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Baby food for Anorexic and dental issues

Rolina

Rolina

New Born Pup
Joined
Sep 8, 2020
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Location
Philadelphia
Hi guys,

My Oreo has major dental problems and is currently dropping weight like crazy. He’s been seen my the vet (didn’t fix the issue the first time so he has to go back on Jan 6th). He’s only eating by syringe and is currently being feed critical care and the occasional puréed fruit. This is his 3rd week of syringe feeding and he has lost 20-30 grams in the 1.5 weeks. My question is what else can I feed a guinea pig to gain weight? He’s older and I wanted to put some more weight (few grams) on him before his next surgery.
 
oh no... so sad... I had similar problems with Maxie, ended up ok, but I needed to keep an eye on him for a while
 
How much are you syringe feeding him per day? It needs to be 60-90ml in a 24 hour period so you will have to feed him every 1-2 hours. Weigh him daily at the same time while he’s not eating and you can use that to adjust the syringe feeding accordingly.

Fruit isn’t something that should be fed too regularly so I wouldn’t give him puréed fruit. Hay is the biggest part of their diet (80%) and they need fibre.
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
TheGuineaPigExpert said:
oh no... so sad... I had similar problems with Maxie, ended up ok, but I needed to keep an eye on him for a while
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I hope everything works out again given this being the 3rd time getting dental surgery, unfortunately this is the longest he has to wait :(.
 
I struggled to find a vet that could help with complex dental issues (even some of the best exotic vets around). Then I was recommended to Kim and Simon Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit clinic in Northampton. I can’t recommend them enough for dental issues and it’s well worth getting an appointment there. I travel 300 miles to see them and it’s well worth it.
 
Siikibam said:
How much are you syringe feeding him per day? It needs to be 60-90ml in a 24 hour period so you will have to feed him every 1-2 hours. Weigh him daily at the same time while he’s not eating and you can use that to adjust the syringe feeding accordingly.

Fruit isn’t something that should be fed too regularly so I wouldn’t give him puréed fruit. Hay is the biggest part of their diet (80%) and they need fibre.
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Click to expand...
The vet sent me home with instructions on how to feed: 50ml a day 3 times a day. I give him more if he wants more. I’ve weighed him daily, which is how I noticed he’s been losing weight. I give him fruit when he starts to grow bored of critical care.
 
Rolina said:
The vet sent me home with instructions on how to feed: 50ml a day 3 times a day. I give him more if he wants more. I’ve weighed him daily, which is how I noticed he’s been losing weight. I give him fruit when he starts to grow bored of critical care.
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As said fruit shouldn’t a regular part of their diet. You could also give him mushed pellets instead of critical care. Does he take the full 50ml in one sitting?

Unfortunately vets experienced in guinea pig dental issues are rare. What is wrong with his teeth and will it be an ongoing treatment thing?
 
Marvel_piggie_squad said:
I struggled to find a vet that could help with complex dental issues (even some of the best exotic vets around). Then I was recommended to Kim and Simon Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit clinic in Northampton. I can’t recommend them enough for dental issues and it’s well worth getting an appointment there. I travel 300 miles to see them and it’s well worth it.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately I barely make enough to pay for his vet bills :( wish I could travel to get him help.
 
Rolina said:
Unfortunately I barely make enough to pay for his vet bills :( wish I could travel to get him help.
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Sending lots of love. And fingers crossed for both. Hope you can get on top of his issues soon 🤞🏻
Apologies, hasn’t realised you were in the US!
 
All the best @Rolina i hope you can help him maintain until his next appointment. And that he starts improving and eating by himself afterwards.
 
Siikibam said:
As said fruit shouldn’t a regular part of their diet. You could also give him mushed pellets instead of critical care. Does he take the full 50ml in one sitting?

Unfortunately vets experienced in guinea pig dental issues are rare. What is wrong with his teeth and will it be an ongoing treatment thing?
Click to expand...
Hey thanks! not sure if I made it clear but he only gets fruit on occasions which is when he’s not interested in critical care at the moment. And No, I can get about 20 ml first thing in the morning.
From what the vet has told me, his refusal to eat hay regularly and chew on things has resulted in his teeth being overgrown:(. I have other guinea pigs who has barely gotten a tooth chipped, so I’m not sure why he gets these dental issues.
 
