[Gpdd] unknown cause of death

[Yuka Persico]

Dear Fellow Pig Slaves-

Our eldest of five piggies passed away this weekend, she was three and a
half.  Wicket has always been of excellent health.  I noticed that she
started becoming more portly over the last half year.  Part of me worried -
but I put it aside because in all other ways she was herself - and I am
prone to worry :o). I set it aside to aging and indulgence.  Over the past
two months, she had become even more docile (in hindsight, could this have
been lethargic?).  On Friday she was herself, coming to the bars of her cage
whenever we passed by, taking treats along with all her other mates, and
wheeking whenever she heard plastic rustling..... Then on Saturday she did
not take any treats, she was reticent to get up, I noticed her breathing was
rapid and shallow, and by dusk I could see that her eyes had that far away
look.  When my son and I had them out in the early afternoon,  both of the
guinea pigs that live with Wicket were very concerned about her, and laying
near her and propping her up (she was sort of tilting).  When Wicket had
died, they were taking turns lying with her.  When we removed her body, they
were both obviously upset - and they took turns lying in the spot where she
was.  They were visibly mourning yesterday and are still somewhat subdued
today. How sweet it that?  The only thing I can think of is congestive heart
failure (we have had another pet pass of this, and the similarity is
uncanny) - the only symptoms she had were bloating, shallow rapid breathing
at the end and lethargy.  She seemed only slightly broader in life, but on
the last day and when she had passed, we could see she was quite distended.
If any of you have any suggestions of other ailments that could have caused
this please let me know.   Thank you so much in advance-  Yuka