Possible Diabetes/kidney Failure & Overgrown Molars.

[Beans&Toast]

Just when I thought Toast was on the mend (Terrified Toast Has An Uri)

It seems some new problems have appeared.

Firstly, her teeth.
For a couple weeks now I've noticed Toast seems to drop quite a lot of her pellets and when she's chewing she looks like she's having a bit of difficulty.
My vet thinks her back molars could be overgrown so she's booked in to have them checked under sedation on Friday and if they are they'll be trimmed under GA. (I asked if this was possible without but she said it needs to be done under GA.)
She's also going to take a blood sample from Toast while she's under.

Secondly, she is drinking an awful lot more than normal, around 200mls in the last 24 hours.
So I've to drop off a urine sample as soon as to check what's going on there.
Toast is on long term Loxicom for pain relief for arthritis and the vet thinks this could possibly be causing kidney issues.


I'm absolutely terrified for Toast.
As she is a rescue I have no idea how old she is. We think roughly 3-4 but that's a guess really.
I know sedation and GA can be risky for piggies, especially the older they get and I'm so worried for her my stomachs in knots.

In the past couple months she's had a bladder infection, URI, bloat, diagnosis of arthritis and now this.
I've only had her around 10 months and it's been one thing after another recently, I just feel so sad for her.

Is there anything I can do to help her for when she goes in on Friday? She's such a nervous piggy I know she'll be so scared

 

[Claire W]

I am so sorry that you are having so much bad luck In the 7.5 years I have owned guinea pigs, I have had two horrendous times where I ended up with more than one guinea pig with serious health problems in a short space of time so I know what you are going through.

All I can suggest when you take Toast on Friday is to take Beans along with her as a paw holder and to keep her company. Most vets will allow this although I suggest you double check with your vet first.

(((hugs))) xx

 

[Beans&Toast]

How would that work if I took Beans too, would she just be kept in the cage whilst Toast was being seen to?

Thanks. I just feel sick with worry

 

[Claire W]

Yes, they would keep the two of them together and leaves Beans in the cage whilst they assisted Toast.

I currently have one piggy with IC and one with Diabetes which is thankfully being controlled through diet.

They're such a worry

 

[Wiebke]

Just when I thought Toast was on the mend (Terrified Toast Has An Uri)

It seems some new problems have appeared.

Firstly, her teeth.
For a couple weeks now I've noticed Toast seems to drop quite a lot of her pellets and when she's chewing she looks like she's having a bit of difficulty.
My vet thinks her back molars could be overgrown so she's booked in to have them checked under sedation on Friday and if they are they'll be trimmed under GA. (I asked if this was possible without but she said it needs to be done under GA.)
She's also going to take a blood sample from Toast while she's under.

Secondly, she is drinking an awful lot more than normal, around 200mls in the last 24 hours.
So I've to drop off a urine sample as soon as to check what's going on there.
Toast is on long term Loxicom for pain relief for arthritis and the vet thinks this could possibly be causing kidney issues.


I'm absolutely terrified for Toast.
As she is a rescue I have no idea how old she is. We think roughly 3-4 but that's a guess really.
I know sedation and GA can be risky for piggies, especially the older they get and I'm so worried for her my stomachs in knots.

In the past couple months she's had a bladder infection, URI, bloat, diagnosis of arthritis and now this.
I've only had her around 10 months and it's been one thing after another recently, I just feel so sad for her.

Is there anything I can do to help her for when she goes in on Friday? She's such a nervous piggy I know she'll be so scared

I am very sorry that Toast has got more problems. Please try to stay strong for her.

You need to be aware that dental guinea pigs will have a sore mouth after treatment. They usually won't eat straight away and may need another round of filing a few weeks after.
You can find tips on how to care for a dental piggy in our syringe feeding guide:
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Tips For Post-operative Care

If your piggy is not able to eat as much veg and other solids, then she is likely to drink more as she is not getting as much fluid via her food. The amount in itself is not in the red flag area. That would be above 300ml when we recommend a vet check, especially if there have been changes that can't be explained by recent climate/temperature or eating changes.

Please weigh Toast daily before her dinner and if necessary, top her up with syringe feed. Ask your vet for painkillers and gut stimulant in the wake of the procedure.

3-4 years is middle age as far as guinea pigs are concerned.

 

[Beans&Toast]

Yes, they would keep the two of them together and leaves Beans in the cage whilst they assisted Toast.

I currently have one piggy with IC and one with Diabetes which is thankfully being controlled through diet.

