Support Jedi's Journey to Recovery and Health

Hello all! My name is Lauren Williams and I am a proud guinea mom of Jedi. During my third year of medical school, which was during the COVID-19 pandemic, I moved to Tucson, Arizona for clinical rotations. At that time, I adopted two guinea pigs which I named Hans and Jedi. These little guys have gotten me some of the toughest years of my life including medical school and residency. Unfortunately, Hans passed away during early 2023 of my intern year, which led Jedi to be without a partner in crime. I then adopted Saber to provide a companion for Jedi, where they soon developed a little brother big brother relationship. They both love fresh vegetables, especially carrots, lettuce, and tomatoes.

Unfortunately, this past weekend, I noticed he wasn't wanting to eat his favorite vegetables and he was not acting like his usual self. For those who don't know about guinea pigs, they fit into the category of exotic pets, and not all veterinarians see these furry friends. After many phone calls, I was able to take him to a veterinarian clinic this past Monday. At this time, the vet was concerned for a distended abdomen concerning for GI stasis. I was provided with a medication called metocloramide to be given every 4-6 hours in addition to a nutrition supplement to be mixed with water as needed.

Monday night, I separated my piggies to monitor Jedi's input and output. However, despite providing medication, nutritional supplements, and his food and water, there had been no change, which is concerning for myself as a pet parent and a physician.

Last night after work, I took Jedi to a 24 hour veterinarian hospital located in Anaheim where a more thorough work up was performed including blood work and an abdominal X-Ray. After reviewing the results, the vet had expressed his concern to me that Jedi's abdomen was concerning for GI stasis or bloat, which can be fatal for guinea pigs. The news is devastating and I had the choice of either surgery, treatment in the hospital via decompression and supportive treatment, or putting him down.

This has been a difficult decision for myself as he has been my baby for the past 5 years and making an executive decision like this is heartbreaking. I decided to pursue treatment, but unfortunately, the cost of the vet yesterday and his current treatment is over $3000. I took a chance and he made it through the gastric decompression procedure.

If you would be willing to offer a small donation or even prayers for Jedi's recovery, I would appreciate it.

God Bless,

Lauren Williams