Degu might have experienced heatstroke

[lovemygus]

Greetings
Two days ago we went to the vet and took our 5 year old rescue to get her back nails trimmed and for a general check up because she's not too quick and kinda clumsy, but she's been this way since we got her around a year ago.
Vet didn't do an x-ray, although we discussed that before and recommended to just try giving her 0.1ml Metacam twice daily for two weeks, because he suspects arthritis.
It was a hot day and the journey to our vet takes 1.5 hours one way. She was active for the first hour and then was napping for the rest of the way there and back. I gave her Metacam in the evening and she just slept. Next day she was breathing a bit quick and continued to be tired and slow. I thought she must be tired from the trip or that it's side effects of Metacam.

Today after work I found her all puffed up, barely moving, when she moves she's extremely clusmy, wobbling slightly to sides. I called the vet, he told us it could be stroke or a heatstroke and to stop with medication and just check how her condition develops and wait.

She's eating critical care, but she's just sleeping in different places in the cage. She can move but is not well coordinated, also she grinds her teeth a lot when she eatss.
I warmed a snuggle safe but I'm not sure if it's not making her worse? The apartment doesn't get much sun and is bellow 20°C.

What else can I do?
What are the differences symptom wise between heatstroke and stroke?
Has anyone had a degu survive heat stroke?

Sorry for long post and thank you for any response or insight.

[teemu]

If she is suffering from heatstroke, she should not be put on a snugglesafe - she needs less heat, not more.

Heatstroke is the result of acute overheating of the body, and the only treatment for that is lowering the body temperature (for example, but cooling the room down, or getting a cold water bottle and putting it in contact with her). However, the conditions you describe make a heatstroke sound really improbable. If it is less than 20 Celsius there, and she has not been exposed to much sun, I don't see how she could have gotten it. Heat stroke is also an acute situation, so if this only started today, I seriously doubt it is that. A heatstroke would not occur multiple days after being exposed to heat.

A stroke might be possible. Both a stroke and a heatstroke result in loss of coordination, difficulty moving, possibly seizures or other episodes and weakness. What you describe could match this, and unfortunately there is not much that can be done, treatment-wise, other than assessing her and providing her with the care she needs.

If she is eating and taking in fluids, and does not seem to be getting worse, continue monitoring her and giving her Critical Care. I recommend that you take her to a vet quickly unless her condition starts improving very soon.

About the metacam, are you sure that you have been giving her exactly the dosage that is prescribed (0.1ml)? Metacam is very potent, and an overdose is acutely dangerous to an animal. Since the dosage is very small, it can be hard to measure unless you have a 1ml or 2ml syringe with every tenth of a ml marked on it, and it would not be hard for a small extra amount to be given by mistake (but since the dosage is so small, even a small extra amount might double or triple it). I'm asking because it seems possible that she might be suffering from a reaction to the metacam - either because she is allergic to it or because the dose has been too large. But if you are sure that the dosage has been right, then she is either reacting to it because of allergy, or it is not the cause.

If she is suffering from a reaction due to the metacam, she will possibly start feeling better after it leaves her system, so keep a careful eye on her and her condition. Also, make sure that there is nothing in her cage that she could fall off of and injure herself, since her mobility is compromised at the moment. Keep giving her Critical Care (it will give her both nutrients and fluid) and be in touch about how things develop.

[bouncy]

Some degus don't like being out of their own environment. It freaks them to the point where you can pick up a normally feisty goo, and they'll just sit on the palm of your hand. It can take several hours to return to normal behaviour.

If you suspect heatstroke, the first thing to do is feel your goo. How does their body temperature feel? Normal? Excessively warm? Cold? If it is heatstroke, they will feel very hot. Basic first aid is to cool down gently and rehydrate. Tepid (not cold) water, and something like a ceramic tile to sit on, which will draw out heat.

If cold, you really need to get them warm again by body heat/snugglesafe. It's a strong indicator that they're VERY unwell. I would usually get them straight to the vet, but it sounds like you're already in touch. Don't be afraid to keep giving regular updates, because they may tell you to come back.

Otherwise, keep going with what you're doing. Make sure they're eating and drinking regularly!

Heatstroke is unlikely, unless you left them in a stationary car in the sun for several hours. To give you an idea, a summer day in my kitchen (where the goos live) can see temperatures of up to 30 degrees because I triple insulated the loft. I know they're feeling it when they come out for a run, then collapse on the tiled floor to cool down. I give them large ceramic tiles in their cage to sprawl on, but they still prefer to lie on their mains power heat pads.

[lovemygus]

[quote author="teemu" [/quote]


Hello Teemu, thank you for taking time to write a response.

Today I'm not anymore so sure it was a heatstroke, as she's leaning and turning more to one side when walking, eating or looking around and I've read some threads suggesting that happens after a stroke.

Regarding Metacam, I currently have other very sick degu that's been on many meds in the last two months, so I was provided with the proper syringes (1ml) and explained how to dose medication.

She's eating critical care and seemed to be moving better today in the morning, but she looks confused and is still slightly wobbling side to side when looking around. I'll phone the vet after work today to see what can be done. Is there any treatment for a stroke? Or is it just for confirmation of the diagnosis?

I'm feeling very guilty for taking her to the vet for a nail trim and causing this to happen.

[teemu]

Alright, if you have experience with giving the medication and have been mindful with it, then it is not an overdose, in any case. Her moving better is a good sign, since whatever is happening is not getting worse right now. Keep at it, you are doing very well with all this.

About strokes, there is sadly no treatment for that, especially for small animals like degus. I do know that for cats and dogs, it may be possible to look at underlying causes (blood pressure for example) which might be treatable, but I am not sure how well that can be done with very small animals. I am also not sure if the vet can even give a definite confirmation of it being a stroke, since it is not possible (or at least feasible) to take brain scans of a small rodent for vet purposes. But, basically, if it is a manageable stroke (that is, one that she can survive), her condition will improve over time. The fact that she's a bit better today suggests that if it is a stroke, it is not getting worse.

Has her breathing sounded off in any way? If you lift her up to your ear and listen, is there any clicking, wheezing or other noise? And if you can take a look, do her ears seem clean? I'm thinking that one less serious condition that can cause similar symptoms is an ear infection (which might present together with a respiratory infection, though not always), though admittedly those usually don't come so suddenly.

You mention having a different, very sick degu. Could you tell us what she(?) is suffering from, and whether these two have been in the same cage?

In any case, you are doing very well with her, so keep caring for her and feeding her, and do consult the vet. I know that it is very easy to start blaming yourself for something like this, but these things are not possible to predict beforehand. For now, doing what you can for her is the main thing. I'm hoping you all the best.

[deguconvert]

Just wondering how your 5 year old rescue is doing? I do hope she has improved?