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Chuck: Recovering from dental work, help please!

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Sophie21

Sophie21

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Hi All,

My 2 year old pig Chuck had his teeth done at midday on Tuesday (19th) because he had spikes/spurs. He had a GA.

I took him to the vets on Monday (18th) because he felt thinner and I then saw he was having great problems eating at all. I fed him bananna and syringed water every three to four hours through the night till I dropped him off at the vets at 8.30am. This put 19g on him.

He is still eating bananna and now grazing but still finds it difficult to cut the grass. He is only eating the oats out if his mix. I have seen him drink from his bottle twice. His poops have started getting bigger since lastnight.

WEIGHTS: 18th - 1.189g, 19th -1.208g (am) 1.198g (pm), 20th 1.197g (am) 1.188g (pm), 21st 1.212g (am).

Any help would be great! :)
 
Hi and welcome Sophie and little Chuck :)
Have you got any science recovery or critical care?
If not mush up his pellets, boil some water let it cool down and then soak some pellets to soften them, offer them to him, if he is unsure you can try putting on at a time into the side/back of his mouth.
If you have a look on here and do a search you'll see quite a few dental piggies have been followed on here
Also try grating or cutting up food into slithers

Wishing you and Chuck all the best xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>

I hope that you can put up a pigture of chuck at some stage too x)

Glynis, Velvet and Onyx x
 
Sophie21 said:
Hi All,

My 2 year old pig Chuck had his teeth done at midday on Tuesday (19th) because he had spikes/spurs. He had a GA.

I took him to the vets on Monday (18th) because he felt thinner and I then saw he was having great problems eating at all. I fed him bananna and syringed water every three to four hours through the night till I dropped him off at the vets at 8.30am. This put 19g on him.

He is still eating bananna and now grazing but still finds it difficult to cut the grass. He is only eating the oats out if his mix. I have seen him drink from his bottle twice. His poops have started getting bigger since lastnight.

WEIGHTS: 18th - 1.189g, 19th -1.208g (am) 1.198g (pm), 20th 1.197g (am) 1.188g (pm), 21st 1.212g (am).

Any help would be great! :)
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Just like to say i'm impressed that you've been weighing Chuck that is really good :)
sorry i'm having probs with my computer, i'm trying to get some links for you.......just give me a bit of time SIGH!
 
Hey sounds like you're doing everything right! The critical care is really good to keep their weight up and encourage them to eat. Also don't panic, it was about 4 or 5 days before my piggy started eating properly after having his teeth done.
Did the vet give you any painkillers for him? I had Metacam which was really good and helped Thumper get his confidence back with his teeth xox
 
I have no critical care or pain killers from the vets. I could ring and ask if this is something they can offer. I have tried mushed up food and he was not best pleased! He is a little fighter with the syringe. i tried a vegatable 'soup' of wizzed up things and he liked it but it was hard to get in him. Most went down his chin!

I have pushed some small pellets into his mouth(not today) and he crunched them up. I hadn't soaked them though so will try this later! He is out on the lawn at the mo. :)

I am pretty sure he used to weigh about 1.700g which is rather large! His brother is 1.419g.

I will try and see if i can get a picure up!

Thanks you two for your help! I felt very on my own with this ordeal.
 
Oh please don't feel that way, so many of here have had dental piggies....... if not we've all gone thru an illness or such and so we all sympathise with you xx>>>

I was trying to find Poppet's original thread, i know that Debbie (aka furryfriends) has done some very detailed threads on her.
Debbie has also now got a couple of other dental piggies so she knows just what you're going thru!

I'm sure that we'll have a few more of our members offer advice or support for you both :)

Sophie yes the critical care and pain killers i would've thought could've been offered to you. Ask them about them both............
 
I will call them now and ask about them.

In the mean time here are my two boys... if it works...

ablondeblogger


Chuck on the left and Arni in the bed. :)
 
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awwwwwwwwwww cute little boars x)x)x)x)


(i'm going to bed now, so i hope that you can get some pain relief and critical care for Chuck, i have found this to be invaluable......i had a dental piggie for a long time, night from OZ x)
 
Just rang and he is going to vets at 2.30pm for a gut stimulant injection and to pick up critical care. I will ask again about pain killers but she said he probably wont need them.

I am going shopping tomorrow to pets at home. Is there anything you guys think i should get? I was thinking those hay bricks might me easier for him to pull bits off of. Also thinking a nugget type food will be better then a mix in the long term. He has eaten some tiny oats out of his mix though.
 
Sophie21 said:
Just rang and he is going to vets at 2.30pm for a gut stimulant injection and to pick up critical care. I will ask again about pain killers but she said he probably wont need them.

