Cocoteemin
Junior Guinea Pig
I'm looking for advice on some other possible reasons that could cause a guinea pig to be unable to pick up food or chew normally, is it only ever caused by a tooth issue?
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Dental Unable to pick up food or chew normally?
- Thread starter Cocoteemin
- Start date
It can be caused by several things but definitely requires a visit to a cavy savvy vet for proper diagnosis.
It is often related to a problem with the teeth, but could also be a mouth/gum infection, oral thrush, an abscess, an ear infection and a whole host of other issues.
I would suggest making an appointment with the vet as soon as possible if your piggie is having problems eating.
It is often related to a problem with the teeth, but could also be a mouth/gum infection, oral thrush, an abscess, an ear infection and a whole host of other issues.
I would suggest making an appointment with the vet as soon as possible if your piggie is having problems eating.
Hi!
Please have your guinea pig vet checked promptly for overgrown molars and premolars growing bridging spurs that trap the tongue or grow painfully into the flesh of the cheeks. These are classic signs for badly overgrown teeth. Please see a good vet. Keep in mind that guinea pig dentals are not something that most general vets have ever been confronted with or trained for.
Oral thrush (a fungal mouth infection), something embedded between teeth or an open mouth infection/painful sore, a dental root abscess etc. can make swallowing and chewing difficult. In most cases it is however the teeth that have gone wrong.
Check the front teeth: if they are uneven, slanted or inward turning and no longer self-sharpening, then there is some major trouble with the back teeth, which can overgrow very quickly if a piggy stops chewing normally and grinding them down by eating hay (which should make over 80% of the daily food intake). it is the very abrasive silica in hay and grass that guinea pig have evolved on, which means that they have some of the fastest growing teeth of all rodents.
Please step in with weighing daily at the same time (instead of weekly) and start syringe feeding asap to keep your piggy alive. Guinea pigs cannot fast for any length of time.
You can find information (including lists of recommended vets in several countries), practical emergency care and improvising tips, a step-by-step illsutrated syringe feeding guide etc.) via this link here: Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Cocoteemin
Junior Guinea Pig
Thanks for the replies, sorry for not explaining in more detail, but it's always good to go over the basics again 
Cassie is approximately 3 1/2 years old, has been to 2 vets(good small animal vets are hard to find in Ontario, Canada or are extremely expensive, even for the most basic care) and is being syringe fed 5 times a day with Critical Care, which has been going on for close to a month and a half now. She is currently on Tramadol for pain relief, but we have tried: a gut stimulant, 3 different antibiotics(2 of which caused her to have bloat symptoms), extra vitamin C and two types of pain meds.
She did have her back molars trimmed, because they were trapping her tongue, but it did nothing to help her eat and her front teeth are still slanted. One of her ears did have a bit of wax, but no sign of infection.
Cassie has lost a fair bit of weight, as you can imagine, but she still trying to eat some veggies and hasn't given up yet, so neither have I.
She will be going in, next week for a full body x-ray(she did have a dental x-ray taken by the first vet, that looked fine) and hopefully if that is clear, then we'll be booking another dental under sedation.
Cassie is approximately 3 1/2 years old, has been to 2 vets(good small animal vets are hard to find in Ontario, Canada or are extremely expensive, even for the most basic care) and is being syringe fed 5 times a day with Critical Care, which has been going on for close to a month and a half now. She is currently on Tramadol for pain relief, but we have tried: a gut stimulant, 3 different antibiotics(2 of which caused her to have bloat symptoms), extra vitamin C and two types of pain meds.
She did have her back molars trimmed, because they were trapping her tongue, but it did nothing to help her eat and her front teeth are still slanted. One of her ears did have a bit of wax, but no sign of infection.
Cassie has lost a fair bit of weight, as you can imagine, but she still trying to eat some veggies and hasn't given up yet, so neither have I.
She will be going in, next week for a full body x-ray(she did have a dental x-ray taken by the first vet, that looked fine) and hopefully if that is clear, then we'll be booking another dental under sedation.
Thanks for the replies, sorry for not explaining in more detail, but it's always good to go over the basics again
Cassie is approximately 3 1/2 years old, has been to 2 vets(good small animal vets are hard to find in Ontario, Canada or are extremely expensive, even for the most basic care) and is being syringe fed 5 times a day with Critical Care, which has been going on for close to a month and a half now. She is currently on Tramadol for pain relief, but we have tried: a gut stimulant, 3 different antibiotics(2 of which caused her to have bloat symptoms), extra vitamin C and two types of pain meds.
She did have her back molars trimmed, because they were trapping her tongue, but it did nothing to help her eat and her front teeth are still slanted. One of her ears did have a bit of wax, but no sign of infection.
Cassie has lost a fair bit of weight, as you can imagine, but she still trying to eat some veggies and hasn't given up yet, so neither have I.
She will be going in, next week for a full body x-ray(she did have a dental x-ray taken by the first vet, that looked fine) and hopefully if that is clear, then we'll be booking another dental under sedation.
If she is losing weight, please step in with syringe feeding top up. Hay is making over 80% of the daily food intake while veg should be only around 10% in order to keep the guts happy for the long term.
A one-sided overgrowth could point to a brewing root abscess. It is usually a sign of pain on one side so the chewing is not even.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Cocoteemin
Junior Guinea Pig
Yes, I'm syringe feeding her, but she is struggling to eat any hay on her own, which I'm sure is contributing to the weight loss.