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Teeth issues and cage mates

L

Lake24

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi all, my 4 year old female piggy seems to be having some issues with her teeth. She has gradually lost a bit of weight and is now taking a lot longer to eat. She has been to the vets who said the front teeth were very slightly out of line but they are booking her in for a sedation to get a proper look at her molars and most likely file them down.

I have a few questions relating to the teeth filing however in the meantime I am struggling to get her to eat as her two cage mates eat so much quicker than her. I am bringing her out to feed her then feeding them again all together however my other female piggy seems to be very dominant at the moment. She is jumping and nipping the poorly pig (not drawing blood) when she’s trying to move around the cage. I’m not sure if it’s best to seperate the dominant pig whilst she is poorly with a divider in the cage or whether this is then unfair on her? But the poorly pig is really suffering with the dominance and it’s preventing her eating hay etc.

My other general questions were relating to aftercare after tooth filing, what does this look like and what can I expect?

Sorry for the long post and thank you in advance!😊
 

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I’m sorry to hear this.

Slanted incisors mean a piggy hasnt been chewing evenly with the molars causing one side to overgrow.

Are you syringe feeding her a recovery feed?
As she is not able to eat hay and is losing weight, she needs to be syringe fed a recovery feed. Syringe feeding replaces hay intake. She will need at least 60ml of recovery feed per day to do that.
You obviously still want her to eat hay for herself but she isn’t eating enough so the syringe feeding becomes essential.

The guides below will help further

Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
How to Improvise Feeding Support in an Emergency

It would only be advisable to separate them if you absolutely have to; so if their bond and her well being is suffering. Separating them can run the risk that they never want to go back together so it is a big decision.

Bonds In Trouble

After dental treatment ensure you continue to syringe feed her for as long as it takes for her to eat sufficient hay on her own again. Some piggies go back to eating quickly but others can take longer.

Our guide below details more about post op care.

Tips For Post-operative Care

I hope she is ok
 
Just an update and to see if anyone has anymore advice. Lily had her dental on Thursday night and her mouth was quite bad. I’m not sure how we have had no symptoms until now. I have attached the vet notes.

I am concerned now though because I am syringe feeding her but am struggling to get enough in her. I am still trying and have read all of the guides. She does seems happier in herself and is interested in food but can’t seem to pick it up properly, she is just sniffing around it or if a bit goes in her mouth she drops it again. Is this normal?! She is on loxicom, paracetamol, gabopentin, an anti biotic and gut stimulant.

If anyone has any advice I would very much appreciate it.
 

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What are her daily weight checks telling you about her food intake quantities?

How often are you syringe feeding?
How much is she taking per feed?
 
She weighed 991g on the 5th and then when she had the dental on the 10th weighed 990g on the vets scales so different to mine. On the 11th (last night) she was 972g. I will weigh her again shortly but she is extremely fed up at the moment! Previous to these issues starting she weight around 1200g and was very chunky, the delay in having the dental done was due to moving vets as my previous vets were not comfortable doing it.

She is definitely pooping, not as much as usual but I’m not concerned about that at the moment.

I have been attempting a syringe feed every few hours and have been doing about 7ml however most of it is getting spat back out. A couple of times over the past 24 hours she has eaten a few soaked pellets but has stopped this now too. When we initially bought her home she was eating little bits of herbs however she was still quite out of it from the anaesthetic.

I’ve offered all her favourite veg, cut in thin strips, lots of herbs and both her normal hay and a softer type. I have also tried the syringe feed off a plastic spoon or in a dish but this hasn’t helped either.

Any advice would be appreciated as I’m running out of ideas!
 
It is best to weigh first thing in the morning before the first feed of the day. If you weigh at night then you are just weighing a full tummy/days food.

Poop output only reflects food intake and isn’t a reliable source of information due to the 1-2 day delay. You will notice weight loss 1-2 days before poop reduction slowed/stopped if she wasn’t getting enough food.

At her level of food intake, you aim to feed 40-60ml in a 24 hour period, feeding every two hours.
Once the operation meds wear off you can find a little deterioration but if she is worsening then It would be best to speak to your vet again about this.

Tips For Post-operative Care
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels
 
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