• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Fidget’s Ordeal - heatstroke

N

NanaJacks

New Born Pup
Joined
Jul 24, 2022
Messages
10
Reaction score
9
Points
60
Location
Surrey
I am new to Guinea pig ownership and adopted a pair of 2yr old long haired males. Fudge & Fidget. They are adorable. Very nervous as had not been handled at all.
Fidget has suffered heat stroke and although improving after being rushed to the vet , his back legs appear to be paralysed. He is currently on Metacam so it’s a waiting game to see if he improves. Meanwhile Fudge is very happy and approaches us without fear.
i could have avoided Fidget getting heatstroke by bringing them indoors and keeping them cool but was not aware of the dangers for Guinea pigs in hot weather. consumed by guilt but doing all I can to help him.
 
Welcome to the forum. I’m so sorry your boy is poorly. I hope he recovers with some TLC and pain medication.

Hopefully this guide will help you.

Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike

Don’t feel guilty. Unfortunately these things happen. You took him to the vets and are doing your very best for him. Good luck.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. I'm sorry that Fidget is poorly. Please don't feel guilty. You took him to the vets which is all we can do and unfortunately these things happen. I hope he feels better soon x
 
Welcome to the forum.
I'm so sorry to hear what has happened - the weather is catching out a lot of people. My neighbour with many (many!) years of experience has kept pigs outdoors through all weathers but brought hers in for the first time on that second hot day. Climate change is bringing new weather that we have never seen before and that we are all having to adapt to. Even my indoor girl with the trimmed long hair looked exhausted on the first day and ended up with a clipper cut on day 2. And everypig's tummy was a bit disturbed in the days after as they recovered. Your boy is still with us and has a chance to recover. Back-leg paralysis happens for all sorts of reasons and some can be almost impossible to pinpoint but there have been pigs who have got over it. It can sometimes take a few weeks though so if you can make sure he can reach all his water bottles etc, everything he needs is on one level and he is protected from urine scald (when they lie in their own pee too long and it hurts the skin) it will all help him. Here is a forum link to less mobile/non-mobile pigs Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility

Good luck little Fudge and Fidget and we hope to hear more about your future antics when you are feeling better 💕
 
Free Ranger said:
Welcome to the forum.
I'm so sorry to hear what has happened - the weather is catching out a lot of people. My neighbour with many (many!) years of experience has kept pigs outdoors through all weathers but brought hers in for the first time on that second hot day. Climate change is bringing new weather that we have never seen before and that we are all having to adapt to. Even my indoor girl with the trimmed long hair looked exhausted on the first day and ended up with a clipper cut on day 2. And everypig's tummy was a bit disturbed in the days after as they recovered. Your boy is still with us and has a chance to recover. Back-leg paralysis happens for all sorts of reasons and some can be almost impossible to pinpoint but there have been pigs who have got over it. It can sometimes take a few weeks though so if you can make sure he can reach all his water bottles etc, everything he needs is on one level and he is protected from urine scald (when they lie in their own pee too long and it hurts the skin) it will all help him. Here is a forum link to less mobile/non-mobile pigs Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility

Good luck little Fudge and Fidget and we hope to hear more about your future antics when you are feeling better 💕
Click to expand...
How kind. Thanks
 
Welcome to the forum.
As we rarely get this level of heat none of us could be fully prepared for it.
You took Fidget to the vet as soon as possible and hopefully he will recover well.
Please don’t feel guilty, you are not the only one caught out by this weather.
Holding you in my thoughts
 
Welcome to the forum
I’m so sorry poor Fidget suffered heat stroke, it truly has been a trying and stressful time for all of us. I hope Fidget regains use of his back legs soon x
 
Thank you for your support. Fidget is still with us but legs still not working and he’s only eating critical care mix via syringe. He has nibbled at his favourite celery. Also, I have to bath him every day due to him lying in his own waste. Metacam is helping with pain. He was such a scamper when we got him which is why we named him Fidget so it’s incredibly sad to see him motionless.
 
Are his front legs working? Is he able to eat hay for himself? And how much weight is he losing? I was going to say have you tried him with grass but it's all very sparse at the minute because of the heat. If he's losing weight rapidly he may just be lacking the energy to try and do very much - and they can get depressed about being unwell. Keep up the TLC, but keep monitoring him in case he takes a sudden turn for the worse...

