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Hurley - Dental problems

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Lulah

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Hello everyone... I've been reading all the threads re dental problems and it has been somewhat of a revelation to me. I've had many pigs over the years, but until now I've never had one with dental issues. My 2.5 year old boar Hurley stopped eating and started dribbling almost two weeks ago. I was furious with myself for not noticing it earlier - he's got lots of very spiky hair! and it was difficult to spot the weight loss until I picked him up. As soon as I saw the dribbling it was straight down the vets. To cut a long story short the vet gave him a less than 50/50 chance of survival but I spent a week syringe feeding him until the vet considered he was strong enough to get his teeth done, which was done two days ago, using anaesthetic (gas). She said the front teeth were too long and the back teeth were at a an angle and probably causing pain. So I was so happy, thinking all his problems were solved... but he still won't eat. I've offered him all his favourite foods - he sniffs it and looks keen but won't eat. I'm still syringe feeding him and he's losing weight again.

I'm not giving up on him, he's thin but fairly bright - I would be so grateful for any advice. I had naively thought that syringe feeding him would stimulate his gut and get him back into action but maybe that's not the case? He's the youngest of my four pigs and I would be devastated to lose him. I rescued him with his dad when he was about 4 months old he was tiny and thin but he quickly became the biggest of my pigs at 1.4kg! Now he weighs just about 1kg...:(
 
Oh gosh what a worry. I do not know anything about dental piggies but there are many people who are on here who do. I really hope one of them will be on here soon to advice you. I really hope your little one gets better soon.
 
Hello, welcome to the forum!

Firstly, how experienced is your vet at guinea pig dentals? I am a bit concerned at the comment re the back teeth being at an angle and the front teeth too long. Guinea pig teeth do angle and are not straight like rabbit teeth. We have also seen many piggies where their incisors have been cut short because an inexperienced vet has thought the incisors were too long.

How much syringe food are you giving him? You need to aim for 120 mls per 24 hours.

Where about do you live?

Do you have a follow up appointment at the vets? It can take a while for a piggie to start to eat again, but in the meantime the teeth will be overgrowing again, so you do need to have regular check ups.

Is your piggie on any pain relief?
 
Hello, thanks for the reply - I live in North London, my vets are small animal specialists (being in an urban area) and see a lot of guinea pigs. Obviously that doesn't necessarily mean they are experts! I do have confidence in them generally (I also have two cats, a rabbit and three other pigs who all been at the vets at one time or another as you can imagine and have been treated successfully).

I know about the 120mls of syringe food in 24 hrs, how anyone manages to get that much down a pig I don't know - you would have to feed him almost continuously! All I can say is I am doing my best and feeding him every 2-3 hours during the day with as much Critical Care as he will accept. He was on metacam for pain relief but the vet advised he didn't need that now. He doesn't appear to be in any pain - but I know how good they are at hiding it. If you think he will benefit from metacam I can easily start again as I have it for my old cat anyway.

The vet asked me to call her on Monday to let me know how he is doing. When you say it can take "a while" for a pig to start eating again, how long is that likely to be? It's so hard when he sniffs at his favourite foods and looks interested and then just turns away. I am really worried now :(
 
I have a sanctuary for guinea pigs with extra needs, mainly dental, and some start eating straight away, some after a week or two and I have even had one who was fully syringe fed for 5 1/2 months.

It isn't really difficult to get 120 mls into them. I aim to get in about 30 mls per sitting, so that can be achieved in just four sittings. I have found that the 120 mls only keeps weight stable, so it is important to get as close to that amount as possible.

My vet, Simon Maddock, is very experienced with dental work in guinea pigs and provides all the veterinary care for the sanctuary piggies. He is in Northampton, so I guess it could be possible for you to come up to see him if things don't start to improve.

Can your piggie pick food up at all? It may be that the incisors have been cut too short. If you chop up salad leaves very small you can poke bits into the mouth and that could encourage him to want to eat again. I have also added finely chopped grass to syringe food.

If he isn't too keen on Critical Care you can mush up normal guinea pig pellets. Mine all love the Burgess Blackcurrant and Oregano pellets. I just add boiling water and let them cool.

I think it could be worth continuing with the metacam.
 
