Dental Guinea pig dental - when to do stop critical care

[Fairyclairy]

Hi all,

My piggie Maisie had dental surgery on the 2nd January (great start to the new year). The vet said her teeth were bad but they have sorted them out. We have a follow up appointment on the 16th January.

She is currently on 0.5mg dog metacam twice a day. We are also feeding her around 80ml of critical care a day. She does eat small amounts of veg (grated carrot and a few leaves of spinach).

She is starting eating to eat a small amount of hay again. It looks like she is trying to find the best way of eating it, this only started on Monday.

What I am wondering is when I should start to reduce the amount of critical care? As I am concerned that we are filling her on it and then she isn't as interested in hay?

Also I have to go into the office this Friday, can she be left all day? If I feed her in the morning at half 6 and will be back about half 5?

Any advice is appreciated.

Picture of Maisie moo

 

[VickiA]

I don’t have much experience with dental pigs, but I have fostered some who have required dental treatments. It can take them quite a while to get used to eating harder foods again. I do usually take my lead from the piggy.
Are you weighing daily at the same time to see whether she is maintaining her weight?. It sounds like she has a good dose of metacam twice daily which will be helping with her pain.
I tend to offer a syringe feed and at the same time offer few strands of fresh grass or their favourite herb (in this house it’s coriander) as it seems that the syringe feed can start to provoke their appetite again. It’s good that she will eat a little grated carrot. You could also offer softened mashed pellets in the cage to see whether she shows an interest in eating those. You could also start to offer the syringe feed in a little dish to see whether she can lap it up. If she is starting to show an interest in feeding for herself, then you could maybe look at reducing one of the feeds and see if she is able to maintain her weight for herself.

It’s always difficult when you have to go back to work – I have been known to take a piggy into work with me when they’ve needed syringe feeding but I know that not all businesses can or will allow this. It can also be very stressful for thepig concerned. .It’s a very long time between 6:30 am and 5:30 pm if she is totally dependent on syringe feeding so you are right to start trying to see if she can manage slightly longer between feeds. Maybe just offer slightly less at the next syringe feed but offer the mashed pellets and a plate or a little dish of critical care/syringe feed to see if she can help make up the difference herself. If she can’t, then is there someone who might be able to come into help out or could she go to your vets for the day?

I hope that another member with more experience of dental pigs can offer you some more tips on weaning them off syringe feeding.