GinspigGuardian
New Born Pup
Hello, I am a newbie here. Located in California, USA. I have an American guinea pig named Ruth. She had major dental surgery on May 15, 2025. She had malocclusion, mild tongue entrapment, and angular molar growth, all on the right side of her mouth. She also had a spur, which caused a sore in her mouth. Due to the dental work, she also had some gingival trauma to the gums. Furthermore, she has a "double tooth" with an elongated root that puts pressure behind her right eye.
Key indicators of dental issues include stopping eating, weight loss, weird chewing patterns. I owned a "dental rabbit" for years and know the telltale signs for spurs, etc. I could tell something was amiss, but was unaware as to the extent. Caught it in enough time before full tongue entrapment and point of no return.
My vet is a highly experienced exotics vet, working primarily with pocket pets like guinea pigs and small animals like rabbits and specializes in dental work.
Based on the release report from the vet, Ruth is going to be sore for quite some time and will need to learn how to use her "new and improved" teeth. She will also need further corrective dentals to help retrain the growth of the teeth.
She still isn't eating on her own, which is to be expected given the extent of the work done. Hay reintroduction is going to be a longer process than veg, possibly. She attempts to eat, but it's still challenging for her. All going to be a slow recovery process, and I am patient with the care process.
I have been syringe-feeding round the clock, every two hours, around 10-15 mLs, which is what she will willingly take. It averages out to around 100-120 mLs a day, which is necessary to help her put weight back on. She's currently .890 kgs, and her standard is 1.0-1.1 kgs, with her lowest weight being .860 kgs. She's getting a split of Critical Care and Emeraid IC because the caloric content of Critical Care is not enough to pull her out of the weight loss trend she's been experiencing. Once she's back up to around 1.1 kgs, I can transition her to Critical Care, which has a little less protein, fat, and fiber as Emeraid IC. I am hoping for a positive trend by the end of this week (5/24/25).
She has no bloat, but her stool output is minimal at best. She also isn't dehydrated, and I have been staying on top of checking to see if she needs sub q fluids. How can I increase the stool output? What advice can you offer? I am sure upping the percentage of Critical Care could help, which I am willing to do, but want to stick with the even split of the IC for a little while longer.
Is there anything else I can offer her in addition to the support feed that might help?
I appreciate any and all suggestions.
Key indicators of dental issues include stopping eating, weight loss, weird chewing patterns. I owned a "dental rabbit" for years and know the telltale signs for spurs, etc. I could tell something was amiss, but was unaware as to the extent. Caught it in enough time before full tongue entrapment and point of no return.
My vet is a highly experienced exotics vet, working primarily with pocket pets like guinea pigs and small animals like rabbits and specializes in dental work.
Based on the release report from the vet, Ruth is going to be sore for quite some time and will need to learn how to use her "new and improved" teeth. She will also need further corrective dentals to help retrain the growth of the teeth.
She still isn't eating on her own, which is to be expected given the extent of the work done. Hay reintroduction is going to be a longer process than veg, possibly. She attempts to eat, but it's still challenging for her. All going to be a slow recovery process, and I am patient with the care process.
I have been syringe-feeding round the clock, every two hours, around 10-15 mLs, which is what she will willingly take. It averages out to around 100-120 mLs a day, which is necessary to help her put weight back on. She's currently .890 kgs, and her standard is 1.0-1.1 kgs, with her lowest weight being .860 kgs. She's getting a split of Critical Care and Emeraid IC because the caloric content of Critical Care is not enough to pull her out of the weight loss trend she's been experiencing. Once she's back up to around 1.1 kgs, I can transition her to Critical Care, which has a little less protein, fat, and fiber as Emeraid IC. I am hoping for a positive trend by the end of this week (5/24/25).
She has no bloat, but her stool output is minimal at best. She also isn't dehydrated, and I have been staying on top of checking to see if she needs sub q fluids. How can I increase the stool output? What advice can you offer? I am sure upping the percentage of Critical Care could help, which I am willing to do, but want to stick with the even split of the IC for a little while longer.
Is there anything else I can offer her in addition to the support feed that might help?
I appreciate any and all suggestions.
