Hi. I have problems with Domino again. Her teeth are in a bit of a state and shes having trouble eating as in it takes her forever and her sisters steal the food. I addition to the teeth she now has a foot issue. She is barely putting any weight on it and is holding it up when she can. I went to the vets yesterday. They said her teeth were okay as in they'll just have to sort themselves and gave her painkillers for the leg. It could be injury, infection or arthritis. Shes only 3 and seems to have developed all these issues. I'm so scared of losing her. Shes 650g, which isnt the greatest, but as long as she keeps trying to eat I hope she'll be okay. Its just one thing after another at the moment.
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Yet another problem
- Thread starter Chaz
- Start date
I’m sorry to hear this
If she isn’t able to eat hay properly and is losing weight then her teeth won’t sort themselves. Dental problems will get worse if any potential overgrowth of mouth issue isn’t dealt with.
It is important you step in with syringe feeding her a recovery feed to keep her weight up and replace the fibre she isn’t able to eat for herself
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels
I hope she is ok
If she isn’t able to eat hay properly and is losing weight then her teeth won’t sort themselves. Dental problems will get worse if any potential overgrowth of mouth issue isn’t dealt with.
It is important you step in with syringe feeding her a recovery feed to keep her weight up and replace the fibre she isn’t able to eat for herself
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels
I hope she is ok
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Holding you in my thoughts
Oh no poor Domino. Sending healing vibes. Hopefully the pain meds will help with her foot but if there are teeth problems they will need sorting out unfortunately. Good luck.
Sorry, about the teeth issues, I meant the vet said to let them grow out because they broke. She can bite and eat, it just takes her a little longer. Obviously if they start growing weird I'll take her back. The vet did see her yesterday though and said they looked alright
Okay, so it's a bit weird, she can bite down on my finger to the point that it hurts. So, her teeth do work and I've seen her eat hay, nuggets and anything else I put in there. As long as I put enough so she gets some before her sisters get to it, she's okay. She got up to 650g today, which isn't great, but she fluctuates anyway. She just slow. She's still hopping about and hardly using that foot, despite being on painkillers.
And this is what's making me think she's putting it on a bit for me. I mean this is the same piggy who starved herself over the wrong brand of hay. She's not dropping weight, but she's not massively putting it on either, even though she's eating quite a bit.
And this is what's making me think she's putting it on a bit for me. I mean this is the same piggy who starved herself over the wrong brand of hay. She's not dropping weight, but she's not massively putting it on either, even though she's eating quite a bit.
She is not likely to be putting it on for you. In fact quite the opposite - she is more likely to feel comfortable at home enough to show you exactly how much she hurts.
I had a piggy who hurt his leg. He was limping around his cage all morning but when we got to the vet that day, he walked across the vet room floor perfectly fine. As soon as I got him home again he started limping. The vet knew being a prey animal that the fact he walked ok at the surgery was purely a fear response, they can hide their pain particularly when feeling most vulnerable. At home he felt comfortable and secure so was able to show how much it hurt.
Has she always weighed small?
How is her heft? That is the key factor as to whether her size is right for her.
I had a piggy who hurt his leg. He was limping around his cage all morning but when we got to the vet that day, he walked across the vet room floor perfectly fine. As soon as I got him home again he started limping. The vet knew being a prey animal that the fact he walked ok at the surgery was purely a fear response, they can hide their pain particularly when feeling most vulnerable. At home he felt comfortable and secure so was able to show how much it hurt.
Has she always weighed small?
How is her heft? That is the key factor as to whether her size is right for her.
hana<3pigs
Junior Guinea Pig
Poor piggy, and so young too.
When my old girl started limping, I took her to the vet for an x-ray. Turned out to be the best thing for her, as the information gathered led to a more effective treatment plan. Perhaps you could suggest this to your exotics vet?
When my old girl started limping, I took her to the vet for an x-ray. Turned out to be the best thing for her, as the information gathered led to a more effective treatment plan. Perhaps you could suggest this to your exotics vet?
Yeah she's always been 700-ish. We like her to be that and more. 600 is on the small side, but we don't start worrying until it gets below. We is me and the vet. She's 650 at the moment.
I'm doing the week of painkillers, then going back if nothings improved. I'll suggest it then.
Have you checked her heft?
Are you offering top up feeds of critical care?
Are you cutting up veg into match sticks and hand feeding them to her so she finds it easier to manage?
What dosage is painkillers?
Is it cat or dog Metacam?
Are the painkillers once or twice a day?
Are you offering top up feeds of critical care?
Are you cutting up veg into match sticks and hand feeding them to her so she finds it easier to manage?
What dosage is painkillers?
