4 year old boar with lump on jaw line

[pigglewiggles]

My Guinea pig stopped eating so I took him to the vet, she said that she can't see if it is a root absess or the root of the tooth has gone through the jaw. She prescribed pain meds and antibiotics along with emeprid, and said the antibiotics will either work or it won't if it doesn't then the root has probably gone through the jaw and there is nothing she can do and gave me a follow-up appointment just over a week later. At the next appointment the vet said that the lump had gone down a bit so she wants to give the antibiotics more time to work. We are now 1wk and 5days from the first appointment and I am still syringe feeding every 3hrs, he does eat little amounts by himself but not enough to stop the critical care, he was 1084g on the first vet appointment, 995g on the second appointment and now he is 975g. He seems OK in himself and is willing to eat but only little bits. I don't know what else to do to get him to eat more by himself. Has anyone got any advice on what more I can do to help him?

 

[weepweeps]

Hello. I’m sorry your piggy is unwell. As they are still losing weight you need to up the amount of syringe food you give them. I hope the antibiotics work. Can they do an X-ray so they know exactly what’s going on?

 

[Siikibam]

You need to weigh him once daily to see what his weight is doing. As he’s not eating (much) for himself, you need to be giving him minimum 60ml of syringe feed in a 24 hour period. Hay is the most important thing and it’s what helps them maintain their weight.

The other thing is that antibiotics can kill the appetite. Have a read of the guides below for more details on top up feeds. You can try putting it in a bowl or offering on a spoon.

I hope he turns a corner soon though. You’re doing well.

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

 

[pigglewiggles]

Hello. I’m sorry your piggy is unwell. As they are still losing weight you need to up the amount of syringe food you give them. I hope the antibiotics work. Can they do an X-ray so they know exactly what’s going on?

The vet did xrays and an ultrasound but still couldn't tell he has 10ml every 3hrs except during the night, I feed him at 10pm and then the next feed is at 5am.

 

[pigglewiggles]

You need to weigh him once daily to see what his weight is doing. As he’s not eating (much) for himself, you need to be giving him minimum 60ml of syringe feed in a 24 hour period. Hay is the most important thing and it’s what helps them maintain their weight.

The other thing is that antibiotics can kill the appetite. Have a read of the guides below for more details on top up feeds. You can try putting it in a bowl or offering on a spoon.

I hope he turns a corner soon though. You’re doing well.

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Thank you I will have a read. I have been trying to offer hay at each feed but he won't eat it, I did try soaking pellets in goats milk to try and get a bit of weight back on. He ate a little bit off of a spoon but hasn't wanted it since. I'm just really worried about the weight loss, I'm on 12hr nights next week and won't be able to do 3hrly feeds as my partner is at work during the day and the kids are at school

 

[Freela]

Did the vet do anything to try to address the abscess besides the antibiotics? Did they open the abscess and drain it or anything like that? I'm just puzzled because I've had two pigs with jawline abscesses and lancing and draining the abscess plus antibiotics was always the first-line treatment. Guinea pigs have very thick pus, so it's hard to penetrate an abscess capsule and clear up an abscess with antibiotics alone the way you can with some other species.

 

[pigglewiggles]

No, she just prescribed antibiotics. I have a follow-up appointment on Wednesday I will ask her about it.