Difficulty Eating After Slight Spur File

[Kahlua&Houdini]

Hi all! Been a while since I've posted and quite a bit has happened so apologies in advance for the lengthy post.

Kahlua passed away a couple of weeks ago while I was away. My flatmate found her on her side in the cage and she was already cold so he doesn't know how long she'd been gone. She was fine and bright eyed in the morning, wheeking for her food and running around. I had checked her during lap time the weekend before and she seemed her sprightly self. We were't able take her to the vets for a PM so as soon as I came back I arranged for her to be cremated then have focused all of my attention on Houdini to make sure she was okay following the passing of her friend. Kahlua was the more confident pig and ate first, came out of hiding first, snatched veggies first etc so I wasn't 100% surprised to find Houdini wasn't as forthcoming. I noticed she wasn't eating her hay so I bought a new bag and she dived straight in but wasn't able to eat anything. She struggled with pellets and veggies too, dropping bits and opening her mouth wide when she gets something lodged in there. She can however eat Readigrass to an extent.

I've had this week off work for life admin and remembered this forum mentioning Simon from Northampton so I booked an appointment on Monday to be seen on Wednesday. I didn't want to risk a dental issue brewing by not going to the best person. Until then I'd been feeding Houdini mashed pellets with hay ground up in my Nutribullet and some bran to help her regain 80g she'd lost since Kahlua passed. I explained everything to him and he checked her thoroughly saying there was only one slight spur on her front right molar and all of the others were perfectly fine which he thought was odd but glad it was minor. Apart from that she looked very healthy. He also said I was fine to give her Readigrass every day if she's still not 100% accepting of hay. Does anyone else do this?

Fast forward to today, not much seems to have changed in her eating habits although I bought some much nicer hay to help her get back into the swing of things and she takes the softer looking stalks which is really promising. She still does the mouth thing when eating vegetables and can't eat her pellets without them being softened.

Simon said if she doesn't improve to see him in a month's time to see if anything else is wrong.

If the spur was only slight, is it normal for guinea pigs to still find it difficult to eat and if so, how long should I expect this to go on for? And am I okay to be giving Houdini Readigrass daily if it's what she'll eat more of?

Appreciate any help/advice/tips anyone has and of course if there are no improvements I'm happy to travel to Northampton again to see Simon.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Generally they would eat normally after the dental, so it does seem a bit strange that she still isn't eating well. However, the fact that there was only one small spur makes me wonder if this is just a dental issue, but there can't be anything else obvious as Simon would've picked up on it.

You are fine to give a small handful of readigrass. Will she eat normal grass? Grass is great for wearing teeth as it is so fibrous so is just as good as hay. Try different ways of cutting veg in case she manages better when it is cut a certain way. It is a matter of trial and error to see what works best.

 

[Kahlua&Houdini]

Generally they would eat normally after the dental, so it does seem a bit strange that she still isn't eating well. However, the fact that there was only one small spur makes me wonder if this is just a dental issue, but there can't be anything else obvious as Simon would've picked up on it.

You are fine to give a small handful of readigrass. Will she eat normal grass? Grass is great for wearing teeth as it is so fibrous so is just as good as hay. Try different ways of cutting veg in case she manages better when it is cut a certain way. It is a matter of trial and error to see what works best.

Thanks for your reply!

I'm on abcess watch now as my gut feeling is telling me something is going on underneath. The fact that Simon said she looks otherwise very healthy was kind of reassuring! I'm just not sure what I should be feeling for/looking out for if it could be an abscess.

I haven't got access to grass as I moved to a top floor flat this year but was thinking of growing my own indoors so may push on with that! Simon said I was fine to give Readigrass freely. Would you say limit her?

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

I’d feed whatever she likes to eat. If readigrass is something she eats well, then feed it regularly. Good plan to grow some grass too. Just periodically feel around the jaw and see if she reacts or if the jaw doesn't look quite symmetrical. Porridge oats are good for keeping weight up too. Keep an eye on her weight and get back to see Simon if no improvement in a little while. I am seeing Simon next Tuesday, so let me know how she is doing by then and I can ask Simon for advice if she is no better.

 

[Kahlua&Houdini]

I’d feed whatever she likes to eat. If readigrass is something she eats well, then feed it regularly. Good plan to grow some grass too. Just periodically feel around the jaw and see if she reacts or if the jaw doesn't look quite symmetrical. Porridge oats are good for keeping weight up too. Keep an eye on her weight and get back to see Simon if no improvement in a little while. I am seeing Simon next Tuesday, so let me know how she is doing by then and I can ask Simon for advice if she is no better.

Amazing thank you. She turned her nose up at porridge oats I just tried to give her so I'll try mashing some pellets up with a porridge mix later. No reaction to getting handsy around her jawline and she's a bit of a pathetic pig when it comes to complaining and such so that's a relief. Will keep a close eye and update you before Tues! Thanks so much again.

 

[Betsy]

Let us know how Houdini is getting on!

 

[Rochester Piggy]

Please do! I'm sorry you lost Kaulaui

 

[Kahlua&Houdini]

She's eating a bit more hay, still won't eat pellets unless softened but won't finish even if they are. Not 100% sure she likes them so will probably be donating to my local rescue when she's in the clear and in ready to take her on a piggy date.

Still dropping carrot bits but holding lettuce well. I'm just trying to make sure she's eating so I don't stress when I'm back at work tomorrow.

She's currently moping on my lap. She really doesn't like coming out of hiding so I'm considering moving her into the living room so she's around us a bit more.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Maybe she has just needed to get used to how her teeth feel now. I wouldn't worry too much about her not wanting to eat nuggets. Which ones are you feeding her? I feed the Burgess Blackcurrant and Oregano nuggets to the dental piggies, as they are tiny and much easier for them to pick up and eat. The Harringtons ones are also fairly small.

 

[Kahlua&Houdini]

Harringtons is what she's (not really) eating. She either can't pick them up or simply doesn't like them. After I posted she started yakking on her food again

Jaw feels normal and still no reaction. I'm honestly hoping she's just a wet towel and feeling sorry for herself so I can get her a friend.

Picked up some grass seed today so now need to get soil and some trays to get going with my grass project.