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Poor Louis

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wales1000

wales1000

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I really dont know what to do, Louis who is the ginger gp on my picture has not eaten since I got home from the hospital - I have been to the vets and his back teeth are slightly overgrown but also vets think he has kidney problems, cos he was not happy being touched - Cos Louis is 3 years old, well a bit older than that the options were to either put Louis to sleep cos he was not happy to operate on his teeth, cos he doesn't know how ill he is, or to try him on antibotics with recovery food to see if he improves - I have been giving him antibotics and recovery food and he hasn't really improved in himself, though he goes to eat food, but then stops, like he is struggling - my question is, cos I really dont want to have him PTS do I say to the vets look pls operate on him and cut his teeth back instead of putting him to sleep, cos if they operate on him and he doesn't make it then they would PHTS anyway - I really dont know what to do.
 
it sounds like his teeth and if he isnt eatting well his tummy will be hrting him hense him not liking his tummy been touched could you find a guinea specialist that will look in his mouth with out a GA?i know one that does this free of charge but he lives in stratfordxx
 
Sorry to hear that Louis isnt well. If he was my guinea pig I would see if the vet would do the op as i thought that most dental work was done without a GA? Also is the vets you got to a cavy vet?

I'm sure that someone will be able to give you some good advice. :)
 
Joey&Gizmo said:
Sorry to hear that Louis isnt well. If he was my guinea pig I would see if the vet would do the op as i thought that most dental work was done without a GA? Also is the vets you got to a cavy vet?

I'm sure that someone will be able to give you some good advice. :)
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most vets will only do it under GA it takes a good/experianced guinea pig vet that will do it with out a GA and they are hard to find:...xx
 
Joey&Gizmo said:
I may know of two in the area that wales1000 is from.

:)
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your really lucky as ive not found any vet in my area that is happy to do it with out a GAgrrrr and charged me 70 pounds a timegrrrr
i would defo go to a good guinea vet then who will look at his teeth and do any dental work with out GA then as this may be his problem xx
 
I'm no expert but I think you should get a second opinion ASAP.

Personally I would find somebody suitably qualified to have another look and, if necessary, carry out the dental work without general anaesthetic. You can also contact the CCT to see if they can help (they routinely carry out conscious dental work). I know it's a really long way but people do travel from far & wide to get help from Vedra. If you can't travel to Cambridge then she may be able to point you in the direction of somebody nearer to you who could help (especially useful if it requires regular treatment).

Perhaps you could contact any guinea pig rescues in your area and ask if they know of someone local who is suitably qualified to help?

As I understand it, if the teeth are a problem then that can definitely cause pain and a sore mouth, due to rubbing. He's bound to find eating difficult if he has a sore mouth and pain can also affect the appetite anyway. It sounds like perhaps he wants to eat but can't, rather than simply losing his appetite...do you think? I believe that some people use Daktarin oral gel to soothe affected areas, in cases like this, but I'm sure someone else can advise for definite.

With regard to the suspected kidney problems, has the Vet actually properly diagnosed this yet? I could be way off but even something like mites can cause guinea pigs to become very irritable when being touched around their lower back/back end. It may well be that he does have something serious going on but if you're not confident that your Vet is doing his best for Louis then I'd honestly look for a new one.

Btw which antibiotics is he on, what's the dosage and how long is the course? Has he been given any other medication at all, like an anti-inflammatory or painkiller? As I said, I'm no expert but I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will be along in the morning, if not before.

Good luck. I really hope you get the help you both deserve x
 
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Oh no, this isn't what you want when you've a new baby to look after as well!

First thing that I feel is that those teeth need sorting, that is the most important thing right now along with the syringe-feeding. You won't get him eating again until his molars have been trimmed to the correct length.

The cause of the dental overgrowth, not always easy to find and it can be hard when there are multiple medical problems to find whether the pig stopped eating because of another medical issue, or if he stopped eating which led to other medical issues. At the moment the important thing is to get the dental overgrowth dealt with and try to get him eating again, and you can consider if there are any other symptoms which could be prolonging the problem beyond that.

I do think Daktarin Oral Gel is worth giving for at least a few days after dental work, oral fungal issues are common at this time of year (just got one of my poor chaps over it) and oral fungal issues can be present without there being any white spots in the mouth to indicate such a condition. It is something worth considering. I have had success with this regime in the past.

I'm "surprised" by the vet's suggestion of kidney trouble if sensitivity in the abdomen is the only symptom aside from his dental issues. For a diagnosis like kidney problems to be definite I'd expect a urine test at the very least (protein levels can indicate kidney function), and I would expect further symptoms like more urine output, drinking more water and weight loss.
 
