Post op care after dental filing

[KirstyGP]

Hi, I’m looking for some advice and reassurance.

On Friday night I weighed my five year old guinea-pig, Butterbean and realised that he had lost quite a bit of weight (around 100g) in a short time.

He has always been quite chubby so it wasn’t obvious from handling him. I took him to our local vets the next morning. The vet examined him but couldn’t find anything wrong. I closely monitored him over the weekend and realised that he was interested in food but was struggling to chew and was spitting hard foods eg carrot out. He also seemed to be favouring one side of his mouth and was drooling a little. We commenced two-hourly Critical Care syringe feeds over the weekend and he gained a little weight. We also have Metacam and he seems happier to eat after each dose. I spoke to the vet again this morning and we decided that his teeth may be causing the issue. It was agreed that he would see him today (monday). We did try to get him in with an exotic specialist about an hour away but they had very little capacity and would only see us if we agreed to a full set of tests to exclude other things, including a CT scan and full biochemistry. This would have been at a cost of around £1500+ and I felt strongly that I didn’t want to put him through lots of invasive investigations as it wouldn’t change the outcome.

Our local vet looked at his teeth under anaesthesia today. His molars were overgrown and one top incisor was broken, leaving a sharp edge. He has filed the teeth down.

Tonight he’s quiet (which they said to expect) but is trying to eat. However he’s really struggling to bite food off. He chews for ages and then just spits the food back out. He’s also not interested in his critical care feed. He’s not eating any hay.

I’m concerned that they’ve filed his incisors too short. How big an issue is this? Do I just keep offering syringe feeds and cut food up and hand-feed?

Is it normal to not have much appetite post op? (We’re only a few hours post op).

Any advice greatly appreciated. Many thanks from a very anxious guinea pig mum x

 

[Truffolo]

Poor Butterbean, you must be very worried. I think the thing to do is to keep on trying with the food. It's very good that he is trying to eat. If you can (depending on where you live) get to the Cat and Rabbit vet in Northampton they are excellent. I'm sure some very knowledgeable people who have been in this situation will come along soon

 

[KirstyGP]

Thank you. We’re in Somerset so quite a way away from there unfortunately.

 

[piggieminder]

Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

How to Improvise Feeding Support in an Emergency

Poor piggy it can take a few days for them to get used to the feel of their 'new teeth'.

I've linked the syringe feeding guides as you may need them until his teeth grow back in a bit.

Try cutting his food into thin strips. I have seen people stand the strips up in an egg cup which helps them pick them up.

If you are worried don't hesitate to see your vet again.

 

[KirstyGP]

Thank you so much.

Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

How to Improvise Feeding Support in an Emergency

Poor piggy it can take a few days for them to get used to the feel of their 'new teeth'.

I've linked the syringe feeding guides as you may need them until his teeth grow back in a bit.

Try cutting his food into thin strips. I have seen people stand the strips up in an egg cup which helps them pick them up.

If you are worried don't hesitate to see your vet again.

Thank you so much.

We’ve been using the guidelines to syringe feeding over the weekend and they’ve been invaluable.

He refused a syringe feed last night but was happy for me to hand-feed him small pieces of cherry tomatoes (with the skin removed) and basil leaves (two of his favourite treats). He also ate a few dry oats, which I’d read about on here.

I spoke to the vet and vet nurse on duty after-hours and they said the same as you that it may take him a while to get used to his “new teeth”. They’ve also given me some medication to help stimulate his appetite, which I can try this morning if needed. I’ll keep trying with the hand-feeding (which he loves) and the syringe feeding (which he seems less keen on since the weekend).

The egg cup idea is excellent. Thank you.

I will of course return to the vet as and when needed.

keeping everything crossed that he improves over the next few days. We go away next week and although we have a pet-sitter staying, who is amazing with the guinea pigs, I know I’ll be worried sick if he’s not right by then.

Thank you.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear he has had dental issues.

