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Dental procedure recovery

And this is him trying to eat straw..... Not the best video but I think you can see how he just can't grip it
 
Lynne G said:
And this is him trying to eat straw..... Not the best video but I think you can see how he just can't grip it
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furryfriends (TEAS) said:
If you could sort out a referral to Cat and Rabbit Clinic, I could offer boarding through my pet care business and take them to an appointment. I could offer boarding from Friday or Saturday. I would need an appointment to have been sorted though, before I could take them.
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Hello. I've only just seen this. My vets is closed now so I will see how he goes until Tuesday and then ring to see if I can get a referral if there's no improvement.
What a great service you offer. How much would that be? And did you mean you could have him from when I am due to go away? I was considering asking the apartment owner if I could take Cookie so I could continue syringe feeding.....
He's currently eating parsley from a pot and doing really well but I can see he has a tearing issue.....
 
Well, I think we may have turned a corner 🤞 Went and bought a variety of foods that I thought Cookie would be able to ger hold of and he's spent a couple of hours wandering round and eating various things. He even managed to keep some pellets in 😳 He's currently playing with a chew toy....... Don't want to get ahead of myself, but feeling much more hopeful..... 😊
 
When incisors are slanting it can indicate a problem further back. When they were trimmed were they in a straight line?
If piggy has a molar spur that is making the gum sore, or a tender tooth or an abscess they chew a bit to one side to try and relieve the pressure. This means that over time the incisors form a slanting line depending on which side the problem is further back.
Cat and Rabbit are highly recommended for dentals on here - we have truly heard some miracle stories - and Debbie's Excellent Animal Sanctuary (TEAS) for special needs piggies means she's seen all sorts of issues!
 
Free Ranger said:
When incisors are slanting it can indicate a problem further back. When they were trimmed were they in a straight line?
If piggy has a molar spur that is making the gum sore, or a tender tooth or an abscess they chew a bit to one side to try and relieve the pressure. This means that over time the incisors form a slanting line depending on which side the problem is further back.
Cat and Rabbit are highly recommended for dentals on here - we have truly heard some miracle stories - and Debbie's Excellent Animal Sanctuary (TEAS) for special needs piggies means she's seen all sorts of issues!
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Before trimming both incisors were slanting slightly to the right which is why the molars were then treated and why she's trimmed the incisors. I'm going to see if he continues to make progress today/tomorrow and contact my vet on Tuesday........
 
Free Ranger said:
When incisors are slanting it can indicate a problem further back. When they were trimmed were they in a straight line?
If piggy has a molar spur that is making the gum sore, or a tender tooth or an abscess they chew a bit to one side to try and relieve the pressure. This means that over time the incisors form a slanting line depending on which side the problem is further back.
Cat and Rabbit are highly recommended for dentals on here - we have truly heard some miracle stories - and Debbie's Excellent Animal Sanctuary (TEAS) for special needs piggies means she's seen all sorts of issues!
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I've had a closer look and can see that neither the top or bottom incisors are level which I'm guessing is the problem now? Why he's struggling to rip and tear. So I wonder if I go back if she'll suggest levelling them off or whether she'll be open to a referral? I'm just worried that if they have to be levelled off now they will be too short?
 
Slanting incisors can point to a few things, but generally it is due to the guinea pig not chewing evenly, whether that is due to a problem with the molars, or pain which causes them to favour one side of the mouth. I definitely think it would be worth seeing if your vet would be willing to refer to Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic, as Simon and Kim have such a huge amount of experience of dealing with guinea pigs with dental issues. I had a piggy arrive last weekend, who saw Simon on Monday. He had a very painful jaw, with pus leaking into the mouth and his teeth were very overgrown, despite having a recent dental with previous vet. Simon filed his teeth, started him on a strong antibiotic and Leo is now eating entirely for himself and is clearly in much less pain.

If you can get a referral and you would like to board your piggy, just drop me a message and I can call you to discuss xx
 
Seriously don't worry about the too short aspect. There was a piggy on here with no bottom incisors at all and although he had to re-learn how to get food in he then ate by himself with now problem.

What I would be bothered about is that presumably when the incisors were first trimmed they were level, so they've grown back and been worn to one side again. This coupled with his continual eating problems at this stage kind of suggest that you've not got to the root of the problem (no pun intended) and there is still an issue on one side further back. @furryfriends (TEAS) does that sound fair enough to you? Oooh you've literally just posted!
 
Free Ranger said:
Seriously don't worry about the too short aspect. There was a piggy on here with no bottom incisors at all and although he had to re-learn how to get food in he then ate by himself with now problem.

