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Can you help me please, very poorly piggie

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SOAD

My piggie Ernie started to go off his food on Tuesday, I took him to the vets on Wednesday and he had a dental (first one, he is approximately 6). I was surprised he needed one as he has always been a big hay eater, the vet said some of the back teeth were quite long.

Since he came home I have been having trouble getting him to eat, I have been syringe feeding him, on Wednesday he looked quite poorly, also he look quite bad yesterday morning, but last night his eyes seemed brighter. I gave him a couple of drops of metacam last night to see if that helped as I imagine his mouth is quite sore (can anyone tell me what the dosage is for pigs?). I have been putting bio lapis in his water and I also went to the chemist yesterday and bought a bottle of Metatone and gave him 0.5ml, he looks brighter in himself, but he's still not right and I think the only reason he is alive is because I keep going with the syringe food. My lodger said after he had syringe feed him yesterday that he saw him eat some hay, but my lodger is a bit half soaked so not so sure how accurate that is.

I got him two types of parsley, basil, mint, grated carrot, banana and did him a dish of porridge with honey, as well as his normal food, hay and veg but I can't seem to temp him to eat.

He gets an impacted bum which I am still cleaning and he has normal poo's, I am wondering if he is eating a bit for him to be having them, or if this is just from the syringe feeds.

Don't think I am mad :red, but I had an animal communication reading done on him yesterday, to see if that could give me any insight and apparently he wants strawberries and cress, which I will get on my dinner break, I just hope that tempts him. I am desperate, I am worried the longer he goes without eating himself his teeth are growing, please can anyone help with any ideas/suggestions? :(:(
 
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Sorry I can't help, other than to suggest other food but you have given him quite a selection already. I hope the strawberries and cress works! Loads of vibes for Ernie. You're doing a great job.
 
Thank you so much Rachel, it's knocking me sick with worry, I wish I knew how to make him right. He is six, just noticed that an emoticon blanked out his age.
 
I had a similar experience recently with my guinea pig. He wanted to eat but couldn't (despite having his teeth done). It sounds like your guinea pig is actually off his food. If so there may be an underlying problem such as a urine infection. It might be worth having him checked again by your vet or a rodentologist.
I use metacam 0.2ml twice a day and reduce to once a day as they improve.
Sounds like you are doing everything you can to help. Don't give up!:)
 
youre doing well syringe feeding him and i hope the strawberries and cress do the trick maybe the metatone needs a little time to work
 
Hi. Sorry to hear about your poorly piggy. I am not experienced enough with illnesses to offer advice, but perhaps you could read through this current link about Garry, who has been having dental problems. You may find something helpful there until more expertise comes on.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=42243

ps. I will be interested to see what happens with the strawberries and cress :)
 
Thank you so much, right I will get him checked again tonight and see if the vet can come up with anything, I am just so worried about him. :0
 
Thank you so much guys, you have no idea how much I appreciate all this, going to have a good look through the links on my lunch (suppose to be working hehe). I rang up my vet and he has just called me back he has no appointments, but he said he will leave antibiotics for me to collect tonight with the dosage and he will see him again after the weekend. Ernie was there all day on Wednesday, he had a GA with his dental too.
 
I have not words of wisdom only of support, keeping my fingers crossed he perks up hun.
 
When was his general? My boy Mork had a general for his castration and he didn't eat properly for days - I was syringing him. Maybe it's really put him off his food for a few days?
 
It was on Wednesday afternoon, he spend the day in the vets. I am hoping that is all it is, but he's had generals in the past as he's had most of his nipples removed and lumps removed from his breast tissue and he bounced back after them pretty quick, this is his third GA.
 
SOAD said:
It was on Wednesday afternoon, he spend the day in the vets. I am hoping that is all it is, but he's had generals in the past as he's had most of his nipples removed and lumps removed from his breast tissue and he bounced back after them pretty quick, this is his third GA.
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Sorry meant to press reply.

Maybe not that then.
 
I am sorry he's not doing well since his dental work.

Daktarin Oral Gel is the product I found helped the most after dental work. 0.5ml syringed into the mouth twice daily, for at least three days after the work's been done. It soothes any sore spots in the mouth (which is possible if his molars were overgrown) and will also tackle some types of oral infection, which could also be preventing him wanting to eat.

Do tempt him with as many of his favourite foods as you can. He may like strawberries as they are soft for him to chew.
 
Thank you, can I pick that up from the chemist or do I need to order it from the vets?

He was a lot younger when he had his last GA's too, so it might be a combination of a few things.
 
You can get daktarin from a chemist. Also, make sure the syringe feed is warm.
 
It's sold over-the- counter in chemists, it is for humans with oral fungal infections (e.g. thrush) but works very well for guineas with oral problems. Not that the pharmacists know that!
 