I am going shopping tomorrow to pets at home. Is there anything you guys think i should get? I was thinking those hay bricks might me easier for him to pull bits off of. Also thinking a nugget type food will be better then a mix in the long term. He has eaten some tiny oats out of his mix though.
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Have a wee look when he does eat things to see if he has having trouble with chewing or it seems painful for him. It may not be painful, the teeth may just feel strange for him and he has to get used to them, but sometimes when the teeth have overgrown they can get sores in their mouth and tongue, so whilst the teeth may not be causing pain, his wee mouth might be sore :)
In the long term your looking at hay that has good long strands so that he can give his teeth a good work out, and the nuggets are better than a mix too as they can't selectively eat and it helps to supplement their diet a little better. The nuggets are good and crunchy too, which again is good for the teeth.
I use pets at home hay and mix this in;
http://www.petsathome.com/shop/woodlands-herby-harvest-hay-300gm-16101
It has real good strands in it and my boys seem happy with it :) Let us know how you get on with the vet xox
 
Back from the vets. He had his gut stimulant injection and a pain killer injection. She said that if he really picks up after the pain killer he probably has a sore mouth and she will give me pain killer drops.

I got a good size bag of Critical care and a mixure of different syringes. Three 1ml, one with end cut off, and a two ml. She said to give it him if he is not eating but I am thinking about just feeding it him anyway? can't hurt can it?

Also she had a good look at his mouth and said that his front teeth are not perfectly in line but that it shouldn't bother him and that they are sharp. Not to sure what this means for the future.

Lets hope he picks up a bit after being dosed up. :)
 
Sophie21 said:
Back from the vets. He had his gut stimulant injection and a pain killer injection. She said that if he really picks up after the pain killer he probably has a sore mouth and she will give me pain killer drops.

I got a good size bag of Critical care and a mixure of different syringes. Three 1ml, one with end cut off, and a two ml. She said to give it him if he is not eating but I am thinking about just feeding it him anyway? can't hurt can it?

Also she had a good look at his mouth and said that his front teeth are not perfectly in line but that it shouldn't bother him and that they are sharp. Not to sure what this means for the future.

Lets hope he picks up a bit after being dosed up. :)
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I just fed Thumper the Critical care even after he started to eat himself just to make sure he was getting enough food as he was very underweight, so I'm not sure about your piggy, don't see it causing any harm, but hopefully someone can tell you for sure. That's great he got some pain relief, hopefully he will pick up now and you'll see an improvement today xox
 
It does look like he chews over and over alot of times. If bits of grass are too long he uses his paw to stand on it and pull it out of his mouth. I think he just feels he can't control those big bits.

I will probably give him the Critical care at night, unless someone says otherwise. It will save me from picking grass on my hands and kness at 2am like this morning! LOL

Thanks for the food info! I will get that herby hay tomorrow and get a nugget feed. I know with horses you have to change the food over slowly so I will mix a few in first. I hope Arni wont mind the changes! :)
 
Glad you've been to the vets today. Dental piggies can take a while to get back to normal after work been done on their teeth.

Well done on weighing, it's important to know how things are going. It's important to keep his weight up and that he is pooing. So critical care is the right thing to do if he is not eating on his own. It's important not to make the mixture too solid or too wet - just the right consistency to go through the syringe and syringe slowly.
Tips on syringe feeding can be found in a thread by Laura halfway down the page describing wrapping http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/s...ad.php?t=36533

Hopefully the pain killer will kick in and he will feel like nibbling soon. We gave Pitch a small cube of watermelon after her first dental as it is soft and she loved it.

It is so distressing sometimes with a dental piggy, you live on tender hooks after the dental work waiting for them to eat, hope Chuck turns that corner and gets well soon.

If you have any problems or he continues not to eat please get back in touch with the vet ASAP.
 
I am still on tender hooks! Not as bad as I was now he is grazing. I am not feeling well myself so it makes it a bit harder, bug going around.

Thanks for the link on syringe feeding. He really fights being wrapped but I wont be giving up. The vets are not open tomorrow but are 8.30 till 2 on Saturday so will be going then if need be.

I've tried him with chopped up brussel sprouts and cucmber but he only picked a few sprout bits to eat. Still better than none I guess.
 
Sophie21 said:
Thanks for the link on syringe feeding. He really fights being wrapped but I wont be giving up. The vets are not open tomorrow but are 8.30 till 2 on Saturday so will be going then if need be.
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To be honest we didn't wrap Pitch, one of us just held while the other syringe fed, it can be easier with 2 people. Keep us updated, good luck.
 
Chuck seems alot happier! He has been outside about 9 hours today. He has loved it! Has been running and jumping over food bowls and through he tube. He is in doors now in his house. He has eaten more bits in his mix like the little nuts and oats again. He also had a stand of hay and was looking for others but not eaten any yet.

He had a massive long drink from his bottle as well! He was relly getting nearly all the metal spout in his mouth.

He has crashed out for a sleep now and when he wakes up I will try him with the Critical care.

His weight tonight was: 1.201g so a drop but not too worried as he is trying more things and have the Critical care to help.

