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Dislocated Jaw and no exotic vet around , what to do

marta.ginosyan

marta.ginosyan

New Born Pup
Joined
Dec 18, 2019
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Location
Armenia, Yerevan
My guinea pig: Popo is not able to eat, he tries very hard but he just can't chew it.
We had an X-Ray for his jaw,
Both back and front teeth are ok, not long, roots of teeth are ok, again not long, so any dental issue is ruled out.
It is visible that his jaw is a little bit tilted to the right and he does some abnormal movements all the time and struggles to eat hay.
I know you all will now suggest to take him to vet
In my whole country there is only one exotic vet, who never treated guinea pigs, and have a very small understanding about the rodents.
In order to get to the closest good guinea pig vet I have to get a Schengen visa and fly ~8 hours in a plane to get to some European country and I’m not even sure Popo will be allowed to come with me, so this is out of the question.

We have plenty of vets for dogs and cats, but for smaller animals then dog and cats there is only one vet.

We took Popo to that single vet, he did an X-ray
He says he feels something is wrong with Popo's jaw, but he can not see any fractures or abnormalities in the X-ray in that area.
If needed I can post the X-ray pictures, if needed I can do any other tests if vet clinic will have the equipment.

Please help, give me some advice, what we can do, maybe some directions for my vet?
We love Popo dearly and it is very painful to see him struggling to eat.


P.S. Meanwhile, I'm syringe feeding him with a special for guinea pigs syringe and critical care.
 
The only thing I can suggest is to ask your vet to e-mail The Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton.
My vet has done this previously, and they really do try to help as much as possible.
 
marta.ginosyan said:
Thank you moderator, thank you Bill and Ted.
We are going to vet in one hour, I'll take all the data, x-ray pictures and send to The Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton and Simon Maddock
I'll write here as soon as any developments.
Click to expand...
Good luck - you really are doing a wonderful job advocating for your guinea pig.
It is so difficult when you don't have access to experienced vets.
 
Thank you ))
I'm just back from the vet
He gave third-the last dosage of antibiotics, he subscribed it previously as Popo as he suspected some bacterial infection.
He injected a lot of water and vitamin C
Before yesterday Popo was very active running around, not eating, not popping but very active
Today he was very passive and it was visible he is in pain, so I started to suspect he has gases in his guts. I examined him and I thought his belly feels too tight.
We did an x-ray of his abdomen and it was confirmed, that there is a huge gas balloon in his stomach.
The vet didn't have anything to give for that and suggested a baby gas reliever to mix with Popo water.
Also, the vet injected pain killer, after that Popo got calm and even pooed a little bit. Now he is sleeping.

I'm attaching x-ray photos here, maybe your advice, pictures, and my full story may someday help someone, so I will keep posted about all the developments.

Now I'm going to send all the details to Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic | Northlands Vets and Simon Maddock.
Meanwhile, please, if anybody can read x-ray pictures post your opinion.IMG_20220712_212833.webpIMG_20220712_212826.webpIMG_20220712_212853.webp
 
Sorry your piggy is unwell and that you have no exotic vets available.

Gas in the stomach is usually referred to as 'bloat' and is quite serious, potentially fatal. Usually it is treated with specific medication to get the gut moving etc, in the UK metaclopramide and Emeprid (I think). If he is not eating for himself, you need to syringe feed him either special recovery food or mushed pellets, to keep the digestive system working.

There is also another kind of bloating, caused by overgrowth of yeast in the guts, which needs different treatment. But the first sort bloat is more common.

I hope you can get the right treatment for your boy and make him better again.xx

(I think this thread should be in the Health forum, where it will be seen by medical 'specialists ', so I'll try to get it moved)
 
I hope you can get some answers for your piggy and he’s soon on the mend.
 
Hi and welcome

Could you please add your country to location in your account details (accessed by clicking on your username on the top bar). This will make it appear with every post you make and allow us to adjust any advice to a non-UK or US standard so we can help as much as possible, seeing the lack of vet access. It would really help us to help you best but will still be vague enough to protect you.

