Buttercup the guinea pig poses inside of the Poop Factory Manufacturing plant.

As many of our friends are now aware, Buttercup the guinea pig passed away last month, on November 19.

While the details of her last days are heart-breaking, we feel it’s important to share her final story so that we, and our friends, can receive closure.

Buttercup Fights the Good Fight

Buttercup had been struggling to fight a tooth and jaw infection since summer of this year. She went through multiple doctor visits, hundreds of hours of at-home treatment, and thousands of kisses and head scritches. The journey was long and arduous, for Buttercup and Humans alike, but, after her last surgery in September, things seemed to be looking up.

The latest news in the #guineapig tooth infection drama – Buttercup’s jaw abscess surgery: http://t.co/txlZjGAKOW pic.twitter.com/Nm9UhfvDKk

— HappyCavy (@happycavy) October 5, 2015

The September surgery – during which time a small opening was created in her jaw to help flush her infection – was conducted without incident. For weeks, the Humans worked to clear her mouth of any sign of infection fluid and other nasty liquid build-up. Her weight remained stable, and her cheery disposition quickly came back, as if nothing had taken it away in the first place.

After several doctor check-ups, from September to the end of October, Buttercup showed signs of great progress. During her last check-up on October 28, the doctor decided to remove her stitches and let the opening close.

Two weeks after her stitches were removed, the opening was nearly healed. This is when the Humans first noticed the recurrence of an abscess developing within the pin-sized hole that was about to close up.

Back to the doctor Buttercup went!

Final Surgery

As any experienced guinea pig care-taker can tell you, guinea pig dental issues are very difficult to remedy. A combination of tiny mouths and the fact that they must eat continually throughout the day creates the perfect environment for infections to silently fester.

The HappyCavy family vet, along with clinic staff, assured us this was a common problem with guinea pig mouth infections. “Sometimes two or three surgeries are needed to finally clear an abscess,” we were told.

The plan was to conduct one more surgery – a relatively simple surgical procedure to flush out the opening and the jaw area and to determine why this wasn’t healing.

So, on November 18, Buttercup once again found herself at the family vet clinic, scheduled for the procedure.

Humans and clinic staff expected everything to go as planned. And why wouldn’t they? Buttercup was relatively healthy, had maintained her weight for weeks, and seemed chipper despite all the unwanted attention.

This morning at 4am Pacific Time, Buttercup the #guineapig crossed the #RainbowBridge: https://t.co/nRUEWaBf32 💔 pic.twitter.com/iiA2fF1Ois

— HappyCavy (@happycavy) November 19, 2015

Final Moments

On the afternoon of November 18, The Humans received a call that Buttercup was out of surgery. It was a success! (Cue huge sigh of relief from both Humans.)

Now, all that was left to do was wait for her to be monitored for several hours before she could be discharged.

The Humans showed up at the clinic at 4pm to pick up Ms. Cups. But, when staff went to get Buttercup, they noticed something was wrong. Buttercup’s breathing was shallow and her jaw was swollen. So the doctor spoke with The Humans. He informed them that Buttercup was placed on oxygen and would require several more hours of monitoring before she could be released.

The Humans went back home, and waited. And waited.

Finally, a call.

A vet tech said that Buttercup had become listless, and she wasn’t able to eat. Her body temperature dropped significantly, and the swelling was becoming worse. The surgery went without complication, so why would Buttercup not be doing well?

The Humans were told to wait longer, as her health was watched closely.

The afternoon slowly turned into evening, and evening slowly turned into night.

The fantastic staff at the family vet stayed with Buttercup until midnight, when they were able to raise and stabilize her temperature.

Buttercup was brought home, and the Humans immediately recognized the dreaded signs of languishing health: Whatever happened, Buttercup was not doing well. Her face was swollen, with a large pink swollen tongue hanging out of her mouth. Nearly motionless, save for a few moments, she had difficulty breathing and was not eating.

The Humans stayed with her all night until the early morning hours.

Then, at 4am on November 19, Buttercup took her last breath and crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

What happened?

The necropsy performed showed that the infection she had was more serious than anyone could have anticipated.

The infection managed to wear through her mandible, terminating in a hole underneath her tongue. During the surgery, when fluid and packing cream were used to clean the surgery site, both the fluid and the cream found their way into this hole and into the tissue in her throat. Eventually, this fluid-cream combination caused tissue irritation and inflammation, making Buttercup’s situation uncomfortable enough to where she couldn’t continue any longer.

There was no way anybody could have known this would happen, and yet The Humans agonize over the possibilities. “What if she didn’t go for that last surgery?” “What if we could have given her a few more weeks of life, and let her go peacefully across the Bridge?”

These are the difficult questions we, as animal care-takers, ask ourselves. The “what ifs” and the “what could be-s”. But none of it matters.

We did our best. Our doctor and his staff did all they could, and went above and beyond what anyone could expect.

Buttercup was ready to go. And we, The Humans and Feebee, miss her so much.

Feebee

Feebee and Buttercup the guinea pig have known each other since they were babies.

When Buttercup died, Feebee’s weight dropped slightly but then returned to normal. Feebee clearly misses her sister, looking for her in pigloos and in the kitchen from time to time. Fortunately, Feebee has an independent spirit and will continue happily as an “only-pig”.

In the meantime, The Humans continue to give Feebee lots of floor time and extended snuggle sessions, to remind her of how much she is loved.

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About HappyCavy

HappyCavy is your go-to source for tips and recommendations on guinea pig care and entertainment.