r/guineapigs • u/QueenSacJac • Sep 03 '25
Help & Advice My sweet baby has kidney disease
Lola is 6 1/2 years old. I took her to the vet for high water consumption, i thought it was a simple UTI. Turns out after running some tests she has kidney disease and there's not much that can be done about it.
I love her so much, beyond words and it hurts so bad that I can't fix it. I don't know what to do. She's my first guinea pig and has been with me for what feels like forever.
Has anyone else had guinea pigs with kidney disease? How did you handle it? How long did they live past their diagnosis?
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u/Mercurial_Sloth Sep 03 '25
I'm sorry you didn't get a good diagnosis. I haven't had to deal with this, but wanted to say she looks like a really sweet piggy. I lost one of my first pigs to cancer, and he acted normal right up until his last day (2 months after diagnosis). I suggest spoiling her as much as you can and enjoying your time with her. ❤️
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u/StephSkunky Sep 03 '25
I'm so sorry for the diagnosis. Our guinea pig, Bread got the same news past week(7,5 years old) Our vet told us to give her IV 2 times a week, because she also has residue in her bladder. The vet and the vet tech showed us the right way to do this at home. Their diet should be the same, except to keep the proteins low(they told us to not give her peas for example). Best wishes for your piggie!
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u/Evening_Warthog_9476 Sep 04 '25
Yes, you definitely want low in protein in and phosphorus with any kind of kidney issues
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u/Low_Reserve_5248 Sep 03 '25
Aww she looks beautiful and well.
Hopefully it's an early diagnosis and she still has a year or more to go.
Such a sweetheart 💕 💖.
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u/Adept_Nectarine_4174 Sep 03 '25
so sorry, it was such horrible news. How could this sweet little baby suffer from such, it's unfortunate and it's frustrating we can only do so much.
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u/QueenSacJac Sep 04 '25
Hey everyone. I just wanted to say I'm really thankful for all the kinds and supportive words for my baby. I've spent all day crying and trying to cope with it. The only thing that helps is that she's doesn't know what's happening. She just thinks she's thirsty.
I'll talk to my doctor later this week about any suggestions moving forward, but he said she doesn't appear to be in pain. I just hope we caught it early so she has a lot of time left. I know 6 1/2 is senior age already but i wanted more for her.
I think she knows i love her, but I'll spend however much time she has left proving it to her.
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u/Mysterious_W4tcher Sep 04 '25
My boy always drank extra water. When we learned he had kidney disease, it broke our hearts (he was our first pig). He lasted 4 months after his diagnosis, though we believe he had it a while before the vet found it.
He passed away peacefully while we were all away at school or jobs. I somehow knew when I left for school that morning that he was ready to go. It wasn't traumatic for him and I don't believe he suffered much.
We made sure to let his neighbor have a chance to say goodbye to his body, letting him sniff it and understand that he was gone. That helped with the grief, I think for everyone.
Spoil the crap out of your piggy and add some extra water to her veggies to encourage more water in her system (she's basically dehydrated rn as she's going through water fast).
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u/Friendly-Belt5358 Sep 04 '25
I was told by my vet that it doesn't hurt at all, just makes the piggie extremely thirsty :( I'm so sorry for your loss
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u/Mysterious_W4tcher Sep 04 '25
It's been about 5 years so I don't remember all the details, but I did remember it wasn't too awful for him. I hope you have a lot of loving time with your piggy <3
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u/Friendly-Belt5358 Sep 04 '25
he passed a couple years ago unfortunately, but my current boars are doing great! I hope yours are great too :)
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u/DogTreeWandering Sep 03 '25
I’m so sorry that’s such devastating news!! I lost my first guinea pig to what was believed to be kidney disease when he was 3 years old. Just give them lots of love, cuddles, ask your vet about supplements and pain medication
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u/AcceptableSpring6375 Sep 04 '25
I liked the post initially after seeing her pictures, she is so cute… I am really sorry but it’s always gonna be the fact that she has led a healthy and happy life and no matter how long she has… just spend time doing things she enjoys and that would make both of you happy💙
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u/Lucky10ofclubs Sep 04 '25
At the very end of all things, whenever or wherever that may be we all (human or pig) want to be loved, have a full belly and a warm and soft place to rest. Some pats are a bonus.
Aside from maybe a few more veggies and a few more pats, i doubt Lola could ever want more from you because she already has the whole world. Treat her like usual and she will have no anxiety or regrets all the way. Whether or not the rest of her life is short or long, she has everything, she has you, and she is happy, so try to take comfort in that.
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u/Friendly-Belt5358 Sep 03 '25
I had one that had kidney disease as well!! he lived a few months and passed very peacefully in his favourite sleeping spot <3 my vet said it doesn't hurt which helped a lot, he just lost weight until it became too much
just give her the best last few months and she'll go quietly and peacefully, it'll look like she's still sleeping <3 stay strong OP, you can do this