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Mystery Problem With My Guinea Pigs

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Chrenr

Chrenr

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Hello all, I am new to using this so I'm not sure on where to e posting but I'm assuming I'm in the right topic!

I got two piggies for my birthday - September 2014, up until late December they've been absolutely fine, no problems whatsoever. Just over two weeks ago we realised they weren't eating properly, just picking at their pellets every now and then, but they were eating weird too, asif they had no teeth! They haven't really took a fancy to their hay either, which is bad...they always don't seem to be walking properly, it's as if they hop rather than scatter.

We took them to the vets last Saturday / January 10th and the vet wasn't sure on what the problem was either, she said it was a mystery.. Everything else was fine. No problems appearance wise, she sent us home with some metacam and a sachet of critical care, they've been having 0.1ml of metacam every evening since the 10th, and a little bit of critical care aswell as pellets and a different fruit/vegetable alongside, nothing has changed with them..still exactly the same problem, still barely eating and walking weird, a couple hours ago when I gave them their medicine I noticed one of them had a wet chin which went down to his chest, but the other one is fine. I've wiped the wetness with warm water and it seemed to turn the cloth a browny/green sort of colour, not sure what it is :S

Their mouths don't close completely but not sure if that's just guinea pigs in general? And whether or not you can feel where their jaws end under their ears.

They were born September 12th but I got them late October so they're still little babies:/

If anyone knows what it sounds like or could be or had this problem yourself please help, thank you
 
Hi! It sounds very much like yours could have either fungal/bacterial mouth infection or an acute back tooth problem. They also sound like they have scurvy (vitamin C deficiency), which is most likely connected to their not eating properly. Are your two piggies by any chance white with pink eyes? What kind of place did you get them from?

How piggy savvy is your vet and where in the world are you located? We have got a piggy savvy UK vet locator on the top bar. Could you please add your country, state or (for the UK) your county or city to your details; click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. That will help us to tailor any advice to what is available and possible for you.
Did your vet check the back teeth or just the front teeth and did he check the mouth/throat for sores, thrush or other signs of fungal infection?
http://www.guinealynx.info/scurvy.html

@Pebble @Elwickcavies

Here are our tips for hand feeding. You may also want to give additional vitamin C; information of that you can find in the guide. https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/
 
Wiebke said:
Hi! It sounds very much like yours could have either fungal/bacterial mouth infection or an acute back tooth problem. They also sound like they have scurvy (vitamin C deficiency), which is most likely connected to their not eating properly. Are your two piggies by any chance white with pink eyes? What kind of place did you get them from?

How piggy savvy is your vet and where in the world are you located? We have got a piggy savvy UK vet locator on the top bar. Could you please add your country, state or (for the UK) your county or city to your details; click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. That will help us to tailor any advice to what is available and possible for you.
Did your vet check the back teeth or just the front teeth and did he check the mouth/throat for sores, thrush or other signs of fungal infection?
http://www.guinealynx.info/scurvy.html

@Pebble @Elwickcavies

Here are our tips for hand feeding. You may also want to give additional vitamin C; information of that you can find in the guide. https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/complete-hand-feeding-guide.115359/
Click to expand...

Located east of England, not too sure we used Companion Care as it was the only vets open at the time we took them, she had a look down their mouths but not sure what she checked, she said teeth look fine but she may have been referring to their front ones.. They weren't really much help and never suggested what she thought it could be, from looking at the link you gave about scurvy it may actually be that.

One pig is brown and the other is grey, brown one weighed 0.37 and the grey was 0.34

Where can vitamin c tablets be purchased? Don't want to randomly buy some and hope they're safe.. Or could the vitamin c you add to water help?
 
Please don't add the vitamin to water! Piggies are notorious for drinking less when additives are added to water. The best ones to get are Oxbow tablets.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...vitamin-c-overview-with-product-links.115404/

Can you get to Taverham Vets in Costessey? They are listed as the most piggy savvy vets in the Norwich area. It is important that your babies are checked through thoroughly. The weights are low for piggies around 3 months old. I still think that all the problems can be traced back to a specific issue, but it needs a knowledgeable vet to sort through it, not some wild guesses over the internet.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-vet-locator/

Here is are our forum diet recommendations:
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...or-a-balanced-general-guinea-pig-diet.116460/
 
Wiebke said:
Please don't add the vitamin to water! Piggies are notorious for drinking less when additives are added to water. The best ones to get are Oxbow tablets.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...vitamin-c-overview-with-product-links.115404/

Can you get to Taverham Vets in Costessey? They are listed as the most piggy savvy vets in the Norwich area. It is important that your babies are checked through thoroughly. The weights are low for piggies around 3 months old. I still think that all the problems can be traced back to a specific issue, but it needs a knowledgeable vet to sort through it, not some wild guesses over the internet.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-vet-locator/

Here is are our forum diet recommendations:
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...or-a-balanced-general-guinea-pig-diet.116460/
Click to expand...

Ah thank you so much, just curious but would scurvy effect their pads? Their back pads look quite sore, they're pink but have red blotches, not sure if they were born like it though. And avarage weight for a pig of their age?
 
Chrenr said:
Ah thank you so much, just curious but would scurvy effect their pads? Their back pads look quite sore, they're pink but have red blotches, not sure if they were born like it though. And avarage weight for a pig of their age?
Click to expand...

That sounds like a possible foot infection to me; it would be really good to have your babies checked out thoroughly and see what is at the bottom of it all! :(

Ideally, youngsters around that age should be 500g (400-600g), but the variance is quite great as a lot depends on their birth weight and what kind of start they have had to their life. Smaller piggies on a good diet can catch up at least to some extent until they are about 2 years old; most piggies reach their adult weight between 9-12 months old, so there is still time. It is more important that yours are eating properly and growing steadily. Please weigh them weekly.
 