They're such a worry

The only thing that concerns me with that is although they get on very well and even have piggy licks, if they're in a small space they tend to annoy each other. So I don't know if it would be better or worse to take Beans. I always take the two when I go to the vets and they're in the same carrier but that's just for 30 mins max.
I'm not sure if they would get annoyed with each other being in a small space for a few hours

Your piggy with diabetes, do they live a "normal" life? What kind of changes did you have to make?

 

[Beans&Toast]

I am very sorry that Toast has got more problems. Please try to stay strong for her.

You need to be aware that dental guinea pigs will have a sore mouth after treatment. They usually won't eat straight away and may need another round of filing a few weeks after.
You can find tips on how to care for a dental piggy in our syringe feeding guide:
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Tips For Post-operative Care

If your piggy is not able to eat as much veg and other solids, then she is likely to drink more as she is not getting as much fluid via her food. The amount in itself is not in the red flag area. That would be above 300ml when we recommend a vet check, especially if there have been changes that can't be explained by climate/temperature or eating changes.

Please weigh Toast daily before her dinner and if necessary, top her up with syringe feed. Ask your vet for painkillers and gut stimulant in the wake of the procedure.

3-4 years is middle age as far as guinea pigs are concerned.

Thank you I appreciate the help.
I'm just wondering how her teeth could have got like this.. They have piles of unlimited hay and lots of seagrass/cardboard things to chew on so I don't understand how this has happened?

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you I appreciate the help.
I'm just wondering how her teeth could have got like this.. They have piles of unlimited hay and lots of seagrass/cardboard things to chew on so I don't understand how this has happened?

There is the possibility that the bloat meant that Toast didn't eat much and chewed very little; this could have caused irregularities in the dental wear which have become stronger over time.
There is also the possibility that dental abscess is brewing, like with my Hywel. He started chewing to one side weeks before the abscess came up and could be treated. He is now living with three incisors.
They are just things that happen and are not due to lack of care or a good diet.

I would not worry about diabetes or kidney failure until you have seen your vet and know whether the increased drinking is indeed linked to a dental problem. Sometimes over-researching can be counterproductive as you come across a lot of things that may share some symptoms but do not apply, especially when you know that you are worrier.

PS: Diabetes is usually connected with weight fluctuations and is not as common as initially thought when naturally high glucose levels have been not been taken into account. Most cases of mild diabetes can be controlled with diet and will disappear after a few months.

 

[eileen]

maybe when Toast had bloat .it is painful ,it can lead to the guinea pig eating less.ive Jerry who is going through this,and last week when he went for filing of his teeth they were considerably worse due to the bloat.you have provided the best care,its not due to enough hay.I'm sorry you are going through a difficult experience.,cavies can be a worry.hope Toast gets better soon.,s to you.xx

 

[Beans&Toast]

maybe when Toast had bloat .it is painful ,it can lead to the guinea pig eating less.ive Jerry who is going through this,and last week when he went for filing of his teeth they were considerably worse due to the bloat.you have provided the best care,its not due to enough hay.I'm sorry you are going through a difficult experience.,cavies can be a worry.hope Toast gets better soon.,s to you.xx

Thank you. I know this might sound over the top but my pigs are like my children, I absolutely adore them.
When your piggy had his teethical filled was it under GA? And what age is he?

 

[Claire W]

The only thing that concerns me with that is although they get on very well and even have piggy licks, if they're in a small space they tend to annoy each other. So I don't know if it would be better or worse to take Beans. I always take the two when I go to the vets and they're in the same carrier but that's just for 30 mins max.
I'm not sure if they would get annoyed with each other being in a small space for a few hours

Your piggy with diabetes, do they live a "normal" life? What kind of changes did you have to make?

Ellen lives a perfectly normal life. The only symptom she showed was a sudden increase of water intake. She had her urine tested which showed a high level of glucose and she also had high levels of glucose in her blood. It's important to remember that high glucose levels in urine alone doesn't necessarily mean diabetes and diabetes in guinea pigs is rare.

I just had to cut out vegetables that were high in sugar / carbohydrate and she isn't allowed fruit at all.

My piggies main diet consists of limited pellets, unlimited hay, cucumber, celery, bell pepper (apart from red as it has a higher sugar content), herbs and a little bit of lettuce.

