Not eating/losing weight after molar trim

[Puddles1999]

Hi everybody. My Penelope usually has to have her molars trimmed about once a year. She just turned 4. She’s been having this since she was about 2-2 1/2. She last had it done March of 2022. It’s now September 2023.

I noticed she has started showing signs of needing it done again. She is opening her mouth a bunch (I call it the peanut butter mouth) and dropping pellets a lot.

I took her in to a new vet that was an hour and a half away from me because everyone was booked over a week out. She went and had them trimmed yesterday morning. They said they filed the top molars down and trimmed the bottom two. They mentioned there were spurs on all her teeth. Which is odd cause any time she’s had them done, it’s only been like on the right bottom side.

When they were done, the vet came in to talk to me and said they were barely overgrown. She said she even took a bit off and the tooth started bleeding. I’ve never had this issue ever. They didn’t mention putting her on pain meds so I did. She’s on Meloxicam once a day. She’s a small pig and has lost weight since but once a day? Should I ask if I can give it to her twice a day? She’s prescribed 0.2ml a day.

Bringing her home, she drinks water on her own. She shows interest in hay. She will “pick” through pieces and not eat many. I’ve been giving her critical care every few hours and she loves it and eats it herself.
However she constantly sits puffy. She doesn’t lay down anymore. She’s constantly puffed up and I believe that’s a sign of pain? Should I ask them if I can give her .2 every 12 hours instead? She’s now only 710 grams now. She’s lost around 100. She’s getting critical care to try and keep up with her weight. She definitely has an appetite.

I’m just really concerned because any time she’s had a molar trim she’s back to eating hay. So I don’t know if maybe I waited too long, they cut them too short? I mean she made her bleed on one tooth. Should I ask for more pain meds more often? They say they’re a Guinea/rabbit/ferret,etc exotic vet. I’m thinking it’s cause she’s in so much pain.

I would greatly appreciate anyone who can help us. I’m so sorry it’s such a long message. I’m worried about my little Guinea.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear this.

Definitely ask them about pain relief. Is she in cat meloxicom? 0.2ml once a day isn’t much even for her small size. Sitting puffed up is a sign of pain.

Definitely syringe feed her and make sure you weigh her daily. 100g loss since yesterday (if that is what you meant is an emergency so I would call the vet right now)

 

[Puddles1999]

I’m sorry to hear this.

Definitely ask them about pain relief. Is she in cat meloxicom? 0.2ml once a day isn’t much even for her small size. Sitting puffed up is a sign of pain.

Definitely syringe feed her and make sure you weigh her daily. 100g loss since yesterday (if that is what you meant is an emergency so I would call the vet right now)

I believe it is dog. I can look again but I’m almost certain they put her on dog. Should I call and ask if I can do it every 12 instead of 24? I know 710 grams is quite small for her but I didn’t know if 0.2ml was enough for her. Shes usually only around 830 at her prime.

She has progressively lost it over the last few days. I am now weighing her once every day and she gets her oxbow critical care every few hours. She eats about a tablespoon every time. She gains around 27g in weight after she’s done eating the critical care.

 

[Puddles1999]

I’m sorry to hear this.

Definitely ask them about pain relief. Is she in cat meloxicom? 0.2ml once a day isn’t much even for her small size. Sitting puffed up is a sign of pain.

Definitely syringe feed her and make sure you weigh her daily. 100g loss since yesterday (if that is what you meant is an emergency so I would call the vet right now)

It says it is Meloxidyl(meloxicam) 1.5mg/ML oral suspension on the sheet that came with it. It is for dogs

 

[Piggies&buns]

I believe it is dog. I can look again but I’m almost certain they put her on dog. Should I call and ask if I can do it every 12 instead of 24? I know 710 grams is quite small for her but I didn’t know if 0.2ml was enough for her. Shes usually only around 830 at her prime.

She has progressively lost it over the last few days. I am now weighing her once every day and she gets her oxbow critical care every few hours. She eats about a tablespoon every time. She gains around 27g in weight after she’s done eating the critical care.

Yes that’s dog so that’s good. Twice a day is still best for piggies though.

Ok, 100g over a few days still is an emergency.
Don’t weigh her after she has eaten, it doesn’t mean anything useful to weigh her then. Just weigh her first thing in the morning and compare it to the weight for the day before

 

[Puddles1999]

Yes that’s dog so that’s good. Twice a day is still best for piggies though.

Ok, 100g over a few days still is an emergency.
Don’t weigh her after she has eaten, it doesn’t mean anything useful to weigh her then. Just weigh her first thing in the morning and compare it to the weight for the day before

I weigh her once a day at the same time.
I also was just curious how much she gained after she ate.

Okay. Do you know how I would go about giving it to her twice a day?

 

[Puddles1999]

Yes that’s dog so that’s good. Twice a day is still best for piggies though.