Is he on pain meds?

Make sure you weigh him every morning so you can monitor syringe feed intake. It’s good he had tried to eat veg but the syringe feed is the vital part to replace fibre intake.

It can take a little while to get over anaesthetic and they can find it harder to eat for a little while once their teeth have been done.

This guide is also helpful
Tips For Post-operative Care

 

[weepweeps]

Sending healing vibes to Butterbean. I hope he starts to eat again soon.

 

[KirstyGP]

I’m sorry to hear he has had dental issues.

Is he on pain meds?

Make sure you weigh him every morning so you can monitor syringe feed intake. It’s good he had tried to eat veg but the syringe feed is the vital part to replace fibre intake.

It can take a little while to get over anaesthetic and they can find it harder to eat for a little while once their teeth have been done.

This guide is also helpful
Tips For Post-operative Care

Thank you. He is currently refusing syringe feeds and I'm not comfortable force-feeding him but he is eating fairly happily when I hand-feed him. I've observed him this morning eating a little in his cage although still no hay. I have soaked some hay for him to try to make it a little easier but haven't seen him eat it yet. He's on daily Metacam and he does seem to eat more easily after his dose. The overnight vet has also given us some Emeprid to help to stimulate this appetite. He has actually gained some weight since yesterday so I'm assuming he must be eating a little independently as well as I don't think he's been taking enough by hand to increase his weight currently. I will keep offering syringe feeds as well.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Do start the emeprid.
You shouldn’t force feed but definitely continue with the syringe feeds as much as he will take. He needs the fibre (which comes from hay and syringe feeding) to keep gut function. Veg alone isn’t enough to do that. Offer strands of hay by hand.
Perhaps get something other than critical care - Mushing his normal pellets can help as they are a familiar taste

Is he on metacam twice a day in a good sized dose?
Is it cat or dog version?

 

[KirstyGP]

Do start the emeprid.
You shouldn’t force feed but definitely continue with the syringe feeds as much as he will take. He needs the fibre (which comes from hay and syringe feeding) to keep gut function. Veg alone isn’t enough to do that. Offer strands of hay by hand.
Perhaps get something other than critical care - Mushing his normal pellets can help as they are a familiar taste

Is he on metacam twice a day in a good sized dose?
Is it cat or dog version?

Thank you. I have started the Emeprid and he definitely seems more interested in food since. I've been mushing up his pellets too although he's not keen at present.

I've been advised to give Metacam once a day at present. It's cat Metacam.

I will continue to offer regular syringe feeds and I have been offering hay one strand at a time but still not going for it at present. He's due his next dose of Metacam now so I'll let that have time to work and then try again.

 

[Piggies&buns]

See how he goes regarding pain. Pain will stop them from wanting to eat. If you think he seems happier after a dose then it’s something to consider. Painkillers are generally given to piggies every 12 hours due to their fast metabolism.
What dose is he on? Cat is weaker than dog so they can need more of it.

 

[piggieminder]

I'm so pleased to hear he's more interested in food. Try leaving a shallow dish of mushed pellets in the cage he may have a go at that. As piggiesandbuns says he may go for a different recovery food. Over the years I've syringe fed quite a few piggies and I've never had one like Critical Care. The Burgess one or Science Recovery seem the most popular with mine. It's expensive though to keep trying different sorts to find one they like. Hopefully it will only be a few days while he gets used to his new teeth. Have you tried fresh grass, that always goes down well with my reluctant to eat boys. If he's not used to it you need to go slowly introducing it.

Feeding Grass And Preparing Your Piggies For Lawn Time

 

[KirstyGP]

See how he goes regarding pain. Pain will stop them from wanting to eat. If you think he seems happier after a dose then it’s something to consider. Painkillers are generally given to piggies every 12 hours due to their fast metabolism.
What dose is he on? Cat is weaker than dog so they can need more of it.

