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Help! After care for overgrown teeth op yesterday

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debbierudd

debbierudd

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi there,

Apologies if there is a thread here somewhere already, but I am worried about Trixie.

She has been losing weight for a few weeks while I have been away, so I took her to the vets yesterday as I suspected problem with her teeth as she wasnt chewing properly, and had smelly breath bless her. The vet took her away and told me that the prognosis wasnt good - her molars had grown over her tongue. He gave me 3 options:

1. Put her to sleep (NO!)
2. Leave her to slowly die (NO!)
3. Or ge could anaesthatise her and file down all of her teeth

I went for option 3, as I would prefer to give her a chance of having a happy life, she is such a happy little piggy and has no other health problems as far as i know. I knew the risks of anaestetic - especially as she is so underweight, but she made it through - I was terrified for her. The first 2 options were no way acceptable for me.

I have been syringe feeding her as best I can with some critical care substitute - but she still cant eat on her own. She has an appetite and goes over to her food, but it seems like she cant bite - is this normal?

She seems very drowsy still, but I expect this to be ok.... I would be drowsy still after an op.

I know there is no way of telling when/if she will be able to eat again - but I would love to hear from anyone who has piggies who have been through the same procedure to give me an idea of what to expect.

Thanks :(

Debbie
 
Did the vet give you any painkillers for her? She's probably sore after the op. Maybe phone them and check.

Daktarin oral gel (from chemist, for humans) is great for sore mouths after dental work (don't tell them it's for a piggy!).

Metatone tonic is also good for stimulating appetite - again, for humans - 0.5ml. You can get it from chemist or Tesco.

If you're really worried then get an emergency appointment back at the vet. They can also inject an appetite stimulant which can help.

Meanwhile tempt her with whatever she can eat - grass usually works where all else fails. You can grate carrot, cucumber to make it easier for her to manage.

Good luck

Sophie
x
 
When I had this op for one of my boys I used Burgess excel pellets soaked for 10 mins or so in water and mashed up to syringe feed him - he didn't like the CC sludge. I gave him metacam pain relief and Daktarin oral gel to ease the soreness in his mouth. After a few days he could pick up the mash himself from a bowl and I slowly started reducing the amount of water I used so that it became harder and a week later he was back on normal pellets - I think I used Wagg (?), a purple bag, as they were smaller and he could manage those better. He made a full recovery.

HTH

Suzy
 
i took her back to the vet today as i was worried. she was weighed and hasnt lost anything since yesterday which is good - so for today she is stable.

i have ben given some pain relief for her whch i'll start tomorrow before feeding her in the morning.

i have given her some home grown grass and a teeny bit of soaked bread as a special treat - she is interested but still cannor bite.

my fingers and toes are crossed that she makes a full recovery.

back at work tomorrow, so i will be worried unil i see her again :(
 
If she wants to eat, that's a start, but you'll need to syringe feed her every few hours and water too, if she's not eating for herself. Please give daktarin oral gel a go, it can really help. What vet did you see? There are good and bad ones in Norwich, you can pm me if you'd rather

Sophie
x
 
Hi Debbie,

Getting pigs eating after dental work can be a bit of a challenge sometimes. Do you know if the vet cut the front teeth as well as filing down the molars? Sounds like either the vet cut her front teeth and she's unable to bite down with her incisors, or the back of her mouth is sore enough that although she wants to make an effort, it's just too sore and she gives up on the idea before she's even started.

I agree fully with the thoughts on pain relief and the Daktarin Oral Gel, if the molars were bridging over the tongue there is likely to be some soreness remaining, which will put him off eating just as much as his initial inability to eat. Calgel can be preferable to the Daktarin in some cases but as I understand it, access to the back of the mouth would be necessary to apply this.