Wiebke said:
That sounds like a possible foot infection to me; it would be really good to have your babies checked out thoroughly and see what is at the bottom of it all! :(

Ideally, youngsters around that age should be 500g (400-600g), but the variance is quite great as a lot depends on their birth weight and what kind of start they have had to their life. Smaller piggies on a good diet can catch up at least to some extent until they are about 2 years old; most piggies reach their adult weight between 9-12 months old, so there is still time. It is more important that yours are eating properly and growing steadily. Please weigh them weekly.
Click to expand...

I'm definitely going to get some scales and weigh them on a regular basis to prevent weight loss, and to purchase some oxbow vitamin c tablets for them, been looking around for some online but so many places seem to be out of stock:(
 
Have you been able to get a vet appointment yet? Please don't wait too long!
 
I would also hazard a guess that your guinea pigs are suffering from 'scurvy'!

Treatment is quite simple, and recovery should be reasonably quick!

However, you will have to address your guinea pigs' diet - Evidently, your guinea pigs are not receiving enough vitamin C from their diet!

What do you feed your guinea pigs?! How much do you feed your guinea pigs?!
 
Wiebke said:
Have you been able to get a vet appointment yet? Please don't wait too long!
Click to expand...

Going to call taverham in the morning and book an appointment, hoping it won't be too bad and that they'll have a fast recovery :( will keep updated :)
 
Guinea-pigGaga said:
I would also hazard a guess that your guinea pigs are suffering from 'scurvy'!

Treatment is quite simple, and recovery should be reasonably quick!

However, you will have to address your guinea pigs' diet - Evidently, your guinea pigs are not receiving enough vitamin C from their diet!

What do you feed your guinea pigs?! How much do you feed your guinea pigs?!
Click to expand...

What does treatment include? And how long does it usually take until you can see a difference?

They have a small handful of pellets both morning and night, aswell as a different fruit/vegetable but they aren't eating as much as usual anymore, they eat a few pellets then go to the corner of the cage and both lay there intertwined:( so a small handful lasts over 24 hours. I'm scared they're going to lose a crazy amount of weight because of it:(

Also, both pigs seem to click and grind within their mouths a lot, and it's asif when they drink they're just dribbling it all out as under their mouths and chest are always soaked :s
 
Look, all we can do over the internet is just guess as all we have is just your descriptions, but we do not see and handle the piggies themselves. While some members have medical training of some sort or other, none of us is a qualified vet or can replace one. That is why it is so important that they are seen and assessed by a knowledgeable vet who can spot even the subtle signs and put them into context.

Scurvy can be got over by a high dose of vitamin unless it was bad enough to leave permanent damage. But it is up to your vet to judge whether it is indeed scurvy you are dealing with or whether vitamin C deficiency is just a side effect to what yours have. He will also be able to prescribe the medication and doses that are correct for your little babies.
 
Chrenr said:
What does treatment include? And how long does it usually take until you can see a difference?

They have a small handful of pellets both morning and night, aswell as a different fruit/vegetable but they aren't eating as much as usual anymore, they eat a few pellets then go to the corner of the cage and both lay there intertwined:( so a small handful lasts over 24 hours. I'm scared they're going to lose a crazy amount of weight because of it:(

Also, both pigs seem to click and grind within their mouths a lot, and it's asif when they drink they're just dribbling it all out as under their mouths and chest are always soaked :s
Click to expand...

As Wiebke has mentioned, scurvy can easily be treated with an increase in vitamin C.

However, your guinea pigs sound as if they are underweight, and are not consuming enough food to maintain their current weights - Not to mention, not consuming enough food to support their growth etc. . .

You will have to address their current diet - We are quite happy to discuss diet with you!

Please have your guinea pigs examined by a veterinarian!
 
I'm going to be a bit more blunt:

These are (presumably?) young guinea pigs bought from a pet shop -or are they older? Heaven knows their heritage and husbandry before they came to you a few months ago.

They are not walking properly, not eating properly and have slobbers (saliva and water running down the chin) . Based upon my own experience of piggies with wet chins, silly walks etc.......They need immediate attention from a cavy savvy vet.....preferably one experienced with dental disease.
It occurs to me that they have an incisor problem (possibly fragmented incisors) but also a molar problem with spurs needing treatment and/or wobbly teeth.

Whilst scurvy (Vit C deficiency) is a good bet as the cause- not all their problems will be reversible by upping Vit C content at this point.
Once there is a dental problem (and it sounds like there is) - they will need proper exeperienced veterinary intervention.

Can you get them up to Simon Maddock at Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Duston Northampton?

Tagging a couple of people who may be able to help.
@furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary
@Stewybus
 
As @Pebble has already mentioned, getting them seen by Simon Maddock in Northampton would be the best option. I run a sanctuary for guinea pigs with ongoing illnesses and could offer some temporary accommodation here, if needed, so your guinea pigs could get treatment from Simon. I am very experienced in the supportive care of poorly piggies and deal with lots of dental problems in guinea pigs. Please don't leave it any longer though. If we are going to get a good result here, then time is of the essence and the sooner Simon can see your guinea pigs the better the chance of getting them better.

Here is the link to the vet practice

www.catandrabbit.co.uk

Here is the link to my sanctuary website

www.teasnorthampton.co.uk

We also have a Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/teasnorthampton
My contact details are on these sites, so please feel free to call me if you want any more info about how I can help.
 
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