Guinea pig CAN’T eat

[Marshly]

Hello I’m new here from Canada and I’m desperate for advice.

I have two pigs, to preface they have the best care I could possibly allow. Vitamin C, huge cage, loads of fresh greens, pellets, free time, fleece bedding, fresh water, constant supply of Timothy hay, the list goes on.

My Guinea pig Marsh has the sudden inability to eat. When he chews it’s like he can’t get the food in his mouth properly, it falls out, he contorts his mouth in weird ways and it takes forever to eat the smallest thing, I’m talking 20+ minutes to finish a vitamin c cookie or a single sprig of parsley.
His poop is mushy, he can’t eat or drink and he’s losing weight.
He is still alert and interested in food but he just pushes the food around and won’t take anything into his mouth on his own.

I drove 45 minutes away to an exotic specialist for the second time this week because I was convinced he had dental spurs and spent $900 for them to tell me they don’t know what’s wrong. They did a sedation, oral exam, an X-ray, blood work, checked all his teeth and found nothing. His teeth are not overgrown, no spurs, no abscesses. His mouth had no food in it which is quite unusual for pigs.

I have been sent home with Oxbow Critical Care to force feed in order to prevent GI stasis and that’s it. I’m just supposed to force feed my pig forever until he decided to eat again or I find out what’s wrong which personally to me is no way to live when your life revolves around eating.

I am trying to find another vet with more experience for a second opinion, force feeding in the mean time. He is just 2 years old and I am desperate to help him.
Does anyone have ANY idea what this could be or what I can do?

 

[Adelyn]

I don't know what could be wrong, but just adding support
More experienced members should be along soon

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m afraid we can’t know what could be wrong - dental or mouth issues (oral thrush for example) would be our guesses given the things you report but guessing obviously isn’t good enough

While you try to find a different vet, all you can do is switch to daily weight checks and support feed (we don’t call it force feeding as there should be no forcing involved) enough in each 24 hour period to keep his weight stable.
If he is having soft poop, then remove veg from his diet and feed only the syringe feed and of course continue to offer lots of hay.

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

 

[Free Ranger]

I've no more insight I'm afraid, other than it sounds like a mouth problem. Sometimes there are issues in the gut where pigs slow and eventually stop eating but in those cases they don't initially appear to have a problem with the mouth like your poor lad. They might have well-chewed food within the cheeks because they're wanting to eat but perhaps having swallowing problems. I would have also thought maybe spurs - or the back teeth bridging over and trapping the tongue - but they said no about that then. So step one is to start feeding that essential syringe food fibre to keep his guts moving and stop his hunger while you think about your next step. If you do just a little at a time and watch carefully how he chews - is it regular and even or is he struggling once the food is in...

Pigs can very well stop eating suddenly - then the weight loss is dramatic. But they can also stop eating quite so much hay over time - in these cases you see a steady decline of a little at a time. The only way to tell the difference is a habit of regular weekly weighing while they still appear healthy... but I'm guessing it's a bit late for that at this stage(?)

One obvious thing if his molars are matching up and there are no spurs is an incisor problem. I think these get overlooked a bit because piggies can actually learn to manage without them - but they can cause pain which means piggy struggles to get food into his mouth and then struggles to chew without catching the tooth. I have had a girl who was syringe fed for some weeks and her incisors grew too long - this stopped her being able to close her mouth and chew her syringe food properly! They were consciously burred shorter - it took only a few minutes - if they accidently go too short (and they often do) these fast growing front teeth grow back very quickly. But another thing we've had before is damage to the root on a front incisor which caused another girl to stop eating completely. I had an inkling something was wrong as she was losing a little weight week-on-week but we couldn't identify anything until she stopped altogether. I'm putting in this link Zara's stopped biting me just so you can see the pics of Zara's dodgy front tooth which could only be fully seen when the gum pocket was pulled back. Vet thought it might have been damage at some point and the tooth was growing the extra bits to try and support it. There are also a couple of short vids showing the difference when a very little of the bad incisor was burred off to reduce the pressure. Unfortunately this didn't last - the upshot was we needed to have that nasty tooth removed and sadly she didn't recover from the general anaesthetic. Are your boys incisors looking good down to the base? Are any of them (top or bottom) feeling loose? and do they look even from the front or are they sloping to one side or another - indicating he's chewing to one side to avoid something hurting perhaps?