Thank you. I've just spoken to the vets again now and I'm waiting to hear back from them about whether we can increase or split his dose of pain meds.

 

[KirstyGP]

I'm so pleased to hear he's more interested in food. Try leaving a shallow dish of mushed pellets in the cage he may have a go at that. As piggiesandbuns says he may go for a different recovery food. Over the years I've syringe fed quite a few piggies and I've never had one like Critical Care. The Burgess one or Science Recovery seem the most popular with mine. It's expensive though to keep trying different sorts to find one they like. Hopefully it will only be a few days while he gets used to his new teeth. Have you tried fresh grass, that always goes down well with my reluctant to eat boys. If he's not used to it you need to go slowly introducing it.

Feeding Grass And Preparing Your Piggies For Lawn Time

Thank you so much for this info. This afternoon we seem to have turned a bit of a corner and Butterbean is happily munching on veg, dry pellets (even though he has access to mushed up ones as well) and some hay, which is a huge relief. I always have a supply of Critical Care in but it's interesting that your piggies tend not to like it. We've generally seen a pattern with ours that they love it for the first day or two then totally refuse it. I'll look at getting an alternative in. Thanks again.

 

[KirstyGP]

I’m sorry to hear he has had dental issues.

Is he on pain meds?

Make sure you weigh him every morning so you can monitor syringe feed intake. It’s good he had tried to eat veg but the syringe feed is the vital part to replace fibre intake.

It can take a little while to get over anaesthetic and they can find it harder to eat for a little while once their teeth have been done.

This guide is also helpful
Tips For Post-operative Care

Hi again! Butterbean is doing really well. He's eating pellets and veg freely now, is pooing and is gaining weight. I have been offering syringe feeds every 2-3 hours during the day but he is eating so much now that I'm almost finding myself interrupting his eating to offer him a syringe feed and so I'm unsure whether to continue or not. My reasoning for doing so would be that I still haven't observed him eating his hay freely. Do I keep offering syringe feeds for a bit longer, do you think? He's back up beyond his pre-op weight by 40g but still around 50-80g off his regular weight. (He's quite chubby normally and even after his weight loss was by no means skinny!)

He still has three days worth of Metacam left post-op but today was the first day that he wasn't showing any signs of pain just before his daily dose so I doubt he will need it beyond the five day post-op period.

He has also completed the Emeprid the they gave us. They said to let them know if we needed more but he's eating so much better now that I"m not sure if this is necessary.

Sorry for all the questions - our vets are great but by their own admission are not exotic specialists.

 

[KirstyGP]

I'm so pleased to hear he's more interested in food. Try leaving a shallow dish of mushed pellets in the cage he may have a go at that. As piggiesandbuns says he may go for a different recovery food. Over the years I've syringe fed quite a few piggies and I've never had one like Critical Care. The Burgess one or Science Recovery seem the most popular with mine. It's expensive though to keep trying different sorts to find one they like. Hopefully it will only be a few days while he gets used to his new teeth. Have you tried fresh grass, that always goes down well with my reluctant to eat boys. If he's not used to it you need to go slowly introducing it.

Feeding Grass And Preparing Your Piggies For Lawn Time

Hi again! Butterbean is doing really well. He's eating pellets, grass, herbs and veg freely now, is pooing and is gaining weight. I have been offering syringe feeds every 2-3 hours during the day but he is eating so much now that I'm almost finding myself interrupting his eating to offer him a syringe feed and so I'm unsure whether to continue or not. My reasoning for doing so would be that I still haven't observed him eating his hay freely. Do I keep offering syringe feeds for a bit longer, do you think? He's back up above his pre-op weight by 40g but still around 50-80g off his regular weight. (He's quite chubby normally though and even after his weight loss was by no means skinny!)

He still has three days worth of Metacam left post-op but today was the first day that he wasn't showing any signs of pain just before his daily dose so I doubt he will need it beyond the five day post-op period.