I've seen threads before where it's taken a few weeks before any sort of improvement is seen - whether some sort of swelling has to go down or some sort of clot has to break down I don't know. How much metacam is he on - it's also an anti-inflam as well as a painkiller? George gets about 0.3ml of 1.5mg/ml strength twice a day for arthritis. George is 5 and 1/2 and 1.3 kilo and he'll be on this the rest of his life. For old school vets this is a pretty low dose. For newer vets they might only provide the piggy-licenced 0.5mg/ml version at a much lower dose so you might have some scope here...? Let us know what he's getting.

Is Fidget in pain when you move him about or does he seem to feel nothing at the back? That might seem a weird question but I had a girl (much older) who suddenly lost use of her back legs but it was like the front end didn't realise anything had happened at first because she had no sensation and she moved at a decent pace like a seal dragging those useless back legs and carried on stuffing her chops. However she visibly lost muscle tone at the back and developed a big pressure sore from resting on one withered flank all the time - it got infected (which she couldn't feel at all) and we had to have her pts before septicaemia set in. This all happened within about a month - but if he still has sensation in his back legs and has retained tone I wouldn't be giving up hope yet.

The question about a fall is pertinent. Trying to escape the heat can lead them to do unexpected things. My friend thought hers would retreat into their little wooden house but actually found they had tried to cram under it in the couple inches space which of course they couldn't do. She saw their heads wedged under with their back ends sticking out and realised that inside the house must have been hotter than outside. Just the very air was too hot. Could there have been a ramp in the house that he might have fallen from? Did your vet consider whether to x-ray?

You're doing a sterling job in such difficult circumstances and I know how much your heart must be aching but try and stay positive for a little longer x
 
Sending loads of healing vibes to Fidget. I have heard of piggies losing use of their back legs and eventually recovering so there’s hope for Fidget
 
Free Ranger said:
Are his front legs working? Is he able to eat hay for himself? And how much weight is he losing? I was going to say have you tried him with grass but it's all very sparse at the minute because of the heat. If he's losing weight rapidly he may just be lacking the energy to try and do very much - and they can get depressed about being unwell. Keep up the TLC, but keep monitoring him in case he takes a sudden turn for the worse...

I've seen threads before where it's taken a few weeks before any sort of improvement is seen - whether some sort of swelling has to go down or some sort of clot has to break down I don't know. How much metacam is he on - it's also an anti-inflam as well as a painkiller? George gets about 0.3ml of 1.5mg/ml strength twice a day for arthritis. George is 5 and 1/2 and 1.3 kilo and he'll be on this the rest of his life. For old school vets this is a pretty low dose. For newer vets they might only provide the piggy-licenced 0.5mg/ml version at a much lower dose so you might have some scope here...? Let us know what he's getting.

Is Fidget in pain when you move him about or does he seem to feel nothing at the back? That might seem a weird question but I had a girl (much older) who suddenly lost use of her back legs but it was like the front end didn't realise anything had happened at first because she had no sensation and she moved at a decent pace like a seal dragging those useless back legs and carried on stuffing her chops. However she visibly lost muscle tone at the back and developed a big pressure sore from resting on one withered flank all the time - it got infected (which she couldn't feel at all) and we had to have her pts before septicaemia set in. This all happened within about a month - but if he still has sensation in his back legs and has retained tone I wouldn't be giving up hope yet.

The question about a fall is pertinent. Trying to escape the heat can lead them to do unexpected things. My friend thought hers would retreat into their little wooden house but actually found they had tried to cram under it in the couple inches space which of course they couldn't do. She saw their heads wedged under with their back ends sticking out and realised that inside the house must have been hotter than outside. Just the very air was too hot. Could there have been a ramp in the house that he might have fallen from? Did your vet consider whether to x-ray?

You're doing a sterling job in such difficult circumstances and I know how much your heart must be aching but try and stay positive for a little longer x
Click to expand...
Thanks
Free Ranger said:
Are his front legs working? Is he able to eat hay for himself? And how much weight is he losing? I was going to say have you tried him with grass but it's all very sparse at the minute because of the heat. If he's losing weight rapidly he may just be lacking the energy to try and do very much - and they can get depressed about being unwell. Keep up the TLC, but keep monitoring him in case he takes a sudden turn for the worse...