Thanks again for replying, I really do appreciate it especially as you are clearly a very busy person looking after all those pigs, bless you! Yes, Hurley can pick up food - I put some small pieces of apple in his bowl this morning and he came straight out and took one and carried it into his little house - but then just didn't/couldn't eat it....

I'm syringing food into him as quick as I can! I will make a greater effort now to get more in... I will also try poking tiny bits of lettuce in which he normally loves.

Will keep you posted. Thanks again
 
I will second Debbie's mention of Simon Maddock. He is very experienced with dental work and in most cases will be able to treat the piggy while it is conscious, therefore removing the stress of anaesthetic and also reducing recovery time in that respect. It also means that regular treatments can be done without the risk to the animal. Simon successfully treated one of my piggies who had dental issues where other 'experienced' exotic specialists (and I use that term very loosely!) had failed and recommended my pig be put to sleep. I realise we are very lucky to have Simon so close by, but it really is worth a visit to see him; ideally sooner rather than later.


In the meantime, porridge oats are a good way to maintain weight if you piggy can get them down. I used to mix up a porridge, allowed it to cool and my piggy used to tuck straight in. Grated or very finely chopped fruits or veggies can be added for variation.


Please keep us updated. :)
 
Best of luck with little Hurley XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I too know what it's like with a dental piggie!

I wonder if when his toofies were trimmed they may have missed a spur ? or he has an ulcer? These can really hamper them eating also.
I also found pureed veggies or fruits where another form of food that is enjoyed and it's good for them too :)

ooops....
Meant to add welcome to the forum :)
Wishing you all the best :) Please keep us updated and when you get the time it would be lovely to see pigtures of Hurley and his friends, whee have a stories/photo's section :)

Glynis, Velvet and Onyx x
 
Thank you for the welcome Glynis. Sadly, things have not improved. Hurley still refuses to eat anything at all and I am still syringe feeding him. He is losing weight but still seems bright and alert. He is still dribbling which makes no sense. My vet is utterly flummoxed, she has checked his mouth again and can see no reason why he now shouldn't be able to eat. She has recommended a guinea pig specialist vet just up the road so we are going to see him on Monday. I have offered him every kind of food I can think of - he comes up eagerly, sniffs it and looks interested, and then just turns away. It's SO FRUSTRATING :(
 
All too often on the forum we have poeple such as yourself posting about dental problems. You have been given some good advice here but I don;t think you realise how urgent it is to act on this in view of your piggy's current situation.

If he is not eating properly and losing weight, his guts may stop and it seems clear your current vet hasn;t factored that into their care plan for him....and their treatment of his teeth to date leave some questions to be answered.....

Can I please "strongly" suggest that you talk to Debbie (Furry friends) about getting him up to see Simon in Northampton - if you can;t make the journey personally then a piggy train might be able to be organised...I and another forum member did a piggy train from Exter to Debbie's in Northampton recently for a dental piggy to receive...(successfully) ... temporary dental and syringe feeding treatment.

In view of the symptoms you are describing I think it's important your lad is seen early this week. I also think you need to be aware that the Dental sancturary (and Simon the vet) are the very best (and ONLY) facility in the UK for guine pigs with dental porblems...and has been set up precisely to help owners such as yourself.

Please try and organise getting him to Simon/Debbie - it's his best chance but please don't delay.

HTH
x
 
As Pebble has already mentioned you really can't delay when dealing with dental issues. The sooner your piggie receives appropriate dental treatment the more chance there is of a successful outcome.

I currently have a place available for a temporary resident here at the Sanctuary. However, this place may not be available for long. I get frequent calls regarding dental issues, and I can only take a certain number of dental cases due to the amount of supportive care these little guys need. If you would like to talk this through in more details please let me know and I will send you my phone nos.

Dental problems don't have to be a death sentence, but too often they are. We have a fantastic success rate, with all dental work being carried out by Simon Maddock, who is the vet at Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic in Duston, Northampton. Telephone No. 01604 478888,
 
Please, please, please take up the offers being made here. As I said before, I thought I was doing the right thing by going to see a guinea pig 'expert' vet recommended by my old vet - you assume they know what they are talking about. They had no clue what they were doing and unfortunately the delay in getting the right treatment then lead to other knock on issues surfacing later - arthritis, abscesses, inner ear infection. My poor boy went through so much more than he might've had to if I'd been able to see Simon with him from the outset. :)
 
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