I cannot comment on the dislocated jaw because that is out of my personal experience but here is our detailed care advice for guinea pigs with bloat:
Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike
 
Thank you, everyone
Wiebke thank you, I have added information about the location
Also yesterday I sent a letter to Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic | Northlands Vets
No response as of now

Moderators, please, would you tag doctors here so they may look at the x-ray pictures?
I'm syringe feeding Popo, today he has got 25 ml of Oxbow critical care and water mixture, planning to feed 25 ml more by the mid-night. He is very passive, I can feel the bloating still, but today it seems it is not paining as much as it was paining yesterday.
 
marta.ginosyan said:
Moderators, please, would you tag doctors here so they may look at the x-ray pictures?
I'm syringe feeding Popo, today he has got 25 ml of Oxbow critical care and water mixture, planning to feed 25 ml more by the mid-night. He is very passive, I can feel the bloating still, but today it seems it is not paining as much as it was paining yesterday.
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I’m sorry but there are no doctors/vets to tag. We are a forum of volunteers with a great deal of experience in Guinea pig care but to my knowledge there is no one qualified to read an X-ray for you.
I hope that you hear back soon from Cat & Rabbit Practice.
 
Everyone at least until I hear back from the clinic, please look at bloating in the x-ray picture
would you advise me:
1. Massage belly
2. If yes, should I massage the way to remove bloating via the mouth or via butt?
 
I’m afraid there is no one qualified on here to tell you what’s on the x ray. There was a guide linked above on digestive disorders, including bloat. Please have a read of that.

I hope your piggy starts feeling better soon.
 
I'm sorry that non of us not even our health experts are qualified to read an xray :( Perhaps email it across to the Cat and Rabbit clinic who will take a look.

Sorry that you haven't heard back yet. They will be very busy and will be in touch when they have the time x
 
I’m sorry I can’t advise about the bloat. I just wanted to send your piggy healing vibes and you a hug. It’s very stressful with an ill piggy. You are doing all you can. ❤️
 
Thank you everyone for your support and kind words.
my updates
Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic | Northlands Vets did get back to me
but I have found Simon Maddock and wrote him, I hope he will pay attention. If anyone knows him personally please tell him to check his messenger.

About bloating
Yesterday I gave Popo activated charcoal 1/8 tablet
He seems better today, much more active did a lot of poop but is not very good looking
But still doesn't eat on his own and I still can feel bloating
 
marta.ginosyan said:
Everyone at least until I hear back from the clinic, please look at bloating in the x-ray picture
would you advise me:
1. Massage belly
2. If yes, should I massage the way to remove bloating via the mouth or via butt?
Click to expand...
I've heard that some people with pigs with bloat, massage the tummy gently, using an electric toothbrush or something else that vibrates (including sitting them on a working washing machine during the spin cycle). I think the idea is to help the gas out backwards. I don't know how effective it is though.
What it really needs is the medicines listed in the guides that were linked above.
I hope you get a response from the Cat & Rabbit clinic soon 🙏 x
 
Lady Kelly said:
It may be worthwhile asking your vet to contact the car and rabbit clinic. I doubt Simon will respond to personal messages that are received outside of his work contact
Click to expand...
I agree, you really need your vet to email over the history of your piggie and ask for advice
 
Hi and I'm so sorry for your worries and difficulties. This has turned into a massive post which I apologise for in advance. I'm not one of the health experts but one of my pigs did get bloat from diet and another one had some tooth issues. I thought if I just put everything in one place either something might strike a chord or it would just all be stuff you've considered and rejected in which case at least poor Popo would be no worse off than before. Here goes...