It's very upsetting as an owner I know - take deep breaths and be kind to yourself while you and he are on this journey x

 

[weepweeps]

I’m sending healing vibes to your piggy and a hug to you . It’s so stressful when they are ill and you can’t find out what is wrong.

It sounds like your vets checked a lot. Do you have to wait for the blood results? Or did they show nothing abnormal? Good luck with the syringe feeding in the meantime.

 

[Bill & Ted]

I’m so sorry for you and your piggie, I can feel your desperation It’s really awful when you have a piggie which can’t eat. I can’t offer anymore advice than what’s been given I hope you find out what the problem is very soon and can resolve it

 

[Wheekallweek]

I hope your piggy gets better soon!

 

[Marshly]

I've no more insight I'm afraid, other than it sounds like a mouth problem. Sometimes there are issues in the gut where pigs slow and eventually stop eating but in those cases they don't initially appear to have a problem with the mouth like your poor lad. They might have well-chewed food within the cheeks because they're wanting to eat but perhaps having swallowing problems. I would have also thought maybe spurs - or the back teeth bridging over and trapping the tongue - but they said no about that then. So step one is to start feeding that essential syringe food fibre to keep his guts moving and stop his hunger while you think about your next step. If you do just a little at a time and watch carefully how he chews - is it regular and even or is he struggling once the food is in...

Pigs can very well stop eating suddenly - then the weight loss is dramatic. But they can also stop eating quite so much hay over time - in these cases you see a steady decline of a little at a time. The only way to tell the difference is a habit of regular weekly weighing while they still appear healthy... but I'm guessing it's a bit late for that at this stage(?)

One obvious thing if his molars are matching up and there are no spurs is an incisor problem. I think these get overlooked a bit because piggies can actually learn to manage without them - but they can cause pain which means piggy struggles to get food into his mouth and then struggles to chew without catching the tooth. I have had a girl who was syringe fed for some weeks and her incisors grew too long - this stopped her being able to close her mouth and chew her syringe food properly! They were consciously burred shorter - it took only a few minutes - if they accidently go too short (and they often do) these fast growing front teeth grow back very quickly. But another thing we've had before is damage to the root on a front incisor which caused another girl to stop eating completely. I had an inkling something was wrong as she was losing a little weight week-on-week but we couldn't identify anything until she stopped altogether. I'm putting in this link Zara's stopped biting me just so you can see the pics of Zara's dodgy front tooth which could only be fully seen when the gum pocket was pulled back. Vet thought it might have been damage at some point and the tooth was growing the extra bits to try and support it. There are also a couple of short vids showing the difference when a very little of the bad incisor was burred off to reduce the pressure. Unfortunately this didn't last - the upshot was we needed to have that nasty tooth removed and sadly she didn't recover from the general anaesthetic. Are your boys incisors looking good down to the base? Are any of them (top or bottom) feeling loose? and do they look even from the front or are they sloping to one side or another - indicating he's chewing to one side to avoid something hurting perhaps?

It's very upsetting as an owner I know - take deep breaths and be kind to yourself while you and he are on this journey x

Thank you, I appreciate the thought you have put into this post.
The vet tells me his teeth and his mouth looks totally normal. After I syringe feed, it seems he is chewing normally and swallowing fine. It is only when I give him something he will actually eat (which is almost never) but today the smallest piece of carrot, that it seems he has the most difficulty chewing and will not attempt to eat any more. I know he wants to eat, which is the most heartbreaking part.
A day prior to this his weight was just slightly above normal, he was rather a chubby pig and he’s dropped significant weight in the last few days.
If I get to the bottom of it all I will update.
In the meantime he has the tinyest little mouse poops which look startlingly small in contract to my other piggy’s poo. I do hope it’s a good thing that he is pooping at all.
Thanks kindly for taking the time to post back.
Take care.

