Lethargic/ off pig, advice wanted

[Amandaxx1]

Hi all, hoping someone can give me some advice. I have 4 girls, they live in 2 pairs. One of them, mavis, is 3 years old. She's been a bit off for a few days and I can't quite pin point anything in particular, but knowing her personality and usual habits well, something seems off.

All my girls life indoors. Mavis is a very big guinea pig with thick hair. We had the heatwave last week with the hottest day on Thursday, myself and my partner were at work all day. The house was red hot when we got home, I put frozen water bottles in for them all when I got in, changed their waters, gave them all some cucumber and put a rotating fan in the room they were in. Really it took until Saturday for the house to cool down. They all seemed fairly lethargic but OK, however mavis seemed more lethargic than the rest. Since that day she just hasn't seemed herself. She is eating and moving round, but just not as much as she normally would. They all go crazy when I go in the garden to pick grass and she's just not that fussed, eats some and then lays back down. She's laying in the same places for long periods of time, as a result seems to be laying in her own wee, resulting in me needing to bath her (which I've never routinely done). I'm thinking of taking her to the vets, but don't want to rush her there and stress her out needlessly, when I can't actually pinpoint a problem other than she just doesn't seem herself somehow.

I'm wondering if she overheated, I'm thinking she probably did, but what I'm wanting to know is if this could have affected her for a period of time after too? Is she recovering from that still?

I'm extra cautious and wary with her as she had a big tumour removed a year ago with a 50/50 chance of it returning, although I've had a good feel and can't find any lumps.

Any advice is much appreciated. I've just had her out on my knee and she was eating fine and lively enough. I just worry about my girls and want them to be well

 

[Wiebke]

Hi all, hoping someone can give me some advice. I have 4 girls, they live in 2 pairs. One of them, mavis, is 3 years old. She's been a bit off for a few days and I can't quite pin point anything in particular, but knowing her personality and usual habits well, something seems off.

All my girls life indoors. Mavis is a very big guinea pig with thick hair. We had the heatwave last week with the hottest day on Thursday, myself and my partner were at work all day. The house was red hot when we got home, I put frozen water bottles in for them all when I got in, changed their waters, gave them all some cucumber and put a rotating fan in the room they were in. Really it took until Saturday for the house to cool down. They all seemed fairly lethargic but OK, however mavis seemed more lethargic than the rest. Since that day she just hasn't seemed herself. She is eating and moving round, but just not as much as she normally would. They all go crazy when I go in the garden to pick grass and she's just not that fussed, eats some and then lays back down. She's laying in the same places for long periods of time, as a result seems to be laying in her own wee, resulting in me needing to bath her (which I've never routinely done). I'm thinking of taking her to the vets, but don't want to rush her there and stress her out needlessly, when I can't actually pinpoint a problem other than she just doesn't seem herself somehow.

I'm wondering if she overheated, I'm thinking she probably did, but what I'm wanting to know is if this could have affected her for a period of time after too? Is she recovering from that still?

I'm extra cautious and wary with her as she had a big tumour removed a year ago with a 50/50 chance of it returning, although I've had a good feel and can't find any lumps.

Any advice is much appreciated. I've just had her out on my knee and she was eating fine and lively enough. I just worry about my girls and want them to be well

Hi!

Please have Mavis vet checked.

She is suffering from the after-effects of heat stroke, which can cause GI stasis (the guts stopping working) and can damage the heart.
Please step in with syringe feed and watering support. Always see a vet as an emergency if your guinea pig is lethargic and not eating; it can make the difference between life and death!

Please follow the care tips in this guide here: Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

Heat stroke symptoms and what to do

You can find lots of tips and information on what you can do to keep your house and your piggies as cool as possible in this guide here. It is very comprehensive and goes way beyond the classic frozen water bottle (which is just one thing, but it may not be enough).
Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike

 

[Amandaxx1]

Thank you weibke. I will ring up tomorrow morning and take her in, I can always get in the same day. I read the heat stroke advice before I posted but I'll re-read, I was skimming it to see if there was anything about after affects but could only see that it could be for the hours after, whereas I'm on 5 days after, so I wasn't sure. I'll read the advice again so I'm better informed, I'm hopeful we won't get another day like tjay day in the future, I've never felt heat like it and spent the whole day worrying about my pigs (and horse!)

 

[Amandaxx1]

Also just to add she's not "not eating" as such, just not acting as greedy as usual. But she's eating hay and veg. Just lying around a lot. But I'll definitely take her tomorrow see what the vet says. Thanks for your quick response x

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you weibke. I will ring up tomorrow morning and take her in, I can always get in the same day. I read the heat stroke advice before I posted but I'll re-read, I was skimming it to see if there was anything about after affects but could only see that it could be for the hours after, whereas I'm on 5 days after, so I wasn't sure. I'll read the advice again so I'm better informed, I'm hopeful we won't get another day like tjay day in the future, I've never felt heat like it and spent the whole day worrying about my pigs (and horse!)

Just at the end of it is a warning that problems can last longer, depending how badly affected a piggy is. We have seen several cases last summer again over the last few days.

Keep monitoring her weight; she may need gut stimulants and have her heart checked. The boundary between heat exhaustion and heat stroke is gradual.

Your girl is likely to come round, but if she is not eating fully, she will need support top up syringe feeding and help to get her guts up to speed.

 

[Amandaxx1]

Thanks you, it's very worrying isn't it the weather. I don't even own a syringe so nothing I can do tonight, but she's just had some spinach and is eating pepper now. And vets tomorrow so I'm not overly concerned over night x

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks you, it's very worrying isn't it the weather. I don't even own a syringe so nothing I can do tonight, but she's just had some spinach and is eating pepper now. And vets tomorrow so I'm not overly concerned over night x

It is useful to follow the first aid tips (accessible via the emergency care link) and always have a needle-less syringe and some recovery formula at home. Emergencies and serious illness have a bad habit of happening at the most inconvenient of times.
Syringes you can get from your vet or from any pharmacy. Even a bowl of mushed up pellets, if your piggy is eating on its own can help.

 

[Amandaxx1]

Just to update on this... She went to the vets and nothing to do with the heat, she actually had bladder stones . She's had an operation and is recovering. Thank you for your advice xx

 

[Wiebke]

Just to update on this... She went to the vets and nothing to do with the heat, she actually had bladder stones ☹. She's had an operation and is recovering. Thank you for your advice xx

I am very sorry but glad that she has come through her op well but the pain must have excruciating, poor girl - and the heat won't have helped!

Here are our post-op care and our bladder diet tips for the long term (see special diets chapter):
Tips For Post-operative Care
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Since calcium absorption is a complex process, it depends on what is causing the stones, so it can take a little while for the calcium processing to settle down. However, for the long term, diet is key to prevent the reoccurrance of stones; we have made good experiences with our recommendations over the years and have noticeably reduced bladder stone issues in our own piggies, so we know that our diet recommendations do work for the long term.

You also want to treat your girl with a glucosamine based food supplement (it is not classed as a medication) like cystease. This is to replenish the natural glucosamine coating of the bladder walls, which have had quite a bad bashing from the stones.
Glucosamine in key for bladder care and can also help to reduce the risk of a cystitis (infection/inflammation of the bladder walls). Cystease is widely available online as a cat food supplement (cats are the other species that is prone to bladder problems).