Ok, 100g over a few days still is an emergency.
Don’t weigh her after she has eaten, it doesn’t mean anything useful to weigh her then. Just weigh her first thing in the morning and compare it to the weight for the day before

Just called them and the vet is out today so they couldn’t tell me anything :/

 

[Piggies&buns]

I weigh her once a day at the same time.
I also was just curious how much she gained after she ate.

Okay. Do you know how I would go about giving it to her twice a day?

Once the vet gives you the permission to do so, you just give it once every 12 hours

Just called them and the vet is out today so they couldn’t tell me anything :/

Call again as soon as you can.

 

[Puddles1999]

Once the vet gives you the permission to do so, you just give it once every 12 hours



Call again as soon as you can.

The vet won’t be in today so I would have to wait until tomorrow. It makes me sad seeing her so fluffed up and in pain all the time.

I wouldn’t have to split the dosage up? It would still be 0.2 every 12 hours?

 

[Piggies&buns]

The vet won’t be in today so I would have to wait until tomorrow. It makes me sad seeing her so fluffed up and in pain all the time.

I wouldn’t have to split the dosage up? It would still be 0.2 every 12 hours?

It depends on what the vet prescribes, dosages are done by weight and clinical need. I’m afraid we can’t say the amount that should be given.

 

[Puddles1999]

It depends on what the vet prescribes, dosages are done by weight and clinical need. I’m afraid we can’t say the amount that should be given.

I called our regular vet that is an hour and 50 minutes from us. I can drop her off tomorrow morning to get her seen. I want them to check her mouth and see what’s going on.

My only thing is she has an appetite but can’t really eat hay. It’s like she can’t chew it. She’s on critical care but I’m not sure if she’d want it on the car ride there. I also have to drop her and her cage mate off tomorrow and the vet will see her between appointments. I’m worried about her not eating much while she’s there.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I called our regular vet that is an hour and 50 minutes from us. I can drop her off tomorrow morning to get her seen. I want them to check her mouth and see what’s going on.

My only thing is she has an appetite but can’t really eat hay. It’s like she can’t chew it. She’s on critical care but I’m not sure if she’d want it on the car ride there. I also have to drop her and her cage mate off tomorrow and the vet will see her between appointments. I’m worried about her not eating much while she’s there.

Give her a feed before you leave, leave some in the travel carrier, and then see if you can feed when you get there.
Speak to them and see if the vet nurse will make sure to feed her
I hope she is ok

 

[Puddles1999]

Give her a feed before you leave, leave some in the travel carrier, and then see if you can feed when you get there.
Speak to them and see if the vet nurse will make sure to feed her
I hope she is ok

Right now she takes the critical care willingly. Hopefully she will continue to do so when we get there tomorrow.
Thank you, me too. I will keep everyone updated

 

[Claire W]

I’m sorry that Penelope is having trouble I am wishing her lots of luck at the vets today and I hope they can get to the route of the problem. Please keep us updated x

 

[Puddles1999]

I’m sorry that Penelope is having trouble I am wishing her lots of luck at the vets today and I hope they can get to the route of the problem. Please keep us updated x

Thank you

Update: we are on our way home from the vets now. She had a drop off appointment today.

She is on a little bit of a higher dose of meloxicam and I’ve split it up twice a day.

She is also on baytril for a week to prevent an abscess from happening. She’s super swollen and her mouth was bleeding. The vet said she had quite a few sores on her gums. Her gums were pretty beat up. Not sure if the tool they used was too big or what happened.

She said her teeth look okay now. It’s basically a point of just managing the pain for her and the swelling. I want to call the vet to let them know what they have done wrong. They can’t improve if they don’t know but hopefully they actually learn from their mistakes. We will not be returning back to them.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear her dental wasn’t done properly.
Fingers crossed she can now recover well.
I hope she is ok. Keep us updated

 

[Puddles1999]

I’m sorry to hear her dental wasn’t done properly.
Fingers crossed she can now recover well.
I hope she is ok. Keep us updated

I most definitely will. Very thankful for this group Makes me sad knowing she’s in so much pain. Fingers crossed she’ll perk up a lot and start eating hay on her own in a week.

 

[Claire W]

Very sorry that her dental was done so badly I hope she recovers well now x

 

[Puddles1999]

Very sorry that her dental was done so badly I hope she recovers well now x

Thank you, me too

Ever since she’s been back from the vet, she’s no longer wanting as much critical care as she was previously wanting. She is drinking out of her water bottles. She goes to her hay a lot and tries her hardest on some pieces to eat and others she’ll be able to get down somewhat okay.

As soon as I’m fighting this little tiny Guinea to feed her and I put her back in her cage, she’s instantly to the hay to try and eat. It’s like she’s saying “yeah no thanks, put me back so I can go eat hay.” So I know she still has an appetite but seems like she wants hay more than cc at the moment

 

[Puddles1999]

Update: she has decided she no longer wants to take critical care willingly. I can barely get anything down her at the moment. I can’t grab the sides of her mouth when trying to force feed as she’s so swollen and it’s painful right through there. I am so stressed

She willingly drinks out of her water bottles and will go over to hay and pick through it. I just don’t know what to do about critical care. I am so overwhelmed. I just want her to be better

 

[Puddles1999]

How much critical care should I be aiming to get in her at one sitting? I managed about 5 ml. Like i said, she’s still drinking by herself and eating veggies. She’s interested in everything else but can’t really eat hay and doesn’t want critical care

 

[Piggies&buns]

You need to get as much into her as she will take. The less she takes at each sitting, the more sittings are needed.

