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heat stroke or hypothermia

  • Thread starter Thread starter Stevie
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Stevie

Hi People,

we put out our pigs last night, we have spent weeks preparing for this and deliberating constanly on whether to or not.

Well today my wife came home from work and our two pigs were ill. They were very tired and slumped to the ground when they were removed from the hutch, she rushed them to the vet who gave them a couple of jags.

He seemed to think they were suffering from hypothermia and were dehydrated. He gave them a couple of jags each and put them under a heat lamp for 40mins.

They reacted well at first however they have been very quite since they got home and look as if they are sleepy. I thought they may have perked up by now but they have not. I want to disturb them to ensure they remain conscious , wherase my wife wants to leave them be. I feel sick to my stomach about putting them outside, but i can deal with the self judgement later, right now i need advice on the best course of action.

any advice will be greatly appreciated :(
 
Re: heat stroke

Does sound like heat stroke with the laying down a lot, how was the breathing?

I would be getting fluids into them with a syringe and dabbing them with cold water with a sponge. I'm sure those who have been through it can advise better than myself.

I do hope they improve for you. Keep us posted.
 
Are you sure he said Hypothermia and not Hyperthermia? As I think (ok correct me if wrong) that Hypothermia is from the cold, and Hyperthermia is heat stroke. So it's most likely your pigs are suffering from heat stroke....I think the vet is probably treating them correctly...I just hope they pull through ok x
 
Right that would make sense, he did not explain himself very well. What has annoyed me most is that he has not told us how best to keep them tonight. I'm at my wits end, not knowing if i should be keeping them warm or cooling them down.

He put them under heat lamps, and said there body temperature was fine but their heart beat was slow.

we are at a loss, we were holding them and they seem responsive. we have put them back in a pen in the dining room and there seems to be the odd movement. I'm so angry, then sad , but mainly i'm just completely sick to my stomach.

Dear Lord let my wee piggies come through this :'(

Sorry this forum seems to be the only way to vent my splein right now.
 
as louise said syringe water into them and sponge them down with a cool rag. hoping your babies pull through. O0 we have lost many animals through being out in the sun. so we know what you are going through. you could also give a cool bath but make sure they don't get a chill. but get water into them. good luck O0 sending hugs and healing vibes your way :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: girls send :-* :-* :-* feel free to vent and rave, some vets know nothing about guinea pigs, others don't explain themselves :tickedoff: :tickedoff:
:tickedoff: perhaps if you are unsure put a fan on and cool the room and perhaps have a thin blanket on them. either way give plenty of water via syringe and keep an eye on them, perhaps ring the vet and see if they have an after hours number. again good luck. O0
 
Speaking to my wife again to try and clarify what he said to her in my absense.

1) body temperature was fine.

2) Heart rate was slow, which in his words was the opposite of being over heated.

3) He said that piggies try shed their heat and in his opinion when they were moved from the hot hutch into the open they got hypothermia due to sudden cold. :o

only thing being that my wife could have sworn they were ill before she even picked them up to put them in the pen on the grass.

I guess the slow heart beat points directly at hypothermia rather than hyperthermia. And that suggest we should be keeping them warm.
 
if in doubt try ringing the after hours vet or you could try and put hot water bottles wrapped in a towel in their cage or a heating pad. still give plenty of fluids if they are not eating or drinking. get some pellets, boil some water and let it cool, add the pellets to the water and mix into a paste, add 1-2 teaspoons of baby food puree like apple or sweetcorn or carrot and mix together and feed to your piggies via syringe or spoon or C&C if you have any as piggies need to eat for thier tummies and fluids are important. hoping this has helped, good luck, try syringe feeding and give water and warm them up and keep an eye on them. sending hugs and healing vibes :smitten: :smitten:
 
:-\ oh dear I don't know :( Poor pigs - all I can suggest is you keep them indoors in a normal temperature room, ensure they are eating and drinking well, just keep them comfortable. I hope they pull through :(
 
how are your babies today? have been thinking of them all day yesterday (i am in oz) hoping they are alright and you managed to get them to the vet. O0 sending hugs and healing vibes :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
I'm sorry to hear about your piggies. I don't know anything about problerms like the ones you are describing. I hope your piggies are better soon xx
 
just wondering how your piggies are today? hoping you managed to get them to the vet and that they made a full recovery. please keep us updated. sending hugs and healing vibes :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
Hello again people :D

Sorry its taken me so long to reply, i had left my lap top in the office and couldnt get online.

That and my wife and i have been tending to our little piggies.

They have made what looks to be a full recovery, on Tuesday we took them back to the vet and left them in thier care all day, i had to leave the country on business for two heart rending days, however my wife kept me up to speed. The vets syringe fed them and watered them, and our babies were picked up when they closed. They were much more active, We were supplied with antibiotics and a syringe food suppliment.

Day after day they have been steadily getting stronger and fitter and on Thursday they were wheeking for food again :smitten: :smitten:
 
that is fantastic news O0 was it heat stroke or was it due to the cold ? am so happy that your babies are improving, sending healing vibes and hugs to you all :smitten:
:smitten: :smitten: and the girls send :-* :-* :-* and well done on finding your phone charger O0 come on piggies you can do it O0
 
;D

well pleased with the phone charger.

The vet reckons they were very hot and had adapted their bodies to deal with the heat, however when we found them and thought they were too hot. We moved them into the cold to quickly. There body temperature plumeted and caused hypothermia :(

There on the mend though! :D
 
thanks for that, it is good to know, as we have awful hot summers here in oz. :tickedoff: :tickedoff: :tickedoff: when thumper our late bunny got over heated we put a damp towel on him. so glad your piggies are getting better, useful information for future reference. sending hugs and healing vibes :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
This web site is jinxing me ::)

Trixie now has a runny tummy, were syringe feeding fibreplex to her to ensure she gets enough nutreints. She still has an appetite and we have removed their greens.

Looks like hay and musli for a wee while. Her stools were loose for a day after she got back but that sorted itself out. Today was the first introduction on broccoli since she was ill so i wonder if thats the cause.

I'm off tomorrow morning so i'll keep an eye on her and make sure she's fine or its back to the vet again.

Good thing i work for the family business..... emm dad any chance of an advance.... ;D
 
put trixie on hay and dry food for a few days and slowly introduce veg, syringe water into her so she doesn't get dehydrated. am sure dad will advance you ;D sending hugs and healing vibes :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
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