Dental Dental Issues And Not Eating

[RavenRed]

I took our little Ghillie to the vet on Friday afternoon after i'd noticed she had a wet chin and had been drooling for a few days.

The vet concluded that she had overgrown molars and would need them seen to.
I was given ranatidine(?) and Loxicom and told to give her tiny amounts, twice and once a day.

The first available appointment for dental at Roundhouse was the 5th, but the vet phoned over and got them to take her yesterday.

I was worried sick all day and so elated when I went back to pick her up about half 4.
They had said she'd done well and came through the GA no bother, she'd even been eating and pooping so they were happy for her to go home.

We kept her separate from the other 3, on their advice, so we could confirm she was pooping and eating and to allow us easier access to syringe feed her supreme recovery.
It was a challenge to get her to take the liquid food, we tried every few hours through the night, but I saw her eat a couple of strands of hay and she was still keen on cucumber and spinach, although I had to rip it up for her.
Gave her some tummy massages as well, but it didn't seem to do much.

This morning she still looked alert, but hadn't pooed or peed at all, as far as I could see.
I tried again with cucumber but she wasn't too interested.
I mushed up pellets, but again, wasn't fussed.

I did see her fold into herself a few times, as if she was eating poops right out of herself, but I couldn't be sure.
She did have a little much on the cardboard house as well.

I phoned the vets first thing and we've now agreed to have her stay there overnight.
I'm worried but feel she's in good hands and that they will be better at syringe feeding her and monitoring.

It was costly, all in, but obviously has to be done. There's no good time to fork out that much but we're just about to move house, so it's really not ideal.

I'm hoping she's just stressed and will come around shortly.

Really just looking for advice on if you think there's anything else we could be doing or asking for.
She wasn't bloated and had an emptyish gut, but a full bladder, when we took her in this morning.

I'm hoping to pick her up tomorrow and be able to put her back in with her sisters but we just have to wait and see.

First piggy vet visits for us ,except check ups, so it's all new and scary

 

[Lady Kelly]

Really sorry to hear about Ghillie's problems its always a difficult call. When my late Isobel had teeth problems I tried to keep her on her own to make sure she was eating and pooping but she immediately became depressed and wouldn't touch even her hay unless Daisy was around. It's very difficult but I'm sure your vets will be working hard on getting her back to normal. The thing to watch out for is recurring teeth problems, they may need doing several times

 

[Wiebke]

I took our little Ghillie to the vet on Friday afternoon after i'd noticed she had a wet chin and had been drooling for a few days.

The vet concluded that she had overgrown molars and would need them seen to.
I was given ranatidine(?) and Loxicom and told to give her tiny amounts, twice and once a day.

The first available appointment for dental at Roundhouse was the 5th, but the vet phoned over and got them to take her yesterday.

I was worried sick all day and so elated when I went back to pick her up about half 4.
They had said she'd done well and came through the GA no bother, she'd even been eating and pooping so they were happy for her to go home.

We kept her separate from the other 3, on their advice, so we could confirm she was pooping and eating and to allow us easier access to syringe feed her supreme recovery.
It was a challenge to get her to take the liquid food, we tried every few hours through the night, but I saw her eat a couple of strands of hay and she was still keen on cucumber and spinach, although I had to rip it up for her.
Gave her some tummy massages as well, but it didn't seem to do much.

This morning she still looked alert, but hadn't pooed or peed at all, as far as I could see.
I tried again with cucumber but she wasn't too interested.
I mushed up pellets, but again, wasn't fussed.

I did see her fold into herself a few times, as if she was eating poops right out of herself, but I couldn't be sure.
She did have a little much on the cardboard house as well.

I phoned the vets first thing and we've now agreed to have her stay there overnight.
I'm worried but feel she's in good hands and that they will be better at syringe feeding her and monitoring.

It was costly, all in, but obviously has to be done. There's no good time to fork out that much but we're just about to move house, so it's really not ideal.

I'm hoping she's just stressed and will come around shortly.

Really just looking for advice on if you think there's anything else we could be doing or asking for.
She wasn't bloated and had an emptyish gut, but a full bladder, when we took her in this morning.

