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Poorly pig, wet chin, lost weight, not himself

kyliebowers

kyliebowers

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hey guys,

I’ve just taken my little guy to the vets, the vet I saw didn’t seem to know much about guinea pigs so I’d just like a bit of advice please.

He’s not been himself for a couple of days, today he is sat with his eyes closed, with a wet chin. He’s also loosing weight.

He’s still eating and drinking.

The vet suggested either an anti inflammatory to see if he has a sore throat OR put him under tomorrow and have a good look in his mouth to check his teeth (his front teeth are fine).

I’m a little concerened about having him anesthetised on a whim - he feels so thin and fragile. Should I go to another vet? There aren’t any exotic vets near me but maybe another vet would be more experienced?

Any thoughts, experience or advice would be greatly appreciated!

(Also, little note - he has been chewing the wood of the cage since I moved some pigs next to him a few weeks ago... could this be something?)
 
I would definitely have his back teeth checked for a possible dental problem. If you’re not confident with your vet, you could see another one. When my Enoch was put under to check his back teeth, my vet just gave him a whiff of gas and not a full GA

Where about are you located? Are you in the UK? If so, the best dental vet in the Country is Simon Maddock at the cat and rabbit clinic in Northampton. He does conscious dentals. I am tagging in our dental expert @furryfriends (TEAS)
 
Unfortunately Simon and Kim are on holiday from 6/4 until 23/4.
have you been weighing him at all while he’s been off colour? You say he has been loosing weight. You need to step in and syringe feed him mushed up pellets. Please look on the Guinea Pig guide on the green bar and follow the syringe feeding guide and weigh him daily, keeping a note of his weight.
There is also a recommended vet locator, have a look and find one near you
 
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Wet chins indicate tooth problems sometimes. Is he eating hay still? Get syringe feeding asap
 
kyliebowers said:
Hey guys,

I’ve just taken my little guy to the vets, the vet I saw didn’t seem to know much about guinea pigs so I’d just like a bit of advice please.

He’s not been himself for a couple of days, today he is sat with his eyes closed, with a wet chin. He’s also loosing weight.

He’s still eating and drinking.

The vet suggested either an anti inflammatory to see if he has a sore throat OR put him under tomorrow and have a good look in his mouth to check his teeth (his front teeth are fine).

I’m a little concerened about having him anesthetised on a whim - he feels so thin and fragile. Should I go to another vet? There aren’t any exotic vets near me but maybe another vet would be more experienced?

Any thoughts, experience or advice would be greatly appreciated!

(Also, little note - he has been chewing the wood of the cage since I moved some pigs next to him a few weeks ago... could this be something?)
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Hi!

Please make sure that any vet is checking the crucial back teeth (especially the premolars) for spurs and the mouth for possible thrush. They are the two main issues that would think of. A sedation (but hopefully not a full GA) may be necessary to investigate the mouth, especially when your vet is not experienced in guinea pig dentals, which sadly not many vets are.
The best guinea pig dentals UK vet is in Northampton and worth a trip if you can get there; he sees guinea pigs from all over the country from as far as Edinburgh and the West Country. The Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic

I am linking in @furryfriends (TEAS) for you. She is our member most experienced with dental/mouth problems.

You can help us a lot by adding your country or UK county as our recommendations very much depend on where you are and what access to vets you have.
 
Thank you all so much for your responses. I live in Yorkshire. The nearest reccomended vet is in Leeds (30 miles from me).

Yes, he is eating hay and veg. I haven’t seen him eat pellets today so I’m about to syringe feed now. I’m thinking there’s some kind of infection as the saliva has a slightly unpleasant odour.

I will take him tomorrow morning for his teeth to be looked at. If I’m unsure tomorrow after the examination, I’ll make arrangements to get to Leeds.

He has lost 50 grams in 2 weeks. I will weigh him every day until he’s recovered. Poor love.