It’s all going to come down to what her daily weight checks tell you

I hope she is ok

 

[Puddles1999]

You need to get as much into her as she will take. The less she takes at each sitting, the more sittings are needed.

It’s all going to come down to what her daily weight checks tell you

I hope she is ok

I think I’ve gotten a technique down. I have managed to get 10ml in her in this sitting. If I do 10 every 2 hours, she’ll get 120 ml in 24 hours. Would it be okay to do it every 3 at night? And then go back to every 2 during the day?

 

[Piggies&buns]

I think I’ve gotten a technique down. I have managed to get 10ml in her in this sitting. If I do 10 every 2 hours, she’ll get 120 ml in 24 hours. Would it be okay to do it every 3 at night? And then go back to every 2 during the day?

It comes down to total amount in 24 hours and that amount depends on what her weight checks are telling you. A healthy piggy would eat the equivalent of around 100ml - giving her 120ml might be too much for her, only her weight checks can tell you.

You also need to look after yourself, and one feed during the night is often enough if they’re getting enough in the day.

The guide below explains.

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

 

[Puddles1999]

It comes down to total amount in 24 hours and that amount depends on what her weight checks are telling you. A healthy piggy would eat the equivalent of around 100ml - giving her 120ml might be too much for her, only her weight checks can tell you.

You also need to look after yourself, and one feed during the night is often enough if they’re getting enough in the day.

The guide below explains.

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

Thank you. That helped me a lot! I feel like I can’t do math or think straight right now lol, it is super early morning hours over here.

I do think 120ml would be too much. She is quite a petite Guinea anyhow. She’s always been on the smaller side. So i don’t know where she’d fall. Since she doesn’t have complete loss of appetite, I figured she’d be more in the dental piggy/picky eater category. Since she’s drinking from her water and occasionally picking through hay. It says to aim for 60-90ml. I’m thinking it would be best to aim for 15ml every 4 hours? I don’t want to feed her too much or too little. I want her to gain back some of the weight she has lost :/

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you. That helped me a lot! I feel like I can’t do math or think straight right now lol, it is super early morning hours over here.

I do think 120ml would be too much. She is quite a petite Guinea anyhow. She’s always been on the smaller side. So i don’t know where she’d fall. Since she doesn’t have complete loss of appetite, I figured she’d be more in the dental piggy/picky eater category. Since she’s drinking from her water and occasionally picking through hay. It says to aim for 60-90ml. I’m thinking it would be best to aim for 15ml every 4 hours? I don’t want to feed her too much or too little. I want her to gain back some of the weight she has lost :/

At this stage, gaining weight is not a priority - right now you are looking to stabilise her and stop any further weight loss. Regaining weight lost due to illness takes many weeks to months and won’t start to happen until she is back eating hay normally for herself.

You are replacing lost hay intake with syringe feeding so I would not aim for anything specific - feed as much as she will take in each sitting and use that a partial guide - eg if she only takes 5ml next time then she won’t be able to go four hours until her next feed. As I said, how often you feed and how much is going to depend on what her weight checks each morning tell you. If she stays the same tomorrow then you know she had enough today.

 

[Claire W]

I’m so sorry. It’s heartbreaking watching them so desperate to eat but can’t I can’t add to the advise already given I’m afraid x

 

[poopie]

One thing I found that helped piggies to eat more hay is to chop it up into 1- 2 inch pieces and put into a bowl. Just doing this helped my two to gain weight and easier to see how much she is eating and no hay poke issues. Hope this helps your wee girl.

 

[Puddles1999]

At this stage, gaining weight is not a priority - right now you are looking to stabilise her and stop any further weight loss. Regaining weight lost due to illness takes many weeks to months and won’t start to happen until she is back eating hay normally for herself.

You are replacing lost hay intake with syringe feeding so I would not aim for anything specific - feed as much as she will take in each sitting and use that a partial guide - eg if she only takes 5ml next time then she won’t be able to go four hours until her next feed. As I said, how often you feed and how much is going to depend on what her weight checks each morning tell you. If she stays the same tomorrow then you know she had enough today.

Okay, thank you!

How do you know when they’re kind of finished when you’re feeding them?
Does it have to be at the same time every morning or just whenever I go in there to feed her first feeding in the morning? It’s weird cause I go in there every few hours to feed her again and it doesn’t always land on the same time every morning.

 

[Puddles1999]

One thing I found that helped piggies to eat more hay is to chop it up into 1- 2 inch pieces and put into a bowl. Just doing this helped my two to gain weight and easier to see how much she is eating and no hay poke issues. Hope this helps your wee girl.

I will have to try this. Thank you for the idea