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Dental Guinea Pig Not Eating Hay

K

KarenP

Junior Guinea Pig
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Feb 5, 2020
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Still worrying about my guinea pig squeak
He Is out and about
Squeaking climbing up the cage
Eating his dried food drinking weeing pooing
But cannot get him to eat his straw/hay
He hasn't eaten it since before christmas
Really don't know why
As he is eating everything else should i be worried

He went into the vets had general aneasthetic and had his teeth filed and had an unusual sharp tooth which had been sorted too. This was last Thursday
 
Has he been on pain relief (metacam or loxicom) since the operation? If he had a sharp tooth it's likely to have made his mouth sore so pain relief should keep him comfortable. Have you tried hand feeding strands of hay? Sometimes it's more that they struggle to pick them up rather than choosing not to eat them. Tagging some members which much more experience of tooth problems

@furryfriends (TEAS) @Wiebke
 
Have you also tried different types of hay? Btw I hope you’re not feeding him straw, or using it as bedding? You said ‘straw/hay’.

How is his weight? Plateaued, gained or lost? And how is his heft?
Weight - Monitoring and Management
 
Was the vet a knowledgeable specialist vet? It’s not unheard of for a general vet to make teeth worse and not actually solve the problem.

I agree though - guinea pigs should not be bedded on straw, or eat it. It’s too sharp for piggies and can cause injuries and has no nutritional value. Stick to hay only.
 
Lady Kelly said:
Has he been on pain relief (metacam or loxicom) since the operation? If he had a sharp tooth it's likely to have made his mouth sore so pain relief should keep him comfortable. Have you tried hand feeding strands of hay? Sometimes it's more that they struggle to pick them up rather than choosing not to eat them. Tagging some members which much more experience of tooth problems

@furryfriends (TEAS) @Wiebke
Click to expand...
Yes loxicam once a day
I havent tried hand feeding him no but i could. Its usually in a box and he reaches up for it but since his teeth work ive pulled it on to the floor
Thanks x
 
Siikibam said:
Have you also tried different types of hay? Btw I hope you’re not feeding him straw, or using it as bedding? You said ‘straw/hay’.

How is his weight? Plateaued, gained or lost? And how is his heft?
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Click to expand...
Sorryi meant hay he never has straw
Tried pets at home hay
Local pet shop hay
B and m hay
He had lost weight before going have his teeth done he was 942g
This week he is 964 so has gained a bit despite not eating his hay
 
Piggies&buns said:
Was the vet a knowledgeable specialist vet? It’s not unheard of for a general vet to make teeth worse and not actually solve the problem.

I agree though - guinea pigs should not be bedded on straw, or eat it. It’s too sharp for piggies and can cause injuries and has no nutritional value. Stick to hay only.
Click to expand...
Yes he was knowledgeable and i felt reassured
He isnt on straw always hay i give him
 
Ideally the Loxicom should be given twice daily, as due to the very fast metabolism, of guinea pigs, the medication will be out of his system after 12 hours. Often piggies with dental issues can take a while to start eating hay, but grass is just as good for wearing the teeth. Will your piggy eat grass? Very few vets are experienced with dental disease in guinea pigs, even when they're very knowledgeable about other aspects of guinea pig health. Where about are you based? Are you in the UK? Simon Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic in Northampton, is the most knowledgeable vet, in the country, for anything guinea pig dental related. People travel from all over the UK to see him, with their guinea pigs who have dental issues.
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Ideally the Loxicom should be given twice daily, as due to the very fast metabolism, of guinea pigs, the medication will be out of his system after 12 hours. Often piggies with dental issues can take a while to start eating hay, but grass is just as good for wearing the teeth. Will your piggy eat grass? Very few vets are experienced with dental disease in guinea pigs, even when they're very knowledgeable about other aspects of guinea pig health. Where about are you based? Are you in the UK? Simon Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic in Northampton, is the most knowledgeable vet, in the country, for anything guinea pig dental related. People travel from all over the UK to see him, with their guinea pigs who have dental issues.
Click to expand...
I'm going ring the vets again
He is only on the loxicom once a day and I'm nearly out of it.
He does normally love grass i could go and hand pick him some as its cold and frosty today though
Stoke staffs i am its way to far for me
But the local rescue guinea pig centre uses the one i go to.
 
I would definitely get an appointment with Simon Maddock in Northampton. He will tell you exactly what’s wrong if it’s a dental issue and sort it at that appointment using the conscious dental method with no General Anaesthetic so far safer for piggie. We take our boys from Cornwall, Ted has a strange spur on one of his molars and is eating hay straight away after a conscious dental with Simon. He is very reasonably priced too. Good luck x
 
KarenP said:
I'm going ring the vets again
He is only on the loxicom once a day and I'm nearly out of it.
He does normally love grass i could go and hand pick him some as its cold and frosty today though
Stoke staffs i am its way to far for me
But the local rescue guinea pig centre uses the one i go to.
Click to expand...

Definitely worth handpicking some grass. Also ask the vet to prescribe the Loxicom twice daily, it might make a big difference. If you don't see some improvement soon, I would strongly advise a trip to see Simon (I appreciate it's a long way). I have a feeling you may be using the same vet that our new sanctuary resident was going to. She wasn't making much progress, despite repeated dentals, but is now eating well, after just one conscious dental by Simon.
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Definitely worth handpicking some grass. Also ask the vet to prescribe the Loxicom twice daily, it might make a big difference. If you don't see some improvement soon, I would strongly advise a trip to see Simon (I appreciate it's a long way). I have a feeling you may be using the same vet that our new sanctuary resident was going to. She wasn't making much progress, despite repeated dentals, but is now eating well, after just one conscious dental by Simon.
Click to expand...
Thank you
Willows in Endon ive used
Previously Rogers Brock and Barker
 
KarenP said:
Sorryi meant hay he never has straw
Tried pets at home hay
Local pet shop hay
B and m hay
He had lost weight before going have his teeth done he was 942g
This week he is 964 so has gained a bit despite not eating his hay
Click to expand...
Whats heft?
 
KarenP said:
Whats heft?
Click to expand...

Heft is a way to gauge whether they are at a healthy size for themselves. Weighing them weekly is essential but as there is such a wide weight range for healthy piggies checking their heft is more reliable way to get a better understanding of what is healthy for the individual piggy. It is when you put your hands around their body whether you can feel just the right amount of fat layer over the ribs - feel too much rib and they are likely underweight, cant feel the ribs and they are likely overweight. The weight monitoring and management guide that was linked in above explains.
 
KarenP said:
I used these as the local rescue centre used them so felt reassured for this reason
I was hopeful they were ok
Click to expand...
I think they're excellent vets, but unfortunately most vets aren't experienced with dental issues. Simon does around 25 guinea pig dentals each week, whereas most vets aren't going to do that many in their whole career. It's a case of practice makes perfect! x
 
@KarenP My regular vet has been great up to recently, when I had a dental issue with one of my boys. They told me he had teeth growing inwards and spurs and he was booked in for a dental under GA tomorrow. I took the advice to visit Simon in Northampton and drove up to him yesterday, 90 minutes each way, but my it was worth it. My boy is now fine (he had woody hay stuck between his teeth) and totally back to normal. If there is any way at all you can get to him I would recommend it, seriously.
Good luck with your little piggy x
 
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