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Heat stroke

Annie Robbins

Annie Robbins

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hey everyone,

I just got home from a vet visit with my two pigs. They have had heat stroke. They had liquids sub-q and have been given metacam (antiflamm).

Both pigs are in AC and have tons of fresh veggies

I am so upset and worried to death. I could use some words of wisdom and support. Please comment if your pigs have gone through heat stroke and ended up okay. If they haven’t, please let me sign to look out for.

Thanks in advance
 
Annie Robbins said:
Hey everyone,

I just got home from a vet visit with my two pigs. They have had heat stroke. They had liquids sub-q and have been given metacam (antiflamm).

Both pigs are in AC and have tons of fresh veggies

I am so upset and worried to death. I could use some words of wisdom and support. Please comment if your pigs have gone through heat stroke and ended up okay. If they haven’t, please let me sign to look out for.

Thanks in advance
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Hi! I am very sorry. Good that you have had them vet checked asap; that gives them a much bigger chance to make it through. Fingers very firmly crossed! How well they bounce back depends on how badly they have been and how badly their hearts have been affected. Hopefully they will recover well.

Please follow the tips in these guides here to keep them as cool as possible. Best keep them indoors in temperatures below 25 C, in the coolest room of the house/flat. Air your house overnight with cross drafts as much as possible, close any windows and draw any curtains where the sun is going to fall to keep indoors as cool as you can. Use the bathtub as a camping ground during the day if necessary if you haven't got anywhere else to put them.

Please DO NOT OVERFEED fresh veg. What your piggies need is a room ideally between 20- 25 C or as close as you can stick to it without A/C directly on the cage, plenty of hay and access to cool water at all times. Don't compound the problem with overloading their guts with too much fresh veg which can cause added digestive problems!

Tips on how to keep your piggy room as cool as possible - which is why I am currently up in the middle of the night in order to cool down my piggy room as much as possible on a sultry night so it becomes bearable again now that outside temperatures are lower than the indoors ones; the cooler you can get indoors in the morning, the less it can heat up during the day if you keep the windows and all curtains curtains closed where the sun is going to shine on while you are out!
Lots of tips how you can additionally give comfort to your piggies in the following guides. Please do not go overboard with cooling them down too much too quickly. The trick is to keep them as stable as you can. Do not put your piggies outside in temperatures over 25 C.
Weigh daily and if necessary to top them up with syringe feed. See your promptly if they stay lethargic, have heaving breathing or continue to lose weight.
Hot Weather Management And Heat Strokes
The temptation to overfeed watery veg in hot weather!
 
Thank you so much for the advice! They are staying cool and relaxing after a stressful day. Do you know on average how long it takes for a full recovery?
 
I’ve no experience - just wanted to send you support for you and your piggies.
 
Annie Robbins said:
Thank you so much for the advice! They are staying cool and relaxing after a stressful day. Do you know on average how long it takes for a full recovery?
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As stated in the heat stroke guide, if there has been no major damage, they should bounce back pretty quickly and start eating on their own as long as they are kept cool and their bodies can function again.
They won't feel quite like ripping out trees for a few days, though, especially if they have been more severely affected and if their heart has been damaged from the enormous strain to keep the body as cool as possible under massive pressure. In that case, they are going to remain on the somewhat more quiet side. if you feel that they are not coming quite right again, please see the vet again for a proper health check.

Please weigh daily and if necessary support them with syringe feed to make sure that the guts keep going if your piggies have hardly eating in several days (i.e. suffered some major weight loss).
 
Update:
One pig has made a full recovery 🙏🏻

The other has not made any progress. She has only eaten 1 single piece of hay in the past 24 hours.

The vet won’t see her again cause she says there is “nothing she can do.”

Need more prayers
 
Annie Robbins said:
Update:
One pig has made a full recovery 🙏🏻

The other has not made any progress. She has only eaten 1 single piece of hay in the past 24 hours.

The vet won’t see her again cause she says there is “nothing she can do.”

Need more prayers
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Oh no I’m sending hugs and prayers! Poor little piggie
 
She is having shallow breathing and her legs are weak, every time she stands her legs shake. Yesterday we went to the vet again and she got more liquids with an antibiotic. I found another vet in the area that will look at her, so I need more prayers!
 
Update: none of the treatments are helping. Today I have made the hard decision to send her over the rainbow bridge. My heart is heavy and say prayers for an easy transition
 
I’m so sorry that you’ve had to make this decision. Huge hugs xx
 
I am so sorry for your loss.
That was a tough decision to have had to make but it is the last gift of love we can give to our beloved piggies.
Look after yourself as you grieve and allow yourself time.
Look after your surviving piggy too. She will be grieving in her own way.
 
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