What I would be bothered about is that presumably when the incisors were first trimmed they were level, so they've grown back and been worn to one side again. This coupled with his continual eating problems at this stage kind of suggest that you've not got to the root of the problem (no pun intended) and there is still an issue on one side further back. @furryfriends (TEAS) does that sound fair enough to you? Oooh you've literally just posted!
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Great minds think alike! Yes, definitely is going to be linked to either a molar or pain issue, causing uneven wear due to favouring one side of the mouth.
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Great minds think alike! Yes, definitely is going to be linked to either a molar or pain issue, causing uneven wear due to favouring one side of the mouth.
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My issue now is I don't know if they were even after the procedure or not? I'm wondering if that's been the issue since then? I'd really like to get a referral and will try on Tuesday......
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Slanting incisors can point to a few things, but generally it is due to the guinea pig not chewing evenly, whether that is due to a problem with the molars, or pain which causes them to favour one side of the mouth. I definitely think it would be worth seeing if your vet would be willing to refer to Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic, as Simon and Kim have such a huge amount of experience of dealing with guinea pigs with dental issues. I had a piggy arrive last weekend, who saw Simon on Monday. He had a very painful jaw, with pus leaking into the mouth and his teeth were very overgrown, despite having a recent dental with previous vet. Simon filed his teeth, started him on a strong antibiotic and Leo is now eating entirely for himself and is clearly in much less pain.

If you can get a referral and you would like to board your piggy, just drop me a message and I can call you to discuss xx
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Thank you. How do I message?
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
It could happen from pain or jaw misalignment. Were they correct after the dental?
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This is terrible, but I don't know. I didn't fiddle too much and actually probably didn't know what I should be looking for but I do now..... When he went back she said they were fine so I can ask her if they've changed?
 
It'll be quite alright to ask these questions of your vet. I wouldn't have thought to look at the teeth myself as the mouth is sore and I would just rely on the expert! However, I would expect that she straightened up the incisors as they were trimmed - I can't think why they'd just be shortened on the slant as that would have been one of the reasons they did the molar dental in the first place. If your vet sees that the incisors are slanting again they will realise that they've not hit the source of the problem.

You might have to be support feeding for a bit longer while you wait for the referral to come through. If you try to get up in the night every 2 hours you will be really struggling here. If he's able to eat some things that you can leave around his cage for overnight it will help x
 
Free Ranger said:
It'll be quite alright to ask these questions of your vet. I wouldn't have thought to look at the teeth myself as the mouth is sore and I would just rely on the expert! However, I would expect that she straightened up the incisors as they were trimmed - I can't think why they'd just be shortened on the slant as that would have been one of the reasons they did the molar dental in the first place. If your vet sees that the incisors are slanting again they will realise that they've not hit the source of the problem.

You might have to be support feeding for a bit longer while you wait for the referral to come through. If you try to get up in the night every 2 hours you will be really struggling here. If he's able to eat some things that you can leave around his cage for overnight it will help x
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Morning.
I will ask her if they were level after the procedure and if they were, then I think she will have no choice but to refer.
For the past 2 nights I've done a midnight and then 7.30am feed and actually done fewer feeds during the day (about 5) as he's taking a bit more and eating bits independently. He's maintaining his weight (1272 this morning, so he's quite a big boy anyway) but I think there may be less pooping which makes me think I might need to do some night feeds again. He's been having quite a bit of parsley after his feeds.
I'm feeling like I'm not thinking straight as I'm tired and anxious and I keep looking at his incisors when he's eating and just get so mad thinking that's how they might have been cut and about everything he's going thr8which may have been unnecessary . I have been speaking to Debbie so in theory things could come together depending on when/if he can get to Simon and Kim......🤞🤞
 
Sleep depravation doesn't help thinking. I syringed my Ivy for about 6 weeks because she couldn't eat anything at all - literally at all - and there was always a gap between 11pm and 7am. Her teeth had overgrown - but we think her problem was swallowing rather than chewing; sadly we never found out. Apart from the not eating she had no obvious symptoms of anything. She was bright as a button. But when I got a tiny bit of slop into her mouth she chewed at it for an age...

If he's maintaining his weight (and what a weight!) you're doing great. I think you'll need a referral to get him right though. Will he lick up the slurry or softened pellets from a plate? If the poops are down it'll be fibre you need to get into him - Ivy's poops were properly down - smaller, thinner and dryer - but they kept on coming so her guts were still working. He doesn't have to have perfect poops - he's a bit unwell but sounds like he's getting on with things. It's always on a bank holiday isn't it.
Deep breaths my lovely x
 
Free Ranger said:
Sleep depravation doesn't help thinking. I syringed my Ivy for about 6 weeks because she couldn't eat anything at all - literally at all - and there was always a gap between 11pm and 7am. Her teeth had overgrown - but we think her problem was swallowing rather than chewing; sadly we never found out. Apart from the not eating she had no obvious symptoms of anything. She was bright as a button. But when I got a tiny bit of slop into her mouth she chewed at it for an age...