Many thanks.
 
kyliebowers said:
Thank you all so much for your responses. I live in Yorkshire. The nearest reccomended vet is in Leeds (30 miles from me).

Yes, he is eating hay and veg. I haven’t seen him eat pellets today so I’m about to syringe feed now. I’m thinking there’s some kind of infection as the saliva has a slightly unpleasant odour.

I will take him tomorrow morning for his teeth to be looked at. If I’m unsure tomorrow after the examination, I’ll make arrangements to get to Leeds.

He has lost 50 grams in 2 weeks. I will weigh him every day until he’s recovered. Poor love.

Many thanks.
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It sounds like he could have oral thrush. How would you describe the smell? However,they can be smelly because of the drooling and being wet all the time.
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
It sounds like he could have oral thrush. How would you describe the smell? However,they can be smelly because of the drooling and being wet all the time.
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It’s hard to describe, I just had another smell and all I can smell is hay now. Earlier I would’ve said maybe slightly fishy? Hard to say though.
 
My piggy Cookie is currently sick because of a massive lump of abscess in her chin/neck. But at the start of her problems, her mouth smelled fishy as well. Have her teeth, mouth, jaw checked out by the vet. The abscess from Cookie came from her right jaw that drained/leaked to the neck after a few days, hence the massive lump.
 
Thank you, @anyar.dris thats very helpful!

@furryfriends (TEAS) thank you. I will mention it to the vet. No, he’s not happy with the syringe feeding at all! He’s eating a lot of hay though and is currently eating a carrot. I will keep at it with the syringe feeding.

It seems like it might be painful for him to eat. He closes his eyes whilst chewing :( I’m just happy he’s still eating at all.

I really appreciate the advice everyone, thank you.
 
Nassala said:
Second the fishy smell/abscess thing, Nibbles had one and it was a bit fishy.
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Thanks for the input! I’m kind of hoping it is an abscess (and nothing more serious), I’ve dealt with a few on other pigs, but never in the mouth.
 
He is very lucky he is still eating. Keep a close eye incase he stops though. I really wish all the best for your boy 👍👍. Just a quickie. Did you used to live in rushden?
 
SkyPipDotBernie said:
He is very lucky he is still eating. Keep a close eye incase he stops though. I really wish all the best for your boy 👍👍. Just a quickie. Did you used to live in rushden?
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Thank you. I will watch him like a hawk! Haha, no, I’m not even sure where Rushden is!
 
kyliebowers said:
Thank you all so much for your responses. I live in Yorkshire. The nearest reccomended vet is in Leeds (30 miles from me).

Yes, he is eating hay and veg. I haven’t seen him eat pellets today so I’m about to syringe feed now. I’m thinking there’s some kind of infection as the saliva has a slightly unpleasant odour.

I will take him tomorrow morning for his teeth to be looked at. If I’m unsure tomorrow after the examination, I’ll make arrangements to get to Leeds.

He has lost 50 grams in 2 weeks. I will weigh him every day until he’s recovered. Poor love.

Many thanks.
Click to expand...

All the best!
It is difficult to say where exactly the problem is, but can I say that 50g weight loss is just on the limit of where we start talking about it. The difference between a full or empty tummy and bladder makes 30-40g over the course of a day. Please take a deep breath. While something may not be right, your boy can obviously still eat pretty normally and doesn't need any top up feed yet as things stand. ;)
 
From what i hear about the fish smell, and knowing my sow has a uterine tumour waiting to be operated on soon. Its making sense now why Dot sometimes smells fishy from.the back end. 💡
 
Hello all,

Thought I’d post an update on my little man.

He went in on Friday, they put him under and did an oral exam and an X-ray - both showed nothing wrong at all...

They gave him an anti inflammatory injection and sent him home with antibiotics.

Since then he’s doing great! He’s looking much better and has put on 100g!

He’s a little mystery but I’m so glad he’s doing better. Thanks again for all your help!
 
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