I do a few things to encourage them to eat independently, it's always in conjunction with syringe-feeding until I have seen them frequently eating by themselves. As well as having the normal hard dry food (nuggers/pellets), I soften a small bowl of dry food as well. I don't mash them, just add a tablespoon or two to a bowl until they are still formed nuggets, but a little soft to the touch. Such soggy nuggets can be a good bridge back to normal eating and despite not giving the necessary dental workout, it is a step in the right direction. Fresh fruit and veg offered regularly (provided the poops are ok (if the droppings are very soft then give dry and fibre-rich foods only for a few days)). You'll have to experiment with how your pig prefers to eat it, some like it grated if they are struggling to pick food up, some prefer it cut into small (0.5cm) cubes, some like it cut into small batons so they can feed it through to the back teeth like hay. The pigs who have severe dental problems (i.e. front and back teeth problems) sometimes enjoy mashed foods, like banana and strawberry.
 
thanks laura - what you have said there is so reassuring, as the vet tried to give the impression that she shouldnt have an soreness. he did cut the front and back - i wondered if shes a little confused as her teeth are so short now.

she is a bit more lively today and even jumped down a level to be with her sis - i was terrified, silly little piggy - she could have injured herself. i checker her over and shes fine.

i did see her using her water bottle earlier - that has to be a good sign?

ive also been feeding her a teeny vitamin c supplement in the form of carrot juice. i dont giver her very much but i figured it coule help her digestion along and boost her immune system.

i tried mash last night and she seemed to struggle to pick it up - so i'm will try the small batons - it makes sense.

i am hoping that she will make a full recovery, i really am. she is just so tiny and underweight that it must be harder for her. since the op ive been wighing her and she hasnt gained any weight, but hasnt lost any - so she is stable at the moment.

humpfh. poor little lady :(
 
My old grl Lily had dental work done on both front and back teeth and was slow to start eating on her own after the op, I took advise from the forum as well as from the vets, she had antibiotics, metacam and something called fibre-plex- a probiotic plus extra fibre, she also had an injection to help prevent gut stasis from the vets and also metatone tonic to improve her appetite, used daktarin gel for her sore mouth from the chemist and syringe fed her soft pellets. she also had unlimited grass -her favourite just to encourage her to eat. Fingers and paws crossed for Trixie XX
 
hi i hope she makes a full recovery i would of took opition 3 aswell its horrible when your animal gets an anaesthetic i hope mine doesnt have to go through 1 soon as she is only 4 month old
 
update:

This morning i got up and trixie had (excuse the word used!) snot around her nose, and she was a little bit wheezy.

i am terrified that i have given her too much water and flooded her lungs.

i have made her another appointment at the vets so we will be going shortly.

in other news though she has tried really hard to eat today, she has had some of her syringe feed and she has eaten a bit of mashed pear by herself. she struggled with the cucumber - but the small batons do seems to be better for her to pick up.

fingers crossed :...
 
just got back from the vets. it isnt good. their advice was to put her to sleep.

her jaw has locked open, caused by arthritis in the jaw joint. the op she had on tuesday has locked her jaw as they used a gag, they didnt use the forceps that you are supposed to use.

they have given me the details of a guinea pig specialist in horsford and i have got an appointment for her at 4.45 in a last attempt to see if anything can be done for her.

she had a jab of antibiotics to help with the wheezing.

i am so upset - i feel guilty as i noticed her weight loss before but didnt do anything. i should have learned my lesson from the last time i lost a piggy.

has anyone else had any similar issues with lock jaw?
 
So sorry the news isn't more promising. Hope the appointment with the specialist is more hopeful. Big hugs for you both. x
 
Whee are really sorry to hear about Trixie :(
I'm not able to help, i hope that Laura or someone can advise you.
Sending Trixie some friendly brrrrrrr's and loves from the girls and myself xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
 
I'm sorry the vet didn't give you good news, I would definitely seek a second opinion though.

Any chance you could travel over to Huntingdon?
 
the vet did mention someone in cams, but i think its too far to travel.

thanks all for your well wishes, i really hope that the specialist can help.

i'll do anything to make her better, i dont care if she always has problems with her teeth/jaw so long as it doesnt jeopardise her overall health. i dont mind taking extra special care of her until her time comes.

we will see xx
 
I hope the appointment went well and you were given a bit more hope. xx
 
Why didn't the vet just reccomend the specialist in the first place instead of doing a bodge job grrrr.

Sounds to me that they cut the front teeth too short [been there] the front ones should be very long otherwise they can't pick the food up.
Would it really kill them to do a little research before they mess about with guinea pigs teeth.
 
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