I've seen threads before where it's taken a few weeks before any sort of improvement is seen - whether some sort of swelling has to go down or some sort of clot has to break down I don't know. How much metacam is he on - it's also an anti-inflam as well as a painkiller? George gets about 0.3ml of 1.5mg/ml strength twice a day for arthritis. George is 5 and 1/2 and 1.3 kilo and he'll be on this the rest of his life. For old school vets this is a pretty low dose. For newer vets they might only provide the piggy-licenced 0.5mg/ml version at a much lower dose so you might have some scope here...? Let us know what he's getting.

Is Fidget in pain when you move him about or does he seem to feel nothing at the back? That might seem a weird question but I had a girl (much older) who suddenly lost use of her back legs but it was like the front end didn't realise anything had happened at first because she had no sensation and she moved at a decent pace like a seal dragging those useless back legs and carried on stuffing her chops. However she visibly lost muscle tone at the back and developed a big pressure sore from resting on one withered flank all the time - it got infected (which she couldn't feel at all) and we had to have her pts before septicaemia set in. This all happened within about a month - but if he still has sensation in his back legs and has retained tone I wouldn't be giving up hope yet.

The question about a fall is pertinent. Trying to escape the heat can lead them to do unexpected things. My friend thought hers would retreat into their little wooden house but actually found they had tried to cram under it in the couple inches space which of course they couldn't do. She saw their heads wedged under with their back ends sticking out and realised that inside the house must have been hotter than outside. Just the very air was too hot. Could there have been a ramp in the house that he might have fallen from? Did your vet consider whether to x-ray?

You're doing a sterling job in such difficult circumstances and I know how much your heart must be aching but try and stay positive for a little longer x
Click to expand...
thAnn’s for your welcome reply. I dont know if he fell although I was away and he was being looked after by my neighbour and my daughter in law. Both said he was fine the day before we returned. His house mate Fudge is very lively and sometimes barges past Fidget. A fall isn’t likely as theres nowhere it could happen. I suspect he had heatstroke, pancaked and Fudge jumped on his back to get past. I’m going to vet again tomorrow if no more improvement. Metacam is 0.5mg/ml. .02 per dose once a day. Vet said not to be tempted to give more. He appears to be losing muscle tone and or weight?
seeing vet again tomorrow.
thanks again for your advice.
 
NanaJacks said:
Thanks

thAnn’s for your welcome reply. I dont know if he fell although I was away and he was being looked after by my neighbour and my daughter in law. Both said he was fine the day before we returned. His house mate Fudge is very lively and sometimes barges past Fidget. A fall isn’t likely as theres nowhere it could happen. I suspect he had heatstroke, pancaked and Fudge jumped on his back to get past. I’m going to vet again tomorrow if no more improvement. Metacam is 0.5mg/ml. .02 per dose once a day. Vet said not to be tempted to give more. He appears to be losing muscle tone and or weight?
seeing vet again tomorrow.
thanks again for your advice.
Click to expand...
I am so sorry you are going through this.
What I would say is that the metacam dosage is so low, it is unlikely to be having any effect at all.
This could be critical in reducing inflammation and pain, and should be given twice a day at a much (much) higher amount.
How experienced with guinea pigs is your vet?

Hopefully this is something that can be sorted out, and Fudge starts to improve very soon.
You are doing a wonderful job advocating for him.
 
I agree, that amount of cat metacam won’t be doing anything for pain. It can go considerably higher so the vet for say not to be tempted to give more seems odd

are you weighing him daily?
 
Sorry, didn’t answer al your questions:
yes he can use his front legs but doesn’t try much..
yes he has eaten hay if left in front of him but not much.
I have to wash his underbelly every day because he mostly lies in his own waste and cor does he stink.
I'm using puppy training pads for him to lie on and changing daily.
this morning he attempted to use his left back leg and seemed to have a decent range of movement but got nowhere.
his right back leg feels stiff and remains sticking out.
I think he is losing both weight and muscle mass. He feels bony.
I’ll try to add video
 
NanaJacks said:
Sorry, didn’t answer al your questions:
yes he can use his front legs but doesn’t try much..
yes he has eaten hay if left in front of him but not much.
I have to wash his underbelly every day because he mostly lies in his own waste and cor does he stink.
I'm using puppy training pads for him to lie on and changing daily.
this morning he attempted to use his left back leg and seemed to have a decent range of movement but got nowhere.
his right back leg feels stiff and remains sticking out.
I think he is losing both weight and muscle mass. He feels bony.
I’ll try to add a video
Click to expand...