Is it cat or dog Metacam?
Are the painkillers once or twice a day?
Shes the same heft as shes always been. Its the normal one on the chart. I have no critical care as ive lost it, but shes eating normally. I have been hand feeding bite size pieces of veg and separately feeding hay so she actually gets some. Shes also eating nuggets and hasn't actually lost weight.
I'm not sure what dose it is, but it's cat one. They're once a day.
So she is just small then but not underweight.
If she is maintaining weight then that is good.
If she was to have lost more than 50g then she would not be eating enough hay
The dose is important as too low of a dose of the cat version and at once a day can mean little to no painkilling is actually taking place
If she is maintaining weight then that is good.
If she was to have lost more than 50g then she would not be eating enough hay
The dose is important as too low of a dose of the cat version and at once a day can mean little to no painkilling is actually taking place
Its the 0.5 one and its 3 drops a day.
She dropped initially, but hasn't really since then. But she also is an extremely fussy girl. She'll route through hay to find the bits she wants whereas her sisters eat everything
She dropped initially, but hasn't really since then. But she also is an extremely fussy girl. She'll route through hay to find the bits she wants whereas her sisters eat everything
So 3 drops once a day only amounts to 0.1ml which is a very low dose even for a 600g piggy. If she is still displaying signs of pain then that is most likely why.
It’s normal for piggies to forage through hay and pick out the nicest bits
It’s normal for piggies to forage through hay and pick out the nicest bits
Wheekallweek
Adult Guinea Pig
I agree with @Piggies&buns the metacam dose does sound very low, especially as it’s the lower concentration (cat) as opposed to the dog one. Would be worth checking with your vet about upping the dose 
Wheekallweek
Adult Guinea Pig
Best of luck for the vets today!
They use their incisors to pick up food so if they have snapped off then she is going to struggle to eat as she won’t be able to pick it up effectively (hence the advice to give recovery feed but also give thin match stick strips of veg)
See that's the thing, they've mostly grown back now. But as long as I fatten her up on cc, hopefully she'll be okay
Wheekallweek
Adult Guinea Pig
Glad she’s eating the cc well, that must be a weight off!
I went to the vets today instead of yesterday as she dropped to 599. They sorted her teeth and one of them is wobbly. I'm starting to think something happened to her when we were on holiday. Anyway, vets increased metacam dosage and said to syringe the crit care, which I dont like to do without a vets say so when shes eating it from the spoon. So I gave her 2 tbsp tonight and a bit of cucumber. She seems to be storing most of the food in her pouches, so hopefully it actually goes in her. But she's gone up about 13g since I weighed her this morning.
I'm glad you’ve had her seen. 50g weight drop in a couple of days is a lot to lose for such a tiny girl, it’s almost 10% of her body weight in one go.
Guinea pigs do not have pouches so if she is holding food in her mouth then she isn’t swallowing it by choice - could be through discomfort if she has had her teeth done.
Don’t weigh twice a day, it picks up too much fluctuation so is very inaccurate. Her weight itself hasn’t gone up by 13g, you’ve simply weighed her when she has eaten so it isn’t a true reflection of her weight.
Weigh her tomorrow morning and compare it to this mornings weight as they will then be a true reflection of her weight and whether she ate enough in the previous 24 hours.
It’s important she is syringe fed enough per day to stop any further weight loss - you need to aim for a minimum of 40ml but ideally 60ml per day
What is her Metacam dosage now?
Guinea pigs do not have pouches so if she is holding food in her mouth then she isn’t swallowing it by choice - could be through discomfort if she has had her teeth done.
Don’t weigh twice a day, it picks up too much fluctuation so is very inaccurate. Her weight itself hasn’t gone up by 13g, you’ve simply weighed her when she has eaten so it isn’t a true reflection of her weight.
Weigh her tomorrow morning and compare it to this mornings weight as they will then be a true reflection of her weight and whether she ate enough in the previous 24 hours.
It’s important she is syringe fed enough per day to stop any further weight loss - you need to aim for a minimum of 40ml but ideally 60ml per day
What is her Metacam dosage now?
I know they dont have pouches, that's just what I refer to as the bit where the rest of the teeth are, if you know what I mean. And I think it was mostly cc that was around her teeth. The dosage is now 0.24 mls.
If she isn’t swallowing the syringe feed then it is of concern.
Is that still a once a day dosage of cat Metacam?
It’s still a fairly small dose even for her size. You’ll have to see how she gets on with it and whether it manages any pain she is in
Is that still a once a day dosage of cat Metacam?
It’s still a fairly small dose even for her size. You’ll have to see how she gets on with it and whether it manages any pain she is in