• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Bite near mouth, trouble eating :(

Scooter Pie

Scooter Pie

Teenage Guinea Pig
Joined
May 26, 2020
Messages
595
Reaction score
910
Points
495
Location
Bethlehem PA, Northeastern USA
Hi everyone,

I'm just looking for support. Vet appointment is Wednesday at 5:30.

One of my piggies (Kona) wouldn't eat some lettuce tonight and I noticed blood near her mouth. Cleaned with a paper towel and saline. Really hard to find the source of the blood. I'm 99% sure her cage mate nipped her as she's a "teen" 10 months old and today both of them were in season. Peggy seemed extra annoyed at being rumbled at.

Anyway, I'm concerned because Kona won't eat. She's making that mouth motion like when a dental pig is due for a trim.

So I'm wondering if something else entirely is going on. Definite blood but maybe coming from inside her mouth?

I gave her meloxicam about 90 minutes ago and she's resting now. Before, she could not manage some cucumber or fresh hay :( :( :(

Hoping if the meds kick in we have some luck. Ive got critical care.

Thanks for listening. Oh and I should mention we are going away for a week this saturday. Pet sitter is experienced with cats and is not afraid of poop. But giving meds would be a problem. My regular very piggie experienced sitter has a baby (human :) ) now and is around for emergencies. WHY NOW!
 
I am so sorry to hear about poor Kona. It's good that she is going in to see the vet this week before you go on vacation. Sorry I am completely useless on advice, but hoping for the best and that the vet finds the root of the problem.
 
Update. Seems to be an injury inside her mouth. Looked with a flashlight (torch?! :) ) and there's no injury on her lips, nose, etc.

I let her rest for a while before checking her...chin is wet with drool. Started critical care.

Hay poke inside the mouth? It's all I can think of. Top and bottom teeth look fine.
 
Please see if you can have her seen sooner by a vet if she’s unable to eat and is drooling.
 
VickiA said:
Please see if you can have her seen sooner by a vet if she’s unable to eat and is drooling.
Click to expand...
I did. They will call if she can get in sooner but the vet isn't there today and the other practice doesn't have a vet till next week.

It's 6am now and she's eating pellets on her own. Still making that mouth motion like something's stuck in her cheek. But she was very eager to eat the pellets. Last critical care was around 2am.
 
Scooter Pie said:
I did. They will call if she can get in sooner but the vet isn't there today and the other practice doesn't have a vet till next week.

It's 6am now and she's eating pellets on her own. Still making that mouth motion like something's stuck in her cheek. But she was very eager to eat the pellets. Last critical care was around 2am.
Click to expand...

Please have her teeth at the back checked as well; it could be a premolar spur grown into her cheek.

Please weigh daily at the same time and step in with syringe feed if needed. Keep in mind that three quarters or more of what a piggy eats in a day should be hay and that 1 tablespoon of pellets and a modicum of preferably green veg are only replacing the supplementary role of wild forage in a piggy's diet. It is the silica in the hay/grass fibre that grinds down the crucial back teeth - their dental growth rate and digestion has evolved on their grass fibre based diet.
Please bookmark these two links and read them. They contain lots of helpful practical advice on bridging and crisis care, including how you improvise as best as you can in an emergency:
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

Salivating generally means that your piggy struggles to swallow for some reason, whether it is a tooth or a fungal mouth infection (thrush) or an injury in the mouth/something stuck.

All the best.
 
Thank you. It's definitely an injury as she was fine all day, then we saw blood and it started. She is not eating any hay at all. I'm able to get the critical care in her about 5ml at a time. Doing that every 2 hours.
 
Update: tomorrow's 5:30pm appointment moved up to 10:30am for drop off, possible sedation and xrays. Vet emailed me on her day off 💖 and said continue with the critical care and meloxicam.

After her last critical care feeding, she seemed to want to forage in hay. I sprinkled a few pellets around and she ate some. Then I gave her a little pile of chopped red pepper and a chunk to her cage mate...well she stole the chunk and took it into her tunnel as normal 💖 She had some trouble and went back to the chopped pieces. But this activity made me hopeful.
 
Update: It was a pointy 1st molar giving her an ulcer in her cheek. She's recovering and I can pick her up in about 3 hours.

And I found out they have medical boarding at the vet's! So if she still needs critical care, she and her cage mate can stay there for the week while we are away.
 
That's great news! Glad to hear that they found the problem. Hoping Kona is diving into the hay now. 😄
 
She's pretty sleepy at this point, but was up and around nibbling on some pellets and a little pepper in the hour after we got home. I gave her critical care 4 hours ago and am giving her one more serving before bed...

Just hoping her system handles being under ok, no GI stasis or anything!

The sweetest thing was, her cage mate groomed her like crazy when she got back 🥰 They've only lived together since November and this was the first time they were separated this long.
 
Absence makes the heart grow fonder 💕
It's lovely to know that her cage mate will be making her feel better when she's recovering (even if she does pinch her pepper)
 
I'm happy, Kona started eating some hay tonight. Her signature move is to slowly consume a long piece while staying still and just staring into space 💖

Tomorrow I go to check out the exotics boarding room and see what they have as far as enclosures and how I could use our fleece and hideys. I wish I didn't have to board her but it's the only way I won't worry constantly. It's only going to cost $68 a day for the pair 🤣😱😵‍💫🤷🏼‍♀️💸BCB94DCF-930B-4DBA-91DE-54CB33C330C6.webp
 
Glad to hear that she is eating her hay again. It does sound pretty pricey, but I bet you will feel a ton better knowing that she is in capable hands with the vet's office. Hope she continues to have a smooth recovery and you can enjoy your vacation.
 
Right...and there's no way I could ask our pet sitter (she knows cats and this is her first piggie job!) to recognize when anything was wrong.

Luckily my other two are healthy (knock on wood!) and my original sitter is available in case of emergency.
 
Just now she had some bloody pee with three normal size (but pointy on one end) poops. Vet is dispensing benebac.

Side effect from days on critical care, being put under, and her system getting used to hay again?!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top