I'm hoping to pick her up tomorrow and be able to put her back in with her sisters but we just have to wait and see.

First piggy vet visits for us ,except check ups, so it's all new and scary

Hi! Please start syringe feeding (with mushed up pellets for right now) and watering straight away. The salivating means that your piggy has trouble swallowing as its tongue is trapped and it can no longer feed itself. The lack of poos reflects the food intake of 1-2 days before.
Ranitine is there to boost the guts (antibloating gut stimulant) and loxicom is another brand name for metacam; it is a painkiller and anti-inflammatory.

You have to give things slowly in small amounts at first to make sure that it has swallowed the first lot before you can give the next one until you have got a feeling how well it goes. You have to feed round the clock at first; the more often the less you get in with each go. Dental piggies are usually unable to eat straight away after treatment.
Tips For Post-operative Care
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Generally it takes a few rounds of burring after treatment until the dental system has stabilised again since guinea pig teeth are the fastest growing of all rodents to compensate for the highly abrasive silicates in the hay/grass. Sadly most vets have a real hang-up about conscious dentals in the wake of a dental operation because of the rodentologists and prefer to wait until things have gone really bad again, but that means that things can't rebalance fully.
The most experienced guinea pig dental vet, who sees from as far as Edinburgh, is located in Northampton and has been looking after the guinea pigs in The Excellent Adventure Sanctuary in Northampton, which specifically cares for guinea pigs with chronic dental issues. He does about 15 guinea pig dentals each week and has saved a lot of piggy lives that have been given up by their vets or have been messed up by rodentologists; a good number is completely healed and only needs a yearly check now.

 

[RavenRed]

Hi! Please start syringe feeding (with mushed up pellets for right now) and watering straight away. The salivating means that your piggy has trouble swallowing as its tongue is trapped and it can no longer feed itself. The lack of poos reflects the food intake of 1-2 days before.
Ranitine is there to boost the guts (antibloating gut stimulant) and loxicom is another brand name for metacam; it is a painkiller and anti-inflammatory.

You have to give things slowly in small amounts at first to make sure that it has swallowed the first lot before you can give the next one until you have got a feeling how well it goes. You have to feed round the clock at first; the more often the less you get in with each go. Dental piggies are usually unable to eat straight away after treatment.
Tips For Post-operative Care
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Generally it takes a few rounds of burring after treatment until the dental system has stabilised again since guinea pig teeth are the fastest growing of all rodents to compensate for the highly abrasive silicates in the hay/grass. Sadly most vets have a real hang-up about conscious dentals in the wake of a dental operation because of the rodentologists and prefer to wait until things have gone really bad again, but that means that things can't rebalance fully.
The most experienced guinea pig dental vet, who sees from as far as Edinburgh, is located in Northampton and has been looking after the guinea pigs in The Excellent Adventure Sanctuary in Northampton, which specifically cares for guinea pigs with chronic dental issues. He does about 15 guinea pig dentals each week and has saved a lot of piggy lives that have been given up by their vets or have been messed up by rodentologists; a good number is completely healed and only needs a yearly check now.

Thanks Wiebke, I had a look at the guide yesterday after we got the syringes.
Before we got the syringe I had tried mushed up pellets on a spoon and then on cucumber, She wasn't that into it. After being at the vets yesterday, we got one of the big syringes, with the recovery food. This is what I had tried several times during the night, but she took very little and fought our attempts to open her mouth. I then tried to use the smaller medicine syringe for the food, as per the guide, but the food wouldn't go up it.

There were poos in her carrier when she'd left the vets yesterday, but none appeared after she was home.

Thanks for the recommendation. I would have thought the stress of travelling that far would cause her too much stress.

I am awaiting feedback from Roundhouse Vets currently, but i'm due to pick her up tomorrow after she has been monitored overnight.
We will continue with the syringe feeding after that, but I think, as Lady Kelly said, she did seem to be a little depressed as she was split from the others for so long, so a balance may need to be found.

 

[RavenRed]

Just had a call, she's been taking the syringe feed today but still no poos to be seen. They seem to be happy with her progress though...
Should get another update tomorrow morning, Fingers crossed.

