Post dental

[Josie_lg]

Hiya, our piggie honey had another dental today at the cat and rabbit clinic. All went well however we were told her gums went a bit of a funny colour during it but she corrected them on her own and nice and quickly. She has eaten okay since her dental but seems very quiet and sad and puffed up. Her tummy doesn’t feel bloated, but it does feel a bit firmer than it normally does. Especially because she’s such a tiny piggie it’s easy to feel that differance. Does anyone have any advice? In the past she has been quieter and it has taken her some time to re adjust after a dental but she’s never been quite so sad and I’ve never noticed a change with the tummy. Could the stress cause this? She has been fine up until this, we would have pushed the dental back as she has been doing so well but I was told that Simon and Kim go away for a while so it would have been a long stretch until she could have had it done again, so one of our local vets checked her teeth and did notice spurs, which is why we ended up booking her in.
Any advice is appreciated. Thank you

 

[Truffolo]

If you can get some Critical Care or Emeraid, it would be good to offer her a syringe feed to keep the gut peristalsis going. It would be good to weigh her first thing in the morning to make sure she is eating enough as if she reduces her fibre intake, that could cause gut stasis. It might be a good idea to let the vet listen to her gut sounds and possibly give you a gut stimulant if he thinks it could be needed. I hope little Honey gets better soon

 

[Truffolo]

You can also offer mushed pellets that she usually eats. A poop soup of very fresh poops from a healthy neighbour can help as well, added to pellets or syringed in.

 

[Josie_lg]

Hiya! Thank you for the advice. Yes she is eating her critical care well and is eating small amounts of veggies well. Her tummy is still squishy when I examine it but it looks and feels more rounded. I’m concerned that maybe she was more stressed this time round because she was so well in herself she had a lot more fight in her this time than she has the other times. Which is great! But I’m just concerned with her tummy.

 

[Josie_lg]

She is still eating and accepting critical care, she is pooping and passing urine but that tummy is just so rounded. She’s been started on cisapride and metoclop so I’m really hoping this will help her tummy. It is still squishable and I can hear gut sounds just from pressing my ear to her tummy. She’s tolerated some massage and has had a really good plod around the living room to encourage movement. I’ve just never experienced this after a dental and wondered if anyone else has? We hadn’t ever seen Kim before today only ever Simon but she was really good with her.

 

[Truffolo]

Its great that your vet is medicating and you are seeing such a good vet. I think digestive issues are very common after dental work as the volume of hay eaten can drop a bit. Are you weighing her? The sooner she starts eating hay properly the better, but she may need support until she has adjusted to her "new" teeth. Hay is what keeps the gut working, but interim feeding can do this if she is eating enough. If she is losing weight, she isn't eating enough and her gut can get bloaty as a result.

 

[Josie_lg]

She is eating food well, I haven’t got concerns there so just not sure why her tummy’s like this. This morning I’ve noticed some clear discharge from her left nostril too. She is bright and squeaking for food still bless her.

 

[Truffolo]

The only way to tell whether she is eating enough to support good digestion and a normal, soft tummy, is by weighing her. Weight measurements are guinea pig first aid and should be one of the the first things you start doing when treating a piggy you are worried about. For the runny nostril, you need to see a vet.