If he's maintaining his weight (and what a weight!) you're doing great. I think you'll need a referral to get him right though. Will he lick up the slurry or softened pellets from a plate? If the poops are down it'll be fibre you need to get into him - Ivy's poops were properly down - smaller, thinner and dryer - but they kept on coming so her guts were still working. He doesn't have to have perfect poops - he's a bit unwell but sounds like he's getting on with things. It's always on a bank holiday isn't it.
Deep breaths my lovely x
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Thank you 😊
Does that mean Ivy didn't make it, or you just never knew what had made her unable to eat?
It's probably done him no harm to lose weight and I am chuffed we're managing to maintain it. I'll try the softened pellets on a plate again although he's not been interested so far. His poops wee really improving and getting back to the old shape and we're pretty moist so the decrease is a bit of a worry. So aware of having to keep everything moving, but he does have medication for that and he's having a probiotic.
Your encouragement is very much appreciated xx
 
Lynne G said:
Your encouragement is very much appreciated
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Anyone who has had to syringe feed a piggie after surgery or when they are unwell will feel for you, and especially anyone who has had to get up through the night when life hangs in the balance will feel your pain. It is one of the hardest things, and the constant hope is that each day might bring improvement. No my girl Ivy didn't make it... she went downhill quite suddenly one weekend and I took her in for pts. She saw about every vet in the practice in the end but we just couldn't find what was wrong 😪
 
Free Ranger said:
Anyone who has had to syringe feed a piggie after surgery or when they are unwell will feel for you, and especially anyone who has had to get up through the night when life hangs in the balance will feel your pain. It is one of the hardest things, and the constant hope is that each day might bring improvement. No my girl Ivy didn't make it... she went downhill quite suddenly one weekend and I took her in for pts. She saw about every vet in the practice in the end but we just couldn't find what was wrong 😪
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I'm really sorry to hear that 😢
 
It's OK. Don't let it get you down. Your boy most likely can get his issue improved or resolved as he's still eating something for himself... it's just keeping him going and keeping his spirits up until you can get to the treatment. Ivy used to find it easier with the syringe when we sat outside. It was decent weather and she enjoyed the garden environment. Sometimes I pounded up carrot or parsley in the mortar and pestle to flavour water for her - then I added it to the slurry if it went down well. Try and get the vet to keep him on metacam until you can see someone else though in case there is pain that is putting him off eating in addition to whatever physical issue there might be.

She taught me a lot and for 3 1/2 years she was a happy girl. I don't post in the Rainbow section as it's too painful. I don't look back.
She's the dark-eye white in this photo with a much younger George. She was the lady boss but she looked after him and at the end he looked after her 💕
Geroge and Ivy.webp
 
Free Ranger said:
It's OK. Don't let it get you down. Your boy most likely can get his issue improved or resolved as he's still eating something for himself... it's just keeping him going and keeping his spirits up until you can get to the treatment. Ivy used to find it easier with the syringe when we sat outside. It was decent weather and she enjoyed the garden environment. Sometimes I pounded up carrot or parsley in the mortar and pestle to flavour water for her - then I added it to the slurry if it went down well. Try and get the vet to keep him on metacam until you can see someone else though in case there is pain that is putting him off eating in addition to whatever physical issue there might be.

She taught me a lot and for 3 1/2 years she was a happy girl. I don't post in the Rainbow section as it's too painful. I don't look back.
She's the dark-eye white in this photo with a much younger George. She was the lady boss but she looked after him and at the end he looked after her 💕
View attachment 202112
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Oh, that's so cute that they looked after each other. She's lovely.
I am going to ask for more painkiller tomorrow. I now need to decide whether to hold on for Simon and Kim, or whether to try with a more local vet used by a rescue in the Potteries area with an exotic certificate. Like you say, I'm worried he will lose heart.......but he's been quite active today and eaten quite a lot independently.......🤔🤔🤔🤔
 
Lynne G said:
Oh, that's so cute that they looked after each other. She's lovely.
I am going to ask for more painkiller tomorrow. I now need to decide whether to hold on for Simon and Kim, or whether to try with a more local vet used by a rescue in the Potteries area with an exotic certificate. Like you say, I'm worried he will lose heart.......but he's been quite active today and eaten quite a lot independently.......🤔🤔🤔🤔
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Although the Willows vets used by the Potteries GPR are good with guinea pigs for anything dental I would definitely try to get a referral to Cat and Rabbit.
 
VickiA said:
Although the Willows vets used by the Potteries GPR are good with guinea pigs for anything dental I would definitely try to get a referral to Cat and Rabbit.
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Good news - appointment booked with Cat and Rabbit (although my vet was a bit sceptical at first due to no GA 🙄) and Cookie is going to stay with the lovely Debbie as I go away on Saturday. She really is wonderful. So fingers crossed for a positive outcome and an end to syringe feeds..... 🤞🤞
 
Lynne G said:
Good news - appointment booked with Cat and Rabbit (although my vet was a bit sceptical at first due to no GA 🙄) and Cookie is going to stay with the lovely Debbie as I go away on Saturday. She really is wonderful. So fingers crossed for a positive outcome and an end to syringe feeds..... 🤞🤞
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Debbie is great, Cookie will be in the very best of hands there. Simon and Kim will find out what’s wrong and get him eating again I’m sure if that x
 
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