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Wanting To Eat, Chewing But Not Managing!

Y

Yvonne K

New Born Pup
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Hi
My five year old Guinea pig was hardly eating and not pooing. I took him to the vet. They gave him an anaesthetic to check his teeth n they said they are fine. He picks up food and chews n chews but the food comes out his mouth unchewed and he gives up. I'm syringe feeding him and he's swallowing fine. What else could be wrong? Any advice? Anyone else had this?
 
How experienced are your vets with guinea pigs? This does sound like a dental issue, especially as the guinea pig is trying to eat and not managing to. Whereabouts are you? There is a very good dental vet in Northampton. It is vital that you keep syringe feeding so that the gut has something to work on, otherwise it will shut down and that is fatal for a guinea pig.
 
Yvonne K said:
Hi
My five year old Guinea pig was hardly eating and not pooing. I took him to the vet. They gave him an anaesthetic to check his teeth n they said they are fine. He picks up food and chews n chews but the food comes out his mouth unchewed and he gives up. I'm syringe feeding him and he's swallowing fine. What else could be wrong? Any advice? Anyone else had this?
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Hi and welcome

How piggy savvy is your vet? Have they checked the teeth at the back of mouth, especially the premolars that grow spurs and bridges over the tongue? Have they checked for oral thrush and mouth sores or potential dental abscesses in the mouth? Most vets are not very experienced with dental/mouth problems in guinea pigs.

Here is our syringe feeding guide; please read it - amongst lots of tips, it also has got a chapter on dental guinea pigs.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Could you please add your country, state/province or UK county to your details so we can help you much more efficiently. We have members from all over the world. Please click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. This makes it appear with every post you make and allows us tailor any advice to what is relevant, available and doable where you are straight away. Thank you!
 
Elwickcavies said:
How experienced are your vets with guinea pigs? This does sound like a dental issue, especially as the guinea pig is trying to eat and not managing to. Whereabouts are you? There is a very good dental vet in Northampton. It is vital that you keep syringe feeding so that the gut has something to work on, otherwise it will shut down and that is fatal for a guinea pig.
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Hi. I'm in central Scotland. Yes, I'm syringe feeding every few hours. It's such a shame, he goes to food starts eating then kind of gives up. The vet said his teeth were fine.
 
Wiebke said:
Hi and welcome

How piggy savvy is your vet? Have they checked the teeth at the back of mouth, especially the premolars that grow spurs and bridges over the tongue? Have they checked for oral thrush and mouth sores or potential dental abscesses in the mouth? Most vets are not very experienced with dental/mouth problems in guinea pigs.

Here is our syringe feeding guide; please read it - amongst lots of tips, it also has got a chapter on dental guinea pigs.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Could you please add your country, state/province or UK county to your details so we can help you much more efficiently. We have members from all over the world. Please click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. This makes it appear with every post you make and allows us tailor any advice to what is relevant, available and doable where you are straight away. Thank you!
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Yes the vet seemed to know. She said that the teeth spurring over the tongue was really what she would be looking for or any sharp bits. Watching him eat it's almost as though his back teeth just aren't catching the food to grind it. Say for example a bit of hay goes in and he chews and chews and it's still just hanging out of his mouth. Then he gives in. She thought he had what she has seen as enexplained inability to swallow which she has seen in other guinea pigs but he swallows fine on his syringed food. It's a shame when he goes over to eat as if he's hungry then can't. :-(
 
Yvonne K said:
Yes the vet seemed to know. She said that the teeth spurring over the tongue was really what she would be looking for or any sharp bits. Watching him eat it's almost as though his back teeth just aren't catching the food to grind it. Say for example a bit of hay goes in and he chews and chews and it's still just hanging out of his mouth. Then he gives in. She thought he had what she has seen as enexplained inability to swallow which she has seen in other guinea pigs but he swallows fine on his syringed food. It's a shame when he goes over to eat as if he's hungry then can't. :-(
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WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED?

@furryfriends (TEAS)
 
@Yvonne K There is a fantastic guinea pig vet in Northampton called Simon Maddock. He's at the Cat and Rabbit Care clinic. It is a long drive but he really is the best.

At the very least I would ask your vet to contact him, he's spoken to other vets for me before.

It sounds like your vet is inexperienced with pigs and is probably trying their best but is unable to solve the issue. You need to aggressively hand feed in the meantime. You need to be giving him enough food to maintain his weight. It can be a lot but he really needs your help.
 
Yvonne K said:
Stirling, central Scotland
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Thanks! I have tagged furryfriends for you; she runs a sanctuary for chronically dental guinea pigs. The vet mentioned is looking after them and has the most experience as he is seeing guinea pigs from all over the country on a daily basis, including as far as Edinburgh. This includes swallowing/chewing problems.
 
