Quick Dental Question.

[Midge&Panda]

Pixel had her back molars burred about 3 weeks ago. She had lost about 100g in total. Since then her weight has still fluctuated and we have been giving her a dose of metacam in case there is still pain in the mouth causing her to have trouble eating. I will make an appointment tomorrow to have her teeth looked at again hopefully Monday/ Tuesday. Can somebody offer any advice as to how long it takes a piggy to get back to normal eating. She is bedded on hay as well as having different forages to eat. She has just discovered the delights of readigrass of which she does eat a lot of. She doesn't seem to have trouble eating her veg either. Carrots are still going down well. I've had another pig who had the same procedure and she was back to normal within days with no struggle to maintain her weight. Many thanks.

 

[sport_billy]

It can take weeks sometimes, but I would get her re-checked over. tagging in @furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary

Love to Pixel

 

[anna]

Hope Pixel is getting better. Dental issues are quite difficult to fix. If you need a vet I would recommend Verda (Cambridge Cavy Trust) she knows what she is doing. Cambridge Cavy Trust - 1 Splash Lane, Wyton, Huntingdon, Cambs, PE28 2AF
Dental pigs can be lazy. Try feeding your pig with a syringe. I blend veggies for pig, so he does not have to bother himself with chewing. It is time consuming, but at least I know that pig is properly fed.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Hope Pixel is getting better. Dental issues are quite difficult to fix. If you need a vet I would recommend Verda (Cambridge Cavy Trust) she knows what she is doing. Cambridge Cavy Trust - 1 Splash Lane, Wyton, Huntingdon, Cambs, PE28 2AF
Dental pigs can be lazy. Try feeding your pig with a syringe. I blend veggies for pig, so he does not have to bother himself with chewing. It is time consuming, but at least I know that pig is properly fed.

Please can I point out, Vedra is NOT a vet.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Hope Pixel is getting better. Dental issues are quite difficult to fix. If you need a vet I would recommend Verda (Cambridge Cavy Trust) she knows what she is doing. Cambridge Cavy Trust - 1 Splash Lane, Wyton, Huntingdon, Cambs, PE28 2AF
Dental pigs can be lazy. Try feeding your pig with a syringe. I blend veggies for pig, so he does not have to bother himself with chewing. It is time consuming, but at least I know that pig is properly fed.

I would also like to add that dental guinea pigs aren't 'lazy'. If they don't eat there is always a reason. This reason may not be immediately obvious, but something becomes apparent in time. I run a sanctuary for guinea pigs with dental issues, and whilst most can eat well immediately after having their teeth filed, others can take longer to recover. The reasons for not eating can be due to spurs causing soft tissue damage, overgrowth of teeth not enabling the jaw to move properly, abscesses brewing. Dental issues need regular monitoring, particularly in the early stages, as the teeth grow very quickly. We have found the best way to deal with dental problems is to re-check again after a week to 10 days and then depending on how things are going, to start to stretch out the time between appointments. After losing a lot of weight it can take a while for a guinea pig to regain it. Some dental issues can be cured, and others managed. They don't have to be a death sentence though!

Syringe feeding is very important when dealing with guinea pigs with dental problems, but feeding regularly will not make your guinea pig lazy and less likely to try to eat for themselves. It just enables them to maintain their strength and weight, whilst undergoing treatment.

 

[Midge&Panda]

Thanks for the replies. Initially Pixel lost 120g (checked records)before having her treatment. After the treatment she managed to put back about 80g but had trouble maintaining that. She has now stabilised her weight but is still under her initial weight( about 60g). I'm wondering whether she was just a bit overweight to start with and what she is now is more of a correct weight for her. She has an appointment Tuesday morning for a check up.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

It would appear she is happy at the weight she is at, and it may just start to creep up again slowly. As long as it is stable I really wouldn't be too concerned. It sounds like she is doing very well.

 

[Freela]

I think how long it takes them to resume normal eating varies. Sundae was always very anxious to get food in and resumed eating pretty quickly after dentals, even when she had soft-tissue trauma due to spurs, but not all pigs are that quick to go back to solid food, particularly if it still hurts of if they are fearful that it will hurt. Sundae did regain all the weight that she lost while her teeth were bad, though it did take quite some time for the weight to go back one. How old is she? My older pig, Linney, lost weight during an illness and just never put it back on. She is still an average weight, as she was a big pig in her prime. My vet said that some weight loss is normal as they age, as they begin to lose muscle mass in old age, and that she will likely never put on all the weight she lost during her illness, but that we should consider this her 'new normal' and make sure she maintains it. Linney is 6 now, so she is getting up there as far as piggie years go.