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Difficulty eating after teeth filed

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Banana

Banana

Junior Guinea Pig
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Loki went in to have his teeth filed yesterday, he had been unable to eat anything other than tiny bits of soft veg and had been dropping weight.

The procedure went ok, they evened up his front teeth as one had broken at an angle and filed back his back teeth which were apparently very sharp.
He's taking critical care and mushed pellets from a syringe ok and seems quite bright in himself but is still struggling with veg. He clearly wants to eat and picks up bits of veg and carries them around. I chopped up tiny bits of apple and pepper and he has managed to eat a couple of bits but anything bigger he gets in his mouth and spends ages fiddling with, sometimes pawing at his mouth before spitting it out again.
It's been 18 hours since I collected him and I'm concerned that he isn't managing better. He has had metacam and an antibiotic (pig friendly type) but I'm not seeing any improvement.
at his mouth.

Should I leave it longer or get back in touch with the vet? Vet seemed to know her stuff and deals with a lot of guinea pigs.
 
I'm on my own and have no way of taking a photo of the inside of his mouth.
 
Toffeewoffee said:
You couldn't sit him on your lap and using one hand just expose his teeth and using the other take a picture?

On the very last page of the thread i am about to post a link to, another member has taken a picture single handed.

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?101013-Fred-is-poorly/page27
Click to expand...

Ok, well I've done my best, but I couldn't get anything but the front teeth:
8636698745_cbab6750f2.jpg

8637806780_fca4d6896d.jpg
 
Thats great, well done! Its not easy, non of mine would sit still!

Its hard to tell really, but i would say they do look slightly on the short side.... maybe some others might confirm.
 
Toffeewoffee said:
Thats great, well done! Its not easy, non of mine would sit still!

Its hard to tell really, but i would say they do look slightly on the short side.... maybe some others might confirm.
Click to expand...

Thanks, what does this mean, do I need to keep syringing till they grow? That'll take a while, right?
 
They don't look much different than my girls teeth, maybe just a little shorter. Does he eat carrot, if yes they you could finely grate it with some apple & pepper (red is best) & syringe feed him it every 2 to 3 hours. If he's not drinking water then maybe a little water syringe fed too. I hope he gets better soon. xx
 
Stewybus said:
They don't look much different than my girls teeth, maybe just a little shorter. Does he eat carrot, if yes they you could finely grate it with some apple & pepper (red is best) & syringe feed him it every 2 to 3 hours. If he's not drinking water then maybe a little water syringe fed too. I hope he gets better soon. xx
Click to expand...

Thanks, he does like carrot, so I'll give that a try. The problem is, I know I can get food into him with a syringe, but he doesn't particularly enjoy it and I don't think his quality of life will be great if this turns out to be a long term thing.
 
I very much doubt it will be a long term thing, his teeth will grow back very quickly, but if in the mean time he needs syringe feeding, weather or not he enjoys it, you need to get food into him regardless. If he doesn't eat his digestive system will stop working and he will get gut statis, they go downhill very quickly, syringe feeding or not could be a matter of life or death.

Big hugs and keep at it, he will thank you in the end.

x
 
We made 'veggie smoothies' when Harley was poorly and syringed small amounts. Lots of veg put into the blender and binded with banana :) Smelled awful but he quite enjoyed them...
Banana mashed into Critical Care/Recovery is also good for them - tbh, most good nuggets/pellets contain Vitamin C, veggies are recommended as piggies do not produce their own.
What antibiotic is he on ? A probiotic is always a good idea as some can upset their tummies - are his poops normal ? They give us an idea of how things are working internally :)
 
I forgot to mention earlier, it would be a good idea to weigh him daily while he's not eating properly. You will then know that he's getting enough nourishment if his weight is stable.
 
Thanks everyone, I will keep going and see how he goes. He seems in good spirits apart from not being able to eat. I will get a scale Stewybus, I know he dropped 200g before the trimming but I think we have him stabilised at 1kg, but it will help to do regular weighings.
He took carrot and apple from a syringe quite happily just now.
 
That's great :) Just to add after dental, his mouth will be a bit sore (imagine how we feel after treatment) :x
Vibes to Loki from us here and hope he's himself very soon x>>
 
That's a good sign. Look forward to hearing good news about Loki later. xx
 
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