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Weight Question...

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nikki88ikkin

nikki88ikkin

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Hi all,

As some of you may have seen my pig Salt had his teeth filed the other week, he had lost weight because of his teeth and I was just wondering if it takes longer for the weight to go back on then it does to come off? As he is still not back to being the little fatty he used to be, at present he weighs 1kg is this **** healthy? He is altmost 3 and a half. My other Guinea Pig Pepper is just over 1 but feels so fat compared to Salt.

Oh also another quick question... They have both decided to become really fussy eaters since Salt came back from the Vet, rolleyes how can I get them out of it and back to eating everythin I put in front of them,lol?

Thanks :)
 
Yup weight to go back on is way harder i'm afraid......... :{
Keep offering lots of hay and pellets, and then their fav veggies. Have a look in the food section for foods that are the best.
You might find shredding / grating the food will work the best for Salt :)
I find they do go thru food fussiness..... i'm sure it's seasonal with the veggies!
Offer some freshly cut grass too, this is good for them and for toofies to :)

weigh wheekly so you know their weights and keep a recording of this.
i find if one is not well i weigh daily, remember too that their weight can vary with them doing a wee just before you weighing them :))
 
Thanks for coming back to me.

If the weather wasnt so unpredictable I could have put them outside in their run over the weekend and they would have munched on the grass and dandelions till there bellys popped,lol, but you just don't know what the "great" British weather is going to do do you!

I have been grating carrots for him which he seems to like (when he fancies eating carrot!) They usually love cucumber & cabbage and they dont seem to bothered about either of these at the moment... i think Ill have to but some more spinach for them, they can't get enough of it (think thats why theyve been fussy to be honest!) I gave it them the other week and then ran out and haven't brought anymore yet so there probably holding a WE WANT SPINACH protest the cheeky little so and so's :)
 
Cabbage can be a bit gassy......... :{
Often if a piggie doesn't want a veggie it's cause it's not quite right or there is something happening with their system. I taste test my girls veggies first :))
Try not too feed too much spinach either
 
After a dental may be better to encourage Salt to eat more hay than veggies and grass ,

( depending on the skill of the Vet ) the molar profile will be different and will need the extra wearing action that only hay can provide .

To much grass and veggies could cause a problem for a post dental pig
 
I am getting increasingly worried about Salt.

He is definatley not himself, his ears are always cold, whereas Peppers are warm, I would have thought if Salt was cold Pepper would be too. He also looks really tired in the eyes, he's still not eating normally and hasn't put any weight back on yet since having his teeth done (approx 2 weeks ago). I fed him last night with a syringe and a packet of food that the Vet gave me you mix it with water a little until it turns to a paste its green, smells like dried food and looks like what I can only descibe as baby poo (sorry!) anyway, he was eating that like theres no tomorrow, really enjoyed it but then seemed to get tired or either got full and didnt want to eat anymore so I put him back in his cage.

I am taking him to the vets tonight to see what could be up with him.

Does anybody know what could be wrong?
 
Aw, sorry to hear about Salt :(
Sounds like the vet gave you Critical Care for him and it's that good he likes it.
Piggies who are unwell often have cold ears (I'm constantly checking my lot mallethead) so it could just be that he's off colour after treatment.
Is he eating any veg at all, Vitamin C is very important for them as they cannot produce their own - how is he drinking ? Are poops normal ?
Keep him warm with a snuggle pad or hot water bottle securely wrapped in a blanket/towel.
Hope your vet visit gives you more answers and Salt is soon himself - sending healing vibes and keep us posted on his progress x>>
 
Is he dribbling/drooling at all, or is his chin constantly wet? If so then his teeth could still be a problem. If you can get him to Northampton I would recommend you taking him to see Simon, he is the expert dental vet Furryfriends takes her piggies to.
 
Our vet who works in a practice in Gornal and Wombourne is excellent when it comes to dental problems, she can do work without GA and is very cavy savy. I can pass on her details if you want.

Hope little Salt recovers soon x
 
sport_billy said:
Our vet who works in a practice in Gornal and Wombourne is excellent when it comes to dental problems, she can do work without GA and is very cavy savy. I can pass on her details if you want.

Hope little Salt recovers soon x
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Hi

He doesnt seem to be dribbling too much yet however when I was feeding him with the syringe last night it was making a bit of a mess but that may have been my lack of syringe feeding skills not Salt,lol.

Yes please if you would. I currently take my Guinea Pigs to Connaught Vet on Tettanhall Road in wolverhampton, who are very good but I think I would much rather take them to a vet who is a good knowlegable Guinea Pig vet. Are they in Rookery Road by any chance?
 
Merrypip (a poster on here) I think use's Connaught vets also and she is very pleased with them.

