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Dental I suspect tooth trouble, but...

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Sue and Smartie

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...I am not sure. Geraldine is going to the vet tomorrow morning, as she is having trouble eating. This has only happened today.

She is hungry, and trying to eat but she doesn't seem to be able to hold on to what she is eating. So she will pick at a bit of cucumber and get a bite of it, then the cucumber falls from her mouth instead of just being gradually taken into her mouth. If I saw a horse doing it I would say he was 'quidding' - is it the same term with guinea pigs? Does this sound like a tooth problem to you? Or maybe she has a sore place somewhere in her mouth? I couldn't see much when I looked but I don't have the kit that the vet does.

Hopefully the vet will find out what's going on tomorrow but any words of advice would be welcomed. Thanks in advance.
 
Hi. It does sound like it could be a tooth problem but I’m not experienced enough to offer any advise but it’s a good thing you are seeing the vet tomorrow.

Make sure that your vet checks the back teeth as well as the front. This may need doing with a light sedation.

In the meantime, you could try grating her veg to make it easier for her to pick up. You could also try mushing up her pellets with some warm water

All the best at the vets and please keep us updated

@furryfriends (TEAS)
 
Sue and Smartie said:
...I am not sure. Geraldine is going to the vet tomorrow morning, as she is having trouble eating. This has only happened today.

She is hungry, and trying to eat but she doesn't seem to be able to hold on to what she is eating. So she will pick at a bit of cucumber and get a bite of it, then the cucumber falls from her mouth instead of just being gradually taken into her mouth. If I saw a horse doing it I would say he was 'quidding' - is it the same term with guinea pigs? Does this sound like a tooth problem to you? Or maybe she has a sore place somewhere in her mouth? I couldn't see much when I looked but I don't have the kit that the vet does.

Hopefully the vet will find out what's going on tomorrow but any words of advice would be welcomed. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

All the best!

How the incisor edges looking? If they are slanted, jagged or inward pointing (i.e. overgrown), then that is generally an indication for trouble with the premolar spurs.

Please step in with syringe feeding and watering asap. Keep in mind that over 80% of the daily food intake is hay, which you can only control by weighing daily at the same time. Please also be aware that dental treatment can mean that your piggy is not going to eat on its own straight away, especially if the mouth is still sore and the vet is not so experienced that they can rebalance the dental system perfectly.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
Thank you! I have some Critical Care so will get on with that right away.
Will also put in some mushy pellets, maybe she will nibble at those overnight. If Binky & Kanga don't eat the lot that is!

I really couldn;t see much of her teeth or mouth, she was too wriggly.
 
I had to go to work today so Doug took Geraldine for her appointment. They kept her in and gave her teeth a tidy up at the back but couldn't see anything glaringly obvious.
Erica at Little Pip's thinks there may be something else going on so I am going to ask for an x-ray on her next visit (next week unless there's a crisis) so we can see if there's anything to be seen inside. In the meantime I have some Metacam for Geraldine, and I'm at home for the next two days so will be watching her very closely and take her back in if I need to. Doug will be on PigWatch when I am at work again next week.
Geraldine did NOT want the Critical Care but she has eaten a lot of fresh grass. She has also been eating Readigrass and hay. I've mushed up the pellets and am chopping everything else really small to encourage her to eat as much as possible. She is a bit quiet but will come out of hiding for a chat when I pass by the Piggy Palace. I don't think she's at death's door but I am suspicious that there is something more serious at the heart of this. Hopefully it's something that can be fixed.
 
It does sound dental and unfortunately, it doesn't have to be a problem that is glaringly obvious. It can the tiniest spur or sharp edge on a tooth and that will be enough to cause an issue. Is the problem mainly picking up the food and she can eat once it is in her mouth? This is usually caused by either a broken incisor, or a brewing incisor root abscess, making it painful to pick up and bite down on food.
 
It's not been a great week for Geraldine. She had to go back to the vet on Friday, still losing weight, so she went in to see her usual vet. NOT the one she saw before. I am in no way casting blame here but the first vet is not as experienced as the usual one, and had missed a hook on one of her back teeth. This had caused an open sore on her tongue. No wonder she was struggling!
Anyway, the hook has now been removed, and I have got Geraldine in the convalescent ward (a smaller cage next to the main one) so that she can take her time eating, she is still quite slow as her tongue is still sore and needs to heal up. She has Baytril, Metacam, and Critical Care. I am weighing her every day and she has gained 35g since yesterday afternoon so I am very pleased with that.
I really hope she is on the mend now, she had me worried for a while.
 
Poor Geraldine. Hope her mouth heals quickly and she’s feeling better very soon.
 
Geraldine's still in the convalescent ward but hopefully not for much longer. She hasn't put on a huge amount of weight but having read through one of the pinned posts on here I see she may not put it all back on, or at least, it could take a long time with her being an older pig. She is eating much better now, and tackling anything put in. Yesterday I remembered about porridge oats so she's had some of those too and liked them a lot.
She's finished all her meds now, not that she minded those, she is very good about taking things like that. And I got to have lots of extra cuddles while she was taking those so I didn't mind either :)
 
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