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Dental spur? Advice/support please!

CinnamonSmokey121

CinnamonSmokey121

Junior Guinea Pig
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East Sussex
Hi all

I noticed this morning that my Cinnamon (usually the greediest pig going!) was begging for food as usual, but when she got it she would take a few tentative bites then do a weird gagging type thing and try and get something out with her paw. She'd then lose interest and run off. I rang the vets ASAP and she's been just now.

The vet confirmed that she has a small cut on her tongue, and although she couldn't see too much, suspected that she has a dental spur/spurs. She gave her an injection of Metacam and we've got some to give her to help with the pain. She also gave me critical care and told me to make sure she is pooing.

She's booked in provisionally on Monday for dental surgery to have the spurs filed. I know this comes with a risk, is it a big risk if she's an otherwise healthy 1 year old? I couldn't bear to lose her especially so young, but equally I don't want to put her at risk if it'll get better on it's own? Do dental spurs just suddenly come as she's been fine until this morning?

Thanks in advance!
 
My Ted had a dental spur and it was a gradual process over a few weeks I noticed he was eating less and less hay. Then he started biting and dropping veggies too out of his mouth. he’s bite it, giggle it around, gag and then walk off. His spur grew into his cheek and made eating painful.
If you are worried about aesthetics there is a brilliant pair of guinea pig vets that do dentals consciously but you would have to get your vet to refer you. It’s a lot safer and they are experts and do at least around 30 guinea pig dentals a week.
You must step in a syringe feed your piggie to keen it’s tummy going until she starts eating again. There is a guide in the green bar on syringe feeding and offer little bits of grated veggies or sticks to hand feed
I think the Maddock’s will probably be on holiday for Christmas next week though, you would have to check, such a shame it’s happened now around Christmas, x

Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
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Eddi suffered with spurs, and these were quickly and easily treated under anaesthetic a couple of times (2-3 I think?).
He always bounced back, and was over 3 years old when he had his first surgery. With a healthy pig and an experienced vet I would say the risk is small and is far outweighed by the benefits.
They won't go away on their own, and your vet does sound experienced to have picked it up.
Do you weigh them weekly?
With Eddi he 'seemed' fine, but over the course of 2-3 weeks he was steadily loosing a small amount of weight - not an alarming amount but it was continual which is what alerted me to the problem.
 
Bill & Ted said:
My Ted had a dental spur and it was a gradual process over a few weeks I noticed he was eating less and less hay. Then he started biting and dropping veggies too out of his mouth. he’s bite it, giggle it around, gag and then walk off. His spur grew into his cheek and made eating painful.
If you are worried about aesthetics there is a brilliant pair of guinea pig vets that do dentals consciously but you would have to get your vet to refer you. It’s a lot safer and they are experts and do at least around 30 guinea pig dentals a week.
You must step in a syringe feed your piggie to keen it’s tummy going until she starts eating again. There is a guide in the green bar on syringe feeding and offer little bits of grated veggies or sticks to hand feed
I think the Maddock’s will probably be on holiday for Christmas next week though, you would have to check, such a shame it’s happened now around Christmas, x

Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
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Thank you. I'll have a look into the Maddock's as an option.

I've done one round of syringe feeding (with varying success!) and tried her with a cucumber which she managed to eat, I drizzled some CC on there too so she had some.
 
Swissgreys said:
Eddi suffered with spurs, and these were quickly and easily treated under anaesthetic a couple of times (2-3 I think?).
He always bounced back, and was over 3 years old when he had his first surgery. With a healthy pig and an experienced vet I would say the risk is small and is far outweighed by the benefits.
They won't go away on their own, and your vet does sound experienced to have picked it up.
Do you weigh them weekly?
With Eddi he 'seemed' fine, but over the course of 2-3 weeks he was steadily loosing a small amount of weight - not an alarming amount but it was continual which is what alerted me to the problem.
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OK that's good to know, I she should theoretically be OK as a young pig but it's hard to make the choice isn't it and much as I try and consult her, she doesn't give me an answer!

I trust my vets a lot, they've always been great with my pigs and were invaluable with my sister and her rabbit.

I do mostly weigh weekly yes, she's a fairly chunky girl at 1.24kg so I'll keep an eye on that for sure. Thank you!
 
CinnamonSmokey121 said:
OK that's good to know, I she should theoretically be OK as a young pig but it's hard to make the choice isn't it and much as I try and consult her, she doesn't give me an answer!

