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Help Guinevere please

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Guinevere

Hello everyone, Guinevere my beautiful 3yr old Sow isn't eating at the moment & I'm really worried.

A couple of weeks ago whilst eating she occasionally acted like there was something stuck in her mouth, this became more often up to the point when 7days ago she stopped eating, during this time she had lost 6oz (Shes usually 2lb 10oz)
After a reccomendation from "Nutmeg" I took her to a Cavy savvy vet who filed her molars whilst awake & gave me some Septrin (1 x 0.5ml/daily) for slight mucus & eye discharge which appeared around the onset of the eating problem. He also gave her some Recovery sachets & syringes.

Since then shes still not eating solids but can't get enough of the recovery mix & is eating a packet per day plus approx 50ml of water(Inc Vit C)

I'm taking her back to the vets tomorrow but wondered if anyone else had seen this & can offer an explaination.
Its such a shame as she looks so frustrated when she regularly tries to pick up nuggets or fresh veggies but simply can't for some reason

Any advice is greatly appreciated

Guinevere
 
It is not unusual that piggies with tooth problems prefer syringe food instead of solids - perhaps because their mouths is still sore at first and perhaps in memory of the pain?
 
Guinevere said:
Hello everyone, Guinevere my beautiful 3yr old Sow isn't eating at the moment & I'm really worried.

A couple of weeks ago whilst eating she occasionally acted like there was something stuck in her mouth, this became more often up to the point when 7days ago she stopped eating, during this time she had lost 6oz (Shes usually 2lb 10oz)
After a reccomendation from "Nutmeg" I took her to a Cavy savvy vet who filed her molars whilst awake & gave me some Septrin (1 x 0.5ml/daily) for slight mucus & eye discharge which appeared around the onset of the eating problem. He also gave her some Recovery sachets & syringes.

Since then shes still not eating solids but can't get enough of the recovery mix & is eating a packet per day plus approx 50ml of water(Inc Vit C)

I'm taking her back to the vets tomorrow but wondered if anyone else had seen this & can offer an explaination.
Its such a shame as she looks so frustrated when she regularly tries to pick up nuggets or fresh veggies but simply can't for some reason

Any advice is greatly appreciated

Guinevere
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my guinea ralphie did this he wanted to eat but when he tried he gagged so bad and the food just came back out he had his teeth filed which made no difference at all and he had been on antibiotics after seeing 3 diff vets they said his stomach had stopped working poss due to the antibiotics and also he may have shut his own stomach down he lost 500g in 4wks and worried me to death like you i was giving him recovery feeds every 2 or 3 hours for 1 week then i got a lady friend for him has he was neutered and with in 2 days he started to eat on his own still gagged but was manageing its been 10 wks now and he has put on 300g..
just keep trying him with food i pushed bits of hay into his mouth past his cheecks and cabage any thing to get it past the cheecks i was told by vedra at cambridge cavy trust to suck out any food from the back of the mouth before syringe feeding and flush out with a little water at the end of the recovery feed,
does your guinea have a friend?if not maybe worth getting her one has it sometimes gives them a will to live xx
 
Hi Tim, sorry I wasn't on to welcome you, just got in from work.
Poor Guinevere. There are lots of people here who can hopefully post and help you.
Why not post a thread in the Introductions section, as Guinevere's story is a lovely one.
Best of luck with your piggy.
xx
 
I don't often post answers on here to health and illness Tim, so I hope some of our more medical people come on soon. It is encouraging though that she still has an appetite, and wants to eat. As Wiebke says, she might have a sore mouth after some dental work, and prefer softer syringed food. Piggies can survive on syringed food whilst problems are being sorted, but as you say, they do need to be getting enough. A friend is also a good idea, however, that is something to consider later, I don't imagine it to be a cure for her present problem. x
 
My piggie, Pops, was totally syringe fed for over five months before she started to eat again. We found little and often worked best for getting her teeth done, and for a very long time she had them done weekly. Her weight plunged to under 600g at the lowest and it is incredibly difficult to even maintain weight whilst syringe feeding as you do need to get a lot in. Pops always loved her syringe food and would just stand at the bars of the cage and take it from the syringe. After a while she was able to manage softened pellets which meant I was able to get a full nights sleep. I used to get up at least once every night to feed her when she was being fully syringe fed. Then suddenly out of the blue she started to eat small amounts for herself. This was the turning point and her weight started to increase. Although she is now eating totally independantly and weighs just over the kilo she still needs a small amount of work doing on her teeth every fortnight.

I found it very useful to add little chopped up bits of veg to the syringe food and also to grate carrot and apple.

What started Pops problem isn't completely clear. She seemed to stop eating just after the death of her sister, but that could just be a coincidence. The turning point came after one of her teeth fell out whilst having them filed, which could suggest pain had stopped her wanting to eat.

