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Dental Looking Uncomfortable

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mrsw0nka

mrsw0nka

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi, i haven't been on here in ages but my girl Kiara seems to be a bit off. (She just turned 2 last week.) She isn't laying down comfortably like the other two, or like she normally does. She is just sitting up on her feet completely still. I saw her stretch her front leg out like she was going to lay down but she decided not to. I gave them some cucumber to see if she would perk up but she hardly ate one piece by the time the others had had two. So I took her out and had her on the table and broke up the cucumber, she just kept taking it and then dropping it and leaving it. She did finish it after a while.
I have checked her belly, it doesn't feel any more bloated than usual. No hardness to it. Couldn't feel any lumps inside her belly either. I have seen her pooing alot, she even pooed as i had her bum up to look, and it came out ok - so pretty sure there is no impaction.
I don't really know what to do. I have tried to look at her teeth but it's not easy, the front ones seem normal. She doesn't make any pain noises when i poke her belly around seeing if it feels normal... I saw her at the pellet bowl so i put in some new pellets which made her want to eat them but she just dropped a few, i did hear a crunch that she did eat a couple. But it's her behavior that just seems odd - the way she is just sitting up - i just looked at her again, still the same position after about 15 minutes....
 
:( Sorry to hear that your Kiara seems unwell. Any unusual behaviour or loss of appetite warrants a visit to the vet ASAP. Hope its nothing serious. She may just be having an "off " day, but get her checked over just to be sure. Good luck!:tu::tu::tu:
 
I hope that it is just an off day, but if in doubt, please see your vet. you are obviously a very observant piggy mum, so may have caught a problem very early on before it is manifesting fully.
 
I have read that sometimes they can have an off day, i think i have noticed it once or twice before... i know what it's like being a girl, you can certainly have off days! But i'm going to see how she is at dinner time, if she doesn't eat much i will take her tomorrow to the vet.
 
Could maybe be a dental problem if shes picking up and dropping food, or it could be pain from another source thats affecting her appetite. If she still seems painful tonight maybe try her with a small dose of metacalm (loxicom) and see if she perks up, then you'll know if its pain and can get her checked by a vet tomorrow. Hope shes okay in a while x
 
Its a pitty you could,nt swab some type of vet grade bongelo on her gums, as if it is her tummy metercam may upset it

Vet grade bongelo come on anyone know of such a med ?
 
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She ran out to the hay when i put some more in, like she usually does. And she was eating some pellets!
I don't have any pain meds i could test her on.
 
Yesterday she perked up and ate some dinner, still not as much as usual but she is acting herself again. I gave her some extra bits to eat at cuddle time and she happily chowed down on them. Today she was first out for the morning hay. I'm going to keep monitoring her closely, she has lost weight, but Bubsy has too since last time i weighed them.
 
I think it's teeth problems. One eye seems slightly bulgy, taking her to the vet on monday.
I have kept her weight up by feeding her extra on her own twice a day, small long easy to eat pieces of veg.
 
Please get the vet to check for a tooth root abcess if the eye is bulging as well as general eye damage (hay pokes,foreign bodies, etc)
It could be the pus/infection pushing on the eye out from the inside.
Please get her to a vet as soon as u possibly can. Especially as the eye is bulging. Its highly likely she'll need painkillers too. A pain response is often indicated by not eating.

Well spotted &Healing vibes being sent,fingers &paws all crossed for your little furball baby :luv:

Keep us updated xx
 
Yes I read up on eye bulges, i am pretty sure it's teeth as i have been cutting her food into long thin pieces so she can eat them. She has been getting extra meal times to make sure she eats enough.
Ringing the vet first thing. I am worried if she has to have surgery, though.

I will keep updating :) Thanks xx
 
Keeping everything crossed for her. Going through the same thing with my Tim at the mo. He is already on pain relief and antibiotics and sees the dental vet on Tuesday.
 
Oh i hope your Tim perks up. How was the dental vet?

I am just back from the vet. She listened to Kiara's heart, looked at her teeth (after cleaning the hay off them with a cotton bud!) and they looked fine, she couldn't see any of them growing to the side or overgrown. She felt around her neck and jaw which seemed fine as well... but her eye definitely seems bulgy. So I have some critical care to give her and see how she goes.
 
Kiara hates eating the critical care one minute, the next minute she can't get enough of it! but right now i still have some left of yesterdays dose she won't eat. She is such a squirmy little pig even if i wrap her in a towel she manages to squirm out of it. But she has perked up so much!
 
i can not get her to eat any critical care with metacam in... i have read everything about syringe feeding, towel wrapping... it just doesn't work she just squirms out
 
Mabye but i wasn't sure if i could give it straight... i've added 1ml of metacam with 5ml of water in the syringe and trying that, she drinks from the syringe more than she will eat the critical care
 
Well she has taken her dosage of metacam split between 2 5ml syringes of water, she loves drinking it but still no to critcal care!
 
i did try that before her vet appointment, she wouldnt eat that either.
i don't understand why she is still losing weight i monitor her at dinner time and she eats a normal amount. she is happy and running around on floor time and popcorning but there must be something else. the metacam run out before the weekend so she has been off it a few days, her eye seems to have swollen again... now my boyfriend is moaning so bad if i take her back to the vet :(
 
I think she needs some more Metacam so you will need another vet trip. If the eye is swollen again she will need longer on the antibiotics. It was Baytril wasn't it?Would your vet be willing to speak to Simon or Kim Maddock in the UK. They have been treating my Tim and are really knowledgeable. I don't want to worry you but if this is a retrobulbar abscess she may need her eye removing.
 
Just read back through the thread, is she not on antibiotics?
 
I only got given metacam, they said it was an anti-inflammatory?
I am not sure if her eye is swollen or not one minute i think it is but the next it seems normal.
but she is still loosing weight so i gotta go back i am not sure what the vet will do but i can't leave her, i have a 2 week holiday coming up in october i cannot leave her i would worry so much :(
 
Yes metacam is an anti-inflammatory. I thought earlier that the vet suspected an abscess. If so they should give antibiotics too.
 
Been back to the vet today, she had another look at her teeth well the best she can - still can't see anything wrong. felt all around her jaw and eyes and all feels fine. she was only going to give me more metacam but i suggested antibiotics and she said i can try them if i want. so i have metacam and antibiotics and some stuff for worms just in case. she said they arent experts with guinea pigs, the nearest place that is, is 4 hours away in gothenburg...
she explained they can sedate her for an xray if she doesnt get better after this set of medicine - but even if there is something wrong with her teeth or something under the eye causing it swell, they are not fit to operate on her for that anyway.... so i really really hope she doesnt need anything else after this.
 
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