After a few weeks on the new diet, Ellen no longer had glucose in her urine and her over drinking stopped. She was diagnosed last September at 6 months old and we have had no problems since x

 

[Beans&Toast]

Ellen lives a perfectly normal life. The only symptom she showed was a sudden increase of water intake. She had her urine tested which showed a high level of glucose and she also had high levels of glucose in her blood. It's important to remember that high glucose levels in urine alone doesn't necessarily mean diabetes and diabetes in guinea pigs is rare.

I just had to cut out vegetables that were high in sugar / carbohydrate and she isn't allowed fruit at all.

My piggies main diet consists of limited pellets, unlimited hay, cucumber, celery, bell pepper (apart from red as it has a higher sugar content), herbs and a little bit of lettuce.

After a few weeks on the new diet, Ellen no longer had glucose in her urine and her over drinking stopped. She was diagnosed last September at 6 months old and we have had no problems since x

Does the glocose have to be high in urine and blood for it to be considered diabetes?
Thanks

 

[Claire W]

Does the glocose have to be high in urine and blood for it to be considered diabetes?
Thanks

Yes, it's high blood sugar levels you are looking for. A diagnosis of diabetes shouldn't be made from high glucose levels in the urine alone

 

[Beans&Toast]

Thanks that's really helpful

 

[Beans&Toast]

Is it common for vets to examine/file the teeth under GA? I was reading about Simon Maddock and he says it can be done without GA as it's less risky and less expensive..
I asked my vet about doing it without and she said it would need to be done at least under sedation then GA if needed.
I'm really worried about putting Toast under anaesthetic..
(My vet is one who is recommended on this forum)

 

[Adelle]

Sorry to hear about Toasts further problems :-( I would too second the growth of spurs due to the lack of eating from bloat. Increased drinking (which doesnt sound like your piggy is in the excessive area which is good), can be down to a whole host of problems. Yes kidney failure is one but if you had gotten to that stage, toast would be more "ill" by now and would have more symptoms that are kidney related. Stay positive- it could be a whole host of minor things, as well as nothing. I also have a very anxious wait for results regarding fudges kidneys, sadly hers is quite complicated due to her heart failure.
My girls are my babies too- when they are ill, we make ourselves ill with worry. I always have a saying stuck in my head, "to us, they are part of our life. To them, we are their whole world." keeps me going strong and remember that i will always fight her corner and give her whatever she needs in her final days- i owe it to her.

 

[VickiA]

Try not to fear the worst. The Internet and forums are wonderful for giving us knowledge but as they say a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. The difficulty is that there is so much information available that it can be possible to end up over researching and fearing the worst. There's a saying that worrying about tomorrow robs today of its strength. Just take each day as it comes. You have good vets who you trust. Let them work out what's going on and advise you of the best course of treatment. Toast needs you to stay strong for her. Hugs to you xx

 

[Beans&Toast]

Try not to fear the worst. The Internet and forums are wonderful for giving us knowledge but as they say a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. The difficulty is that there is so much information available that it can be possible to end up over researching and fearing the worst. There's a saying that worrying about tomorrow robs today of its strength. Just take each day as it comes. You have good vets who you trust. Let them work out what's going on and advise you of the best course of treatment. Toast needs you to stay strong for her. Hugs to you xx

Thank you, I know you're right.
It's just so nerve wracking to think about.
I really don't know how Toast would cope going under anaesthetic. It's just frustrating knowing there is a vet who can do this without GA and I can't get that for Toast.

 

[Beans&Toast]

Sorry to hear about Toasts further problems :-( I would too second the growth of spurs due to the lack of eating from bloat. Increased drinking (which doesnt sound like your piggy is in the excessive area which is good), can be down to a whole host of problems. Yes kidney failure is one but if you had gotten to that stage, toast would be more "ill" by now and would have more symptoms that are kidney related. Stay positive- it could be a whole host of minor things, as well as nothing. I also have a very anxious wait for results regarding fudges kidneys, sadly hers is quite complicated due to her heart failure.
My girls are my babies too- when they are ill, we make ourselves ill with worry. I always have a saying stuck in my head, "to us, they are part of our life. To them, we are their whole world." keeps me going strong and remember that i will always fight her corner and give her whatever she needs in her final days- i owe it to her.

I am trying to stay positive for Toast. In some ways you'd think she was perfectly happy and healthy, she zooms about my room and does little jumps, trying to popcorn. She's always pestering Beans to play, Beans likes her naps, Toast likes to cause chaos
But she does have arthritis and she's almost certainly going to need her teeth filed under GA. I'm just so devastated for her. She's such a happy inquisitive piggy I'm really hoping this works out.

Your Fudge sounds like a little fighter and she definitely looks like she's not ready to give up yet