Louis is booked in Wednesday for his teeth trimming - I rung the vets and said to the reception what the vet said and I basically said I dont want to have Louis put down - I want him to have this op to sort his teeth out, so he is booked in. I have been giving him this recovery food still and tonight for the first time he actually took the sringe himself without me trying to get food down him and it made me cry cos I know he's hungry, he just can't eat - fingers crossed he makes it through this operation xx
 
I just rung the vets and he made through the operation - they cut quite a bit off the back teeth - I am so happy as I really thought he wouldn't make it through the opeation. I was crying all weekend cos I thought I was going to lose him - he's the longest gp I have had see and he's my favourte - I am picking him up later when OH gets home, but I am just happy that he made it through the other end and can't wait to get him home! What shall I try and feed him to get him feeding as soon as I can? I dont have any CC stuff only Science recovery which you mix with water.

Thank you Louis for making it through and lets hope you start eating well now soon xoxo
 
Hi Wales1000 my boy stopped eating for entirely different reasons but what we did was mix his normal pellets with boiling water and rolled oats (plain porridge oats) mushed it all up, let it cool down and syringed him that.

The science selective if its the same one we had is a nightmare to syringe it clogs really fast, you can however sprinkle it on the food.

If he will eat veggies I suggest you wash them to make them nice and wet and then sprinkle the science selective on, it will stick to the veggies and he can have it that way.

The only other thing I can suggest is getting him a probiotic as well as his tummy is probably out of balance from not eating, your vet should have fibreplex which you can syringe him, it comes in a big syringe and is a paste.

Hope your little boy is back to normal soon

Sending him and you loads of love and hugs
 
I am glad that he pulled through the operation, just hope now that you can get him eating again asap. My thoughts are with you, sending good vibes to louis.x>>
 
Burgess pellets have got a probiotic in them, they are very easy to soften[little warm water] and are very easy to suck up.

You need to get him eating as soon as poss because the teeth grow very quickly, and because you have not got the oppurtunity to get them trimmed without a GA it will be very difficult to get them done on a regular basis.

Did they cut the front teeth ,I hope not as this can also lead to difficulty's with eating. Good luck.
 
Great to hear he made it through the op, syringe-feeding will be useful and a few days of Daktarin Oral Gel may soothe any sore spots in the mouth. Calgel is more useful with regards to soreness in the mouth but it's most effective when applied directly to the tongue/cheeks at the back of the mouth.

Science Recovery is fine for syringe-feeding, at the moment I'm sticking with Burgess Blackcurrent & Oregano for the two poorly pigs I have in at the moment, must admit to liking how easy it is to prepare and syringe! (And the pigs love it too, which is useful.)
 
Laura-CCC4 said:
Great to hear he made it through the op, syringe-feeding will be useful and a few days of Daktarin Oral Gel may soothe any sore spots in the mouth. Calgel is more useful with regards to soreness in the mouth but it's most effective when applied directly to the tongue/cheeks at the back of the mouth.

Science Recovery is fine for syringe-feeding, at the moment I'm sticking with Burgess Blackcurrent & Oregano for the two poorly pigs I have in at the moment, must admit to liking how easy it is to prepare and syringe! (And the pigs love it too, which is useful.)
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Not heard of this Burgess blackcurrant and oregano, where have you had that from?
 
Unfortunately he's not looking too good at the moment - he's still very wobbling on his feet and he looks awful, but that was a chance I took I suppose - they said his back teeth had over grown quite a bit and the back of his mouth is very sore - I have put him in a seperate cage which is in the living room until we go to bed, so I can keep an eye on him and as the dogs are not allowed in the living room at the moment cos Lewis is in there, he wont be bothered by dogs - he has actually had a go at eating a bit of veg - I have put a snuggle pad in a cover in there cos the vet said to keep him warm and he's just lying against it - I think tonight will be the tester to see if he recovers well. The vet said if he doesn't make it through then there's not a lot more you can do - fingers crossed he will but he's just looks really ill at the moment xx
 
Have you tried giving him a painkiller, childrens liquid nurofen 0.4ml might help if the pain is stopping him eat.
 
hello, he's still not good - i went out today first time in 3 weeks with Lewis and he hasn't touched not one bit of food - i am still giving him recovery food, but i think he might be just shutting down on me, i just dont know what else to do - i feel gutted :-(
 
I'm sorry it's not better news Natasha. All I can advise is to keep up with the syringe food and fluids if he's willing to keep swallowing them, and just keep him warm and comfortable. If you think he may be in pain, 0.2ml children's Nurofen or Calpol given twice daily is something to consider. (Analgesics often require a longer lasting effect, which is best achieved if given in split doses versus giving one larger dose and not being able to dose again once it has worn off by the end of the day. Two smaller doses reduces the chance of a "relapse" as it were, the pig need not be without pain relief.)
 
I will keep giving him recovery food and see how we go, but it doesn't look good - he's one eye has gone really watery and is closing slightly - I guess putting him through an operation was too much, but when we brought him home from the operation and he started eating and he also ate a whole piece of cucumber, I thought there was hope, but now nothing. Do you think there is any hope of him recovering now, or do you think it's too late? The vets is shut over the weekend, but if come Monday there is no change, I'll have to have him PTS as it's not fair on him. My poor Louis x
 
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