Rolina said:
Hey thanks! not sure if I made it clear but he only gets fruit on occasions which is when he’s not interested in critical care at the moment. And No, I can get about 20 ml first thing in the morning.
From what the vet has told me, his refusal to eat hay regularly and chew on things has resulted in his teeth being overgrown:(. I have other guinea pigs who has barely gotten a tooth chipped, so I’m not sure why he gets these dental issues.
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Unfortunately some piggies are just more prone. It can sometimes be due to natural conformational defects 😔
 
Hay (and grass) is what helps keep teeth worn down. So if he’s not eating it can cause overgrowth. But that may not have been the initial cause. Had he stopped eating hay when the vet first noticed they were overgrown?

Since he’s only taking 20ml I would switch to feeding 5ml every two hours during the day then perhaps 2 overnight feeds. As long as he’s taking in minimum 60ml in 24 hours.
 
Rolina said:
:(yeah I think you’re right
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Unfortunately if they aren’t eating because of pain, teeth grow back quickly after dentals. Then they don’t eat again. So you end up in a cycle. They can be sore after dental work too. May be worth speaking to your vet about pain relief also, to try break the cycle.
Some piggies are dental piggies for life. I used to take my boy for dental work every 2 weeks, though this did eventually extend to every 4. Bit each piggie is very different
 
Siikibam said:
Hay (and grass) is what helps keep teeth worn down. So if he’s not eating it can cause overgrowth. But that may not have been the initial cause. Had he stopped eating hay when the vet first noticed they were overgrown?

Since he’s only taking 20ml I would switch to feeding 5ml every two hours during the day then perhaps 2 overnight feeds. As long as he’s taking in minimum 60ml in 24 hours.
Click to expand...
Oddly enough Oreo has always preferred not to eat hay regularly. It takes him about 2x the time it takes for a *normal* pig to empty a hay rack.
 
Rolina said:
Oddly enough Oreo has always preferred not to eat hay regularly. It takes him about 2x the time it takes for a *normal* pig to empty a hay rack.
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If rate of chewing is decreased, it definitely needs further investigation to rule out any jaw issues or other underlying problems making him eat less/slower than the others
 
how many pigs do you have? (not criticizing, but maybe they are getting into fights when you leave. sounds serious)
 
Marvel_piggie_squad said:
Unfortunately if they aren’t eating because of pain, teeth grow back quickly after dentals. Then they don’t eat again. So you end up in a cycle. They can be sore after dental work too. May be worth speaking to your vet about pain relief also, to try break the cycle.
Some piggies are dental piggies for life. I used to take my boy for dental work every 2 weeks, though this did eventually extend to every 4. Bit each piggie is very different
Click to expand...

thanks for that! He’s on pain meds to get him through the weeks leading up to his appointment. And yeah I would rather take him to a vet routinely instead of having so many scares!
 
Rolina said:
thanks for that! He’s on pain meds to get him through the weeks leading up to his appointment. And yeah I would rather take him to a vet routinely instead of having so many scares!
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No problem. Hope you start to see improvement. Keep us posted
 
Rolina said:
Hi guys,

My Oreo has major dental problems and is currently dropping weight like crazy. He’s been seen my the vet (didn’t fix the issue the first time so he has to go back on Jan 6th). He’s only eating by syringe and is currently being feed critical care and the occasional puréed fruit. This is his 3rd week of syringe feeding and he has lost 20-30 grams in the 1.5 weeks. My question is what else can I feed a guinea pig to gain weight? He’s older and I wanted to put some more weight (few grams) on him before his next surgery.
Click to expand...

Hi!

Please have a read of these guides here:
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

If his weight is not stable, please try to up his syringe feed in frequency (feeding less at once but feeding more often so you get more into him over the course of a day) but be aware that there may be underlying issues, especially in older piggies. They will rarely gain weight, whatever you throw at them once their metabolism and their ability to process nutrition is slowing down and no longer working optimally.

The less teeth are ground down by the silica in hay and grass (against which they have evolved), the quicker they will overgrow again. Slow chewing can be the first sign of developing dental issues.
 
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