemama on Jul 11, 2024 20:16:27 GMT
I would euthanize before vacation. I would not ask the owner of the property if I could violate their no pets policy.
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Post by Zee on Jul 11, 2024 20:23:55 GMT
I would board her at the vet or check with them if they know of any vet techs who do pet sitting plus offer med services. They might have techs who work there who also offer those services, I know of a girl who works at a vet and also does that on the side.
Maybe if you have a local community page you can ask there also. Someone in my HOA FB group also offers this service. That's how I found the lady who checks on my cats when I'm gone, and she used to work at our vet. I haven't had to have her give medication but she can if needed.
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scrappinmama
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Jun 26, 2014 12:54:09 GMT
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Post by scrappinmama on Jul 11, 2024 21:00:08 GMT
I don't see it as putting a pet to sleep so you can go on vacation. I don't like to see any living thing suffer. What will the strain of chasing the pet down and forcing necessary medicine on the eye do to the pet? If you don't think it will be a strain, then try to find someone who will take the pet. But do not take or ask to take him with you on your trip. The rules of the rental state no pets.
I'm so sorry that you will be losing a beloved fur baby. It's never easy to lose a pet.
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Post by disneypal on Jul 11, 2024 21:05:16 GMT
Honestly, if it were me, I would look to find another place that does allow pets and take her with me on vacation. If that wasn't possible, I'd cancel my trip.
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Harper Lee
Shy Member
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Jun 25, 2014 22:25:52 GMT
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Post by Harper Lee on Jul 11, 2024 23:20:31 GMT
Maybe you could look on Rover for a pet sitter who has experience with small pets and medication. I would not bring the guinea pig. They are pretty stinky and you could get caught.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Jul 11, 2024 23:32:01 GMT
What is the eye medication accomplishing? Is it improving their quality of life? If it's relieving pain etc is it worth the trauma of twice a day treatment. We're pretty holistic about what makes sense for our pets (plan to be for myself as well, but that's a different post). I don't see the point in aggressively treating things that aren't going to meaningfully improve their life. This advice has nothing to do with the vacation, although may impact it. We've made the decision a few times to let uncurable diseases run their course as the treatment would not meaningfully improve their lifespan or quality of life.
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Post by KikiPea on Jul 11, 2024 23:57:33 GMT
I don’t know much about guinea pigs, but why would it have to be euthanized just because it injured its eye? Just curious. I’m sorry your baby is sick.
To answer your question, can you board a guinea pig? A little different, but we have a dog with epilepsy, and we board him at our vet when we go on vacation.
We also have a dog that just had major surgery. If his cancer came back before either of our two upcoming vacations, and he needs chemo, we will be canceling our trip(s). We don’t want to put that on anyone else, but if we decided to do our trip anyway, we’d be boarding him at the vet as that is something they could handle.
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breetheflea
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Location: PNW
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Post by breetheflea on Jul 12, 2024 2:51:28 GMT
Update: the rental company said they'd make an exception to the no pets rule. I am surprised... We of course won't take her, and won't go if anything changes.
To answer questions: she poked herself in the eye (not sure how exactly) and is now blind on one side. If we don't remove the eye, it could eventually get infected. She's on the older side in guinea pig years so that was part of the euthanasia talk. The vet also said she could live anywhere from a month to a year so who knows...
The medication is a moisturizer not a pain reliever.
And yes, guinea pigs (at least two of our three) poop in one spot like a hamster.
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snyder
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Post by snyder on Jul 12, 2024 4:12:14 GMT
Update: the rental company said they'd make an exception to the no pets rule. I am surprised... We of course won't take her, and won't go if anything changes. To answer questions: she poked herself in the eye (not sure how exactly) and is now blind on one side. If we don't remove the eye, it could eventually get infected. She's on the older side in guinea pig years so that was part of the euthanasia talk. The vet also said she could live anywhere from a month to a year so who knows... The medication is a moisturizer not a pain reliever. And yes, guinea pigs (at least two of our three) poop in one spot like a hamster. I'm confused. Why even call if you didn't have any intentions to take her? |
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breetheflea
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Post by breetheflea on Jul 12, 2024 4:26:04 GMT
Update: the rental company said they'd make an exception to the no pets rule. I am surprised... We of course won't take her, and won't go if anything changes. To answer questions: she poked herself in the eye (not sure how exactly) and is now blind on one side. If we don't remove the eye, it could eventually get infected. She's on the older side in guinea pig years so that was part of the euthanasia talk. The vet also said she could live anywhere from a month to a year so who knows... The medication is a moisturizer not a pain reliever. And yes, guinea pigs (at least two of our three) poop in one spot like a hamster. I'm confused. Why even call if you didn't have any intentions to take her? I'm tired, it's been a long day... I meant if she gets worse, we will cancel the trip. |
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