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Our guinea pig died due to heat stroke

allisonochuko

allisonochuko

New Born Pup
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Germany
We have two lovely and amazing guinea pigs. Their names are Tilly and Leon. Unfortunately, Tilly died as a result of heatstroke, and we discovered that today. We traveled last Friday and returned today, Sunday, and found that one of them is long gone because of the heat. The heat these past days has been scorching. Up to 34 degrees even on Friday. We made sure they have enough food and water, and one of the cage doors (upper part) was left open because of fresh air. They have always been outside on the balcony during summer for the past couple of years. We usually put them indoors during the winter months because of the cold. It's excruciating and unbearable to lose Leon. We blame ourselves for his death because we believe we haven't done much to avoid this. I sincerely wish I had done more to prevent this from happening. We discovered that the foods we left for them have not really been touched much, which made us think it happened probably the same day we left, and Leon has not been eating since then. Leon is very sad at the moment. Imagine being with Tilly the whole time while Tilly was lifeless. We buried Tilly outside in our neighbour's garden because we don't have one.

Please we need advice on how to move forward. Thanks.

Here is a video of them I made about a year ago:
 
I'm sorry about what happened . The same thing happened to one of my friends guinea pigs , except both died from heatstroke inside her conservatory. Her husband was dying in hospital and she got a bad news call and just totally forgot about the pigs .

Next time just freeze plastic water bottles almost filled to top with water and and then put them inside a sock and then in the cage . Windows shut , curtains shut . ( Or buy an aircon unit ) Take care , don't beat yourself up , it was just a mistake , a costly one but it's the only way to learn sometimes . I've made bad ones myself with animals in the past .

The way I moved forward was to just say never again , had a word with myself in my head and then let time go by . Your not the first and won't be the last to make a mistake .
 
Oh no. I’m so sorry for your loss. We all make mistakes. We are only human and always learning. I made one when I was much younger and it cost me the life of my piggy. I still feel bad about it 33 years later. (I’m so sorry Monty. I was young and stupid ☹️). All we can do is not make that same mistake again. I never have and I’m sure you won’t either. I feel for you. Please be gentle on yourselves.
 
weepweeps said:
Oh no. I’m so sorry for your loss. We all make mistakes. We are only human and always learning. I made one when I was much younger and it cost me the life of my piggy. I still feel bad about it 33 years later. (I’m so sorry Monty. I was young and stupid ☹️). All we can do is not make that same mistake again. I never have and I’m sure you won’t either. I feel for you. Please be gentle on yourselves.
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Sorry to heat about Monty. It's sad and will be very difficult to let go. I'm determined not to repeat the same mistake again. Even promised myself that I'll take Leon along with me when travelling. We are considering getting another to keep Leon company.
 
allisonochuko said:
Sorry to hear about Monty. It's sad and will be very difficult to let go. I'm determined not to repeat the same mistake again. Even promised myself that I'll take Leon along with me when travelling. We are considering getting another to keep Leon company.
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Claire W said:
I am very sorry for your loss :( Please don’t beat yourself up, you’re not to blame and these things sadly happen.

You may find these links helpful whilst you are grieving and what you can do for Leon while he grieves

Human Bereavement: Grieving, Coping and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children

Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig
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allisonochuko said:
We have two lovely and amazing guinea pigs. Their names are Tilly and Leon. Unfortunately, Tilly died as a result of heatstroke, and we discovered that today. We traveled last Friday and returned today, Sunday, and found that one of them is long gone because of the heat. The heat these past days has been scorching. Up to 34 degrees even on Friday. We made sure they have enough food and water, and one of the cage doors (upper part) was left open because of fresh air. They have always been outside on the balcony during summer for the past couple of years. We usually put them indoors during the winter months because of the cold. It's excruciating and unbearable to lose him. We blame ourselves for his death because we believe we haven't done much to avoid this. I sincerely wish I had done more to prevent this from happening. We discovered that the foods we left for them have not really been touched much, which made us think it happened probably the same day we left, and Leon has not been eating since then. Leon is very sad at the moment. Imagine being with Tilly the whole time while Tilly was lifeless. We buried Tilly outside in our neighbour's garden because we don't have one.

Please we need advice on how to move forward. Thanks.

Here is a video of them I made about a year ago:
Click to expand...
 
I’m so sorry you had to come back home to this sad loss X
I hope you can find a little friend for Leon soon, he will be lonely.
Sleep tight little Tilly 🌈
The weather nowadays is extremely unpredictable so if you have to go away again please take to a knowledgeable friend/relation to look after or take to a small animal boarder, so sorry 😞
 
allisonochuko said:
We have two lovely and amazing guinea pigs. Their names are Tilly and Leon. Unfortunately, Tilly died as a result of heatstroke, and we discovered that today. We traveled last Friday and returned today, Sunday, and found that one of them is long gone because of the heat. The heat these past days has been scorching. Up to 34 degrees even on Friday. We made sure they have enough food and water, and one of the cage doors (upper part) was left open because of fresh air. They have always been outside on the balcony during summer for the past couple of years. We usually put them indoors during the winter months because of the cold. It's excruciating and unbearable to lose Leon. We blame ourselves for his death because we believe we haven't done much to avoid this. I sincerely wish I had done more to prevent this from happening. We discovered that the foods we left for them have not really been touched much, which made us think it happened probably the same day we left, and Leon has not been eating since then. Leon is very sad at the moment. Imagine being with Tilly the whole time while Tilly was lifeless. We buried Tilly outside in our neighbour's garden because we don't have one.