Please make sure you weigh him every morning so you know he is being syringe fed enough to keep his weight stable as he doesn’t sound to be enough independently.
How much are you syringe feeding him each 24 hour period?

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

Is your vet piggy knowledgeable because that dose of metacam (and you’ve been given cat metacam which is weaker than dog) once a day will not be doing anything for pain - Its simply far too low. Piggies can take fairly high doses and need their pain meds every 12 hours due to the fact they metabolise them in that time so once a day is not enough

To add video, you will need to upload it to YouTube and then post a link to it here. We can’t host video directly on the forum

Let us know how you get on at his check up.
 
Yes I agree the dose is extremely low, he needs a higher dose as this may reduce the inflammation and smpwelling which may be pressing on his spinal cord
 
George is on '4 units' which is about 0.3ml of DOG metacam (1.5mg/ml) TWICE a day. He has arthritis in his back legs and will be on it for the rest of his life. My vet considers this a relatively low dose for a 1.3 kilo pig and indeed a 1.1 kilo girl has been on double this before in the short term for something else with no ill effects. We did once give a piggy too much (under vet advice for a very painful condition) and she looked pretty rough within about 20 mins BUT she perked up after a few hours - this shows how fast they burn through it with their fast piggy metabolism, which is why it is best twice a day. If he's starting to try and move it's got to be a good sign. I'd push for a higher dose but you'll have to push hard if the vet is sticking rigidly to the rules. The problem is that cat metacam has now also been licensed for guinea pigs. In the past we just got the dog one with small vols for little mouths. But George is actually on the daily dose for an 8 kilo dog (that's what the units on the syringe are about) and he has no problems. Increasing a dose is a vet job as it depends on weight and other factors but at my practice the younger vets will offer cat and not budge but the older vets will give dog - esp as I'm clear that I've had it before. They now have a 'release' form basically saying I'm doing it at my own risk ( I suspect I'm not the only one making a fuss about it!) and after 10 years of piggies that's fine. Of course we don't want to overdose and there will at some point be a dose that is too high but you're nowhere near that and if he can be made more comfortable and his inflammation (if there is any) can be reduced it might tip the balance in his favour. Push the vet for more metacam - you seriously have nothing to lose at this point. Be prepared that they may suggest euthanasia and think about what you want to say. Personally I think that if a vet won't budge on cat metacam but offers to put piggy to sleep I don't think I'm going to be able to get on with them.

Try piling soft hay on top of the puppy pad. This will cushion him and keep him drier as the pee trickles through, and he can eat it. If they lie in their own wee they can get urine scald and it increases the chance of urinary infection. It's not so much the poops that are the problem. If you have to change the pad every few hours in the day do it - it will prevent the scald and the ammonia smell of old pee soaked fur.

Keep an eye on the amount he's pooping and the shape of the poops. If they get little, thin and dry he's not getting enough fibrous food to push everything through and you might need to up the syringing. Is Fudge looking after him? They often do when the other is unwell.

Good luck at the vets, you're doing great x
 
I’m so sorry you lost little Fidget, you did everything you could have done, sending hugs x
Sleep tight Fidget 🌈
 
I’m so sorry te hear he passed away 💔😭. You did everything you could and i feel so sad fridget didn’t pull through 😔.
I’m sorry for your loss 🥺❤️
 
I’m so sorry. You tried everything. Popcorn high at the bridge gorgeous Fidget. Take care ❤️
 
I'm so sorry. Look after yourself as something like this can really knock you back, especially when you've been so involved nursing them. Spend some time with little Fudge - you will comfort each other. Sleep tight Fidget x
Good luck in going forward and finding him a new friend. If you have any rescues near you (there is a 'recommended rescues list at the top of the page on the green bar) you can phone to see if they do 'boar dating' where they introduce your boy to others and see if they get on. If you need any more advice or support, or just want to post jolly pigtures in the future, we are always here x
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top