setha@teklds.UUCP (Seth D. Alford) (07/14/85)
Pet owners: beware of the effects of heat and sun on your small pets. Our two guinea pigs, cc and celia, died today. We think that it was the heat. We had them for over 2 years, and had successfully bred them once. They were outside on our deck, in their cage. They had water in their water bottle. They were in the sun. They were outside for about 45 minutes. We had left them outside previously without a problem, but we usually provided them some shade or left them on the grass. We had no idea that leaving them like this would cause them a problem. The cage is made of wire, and provides excellent ventilation. When we checked them they were on their sides and unresponsive; one was convulsing. We immediately called the vet, who said bathe them in cool water, which we did. We drove them to the vet. Despite the vet's efforts, both died this evening. The vet told us that excessive heat causes the systems in the body to malfunction, and that it can lead to brain damage. The vet told us that he had had a dog/patient just recently which had died due to heat problems. Cc and celia will be missed; we are very sad. -- --Seth Alford Tektronix Walker Road PO Box 4600 MS 92-823 Beaverton OR 97075 tektronix!teklds!setha (503)-629-1145