I trust my vets a lot, they've always been great with my pigs and were invaluable with my sister and her rabbit.

I do mostly weigh weekly yes, she's a fairly chunky girl at 1.24kg so I'll keep an eye on that for sure. Thank you!
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I think if your vet is experienced with anaesthetising guinea pigs then that’s the main thing. There are few vets that have huge success with dental treatments, if it’s done right then your piggie should start to eat again fairly soon. They can lose confidence so you will have top up with syringe food and offer their favourite foods too until she is eating properly. Weigh daily, this will give you a good indication if she is getting enough food, look for a trend as piggies do naturally vary 40 g a day normally through full bladders, etc
Good luck I hope it’s a success, if you are still having problems and you are prepared to travel then you can always ask for a referral to the Cat and Rabbit x
 
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I’d highly recommend the cat and rabbit care clinic.
My local vet basically told me she had no chance. She’s now eating hay / veg / pellets and seems to be quickly getting back to herself!
They have literally saved her life! If you can travel there you won’t regret it.

My girl had exactly the same symptoms, ‘gagging’ on food and spitting it back out.
 
Thank you so much all for your help!

A feeding question now - if she is eating little bits of hay and little bits of veggies, how much critical care should I give her? I'm currently giving her about 1-2ml every 2/3 hours. Is that enough?
 
CinnamonSmokey121 said:
Thank you so much all for your help!

A feeding question now - if she is eating little bits of hay and little bits of veggies, how much critical care should I give her? I'm currently giving her about 1-2ml every 2/3 hours. Is that enough?
Click to expand...

That doesn’t sound anywhere near enough, that only 1-2 small syringes?
Furry friends will be able to help you out more, but if she’a only eating a few handfuls herself you need to be feeding minimum 80-100ml over the course of the day I think. Double check with the other x
 
CinnamonSmokey121 said:
Thank you so much all for your help!

A feeding question now - if she is eating little bits of hay and little bits of veggies, how much critical care should I give her? I'm currently giving her about 1-2ml every 2/3 hours. Is that enough?
Click to expand...

Guinea pigs, who aren’t eating really well, need around 80 -120 mls of syringe food, per 24 hours.

Check out the video I made to show the best way to syringe feed.
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Guinea pigs, who aren’t eating really well, need around 80 -120 mls of syringe food, per 24 hours.

Check out the video I made to show the best way to syringe feed.
Click to expand...
Ooh OK, I'll step it up then and go and give her as much as I can. That video is really helpful thank you!

If she's eating hay etc, I can't give her too much CC can I?
 
CinnamonSmokey121 said:
Ooh OK, I'll step it up then and go and give her as much as I can. That video is really helpful thank you!

If she's eating hay etc, I can't give her too much CC can I?
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No, you can't give too much! She will let you know when she's had enough. For those who can eat, but aren't eating much, I give around 10 mls and then give them their favourite veggies and some grass and see if they start to tuck in, sometimes this is enough to get their appetite going and then they are keen to eat for themselves. However, if they aren't eating very much at all, or just nibbling a bit of the food, then I aim for around 25mls to 30 mls per sitting. This way you can get a decent amount in with four sittings per 24 hours.
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
No, you can't give too much! She will let you know when she's had enough. For those who can eat, but aren't eating much, I give around 10 mls and then give them their favourite veggies and some grass and see if they start to tuck in, sometimes this is enough to get their appetite going and then they are keen to eat for themselves. However, if they aren't eating very much at all, or just nibbling a bit of the food, then I aim for around 25mls to 30 mls per sitting. This way you can get a decent amount in with four sittings per 24 hours.
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OK, good to know. I've upped it and she is eating as well (although slowly).

I just want her to be OK, at least I get lots of cuddle and talking time with her although I think my other piggy Smokey is jealous!
 
CinnamonSmokey121 said:
OK, good to know. I've upped it and she is eating as well (although slowly).

I just want her to be OK, at least I get lots of cuddle and talking time with her although I think my other piggy Smokey is jealous!
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Bless you, just keep trying with the syringe feeds as much as she will take even if slowly. I was spending a good hour feeding CC and veg for a good few weeks.
My other girl was getting jealous too when she heard Winnie munching on veg 🤣
 
Lisanjake said:
Bless you, just keep trying with the syringe feeds as much as she will take even if slowly. I was spending a good hour feeding CC and veg for a good few weeks.
My other girl was getting jealous too when she heard Winnie munching on veg 🤣
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She's eating more with the syringe now and seems to be (touchwood) eating more normally now too. I weighed her and she's put on weight since yesterday so hopefully that's encouraging!