Vet wasn't sure how long the pain killer will last but if he looks a bit sore after 12hrs or so I will be getting more pain killers first thing on Saturday. :)
 
Just tried him with the Critical care in a 1ml open end syringe and he seemed to like he taste though he didn't eat it of his own accord. I put a small amout in the syringe and put it straight in his mouth whilst holding him in a 'standing' position. He had about 1ml of it all in all.

He's been drinking more water and eating the samll bits from his bowl. He's had a few fights with bits of hay. He seem to be going for the thicker bits not the thin easy to control bits...
 
WELL DONE CHUCK !! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

hey that's great, i'm so glad they gave him a pain relief injection, their mouths can get really sore :(
Keep up with the critical care, it has all the nutrients in it for him. Hopefully you'll only need to do so for a few day.......he might just start eating normally again himself :)
Great too that he's drinking :)
You'll find a way that suits you both to feed.
 
Chuck has continued to improve today! He has eaten big dandelions, cucumber(no alot but he has always been picky) and had more critical care. Alos LOADS of grass and clover.

From pets at home I got things called hay cookie (pressed hay) and he can eat them! Soo glad I got them, he can pull the little bits off and put his paw on it if he needs to. I would recommend them to everyone.

I also got the Herby hay as recommended, thank you Carrot and Parsnip! :) He has been having a good sniff and bite of bits of this, soon to eat it i hope! I got a hay tunnel and willow sticks for fun and nibbling and Burgess nugget food to add to food and then slowly switch to over 30 days.

I have had a look myself at Chucks teeth and the front ones are really slanted! The vet did say this shouldn't bother him but i feel like this is holding him back from 'cutting' or manipulating his food properly. I am going to get pain killer drops for him tomorrow(just in case he is in pain) and I will mention this again.

Weights for today: 1.213g am and 1.209g pm Slowly creeping up! :) Always a drop at night for some reason, thoughts?

Think that is all I can think of. Him and his brother are two tired little pigs now from being on the lawn all day. Thank goodness we don't have snow/cold/bad weather, I don't know what I would do with him!
 
He's doing really well :) ate carrot and seen him eat the smaller bits in his mix this morning! This includes a little biscuit! He went off jumping around after. I think he is happy he can eat them. :)

Weight was 1.220g this morning! getting there... I'd give anything to have him back to 1.700g though! He was a really cuddly bear then. :)
 
Hi :)

My pig also had a dental just over 2 weeks ago and he had problems with long pieces of hay too. I cut his hay into 2-3" pieces and he managed much better.

Also, I cut up green/red peppers into small pea sized pieces and my piggie loved them. They are also chalk full of vitamin C. :)

I Hope your pig continues to improve. Sounds like he's on the road to recovery.

:)
 
Thanks PingandChipy! I will try him with snipped up hay! Great idea :) He doesn't like peppers (very fussy) but it's worth a try again.

Just weighed him when he came in from lawn time and he has put on weight for the first time at night! He is now 1.235g! Waaahhhoooo *dances around*

His brother was 1.406g tonight so still abit to go to catch up but I can tell by the feel of him that he is getting bigger :) sooo happy
 
Sophie21 said:
Thanks PingandChipy! I will try him with snipped up hay! Great idea :) He doesn't like peppers (very fussy) but it's worth a try again.

Just weighed him when he came in from lawn time and he has put on weight for the first time at night! He is now 1.235g! Waaahhhoooo *dances around*

His brother was 1.406g tonight so still abit to go to catch up but I can tell by the feel of him that he is getting bigger :) sooo happy
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Awww Brilliant! Goooo Chuck! All the hard work is sooo worth it when you get a result isn't it! It's an amazing feeling, he's doing well!xox
 
Yes it is amazing! Couldn't get a better feeling than helping him, it is hard work but I would do it all again any day(no ideas please piggies!).

I will feel I can relax a bit when I see him eat a big biscuit and long strands of hay! Thanks again everyone for your help!

This forum is literally a life saver! :)

I will continue to update and add some more pics of the little man.
 
Pleased it's going well. Looking forward to seeing pigtures of him. Good luck and give him a chin rub for me!
 
Update on Chuck:

He's slowly gaining weight altough he has been up and down. I am still weighing him twice a day.

He can eat the herby harvest hay recommed by Carrot and Parsnip, he loves it! I also give hay cookies and regular hay to give him options. He goes out on the grass when it isn't bad weather. Hoping all this will keep his teeth down.

I was trying to switch them on to excel pelletes but he refused them so I have tried Pets at home ones as they are smaller and he turned his nose up! Any tips for switching food? I know to do it slowly and all that but how to make them eat it, I am cluless!

Weights: Yesterday - 1.240g am 1.280g pm (highest yet!) Today - 1.274g am 1.261g pm

He says veg time now, best go! :)
 
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