 

[Bill & Ted]

You really need to support feed hi then. critical Care mush is the best but you can mush up his pellets with warm water. Will he eat a bit of grass? Be careful not to give him much though if he does not normally eat it, it can cause gas to piggies that don’t normally eat it. Plain porridge oats in a bowl might tempt him or some mushed banana in the mush. Herbs like coriander or parsley, basically anything he like cut into small pieces?
Ask your vet for good pain meds if you don’t have them metacam/lexicon
Have a good read of the guide it will help you, there’s some great tips on there
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre

Good luck to you both, keep us all updated

 

[Piggies&buns]

Please step in and syringe feed him every 2-3 hours throughout the day, one last feed late at night and then start again next morning with 2-3 hourly feeds. If his weight has dropped and his poops are small it means he isn’t getting anywhere near enough food. You need to get at least 60ml of syringe feed into him each day

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

How has the mouth been examined? It would only need the tiniest spur, tucked away in a place that isn't obvous, to cause this issue.

 

[Marshly]

I hope your piggy gets better soon!

Thank you

Please step in and syringe feed him every 2-3 hours throughout the day, one last feed late at night and then start again next morning with 2-3 hourly feeds. If his weight has dropped and his poops are small it means he isn’t getting anywhere near enough food. You need to get at least 60ml of syringe feed into him each day

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

Thank you! I have been syringe feeding him every 2 hours and he’s getting 60mls at the very least for the last 4 days.

 

[Marshly]

How has the mouth been examined? It would only need the tiniest spur, tucked away in a place that isn't obvous, to cause this issue.

The vet did a sedation and oral exam, as well as X-ray and apparently didn’t see anything but I have my doubts.

 

[Merab]

Just adding support for you

 

[Free Ranger]

Can he take either soaked pellets, or a mush of pellets on his own from a bowl? Or does he need you to syringe it in before he can eat it.

If he needs the syringe and has realised it is food, is he actually going for it or fighting not to have it in his mouth (and either is common!)

 

[Marshly]

Can he take either soaked pellets, or a mush of pellets on his own from a bowl? Or does he need you to syringe it in before he can eat it.

If he needs the syringe and has realised it is food, is he actually going for it or fighting not to have it in his mouth (and either is common!)

I have tried the mush pellets and he will not eat them. I am syringe feeding and mostly he allows it but occasionally fights me. The only thing he will eat on his own is cilantro cut in to tiny pieces, anything too large and he has trouble.
I have booked a second opinion this Tuesday so my fingers are crossed they will find whatever it is causing this! I can’t bear the thought of anything happening to him.

 

[Marshly]

Just adding support for you

Thank you

 

[Bill & Ted]

Good luck for your second opinion, hope you can find out what’s wrong and get it sorted

 

[Bertie & Jelly]

So sorry to hear this. I recently had a similar problem with one of mine. He went off his food and started losing weight. Hated being syringe fed and it made us both very distraught. Lots of good advice in above posts about teeth problems and getting nourishment into poorly piggies. His incisors were slanted so we suspected teeth problems. I had 2 visits to the exotic vet and when a sedated exam didn’t show anything in his mouth I ended up getting a CT scan in despair I appreciate this isn’t an option available to many. Turns out he had a chronic middle ear infection. His ears had looked fine from the outside and there was no head tipping to suggest ear problems. We’ve just finished 8 weeks of antibiotics and he’s a chirpy chappie again. I’m not suggesting this might be your piggie’s problem, perhaps just something to ask the vet alongside teeth. Sending you hugs and hope that you get to the bottom of it

 

[Free Ranger]

That's actually a really good point and not one we often see suggested! So did the CT scan show the middle-ear infection?
Can I ask what antibiotic(s?) did you get and how long was it before you started to see any improvement in his symptoms?