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks Wiebke, I had a look at the guide yesterday after we got the syringes.
Before we got the syringe I had tried mushed up pellets on a spoon and then on cucumber, She wasn't that into it. After being at the vets yesterday, we got one of the big syringes, with the recovery food. This is what I had tried several times during the night, but she took very little and fought our attempts to open her mouth. I then tried to use the smaller medicine syringe for the food, as per the guide, but the food wouldn't go up it.

There were poos in her carrier when she'd left the vets yesterday, but none appeared after she was home.

Thanks for the recommendation. I would have thought the stress of travelling that far would cause her too much stress.

I am awaiting feedback from Roundhouse Vets currently, but i'm due to pick her up tomorrow after she has been monitored overnight.
We will continue with the syringe feeding after that, but I think, as Lady Kelly said, she did seem to be a little depressed as she was split from the others for so long, so a balance may need to be found.

Hi! Put her back with her friends.

Have you cut off the tip of a 1 ml syringe and made the feed/mushed pellets a bit more watery; that usually does the trick. A piggy in pain and off its food will fight the syringe, but you need to persist. You can up the painkiller (loxicom) to 0.2 ml twice daily and see whether that makes the difference with her very sore mouth.

Piggies travel surprisingly well. I have come back with freshly operated guinea pigs from Northampton on the train more than once (including Nesta who had her over an inch long abscessed incisor removed) and have transported piggies from 7 weeks to 9 years old on over 3 hour journeys on the train. By car, we have taken pig on meds with us on a 6 1/2 hours journey; some of the piggies have been fairly frail, but have suffered no harm.
Travelling with guinea pigs

 

[Wiebke]

Just had a call, she's been taking the syringe feed today but still no poos to be seen. They seem to be happy with her progress though...
Should get another update tomorrow morning, Fingers crossed.

As long as she is eating, there are going to be poos in due time. It means that her guts are still going.

 

[RavenRed]

Hi! Put her back with her friends.

Have you cut off the tip of a 1 ml syringe and made the feed/mushed pellets a bit more watery; that usually does the trick. A piggy in pain and off its food will fight the syringe, but you need to persist. You can up the painkiller (loxicom) to 0.2 ml twice daily and see whether that makes the difference with her very sore mouth.

Piggies travel surprisingly well. I have come back with freshly operated guinea pigs from Northampton on the train more than once (including Nesta who had her over an inch long abscessed incisor removed) and have transported piggies from 7 weeks to 9 years old on over 3 hour journeys on the train. By car, we have taken pig on meds with us on a 6 1/2 hours journey; some of the piggies have been fairly frail, but have suffered no harm.
Travelling with guinea pigs

Thanks for the advice. That's definitely good to know.
I made it more watery, but I didn't cut the tip off, will give that a go.
I can see how that might make a difference, she was only on 0.07ml once a day :/

Worth thinking about travelling then if it means she would need less frequent visits and she could have a happier life.

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for the advice. That's definitely good to know.
I made it more watery, but I didn't cut the tip off, will give that a go.
I can see how that might make a difference, she was only on 0.07ml once a day :/

Worth thinking about travelling then if it means she would need less frequent visits and she could have a happier life.

You will find that cutting the tip off just below where the syringe widens, and then cutting the plunger off so it doesn't stick out, is going to make all the difference. Like so many things, syringe feeding is a matter of practice.

She will need several visits at shorter, but increasing intervals at first (just a few weeks apart), but once her teeth are growing back correctly, they will take care of themselves again. Simon Maddock has worked out how to get to the sustainable stage. it makes a huge difference in terms of long term life expectancy. He's now looked after all the piggies from TEAS sanctuary for years, as well as private clients with dental guinea pigs. He is a general vet, but one that sees only cats, rabbits and small furries. It means that he sees more guinea pigs on a daily basis than most vets in this country, and he is keeping up to date with new developments and operation techniques.
The Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic

@furryfriends (TEAS)

 

[RavenRed]

Just a wee update, the vets have advised that she is taking food via syringe but still not eating by herself. However, she is alert and has a healthy sounding gut.

They want to keep her in another night
It's disappointing but I think it's for the best.