Please we need advice on how to move forward. Thanks.

Here is a video of them I made about a year ago:
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome

I am ever so sorry about this.

Please have Leon vet checked to make sure that he is OK; heat exhaustion/stroke can affect both the heart and the gut motility. If you can, consider adopting a new mate for him but have a good chat with the Not-/Pflegestelle about how to improve your set-up and make it more secure.
Please take the time to read the green links in your thread for more practical in-depth information.

Here is our comprehensive information on heat protection and illness as well as further practical information:
Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike
Tips For Organising Your Holiday Absence
Travelling with guinea pigs (includes hot weather tips if you are seeing a vet during the heat of the day)
Notstationen und Pflegestellen für Meerschweinchen - Neue Heimat (List of rescues in Germany/Austria/Switzerland; any registered charities should be trustworthy - the German system is much stricter in that respect)

Please never leave your guinea pig without adequate heat protection and constant access to cool and frequently refreshed water as well as some fresh veg from the garden at all times; especially not during heat waves.

Please don't see this as a blaming session but as a help for coping with the massive feelings of guilt you are currently experiencing. When you make a bad mistake, it is always important how you get back up and deal with it. The best way is to take the lesson on board, work out what you have done wrong and more importantly what you can improve to prevent it from happening again. We all make mistakes and have accidents happen to our piggies sooner or later. Some things we only find the hard way by falling face down into a puddle; I've certainly done plenty of that over the years!
Living with life-long regrets is part of growing into a more understanding and compassionate adult. If you can make something constructive out of this and let it spur you on to become a better owner and help others, then the loss of Tilly will not have been in vain and she is leaving a positive legacy that may even help save other lives down the line. ;)
 
Thank you so much for your kind words and recommendations. We have got a new friend for Leon today. His name is Browny, six months old and a little shy. Leon was licking all over him for about 5 minutes of meeting him. They seem to get along pretty well. Thank you so much for all your support. I don't know what I could have done without them. I've promised myself never to make the same mistake again.
 
How sad. I’m so sorry for your loss. Did you have a piggie sitter while you were away? It’s best to have someone to check in on the piggies if you can.
 
I’m so sorry for your loss. I can relate as the same thing happened to us 4 days ago and we are devastated. I found this site as I have struggled with my grief and keep crying.
We got our 3 girls last autumn and I never even thought about the hutch position. Although they are my 3 children’s pets it’s me who looks after them. This tragic day was down to a combination of events. Once every 2 weeks I work further away and on this particular day I had to collect a colleague. After dropping the kids off at a later time because of covid I suddenly remembered about lifting the cover off the hutch. I only put it on because of heavy rain the night before. I realised my phone was in the boot so thought I’d pick up my colleague then phone my mum at work. At this point it was grey and chilly. I was wearing tights and a jacket. When we arrived the shop was full and I was very busy. I completely forgot to phone my mum. When I stopped at 1.15pm I realised it was sunny and a feeling of icy dread ran through me.
I called my mum to lift the cover and get them out but she and my dad were out. So I called my mother in law who got there 10 minutes later. She phoned and said the piggies were floppy and in a bad way. She got them out on the lawn and asked me what to do. I was in a state at work about it. She sprinkled them with water and got their water bottle and offered it to them.
At this point my mum and sister in law arrived at the scene. My mum started phoning our vets who said we weren’t registered when we were. This messing about further prevented my mum from helping with the pigs.
In the meantime my daughter’s pig Midnight seemed to be drinking so my mother in law gave her more. Unfortunately this was too much and she choked and died in her arms. The other 2 recovered after a trip to the vets.
My mum checks on the pigs every day (she lives next door) and this is the first time she didn’t. It was one of those days when many things happened unexpectedly so she forgot too.
It’s not her fault though. Or my mother in law’s. They are our pigs and our responsibility. We have learned tragic lessons from this. We moved the hutch immediately to a more shaded spot where the sun only hits it late afternoon. I’ve said to my family that I need help. From my husband and the kids. I feel I’m juggling a lot of balls and I need back up.
I miss Midnight and we are all utterly heartbroken. It’s like a bad dream and I can’t believe she’s gone. I feel such guilt and I keep thinking ‘what if’ and ‘if only’ constantly. It’s so hard to come to terms with. I hope this helps someone else not make the same mistake.
 
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