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Dental Off His Food

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Robbin

Robbin

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My pig had an infected molar removed by the vet a week ago. I have been syringe feeding him moistened pellets and water ever since, per vet advice. At present he doesn't seem interested in anything but the syringe feeding. He is on an antibiotic for the infection and also another medication to keep his intestines mobile. Is there any way to get him interested in regular food? He's even turning down his old favorites like banana. He has lost a lot of weight. He has been to the vet twice since the removal and is scheduled to go again tomorrow. Has anyone had a pig go from syringed foods back to regular? If so, what did you do? Thanks for your help.
 
I am tagging our dental experts for you: @furryfriends (TEAS) @MintyAndGarry (TEAS)

Could you please state what antibiotic and dosage he is on and which amount you are syringe feeding him in day. How many days is it exactly since his operation and have his teeth been checked again by the vet since? has the weight loss happened before or after the dental treatment?

PS: Here is our syringe feeding guide, which has got a chapter on dental guinea pigs.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
hi Robin, that is a painful bit of dental work he has had, it may take a while for him to get used to the new tooth profile
in the meae ntime it is very easy for the little critter to become reliant on syring feed,
the only thing l could serjest is to stop one feed and waite for him to get hungery, then try normal food .
But dont rush it, there will be a lot of changes going on in his mouth . and it may take a wile, lf he were my pig l
wouldent be making as few changes as possible, untill he is fully heald
 
Which antibiotic is he on? Do you have a follow up appointment? Is there any swelling on the jaw? What exactly was the infection under the tooth? Generally piggies start to eat very quickly after dental surgery, but I suspect there is still something going on.
 
He is on 5 cc Baytril 20mg. I give 0.25 ml orally twice a day. He's also on 15 cc Reglan 1 mg. I give 0.5 ml orally three times a day. I am syringe feeding 10 ml moistened pellets every 1 1/2 hrs. Yesterday he had 90 ml total. I give 2 ml of water with the feeding. I gave 2 ml of mashed banana thinking it would help him feel hungry. He will mouth his greens but not eat them. The vet has checked his mouth two times since the tooth was extracted on this past Monday (2 days after his original appointment). AT the first appointment last Saturday when I took him in for loss of appetite, she said his tongue was infected because the back molars were overgrown so she put him on the Baytril and Reglan til Monday. When he went back this past Monday for a tooth trim, the left molar broke due to infection she'd not seen, so it had to be extracted. He is to be vet checked again tomorrow.Weight loss was after the treatment. He has gone from 2 pounds 4 ounces last Saturday to 1 pound 15 ounces Thursday (yesterday). Right now he is strong enough to fight me on the feedings. His body temp is a bit low as he feels cool when I hold him. I need to know how I can boost his caloric intake until he can feed one his own. Had thought about the changes in his mouth going on since the tooth loss.The syringe feed alone is a big change for him. Thank you so much for your input.
 
At yesterday's appointment there was still a bit of swelling on the left side. I wasn't told exactly what the infection under the tooth was.
 
It sounds like a tooth root abscess. Baytril really isn't the best antibiotic for dealing with abscesses. Ideally an abscess needs to be lanced and drained and kept open and flushed until it heals from the inside out. The best antibiotic for dealing with abscesses is Zithromax (azithromycin)

Is he on any pain relief?
 
He's had one injection of .05cc Meloxicamin at each of the three appointments but nothing otherwise. She said this only lasts for 12 hours.
 
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