He has also completed the Emeprid the they gave us. They said to let them know if we needed more but he's eating so much better now that I"m not sure if this is necessary.

Sorry for all the questions - our vets are great but by their own admission are not exotic specialists.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Hay is 75-80% of daily food intake. Veg and herbs (at one cup a day) and pellets (at one tablespoon a day) make just 20-25% of daily food intake.
It is good he is back up in weight, eating veg and pellets but your syringe feeding is replacing the hay intake and if he is not eating hay by himself and you stop feeding him then he will lose the majority of food intake and consequently lose weight again.

You could try to stop some (but not all) syringe feeds and see if he still maintains his weight each day. If he is totally relying on your syringe feeds for his fibre intake then he will lose weight again and you then know you can’t stop syringe feeding him.
If he doesn’t lose weight then you can adjust the syringe feeds down and see how things go over the coming days and week.
Those daily weight checks are vital here because you cannot risk him not eating hay (both in terms of gut function and dental health).
There is no benefit in rushing. Generally speaking, they start to refuse syringe feeds once they are eating enough hay for themselves.

 

[KirstyGP]

Hay is 75-80% of daily food intake. Veg and herbs (at one cup a day) and pellets (at one tablespoon a day) make just 20-25% of daily food intake.
It is good he is back up in weight, eating veg and pellets but your syringe feeding is replacing the hay intake and if he is not eating hay by himself and you stop feeding him then he will lose the majority of food intake and consequently lose weight again.

You could try to stop some (but not all) syringe feeds and see if he still maintains his weight each day. If he is totally relying on your syringe feeds for his fibre intake then he will lose weight again and you then know you can’t stop syringe feeding him.
If he doesn’t lose weight then you can adjust the syringe feeds down and see how things go over the coming days and week.
Those daily weight checks are vital here because you cannot risk him not eating hay (both in terms of gut function and dental health).
There is no benefit in rushing. Generally speaking, they start to refuse syringe feeds once they are eating enough hay for themselves.

Thanks so much. I've reduced his syringe feeds a little over the past 36 hours (both in terms of frequency plus he's only taking around half of what he was a few days ago) and he has gained weight still, which I'm taking as a positive. I gave them a meadow hay and alfalfa ring tonight that I got from Ocado and he tucked in with gusto. I've also scattered some forage mix into his hay and he's been tucking into that as well as some of his regular hay this evening. I'll continue to weigh daily and increase/decrease his syringe feeds as appropriate but I'm so relieved that things seem to be heading in the right direction.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Having cared for very many guinea pigs, with dental issues, over many years, I stop syringe feeding completely once their weight is stable and they’re eating well. As long as they’re eating grass I don’t worry about poor hay eating! It will come eventually, but it’s important for them to be using their teeth and not filling them up with syringe food. When they first start eating for themselves, I give around 5 - 10 mls to spark their appetite and then offer normal food.

 

[KirstyGP]

Having cared for very many guinea pigs, with dental issues, over many years, I stop syringe feeding completely once their weight is stable and they’re eating well. As long as they’re eating grass I don’t worry about poor hay eating! It will come eventually, but it’s important for them to be using their teeth and not filling them up with syringe food. When they first start eating for themselves, I give around 5 - 10 mls to spark their appetite and then offer normal food.

That's useful advice, thank you. His regular weight is around 1000-1100g. He dropped to 918g before his op and is now back up to 976g so heading in the right direction. He's eating really well today and has finally started tucking into his hay again this evening. He has naturally reduced the amount he is taking during each syringe feed himself; At the weekend he was happily tucking into around 20ml per feed and is now somewhere between 5-10ml before he turns away.

The vet did tell us that his teeth would likely need doing again in the future but couldn't tell us how long until this would likely be needed. What is your experience of this? Also, they always have access to hay and I've now introduced some wooden "chew" toys. Is there anything else I can to to help him keep his teeth in good condition and hopefully delay/avoid further veterinary procedures.