Hoping she's not in too much pain and that she can eat by herself later today or tomorrow, but i'll be happy to continue with the feeding after tomorrow if needed.

Feel bad for having her away from the others for so long (well, it'll be 3 days tomorrow) but trying to do the right thing for her recovery.

I'll hopefully go see her this afternoon.

 

[Wiebke]

Just a wee update, the vets have advised that she is taking food via syringe but still not eating by herself. However, she is alert and has a healthy sounding gut.

They want to keep her in another night
It's disappointing but I think it's for the best.

Hoping she's not in too much pain and that she can eat by herself later today or tomorrow, but i'll be happy to continue with the feeding after tomorrow if needed.

Feel bad for having her away from the others for so long (well, it'll be 3 days tomorrow) but trying to do the right thing for her recovery.

I'll hopefully go see her this afternoon.

Have they tried placing grated or finely sliced veg?

 

[RavenRed]

They had originally given cucumber the first time around, just before she came home on the Saturday, but i'm unsure if they have tried that since yesterday.
I'll check that when they phone back/when I go see her. Thanks.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Generally the piggies here at TEAS eat for themselves straight after any dental work, however if they don't, I have found that hard veg seems to be easier than leafy veg. A chunk of carrot or a broccoli stalk often gets them eating again and helps strengthen their jaw muscles too. Leafy veg seems to be too floppy for them to get a good hold of it, until their confidence grows.

 

[RavenRed]

Thanks, i'll keep that in mind. She did have a little cucumber,spinach and pepper on Saturday, so she was eating "hard veg" a few hours after the surgery, although only a little.
Do you provide pain killers after? and how much?

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Our vet prescribes Metacam for dogs at a dose of around 0.25 mls to 0.3 mls, twice a day. Does your vet have any idea what has caused the dental issue? A lot of dental disease is caused by brewing abscesses that make it painful to chew on a certain part of the mouth, which in turn causes the teeth to overgrow. Were all four arcades of the mouth overgrown? Were the teeth spurring or just elongated? Is there any ulceration in the mouth caused by overgrown teeth rubbing on the soft tissue? x

 

[RavenRed]

Would it be less for piggies?
She was only prescribed 0.07ml once a day originally, so she was maybe not getting enough when she was home, and hence not eating much.
I'm not sure if they'd given her a higher dosage whilst she was in.

It's a bit of a blur, but i believe she said there were no spurs, just overgrown molars.
No mention of abscesses or ulcers but I think it was all four of them that they dealt with.
They said all looked good after the dental and also when I took her in yesterday they had another look and nothing visually concerning.

Had another update this evening, she's been eating broccoli and the poos have started, albeit small ones.
Still taking the syringe feed and still alert, but settled down more now.
Hoping she continues to progress so she can come home tomorrow.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Would it be less for piggies?
She was only prescribed 0.07ml once a day originally, so she was maybe not getting enough when she was home, and hence not eating much.
I'm not sure if they'd given her a higher dosage whilst she was in.

It's a bit of a blur, but i believe she said there were no spurs, just overgrown molars.
No mention of abscesses or ulcers but I think it was all four of them that they dealt with.
They said all looked good after the dental and also when I took her in yesterday they had another look and nothing visually concerning.

Had another update this evening, she's been eating broccoli and the poos have started, albeit small ones.
Still taking the syringe feed and still alert, but settled down more now.
Hoping she continues to progress so she can come home tomorrow.

That is the dose for piggies - we use Metacam for dogs which is stronger than Metacam for cats. It sounds like there is some improvement so that is definitely a step in the right direction.

 

[RavenRed]

She is home!
I'm so chuffed.

She was eating kale at the vets and did 46 (they counted) poos last night! hehe
Ok this morning as well so I got to pick her up tonight.

I have 3 medications now and critical care instead of the horrible recovery stuff, which she is taking a bit easier.
She's been back in with the others but is now separated by 2 cage grids, so she can rest a little and so we can still monitor input and output.
She's already taken medication and critical care since being home and has eaten spinach and a little hay by herself. Also saw her around the water bottle.

Think she is tired but seems happy and healthy.