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Advice Needed: 1yo piggie not well!

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alibali84

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Our piggie has been to the vets a number of times recently after he stopped eating a couple of weeks ago. Initially they thought he had an issue with his teeth but kept him in to check and said they are all fine. I then noticed a build up of pus in one ear and it was determined he had an ear infection. The infection seems to have cleared up but he is still not eating by himself. I understand that it might take a while for him to get better but I'm worried something else might be wrong that's been missed so if anyone has experienced something similar before and has any advice that would be great. I've provided some info on his symptoms and current care below.

Symptoms
- Weight Loss (although he is still active)
- Loss of Apetite (seems to want to eat but can't)
- Ear Infection (pus now cleared but ear still itchy)
- Recently Drooling (hair loss under chin over last couple of days from excessive drooling)
- Ocassional Gagging

Current Care
- Gut Meds (to keep gut moving)
- Painkiller
- Antibiotics
- Critical Care

Thanks in advance!
 
I'm no expert, but it sounds like there's something going on with his mouth.

Where abouts are you located? Someone may be able to recommend a vet who is particularly cavy savvy (are you confident in your vets ability? Unfortunately guinea pigs and other small furries don't come up much, so not all vets have a wealth of experience).
 
Agree with Amanda,

Very often with infections, a piggy will stop eating because they can't breath very well. Once the infection clears up, your piggy is likely to have overly long teeth from not eating. This in turn will make it uncomfortable to eat and you're in a vicious circle.

You should get down to your vet and have his mouth/teeth looked at. He made need his back teeth trimming down a little.
 
We live in fife, Scotland. The vets looked at his teeth last week and said they are fine so think it is probably his mouth. Hopefully the antibiotics clear up the infection.

Thanks for getting back to me!
 
It's not just teeth that cause dribbling but also fungal infections like oral thrush. It may be possible he has that & that would stop him eating as it would be painful. I would consider another vet opinion or take him back to the vets for them to check his teeth & the inside of his mouth, the teeth can very quickly overgrow & tiny spurs on the back teeth are not always found unless they open his mouth fully with bucal pad separators. Good luck :)
 
Suugest you take him to see [*]Glenn[/*] at Apex for a thorough check up esepcially his toofies. Glenn is widely regarded as THE scottish piggie expert.


http://www.apexvets.com/

HTH
x
 
Yes, I agree, contact Glen at Apex vets in Denny, near Falkirk. It's not so far from you and he is an expert with pigs. Alternatively, I use the Dick Vet in Edinburgh (ask for Jo Hedley, Emma Keeble or Kevin Eatwell). There is a specialist dentist vet in the midlands called Simon. One of our members furryfriends (Excellent Adventure Sanctuary) knows him and can help in dire cases with accommodation. You can't pm her as you don't have 50 posts, but I will and point her in your direction.

HTH
Kate
 
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Katie Krafter said:
Yes, I agree, contact Glen at Apex vets in Denny, near Falkirk. It's not so far from you and he is an expert with pigs. Alternatively, I use the Dick Vet in Edinburgh (ask for Jo Hedley, Emma Keeble or Kevin Eatwell). There is a specialist dentist vet in the midlands called Simon. One of our members furryfriends (Excellent Adventure Sanctuary) knows him and can help in dire cases with accommodation. You can't pm her as you don't have 50 posts, but I will and point her in your direction.

HTH
Kate
Click to expand...

Thank you for pointing me in this direction, Kate.

I think definitely worth a visit to Glen. From what I have heard he is very experienced with guinea pigs.

My vet, Simon Maddock, sees dental piggies from all over the country. He carries out dental work without GA, and the results are amazing. I work closely with him and provide temporary accommodation here at the Sanctuary for piggies who are undergoing treatment and are too far away from home to travel regularly to appointments. I am very experienced in syringe feeding and the supportive care needed to get the piggies eating independantly again.

This thread will give you an idea of the work the Sanctuary does.

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=91934
 
Thanks everyone for all of the useful info you have supplied! Apologies for the delayed reply, I seemed to have stopped receiving alerts. Will be sure to check the forum regularaly in the future. Good news is that our piggie is now eating by himself after getting his front teeth trimmed, they must have overgrown when he wasn't eating.

Unfortunately we have now discovered he has an abscess on his underside and the vets think the infection has spread. They lanced the abscess the other day and he is still on pain meds. They said the only way to get rid of the infection is to operate and he is too weak for that. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know, I'm planning to arrange a visit to the GP vet this weekend for a second opinion.

Thanks again for all your help!
 
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