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Rocky having problems eating after dental procedure...

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happycath

happycath

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Hi everyone,*
I'm sorry it's been a while buy I'm so hoping you can help me with Rocky.
On Thursday morning Rocky had some dental work done under GA - his molars were filed down and his incisors trimmed. Since then he just hasn't been right and I just don't know what to do to help him.*
We collected him (still very dopey) Thursday night and the vets were a bit concerned he hadn't pooped since waking up and said to keep an eye & bring him back if he didn't poop for 24 hours - he didn't and I took him back to be checked out on Friday afternoon. The vet had a good feel & said there was a poop on the way and gave me plenty of syringe food, some of which we'd already been giving him before he went in for the procedure. It is recovery plus syringe food. Thankfully he finally produced his first poop yesterday (Saturday) evening and has since produced two more small ones.
However the problem is that we are really struggling to get enough food into him - yesterday was tricky but over four feeding sessions we got almost a whole sachet into him (about 20g food with 90ml water) to start with he struggled which was hard and now he has stopped chewing and swallowing - I think he has had barely anything today. Any food we syringe in just comes back out or stays in his mouth. We have flushed it out with water because otherwise it seems to dry into a large clump in his mouth between feeds but now I'm at a loss for how to help him. *He looks really quite unwell this evening and I think his abdomen is uncomfortable. He is totally lethargic, runny eyes, squeaks with discomfort when we pick him up and just doesn't seem at all interested in food. He isn't trying to feed himself at all (we've put all his favourites nearby to where he is laying in his cage, plus some grated cucumber and some syringe food) and won't cooperate when we try to feed him. I know it must be unpleasant for him but I just don't know what else to do!
He is only 2 1/2 and has never had any other serious problems. It's so upsetting to see him like this, I hate that he is clearly suffering :(*
Any advice greatly appreciated, thank you.
Catherine x
 
Sorry to hear you have such a poorly piggy.

Did the vet give him any pain medication (like metacam) or an injection to help stimulate the gut? If not, I think these are things you should discuss with the vet asap.

Keep going with the syringe feeding - you should be doing it every 2 to 3 hours and be aiming for around 15 mls each feed.

Hopefully someone with more knowledge than I have will be along soon to help you, but I really advise taking him back to the vets as soon as possible.
 
I agree with Little Pig, I really think you need an emergency vet appointment asap. Now whether you want to try a different vet, one more used to dealing with cavies, it's up to you, but he needs help to get his gut moving & quickly.
 
Thank you Little Pig - he was given a painkiller injection afterwards but a gut stimulant wasn't mentioned. The vet said that recovery plus food acts quite well as a gut stimulant because of the fibre... Maybe he was just being hopeful...
Think I'd better take him back to the vet tomorrow morning - he'll have to come to work with me to be syringe fed! Poor little thing.
Anything additional I can do to help him this evening and overnight? I will of course keep trying the feeding - hopefully something is getting in among all the mess!
 
If he hasn't been eating very much his gut could've become rather gassy. How many mls of syringe food are you getting into him per sitting? It sounds like he is going to need a gut stimulant to get things going. Over 24 hours you need to be giving approx 120 mls. Why did he need dental work? Is he worse now than he was before he had this work done? How experienced are your vets at dental work in guinea pigs?
 
Hi Catherine,

Sorry your piggy is poorly. I'm in the same situation as you with a post op piggy so know how you are feeling. As others have said keep going with the syringe feeding and yes he may benefit from a gut stimulant, my piggy gets his twice daily.

Also I think that although the science recovery feed we give them is perfect for them and made for convalescing piggies it can get a bit boring. I tend to add a little weetabix to mine to sweeten it a little and I also blend up a piggy smoothie to give as a change. At the moment I've whizzed up mostly cucumber with some strawberries and banana, it may just spark a little interest in your piggies appetite. It can still be fed by syringe if blitzed up enough.

Good luck.

Jenny xx
 
Thank you all.
I called the emergency vet associated with my vet and he said that I should keep trying to feed him and take him to the vet in the morning...
Just tried another feed and he jerked violenty so I stopped - I couldn't tell if it was voluntary or not :( tried to tempt him with a cucumber/apple mix but no interest there either.
Thanks furryfriends - I will ask for a gut stimulant at the vet in the morning. The amount we manage to feed him really varies - he has taken up to about 20mls in a sitting, approx 80mls in a day which I know isn't enough but he is flatly refusing food tonight so he has hardly had anything. How can I encourage him to chew/swallow?
He needed dental work for overgrown molars and they also trimmed his incisors. Before he had it done he was slightly withdrawn and struggling to eat but nothing like as bad as now. He is normally feisty/grumpy but now he just lays, breathing hard, ignoring any food we put in front of him.
He has starting wheezing a bit now on top of everything - could this be just aa runny nose or should I be concerned about a URI?
:'(
 
Has he done any more poos since you originally posted? If so, how many and what are they like?

With regards to syringe feeding, I'm not sure how to encourage him to swallow as my pigs have always swallowed (even after dental) despite fussing with the syringe. Did the vet show you how to syringe properly and give you holding techniques to use?
 
There could be something else going on here too. I am wondering if it is a reaction to the anaesthetic. Do you know what type of anaesthetic they used? I wish you lived closer so you could see my vet. Just keep trying to get as much syringe food into him as possible. What size syringe are you using? I find the 1 ml syringes, with the end cut off, best. I syringe feed by standing the piggie on my lap on a towel facing across my lap. As I am right handed I have them facing towards my right hand. I fill the syringe, steady the head with my left hand and gently insert the syringe into the side of the mouth. I slowly syringe the 1ml in. If he is struggling to take a whole 1 ml at a time give 1/2 a ml and then the other half.
 
Hi everyone, sorry for the delay & thank you for taking the time to respond during a very difficult time last night, all of your advice was very helpful.
Sadly though, Rocky passed away yesterday evening. He went downhill very quickly after my original post, and passed away at 9.30 while being cuddled and comforted.
It has been a very sad day here today & Rufus looks quite lost - Rocky hadn't been in the cage with him since Thursday but he had been in a small pen right next to his cage so they could see and smell each other & chat. I've been trying to make an extra fuss of Rufus to give him some company.
We took Rocky to a wonderful pet crematorium near us this morning, where he will be cremated and we can have a small plaque and a rose bush to remember him.
It's so sad, he was only 2 and a half and so full of life until last week.
I'm very much of the opinion that there must have been another medical issue underlying, and that for the vet the dental problem was the most obvious thing to treat. Fingers crossed I won't need a vet for a while now, but I think I will change vets - I'm sure they did their best but I did feel a little 'fobbed off' when I was concerned about how slowly he was recovering and his lack of appetite.
Anyway, we will certainly remember Rocky (AKA Rockstar) at his best - a fiesty, cheeky chappy prone to grumpiness who would do anything for a basil leaf...except have a bath :)
Thanks for all your help last night guys, it really meant a lot to know you were all there,
Catherine
 
So sad to read about Rocky. You did everything you could for him, sorry for your loss.

RIP Rocky
x x
 
Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear this - I was thinking about you and Rocky all day today. Sorry for your loss.
 
Oh no, I'm so sorry about wee Rocky, thats so sad. You did everything you could for him and if it's your time to go then what better way to go than peacefully while getting loads of cuddles.

Big hugs from me.

Jenny xx
 
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