My guinea pig Daisy has been eating less and less until she stopped completely for the past week, I noticed her wanting to eat but after chewing for a bit she would make this weird movement flapping her ears and stop eating. I took her to not 1, not 2, but 3 complete different vets saying they "handle guinea pigs" when I called before coming in, and no one had any idea what was wrong with her. She was pooping fine before all this, breathing is fine too, she had an ultrasound, nothing wrong, also an oral checkup, still nothing. I started syringe feeding her ever since I noticed the problem and I started giving her meloxicam as well, not sure if it helps. The vet couldn't recommend anything else besides syringe feeding and keep an eye on her. Some more background information: I live in Viet Nam, the veterinary service for exotic animals is severely underdeveloped, they only ever handle dogs and cats, every place I went to shook their head at the end. I'm feeding critical care every few hours everyday but don't know how long I can keep this up for, and I think her weight is also dropping by a fair bit. I can't stand being so helpless while watching her getting weaker and weaker, there is this one other clinic that would take her in but I need to wait until Monday and I am prepared to hear the exact same thing. I filmed this video of her trying to chew the critical care and making the chattering sound and a very weird movement, I am 90% sure this is some kind of dental/oral problem, can someone please give me any information at all on what I can do at this point, I am really desperate
Also excuse me for some improper English, it is not my native language. Also, it is 6AM in VN right now, I have been up all night looking for answers, it's likely that I will be asleep for the next few hours so pardon me if I do not reply right away
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Guinea pig having trouble chewing anything, vets had no idea what's wrong
- Thread starter Remy25
- Start date
Hi and welcome
Has your vet checked the teeth at the back of the mouth (molar teeth, which are often hidden by gunk in the mouth) or just the teeth at the front (the four incisors). The incisors are self-sharpening against each other as long as the molars are ground down by the silica in hay/grass fibre.
How long has your guinea pig had trouble with eating and how long have you been syringe feeding?
Can you have a look at the incisors because they could help you to get an idea what could be going with the other teeth
- Is the edge where the four front teeth meet even and the teeth are white? - Then the dental system is working normally
- Is the edge slanted diagonally? - There is a pain issue on side that is higher and a spur can be growing from one of the molar teeth at the back. It can be dental root abscess brewing in either the root of the incisor or a molar on that side. Feel the jawbone below and above the teeth whether there is a sore point or a small swelling.
- Is the the edge uneven and jagged? - Then the mouth cannot move evenly from side to side while chewing.
- Are are the front teeth no longer meeting and are pointing into the mouth? This means that the molar teeth have overgrown and are likely trapping the tongue by arching over it so swallowing is very difficult.
- Has your guinea pig a wet chin or is it dribbling saliva when chewing? This is a sign of swallowing problems.
Has your vet checked for a fungal mouth infection (oral thrush), which makes the mouth very sore and can also make swallowing very difficult.
Are you weighing your guinea pig on your kitchen scales or you could you please check around the ribcage (chest just behind the front legs) whether you can just about feel the ribs or whether you can feel every single rib bone.
I hope that these questions will help our members with more experience with dental issues than me. Please be aware that our forum in based in England and that it is currently midnight here.
Has your vet checked the teeth at the back of the mouth (molar teeth, which are often hidden by gunk in the mouth) or just the teeth at the front (the four incisors). The incisors are self-sharpening against each other as long as the molars are ground down by the silica in hay/grass fibre.
How long has your guinea pig had trouble with eating and how long have you been syringe feeding?
Can you have a look at the incisors because they could help you to get an idea what could be going with the other teeth
- Is the edge where the four front teeth meet even and the teeth are white? - Then the dental system is working normally
- Is the edge slanted diagonally? - There is a pain issue on side that is higher and a spur can be growing from one of the molar teeth at the back. It can be dental root abscess brewing in either the root of the incisor or a molar on that side. Feel the jawbone below and above the teeth whether there is a sore point or a small swelling.
- Is the the edge uneven and jagged? - Then the mouth cannot move evenly from side to side while chewing.
- Are are the front teeth no longer meeting and are pointing into the mouth? This means that the molar teeth have overgrown and are likely trapping the tongue by arching over it so swallowing is very difficult.
- Has your guinea pig a wet chin or is it dribbling saliva when chewing? This is a sign of swallowing problems.
Has your vet checked for a fungal mouth infection (oral thrush), which makes the mouth very sore and can also make swallowing very difficult.
Are you weighing your guinea pig on your kitchen scales or you could you please check around the ribcage (chest just behind the front legs) whether you can just about feel the ribs or whether you can feel every single rib bone.
I hope that these questions will help our members with more experience with dental issues than me. Please be aware that our forum in based in England and that it is currently midnight here.