It really does sound like a dental problem, and I'm wondering if your vet, while well-meaning, just is not experienced enough to catch a problem with the rear molars. It's possible for vets to not spot a problem, especially since guinea pigs tend to hide food in the back that can obscure the teeth. It's happened with one of my pigs before- teeth looked okay on initial exam, but on later exam under anesthesia the vet was able to spot a molar spur that was digging into the side of her mouth and causing pain. It's good that you are syringe-feeding, keep that up aggressively. In the meantime, I would probably seek a second opinion from a vet with extensive experience with dental issues.
 
Yes it was under general anaesthetic and she did seem to know about them growing over and she actually commented that his teeth were really good. Cost me £200 already for exam, antibiotics, ranitidine for his tummy and injection. Really thought they would find something wrong with his teeth. :-(
 
@Yvonne K Your vet will have done everything they possibly can do. Piggies teeth are so different to other animals that it takes specialist knowledge to spot the less obvious signs of a problem.

Start to handfeed and see if your vet will speak with, or email Simon. He'll have a much better idea of what needs to be done.
 
Phoned the vet. Got an appointment on sun...just been watching him and he has just managed to eat a small amount of grass...I'll keep up the syringe feeds...fingers crossed he eats more.
 
Fingers crossed the vet can do more, but some only have limited experience. Sending healing vibes!
 
Flutterby said:
Fingers crossed the vet can do more, but some only have limited experience. Sending healing vibes!
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I know. Fingers crossed. I was having a closer look at his front teeth and his top ones are quite long and curved inwards. Am I right in thinking the top ones should sit slightly in front of the bottom ones? They debt really meet so if his back teeth are fine I'm wondering if the front ones need filed a bit?
 
Yes they are supposed to sit slightly in front of the bottom. Usually problems with the front teeth indicate something going on further back in the mouth. I know the vet has checked his back teeth, but how experienced are they? Something small could cause his eating problems, from his teeth to his jaw. I would want to seek a second opinion on his mouth and jaw.
 
I know. I'm taking him back today. The vet did seem to know about teeth problems and it's difficult to know who else to take him to. It would just be a random guess although I was thinking I would phone round vets n see if anyone has a particular interest in guinea pigs. Its the cost that's a worry too though. Already paid £200. Really couldn't afford another 200 :-(
 
Similar problem with my guinea pig, get their blood tested .... it could be a hepatic or pancreas issue which could be resolved with prednisolone and pancrax granuals. My guinea pig is off to the vets tomorrow for his bloods, as he has a very similar issue. Txt Vedra at The Cambridge Cavy Trust (look her up), she may be able to give details of a savvy guinea pig vet or rodentologist in Scotland. Good luck.
 
Also if there is lots of food debris in your pigs mouth you need to clear it, please refer to the above information I have posted. Failing this could result in mouth thrush with daktarin oral gel.
 
The forum is aware of the work of the Cambridge Cavy Trust (CCT) and British Association of Rodentologists (BAR). In accordance with UK law only a qualified veterinary surgeon can diagnose, test, treat and perform surgery on an animal. There are only very limited exceptions to this which can be found in the RCVS Code of Conduct Section 19 Treatment of animals by unqualified persons - RCVS. Although some qualified veterinary surgeons may have taken the BAR rodentology course the majority of rodentologists hold no professional veterinary qualification. The CCT is not a registered veterinary practice.
Whilst the forum accepts that members are free to seek help and advice for their pets from wherever they choose the forum does not condone or support the use of the CCT or BAR and encourages all members to seek advice from a qualified veterinary surgeon.

So with that in mind please make sure that any dental treatment administered is from a vet not a Rodentologist
 
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I am a qualified rodentologist and I did the training course with Vedra. I would also advise seeking help from a qualified vet. I had a correspondence course and 2 days 1 to 1 with Vedra. It gave me a lot of very useful information, but it does not compare to the knowledge a good cavy savvy vet has. Having completed the course, I am much more able to have a knowledgable discussion with my vet about my guinea pigs, but I do not and would not treat other people's guinea pigs as a rodentologist.
 
Pearlsie 86 said:
Similar problem with my guinea pig, get their blood tested .... it could be a hepatic or pancreas issue which could be resolved with prednisolone and pancrax granuals. My guinea pig is off to the vets tomorrow for his bloods, as he has a very similar issue. Txt Vedra at The Cambridge Cavy Trust (look her up), she may be able to give details of a savvy guinea pig vet or rodentologist in Scotland. Good luck.
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Hi there,

Sorry to jump on here! But could you explain what happened with your pig with the Hepatic/Pancreatic problems?
Could you tell me the piggies symptoms etc..

I have a poorly boy and the vet is trying to figure out what is wrong.
x
 
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