 

[Bertie & Jelly]

That's actually a really good point and not one we often see suggested! So did the CT scan show the middle-ear infection?
Can I ask what antibiotic(s?) did you get and how long was it before you started to see any improvement in his symptoms?

Yes the CT scan showed the infection clearly . I felt awful. The vet said it had probably been brewing for some time before I noticed symptoms which is not uncommon apparently. As they weren’t sure if it was as a result of a respiratory tract infection or an infection via the ear, he had 2 different antibiotics - marbofloxacin and Eradia (dog) plus Metacam (dog) for pain relief and Cisapride. He started to perk up amazingly quickly - within about a week. I was able to stop the Cisapride very quickly as he started taking critical care more willingly plus grass and soft meadow hay, and Metacam after about 4 weeks by which time he was happily munching everything and back on Timothy Hay. The 2 antibiotics were for just over 7 weeks.

 

[Free Ranger]

Yes the CT scan showed the infection clearly . I felt awful. The vet said it had probably been brewing for some time before I noticed symptoms which is not uncommon apparently. As they weren’t sure if it was as a result of a respiratory tract infection or an infection via the ear, he had 2 different antibiotics - marbofloxacin and Eradia (dog) plus Metacam (dog) for pain relief and Cisapride. He started to perk up amazingly quickly - within about a week. I was able to stop the Cisapride very quickly as he started taking critical care more willingly plus grass and soft meadow hay, and Metacam after about 4 weeks by which time he was happily munching everything and back on Timothy Hay. The 2 antibiotics were for just over 7 weeks.

I think this is a really important point. So often we are flying blind when they stop eating - I know how I despaired when my girl stopped and just didn't want anything. We struggled on for over a month with just the syringe food but couldn't find anything wrong with her. We assume it was a swallowing issue because she would chew for an age but the food never seemed to get swallowed. She had plenty of painkiller and 2 types of antibiotic (baytril and septrin) which didn't make any difference at all. She looked well apart from her initial weight loss but that stabilised. So many pigs have secondary dental problems as a result of a mystery primary problem. Like you, I never would have suspected ear infection in a piggy if there was no head-tilt...

 

[Free Ranger]

Sorry @Marshly if this thinking aloud is hijacking your thread a bit. I hope you are able to get some answers from somewhere...

 

[Marshly]

Marsh update!

I took him in to a different vet for a second opinion and he found a severely infected wound in the back of his throat! It appears to me like it is more of a hole or ulcer than anything. I have attached some gnarly pictures if anyone is interested in seeing them. I’m nervous about how this will heal but I guess time will tell.
He is still coming out of anesthetic and taking longer than usual but he is home.
He’s starting a course of antibiotics and I’ll continue to assist feed until he can eat on his own again.
I’m so happy they finally found what was hurting him and even more happy I didn’t listen to the first vet who told me to euthanize him. I can’t fathom how the first vet could miss this.
Thanks to everyone for your advice and kind words.

 

[Seven7]

Glad to see he is in good hand. I wondered how he was doing.

 

[Free Ranger]

Oh my goodness, that must have been painful! Well done on finding a vet who was a bit more willing to try for him. I hope the antibiotics kick in soon.
Whatever happens from this point on it makes such a difference to an owner when we can identify what is wrong - obviously to try and get the right treatment for piggy, but also psychologically it preys on your mind very much that it is something so serious that they stop eating but we haven't a clue what is going on. Here's hoping he can turn the corner x

 

[weepweeps]

I’m so pleased you have found the problem.

 

[Bertie & Jelly]

Aw little chappie glad to hear the second vet identified the problem. Hugs and best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

[Adelyn]

I'm so glad the the problem has been found! Get well soon little guy

 

[Wheekallweek]

Oh that's great you've found out the issue! Hopefully now with the right treatment he can get better!