Once dental problems become established it's difficult to completely cure, but with a good vet, a determined owner and a piggie with attitude it can be managed very effectively.
 
Your pig is not eating because it still has problems with the back teeth. It is not enough for the vet to "file her molars", he needs to know which part of each tooth to file, besides which filing the back teeth is normally reserved for smoothing the teeth after they have been clipped.
I would be quite certain that more extensive treatment is required.
You say she cannot pick up food, do her front teeth meet together when she closes her mouth?
Where are you located?
 
Thanks everyone for all your helpful comments.

I've had Guinevere back to the vets today & they've prescribed her .15ml of Metacam(1.5mg/ml suspension) in an attempt to relive any discomfort & allow her to eat hopefully, does this sound ok & I forgot to ask whether she can have this as well as the Septrin.
A different vet examined her today & she also couldn't see anything untoward in her mouth but said that they'd have to sedate her for a mouth xray ?

Nutmeg - Thanks for the pointing me in the direction of the forum & the warm welcome. Yes I will post an introduction & tell the story of how Guinevere came to live with us because like you say it is a lovely story & one which deserves to be told")

Alcesterpigs - I live on the Lancashire/Merseyside border, yes her incisors just about meet when her mouths closed.
Do you know of any specialist cavy dentists in the ** area ? I can appreciate exactly what you say however if this is the case then I still need to find a suitable person to carry out the work.

Furryfriends - I love the cheeky looking chap in your avatar:) you've given me some hope regarding the syringing & yes Guinevere is definately a pig with attitude:))

Clairelove - Goodluck with Ralphie, I just hope Guinevere goes in the same direction

Many thanks to everyone else who has taken the time to reply, I'll explain when I post my introduction why Guinevere hasn't got a friend & in the meantime any advice, ideas etc... are greatly appreciated.
 
"said that they'd have to sedate her for a mouth xray ?"
Why?

Regret, I do not know of anyone in your area who could help.

"yes her incisors just about meet when her mouths closed."

When her mouth is closed the lower front teeth should be behind the upper front teeth and the lower teeth should be in contact with the roof of her mouth
If the teeth "just about meet" then they are not able to cut the food she is trying to get into her mouth, it is rather like a pair of scissors whose blades do not meet.
Compare her teeth to those of a fit pig, you should be able to tell what is wrong.

I will post later on today about syringe-feeding.
 
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Thanks for confirming the drugs compatability FF, does the dose sound correct ?

Yes I too questioned why they couldn't xray whilst awake & at this stage I certainly won't let it happen.
When the vet filed her molars he did trim the lower incisors too & although they are growing back I'd estimate that they're still 3mm( 1/8" ) off their usual length. She occasionally sticks her tongue out over the lower incisor which she's never been seen to do before.

I've been syringe feeding her approx 40ml of recovery & 65ml of water over six feeds throughout the day & her weight appears to be stable since the initial loss during onset.

If anyone knows a good dentistry vet or rodentologist in the ** area or within a realistic distance I'd greatly appreciate any contact information.

Many thanks for all your help so far:)
 
I'm sorry Guinevere is having problems. The dose of Metacam sounds spot on, I've given up to 0.2ml twice daily but 0.1ml is the most usual dose.

Have you tried phoning Vedra at the CCT - she may know of a good vet or rodentologist in your area? Vedra's number is 07721 026401.
www.britishassociationofrodentologists.co.uk
 
Why on earth do vets feel the need to cut the front teeth, I wonder how many poor guinea's have suffered because of it.
You don't need to buy the recovery food, get some good pellets and dissolve them its easier to suck up as well.
 
Just a quick update on Guinevere.

She's still not eating solids but is just about maintaining weight by happily eating 60ml+ of recovery mix per day, she's still trying to eat veggies & nuggets but just gets so frustrated when she can't.

I've noticed an increase of eye fluid discharge over the last couple of days, to the point where the fur directly below her RH eye is now matted together.

I've contacted Vedra as suggested and am awaiting a reply.

In the meantime I've just a couple of questions:-

- How long can you continue with Metacam for ?
- She's just finishing her course of Septrin, if she had a mouth abcess/ulcer would this or another antibiotic be prescribed ?

Many thanks for all your help & advice so far.
 
Something else I've noticed is that she trys to hide her head in things for some reason & sleeps with her head shoved in a corner.
Also she smells different although i suppose that could be down to the enforced change of diet ?
 
I've given Metacam long term i.e. daily for months, obviously the shorter the course the better but it can be used long-term provided there's no suspected/diagnosed kidney trouble.

Baytril will more than likely be the antibiotic prescribed for an abscess. Zithromax (azithromycin) is said to be good for abscesses too. Septrin is a useful AB but is most usually given for urinary/bladder problems, it's unlikely the vet would keep Guinevere on this to treat an abscess is that was the case.