I have already lost count of the number of times I have said this in 2010.

There is NEVER any need for a general anaesthetic to either look at or trim teeth.

Three possibilities; adverse reasction to the anaesthetic, sore mouth or the vet has made a mess of trimmoing the tweeth and the pig cannot eat.
Where are you?
 
alcesterpigs said:
I have already lost count of the number of times I have said this in 2010.

There is NEVER any need for a general anaesthetic to either look at or trim teeth.
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AP whilst we all know that a general is not required for a tooth trim or x-ray, only a very small percentage of vets will agree to do them conscious. When I insisted at my vets that one of my piggies could remain awake they refused to treat her unless I agreed to a GA (I went up to Cambridge to see Vedra on this occasion) - I do wonder whether they all think they are going to be sued should something go wrong!

Unfortunately rodentologists are scattered fairly thinly across the UK, some of us don't have a great deal of choice. In Kent, for example, I have to travel up to Surrey for a conscious dental done by a vet. I just wish that more vets would attend courses run by Vedra or at least read her publications.

SOAD it sounds as if you are doing everything you can for Ernie. Snowy had a sore mouth for a few days after his dental and I found Daktarin helped greatly. Have you tried offering him baby food in addition to critical care or mashed up pellets? Good luck with your little man.
 
Thank you Laura, I will pick up some up on my way home.


Thanks alcesterpigs and Caviesgalore

I kind of agree with Caviesgalore on this one, whilst it might not be necessary, you're hard pushed to find a vets that will do one without GA. I know to one vets in my area that will do this and whilst I understand the risks that go with the GA (I hate having them done),but because Ernie is such a nervous piggie at the best of times, I wouldn't feel entirely comfortable with him having his teeth done without one. If he needs on going dental treatment, it might be something I may have to review though.

Three possibilities; adverse reasction to the anaesthetic, sore mouth or the vet has made a mess of trimmoing the tweeth and the pig cannot eat
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He wasn't eating before the GA and as I said earlier he has coped very well with GA's in the past. I don't think my vet would of messed up the dental, there is always a possibility, but I would think it is unlikely. So that leaves sore mouth or something else entirely :0
 
Caviesgalore said:
SOAD it sounds as if you are doing everything you can for Ernie. Snowy had a sore mouth for a few days after his dental and I found Daktarin helped greatly. Have you tried offering him baby food in addition to critical care or mashed up pellets? Good luck with your little man.
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I am getting more baby food into him then the critical care, I find the CC keeps blocking the syringe, but have bought a few jars of the vegan organic baby food and he seems to tolerate that more.
 
It is difficult under GA to check the bite correctly as the jaw may align differently when the pig is awake. I have had experience of this and I would now only work done without GA
 
Toffee4ever said:
It is difficult under GA to check the bite correctly as the jaw may align differently when the pig is awake. I have had experience of this and I would now only work done without GA
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Thanks for this and it is noted, but it's hard to find a vet to do it, whereas I trust my vet that did do Ernie.
 
That's an interesting point T4Ever, I hadn't thought of that - thanks for mentioning it.

It is definitely an issue, finding a vet willing to do any work without sedation. I am lucky that I have not had any pigs put under for dental work, as my first experience of piggie dental trouble was with the CCT. Especially when guineas need regular dental work (i.e. every two weeks for an indefinite length of time) it does amaze me how vets think that a pig cannot have dental work done without GA. For regular work, when it's just not reasonable to have the pig sedated every 2 weeks, in which case I believe the vets are left with only one, (usually) unacceptable option!

Which CC are you using, SOAD? I stick with the Fine Grind Critical Care now, it comes in smaller (bronze) bags but I find it so much easier to syringe-feed with. It can be made up fairly thick and it still goes through a normal 1ml syringe no trouble.
 
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Laura-CCC4 said:
That's an interesting point T4Ever, I hadn't thought of that - thanks for mentioning it.

Which CC are you using, SOAD? I stick with the Fine Grind Critical Care now, it comes in smaller (bronze) bags but I find it so much easier to syringe-feed with. It can be made up fairly thick and it still goes through a normal 1ml syringe no trouble.
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I am using critical care, but it's not a fine grind one, I don't think anyway, I will check the pack.

Off to lunch now will look out for Daktarin, do you think they will sell it at the asda? If not I might have to collect one in the morning, I need to go to the asda on my dinner and have to drice to the vets afterwork, so not sure if there are chemists on the way.
 
If it's the usual green and silver pack, it's the regular CC. It's fine once you get the hang of it, but I've found the Fine Grind incredibly useful.

I don't know if Asda will sell it - it is worth asking - but any chemist will almost certainly have some. :)
 
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