Thank you everyone for your help ❤️

P. S I got Smokey out for a cuddle so she wasn't jealous, she was having a lovely time then did a massive wee on me 😂
 
I wonder if she’s had a bit of sharp hay stuck in her mouth that’s caused soreness? It can happen. Your vet will be able to check out her mouth next week but fingers crossed it’s been something like that, I do hope so
 
Bill & Ted said:
I wonder if she’s had a bit of sharp hay stuck in her mouth that’s caused soreness? It can happen. Your vet will be able to check out her mouth next week but fingers crossed it’s been something like that, I do hope so
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I'm hoping that might be it, as she hasn't done the gagging thing yesterday or today, fingers crossed 🤞

Thank you, I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow!
 
OK, so we went to the vet yesterday and I said I didn't want her to have the op. She was eating without the gagging thing and I didn't feel it right to put her through it if she doesn't even definitely have spurs. They said to take her off the painkillers and see how she does, and if she stops eating again or starts to struggle bring her straight back in.

Since last night (first night without painkillers) she is doing OK, she's eating without gagging and seems to be tucking into hay, nuggets and veggies.

Her weights were:
Fri (weighed at vet so different scales) 1.24g
Sat 18th: 1204g
Sun 19th: 1227g
Mon 20th: (weighed at vets) 1.24g
Tues 21st: 1195g

So all within the 40g, is this OK?

I topped her up with a little CC yesterday but she was really resisting it today - should I keep giving it to her if she's eating more or less normally?

Sorry for all the questions!
 
Id say keep up with the daily weigh ins, if shes losing more shes not eating enough.
Thats very similar with what my girl was losing (about 20g per day)
If shes eating for herself okay then thats great i wouldnt force anymore into her. but again if she continues to lose you might have too.
Its a shame you are from Sussex, it would be great for you to see Simon Maddock in Northampton as he is an expert in GUinea pigs with dental issues and can check their back teeth etc without and anesthetic.
just see how she goes, but 45g in one night seems quite alot.
 
CinnamonSmokey121 said:
OK, so we went to the vet yesterday and I said I didn't want her to have the op. She was eating without the gagging thing and I didn't feel it right to put her through it if she doesn't even definitely have spurs. They said to take her off the painkillers and see how she does, and if she stops eating again or starts to struggle bring her straight back in.

Since last night (first night without painkillers) she is doing OK, she's eating without gagging and seems to be tucking into hay, nuggets and veggies.

Her weights were:
Fri (weighed at vet so different scales) 1.24g
Sat 18th: 1204g
Sun 19th: 1227g
Mon 20th: (weighed at vets) 1.24g
Tues 21st: 1195g

So all within the 40g, is this OK?

I topped her up with a little CC yesterday but she was really resisting it today - should I keep giving it to her if she's eating more or less normally?

Sorry for all the questions!
Click to expand...
05C8705D-B7FB-4300-AD85-505B8A07E848.webp

Just for comparison this is my log of daily weights since the beginning of November.
They can change a lot but she seems to have stabilised this week.
 
yes if she is maintaining a stable weight (between 40 g) and eating ok then let her get on with it. Weigh her daily so you know she is eating enough. I would hold on any dental op unless you see clear signs she is either struggling to eat or a downward trend in weight. It’s better if she is eating by herself ideally as she’s wearing her teeth down.
Perhaps she did have something stuck in her mouth and it’s gone? Just keep a very keen eye on her.
If you want an expert opinion there’s always the Cat and Rabbit Clinic who will access her orally and do any work necessary there and then x
 
Bill & Ted said:
yes if she is maintaining a stable weight (between 40 g) and eating ok then let her get on with it. Weigh her daily so you know she is eating enough. I would hold on any dental op unless you see clear signs she is either struggling to eat or a downward trend in weight. It’s better if she is eating by herself ideally as she’s wearing her teeth down.
Perhaps she did have something stuck in her mouth and it’s gone? Just keep a very keen eye on her.
If you want an expert opinion there’s always the Cat and Rabbit Clinic who will access her orally and do any work necessary there and then x
Click to expand...
is that an app or can you download that online? id be interested in using that too
 
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