60ml+ is a very good amount of syringe-food per day, if she'll take more (you can try leaving some on a plate for her to help herself to) then that's fine, as long as she's maintaining her weight.
 
Without doubt the very best antibiotic for an abscess is Zithromax. My piggie, Tufty, had an abscess lanced and drained about ten days ago and started on Zithromax straight away. There has been very little re-filling of the abscess and it has now healed completely. I noticed she smelt strange before the abscess was found.
 
I've taken Guinevere to the vet again today & he seems to be stumped. He's given her some eye-drops & also some acupuncture as a wildshot but without any immediate result. He had a good poke & prod but seemed happy that no abscess is present.

I've spoken to Vedra & she has put me in touch with a Rodentologist whom I'm going to see on Wednesday, but first just a few more questions which I'd appreciate answers for please.

- How can an abscess in the mouth be detected ?

- Could septrin "mask" the effects of an abcess, thus making it hard to detect ?

- She's started to eat her poops again recently, is this a good or bad sign ? She'll actually do one & bite it within seconds although it takes her a while to chew & digest.

- She is eating up to twenty 1ml syringes of food at a time however I've just placed her favorite treat, a celery top well into her mouth and she appears to chew it slightly, then lets it drop back out onto the floor, also I can pick her up several hours since her last feed/drink & her mouth/chin is still very wet.......Any ideas ?



Many thanks once again for any ideas, theorys or answers on the subject.

Laura-CCC4 - Thanks for your answers, all knowledge is helpful & yes I leave the bowl of mix in her cage everyday but without her eating any.

Furryfriends - Has Tufty recovered & eating again ?
 
Sheffield ! Not exactly close I know, but I'll do anything to get our little girl back.

I fed her about 40mins ago & since then shes done 8 poops but as soon as shes done one she spins around & eats it then does another & repeats the process? Is this a good sign that she is actually eating or something bad ?

Incidently her right ear is really hot although her left is cold, is this an indicator of a right hand tooth problem as its also her right eye which has been weeping ?
 
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Eating poops is normal, and nutritious. Someone will provide all the technical details of poop. You could be right about the ear, sounds feasible, but again, I am sure an expert will answer soon.
I used to live in Sheffield for a while, it is a trek, but as you say, worth it for a good rodentologist. x
 
I wish I could offer some useful advice but I just don't have any. Best of wishes for your Guinivere. I hope your trip to the rodentologist goes well.
 
Oh good, she's never hoovered poops up like this before but I'm just glad she's finally eat something other than syringe food.

All knowledge & advice is really appreciated, its been a very steep learning curve these last few weeks
 
Guinevere said:
I've taken Guinevere to the vet again today & he seems to be stumped. He's given her some eye-drops & also some acupuncture as a wildshot but without any immediate result. He had a good poke & prod but seemed happy that no abscess is present.

I've spoken to Vedra & she has put me in touch with a Rodentologist whom I'm going to see on Wednesday, but first just a few more questions which I'd appreciate answers for please.

- How can an abscess in the mouth be detected ?

- Could septrin "mask" the effects of an abcess, thus making it hard to detect ?

- She's started to eat her poops again recently, is this a good or bad sign ? She'll actually do one & bite it within seconds although it takes her a while to chew & digest.

- She is eating up to twenty 1ml syringes of food at a time however I've just placed her favorite treat, a celery top well into her mouth and she appears to chew it slightly, then lets it drop back out onto the floor, also I can pick her up several hours since her last feed/drink & her mouth/chin is still very wet.......Any ideas ?



Many thanks once again for any ideas, theorys or answers on the subject.

Laura-CCC4 - Thanks for your answers, all knowledge is helpful & yes I leave the bowl of mix in her cage everyday but without her eating any.

Furryfriends - Has Tufty recovered & eating again ?
Click to expand...

Tufty started eating properly again as soon as the abscess was lanced and drained. It has healed so well too, and it is only 12 days since it was lanced. The Zithromax makes such a huge difference. Tufty's abscess was a jaw abscess and therefore easy to detect as it was quite obvious.
 
.

- How can an abscess in the mouth be detected ?

By a swelling, discharge, usually with a distinctive smell.

- Could septrin "mask" the effects of an abcess, thus making it hard to detect ?

Not really.

- She's started to eat her poops again recently, is this a good or bad sign ?

Good sign.

, also I can pick her up several hours since her last feed/drink & her mouth/chin is still very wet.......Any ideas ?

She has a dental problem.
 
I've been going over Guinevere with a fine tooth comb & noticed some small patches of fur missing from underneath her chin, probably about 10-15mm below her botom lip towards her throat.
I'm off to see the rodentologist tomorrow so I'll point them out then. I feel I'm just clutching at straws & counting the hours by until tomorrow.

Alcesterpigs - Thanks for your comments, do you live in Alcester ?
 
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