We had bloat in one piggy. We gave her some pain relief called metacam (or sometimes loxicom) which is commonly prescribed for dogs or cats. Vet also gave something called emeprid which is supposed to stimulate the gut. My piggy was taken off all veggies, fruit and fresh grass - she wasn't eating as much as normal so I made recovery food slurry (high in fibre) and carefully syringed it into her mouth to keep her guts moving. Once something goes into the mouth they can't spit out so we have to be careful not to overload or they can inhale it. They don't burp (or vomit) so any gas has to pass through the system and out the back! She sat on a folded fleece on my lap and I gently held a vibrating electric toothbrush against her sides which she seemed to quite enjoy. I did very gentle massage, just tapping and little circles with my fingers on her sides. I have seen on the internet about quite firm massaging and squishing but I think the piggy gut is so long and goes in all directions so I can't see how squeezing piggy is going to help at all and it will most likely hurt them! But to keep them relaxed an comfortable with gentle massage and high fibre syringe food to push the gas through can help. And for my girl removing fresh food for a few days while her bloat went down and then reintroducing carefully was important.

I understand your fear and frustration for Popo but it sounds like you have a vet who is helping as much as they can. I'm not an expert at all but I have seen some x-rays on here with really big spurs on the teeth actually growing out sideways and they look very obvious on the x-ray. I can't see anything like this on your x-ray. Was piggy made unconscious with general anaesthetic for the examination so vet could have a good look around in the mouth? Sometimes in guinea-pigs the back teeth can grow inwards and entrap the tongue like a bridge, holding it down, which prevents piggy from swallowing. This needs a dental operation to grind the teeth back and release the tongue. But this should be obvious on examination if the teeth are trapping the tongue down... and sometimes cuts and ulcers can also be seen on the tongue too. If Popo was conscious for his exam it can be harder to look in their mouths which are often full of chewed food! And many, many well-trained vets here in the UK can miss things like this surprisingly easily.

How long have you had Popo and how long has he had this problem? Piggy teeth are growing all the time and are constantly ground down by eating hay (which should be 80% of the diet). If they don't eat enough hay the teeth can overgrow. I had one piggy who could only eat syringe food for about 6 weeks. We never found out her problem, but she would chew and chew and chew... but not swallow. Her tongue was not trapped though. After about 3 or 4 weeks the vet noticed that as a result of her problem going on so long her incisors had grown so big that her mouth couldn't close! They were quickly trimmed down (actually a bit too short but never mind - she didn't need anaesthetic - just took 5 mins) and after that she could chew much better and faster. Unfortunately this didn't cure her - she would still just chew and chew. But it's just to say that if Popo's eating has been affected for over a month this is an issue to watch out for. I think your vet would have probably spotted this though.

Was Popo chewing normally for a long time and then started to chew on one side recently? Or has he always been like this.
Are his front teeth level and even when you look at them? The front incisor teeth can sometimes give a clue as to a problem further back. Here are 3 pics to illustrate. The first is one of the forum piggies showing nice, evenly worn front teeth and the second is a picture of another piggy whose teeth are slanting. Can you see the difference? The slant at the front is often caused by a problem further back with the chewing teeth... in this case poor piggy has an abscess (the lump in the third picture) that is being treated, but he was chewing over to one side to relieve the pressure and pain and this wears the front teeth unevenly.
So how do Popo's front teeth look to you... are they even? Or slanted? Does this give any clues? I don't know whether abscesses show up on x-ray (your vet might know as I bet dogs and cats get them too) but my vet checks by feeling carefully along the jawline for any lumps or bumps or swellings that are uneven.
1657923083130.webp 1657923280997.webp 1657923687211.webp

That's about all I can think of for now. If your vet can provide any of the metacam pain relief it can help him in the short-term and maybe encourage him to eat a little on his own. We can't prescribe doses but we can tell you what we've had in the past for our pigs - the amount is quite a bit higher per kilo of body weight than for cats or dogs. Pepper piggy on the right has had a surgery and antibiotics as well as painkillers for the abscess (here's the thread - Dental? Pepper is off to the vets tomorrow ) and piggy on the left - also called Pepper - is pictured in a thread for cute teeth photos incase you need to see any more examples Toothies Tuesday

Be brave little Armenian piggy and your caring and devoted owner. We will be thinking about you x
 
That’s such an informative post. I hope Pepper can help another piggy in any way. I really hope you and Popo can get some advice from a knowledgeable vet soon. Good luck.
 
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