It is the Rookery Road, Wombourne practice we use. There are 2 vets there, but Rosie is the one with the really good dental knowledge - she is fantastic. She works some days at Wombourne and some days in Gornal, Bank road, Gornal. Both practices are easy to get to.. telephone number is 01902 324551 If she's not at one branch she is at the other so you should be able to make an appointment to see her..


How is Salt's weight? Is he maintaining it
 
I think his weight has dropped a little he used to be just over one and now he is just under 1 I camt remember off the top of my head I just know where the pointer was before when I put him on the scales.

Do you think it's worth cancelling my appointment and ringing the vets in wombourne tomorrow? Or should I still take him today and then see what they say? His appointment is at 10 to 6 so I still have time to cancel it.
 
nikki88ikkin said:
I think his weight has dropped a little he used to be just over one and now he is just under 1 I camt remember off the top of my head I just know where the pointer was before when I put him on the scales.

Do you think it's worth cancelling my appointment and ringing the vets in wombourne tomorrow? Or should I still take him today and then see what they say? His appointment is at 10 to 6 so I still have time to cancel it.
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Typing this on phone. Apologies for spelling. If you've got an app i'd take him tonight. Also book apt to see Rosie.. Buy yourself some digital scales from Argos they are cheap and better to weigh with, as you need to know how much he is eating.
 
Just thought I'd let you know, they checked Salt over and he now weighs 890g, when he went in a couple of weeks back he was 1kg . :( poor piggy. They have referred him to a more specialist vet in Shiffnal, has anybody heard anything about them? They said they are sort of partnered with them I am going on Monday evening, it was the earliest they could get me in on a evening and they have told me to start up the baytril & Metacam again and also gave me 2 more recovery food packs to give him.

He ate a little bit when getting back from the vet and I have just gave him saw water with a syringe. Hes now snuggled up in his travel box for tonight on the little table in my bedroom as I want to monitor his poo.
 
Thanks for the update, please weigh him daily on some digital scales, these are the ones we've got - http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/8422996/Trail/searchtext>SALTER+SCALES.htm
Piggie can be popped in Tupperware on top to weigh easily. Can't stress how important daily weighing is, it lets you know whats going in...

If he is losing weight daily, you will need to syringe feed him. Is it Critical Care sachets you've been given? If is lack of appetite is down to pain the metacam will help.

It is important to keep his guts moving. I don't have experience of the Shifnal vets. If he goes downhill at anypoint please get him back to vets straight away.

What did your vet say it may be? How is Salt this morning?
 
I have brought some digital scales today so will weight him when I get home again and keep a record.
I softened some of his dried food last night and kept him separate from Pepper to see if he ate it and he did so thats good. He didnt do a poo though it was from about 11pm to 4am when he was in the travel box (he woke me up shuffling around so I took him back downstairs to snuggle up to Pepper) Think I'll spearate them at tea time tonight and feed them separatley and keep them spearate until bed (which i dont like doing) just to see if Salt does poo or not.

Yes it is critical care. She said his molar teeth are starting to curl over again (I did think already!) apparently the Vet in Shiffnal can sort teeth out without GA. He'll also be able to advise if it his teeth again and if not take a blood test to find out more.

He seemed ok, was his normal chirpy self, standing on his back legs wanting food. He had his metacam and baytril and was trying to eat some broccoli when I left for work.

I did try and give him some critical care but he didnt want it this morning so Ill make sure he has it tonight if he doesnt eat any veg or hay himself. Its hard monitoring if he's eaten though when your at work all day isn't it and I dont want to split them all day because I dont think its fair :(
 
Thanks for the update. The weight will be greatest indication, such a useful tool. You'll tell if he's eaten in the day his weight will remain roughly stable when weighed tonight...
If nothing can be found with the teeth, I would recomend an xray to check for problems with the root's, this is what our piggie had.

Hope little Salt will be feeling better soon
x
 
What about the pooing part? Will it show in his weight? Sorry if I sound thick!

Can the problem with the roots just happen as he was a happy & healthy piggy for over 3years :(

Thank you for the get well wishes :) x
 
nikki88ikkin said:
What about the pooing part? Will it show in his weight? Sorry if I sound thick!

Can the problem with the roots just happen as he was a happy & healthy piggy for over 3years :(

Thank you for the get well wishes :) x
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If you seperate in the evening when you get home from work, between then and bedtime poo should have happened... :)) I always do ours like this when on poo watch as they hate being apart, so I will leave them together during the day at work, plus I know it's weird but I can often tell who's poo is who's lol!

Pitch our dental piggie was 4 1/2 when she developed spurs on her teeth that were filed down several times by various vets, but she still couldn't eat...
We finally found a great vet in Rosie who did a Dental without GA and gave her an xray, only to find her roots had overgrown across her mouth causing all the problems... This probably won't be the issue with your piggie but it's always worth bearing things in mind.

If you need any help at any point just ask. Best of Luck.
 
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