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Hand feeding a fussy guinea after dental

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Mamaguineapig

Mamaguineapig

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Snuggle had dental work done two days ago and I was told to mush up pellets and feed him that . He totally turned his nose up at it and to cut a long story short I am hand feeding him small bits of the inside of cucumber . He has been fed that both days . I am worried he isn't getting a balanced diet and that only cucumber isn't good for him . Oh and he will accept grass and clover but again only hand fed . He is on Baytril too .... Any advice for my guinea pig greatly appreciated !
 
Did the vet give you any syringes to feed him with? Did they give you any Critical Care or other recovery food? Did the vet give you any painkillers - ie Metacam? These things should be given to you.

If you have a syringe, then you simply have to get it into his mouth in order to get the food in. If he is willing to take other food not in a mushy form, then get as much into him that way. Anything he likes is good. As long as he has an appetite, then he has fight in him.:)
 
I agree if you could give him critical care or equivalent that would be good.

Other things you could try is porridge oats mixed with hot water and cooled - making a mash from it or puree-ing some veggies for him if you have a food processor/chopper.

2 of my pigs had dentals on Wednesday and were eating as soon as they came home but I did chop their veggies smaller than usual to help them ....

Hope Snuggle feels better soon and starts eating asap,

xx
 
All good advice here.

Is your guinea pig eating anything for himself? If not you need to get approx 120 mls of syringe food into him per 24 hours. This can be a recovery food such as Critical Care or Science Recovery or you could mush up nuggets such as Wagg Optimum or Burgess Blackcurrant and Oregano. Some piggies prefer these foods to the recovery foods. You can also try him with grated carrot and puree other veg.

Has the vet suggested a follow up appointment in a week to 10 days?

Continue to offer all the foods he will accept from you when you hand feed. The fact he will eat grass is really good as that is very abrasive and good for wearing the teeth.
 
It can take quite a long time for some guineas to eat again normally following dental work, try rolling small spinach leaves or pieces of lettuce and putting them as far in his mouth as you can, try different shapes of veg, matchsticks, grated or holding bigger wedges for him to try and chew on. Lots of time and patience!
Best of Luck.
 
Thanks everyone .... I will track down some more stuff to mush up again today ! Can you buy critical care in pet shops ? Or is it a vet product ? He isn't in any pain I don't think just frustrated . He is such a well loved wee guy who enjoys petting which is lucky I suppose as he trusts us during this .
 
I meant to say yes he started eating small pieces of cucumber by himself ( inside bits) . Maybe I went wrong giving him his favourite food first before the mush I made . He is a cucumberaholic at the best of times . He also managed to rummage his nose through some picked grass , clover and dandelion and got some out to eat . He is 5 and were told at the vet he was the healthiest guinea they'd seen in and couldn't believe he was 5 .
 
I got Critical care from vetuk on the internet, Galens garden also do a nice syringe food; when Milly used to have her teeth done she would eat the inside part of cucumber if it was matchstick shaped and hand fed to her! Don't worry about giving favourite foods, that's what he will need to tempt him.
 
He seems to be eating a bit better now thankfully . Only real problem is giving him his anti biotic ! Last night I held him as my son tried to give him it via the syringe . He wriggles free , ran up my arm and attempted to go down the back of my t shirt .... I take it from this he hates Baytril! What a laugh trying to get him out of my clothes ! I'm just so glad he is on the mend :)
 
Mamaguineapig said:
He seems to be eating a bit better now thankfully . Only real problem is giving him his anti biotic ! Last night I held him as my son tried to give him it via the syringe . He wriggles free , ran up my arm and attempted to go down the back of my t shirt .... I take it from this he hates Baytril! What a laugh trying to get him out of my clothes ! I'm just so glad he is on the mend :)
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Have you tried wrapping him in a towel & syringe feeding him then? You need to wrap him gently in a towel, so only his little head shows then hold him in the crook of your arm like a swaddled baby then place the syringe inside his mouth at an angle towards the inside of his cheek so that you are not squirting food directly to the back of his throat. Hope that helps :)
 
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