Dental Guinea pig still not able to eat after dental work

[songbird35]

Hi there, first time poster, hope I do this correctly! My six year old guinea pig Pumpkin stopped eating completely two days ago aside from grain. She'd gradually been going off her food. I took her to the vet as soon as I realised how severe the problem had become and it turned out her bottom front teeth were seriously overgrown. They were filed (not sure if that's the right term!) yesterday.

She is much more interested in food now but is still unable to eat anything other than the occasional bit of grain. A couple of times, she has managed to get a bit of grass or dandelion in her mouth, but unfortunately is unable to chew when she does. She is trying so hard and I am finding it really difficult not being able to help. Her mouth is always wet right now but not sure if this is from her drinking a lot of water (which she can still do) or drooling.

Is it normal for her still not to be able to eat? Or has something maybe gone wrong with the dental work?

I am syringe feeding her but she is fighting me all the way so any tips on this also appreciated. I have tried offering her pureed food and soft food like melon and cucumber but she just can't bite any of it, though she tries very hard to.

Any help appreciated!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum and I’m sorry to hear she is having problems.

Most importantly, were the back teeth checked?
A lot of problems stem from there, not the front teeth at all (which are self sharpening). The front teeth are for picking up food, the back teeth for chewing. Any problems with chewing won’t be because of front teeth issues. Any slant etc on front teeth is due to an issue with uneven wear at the back teeth

Is the vet knowledgeable? There are only a couple of vets in the country who are experienced enough in piggy dentals (Simon and Kim at cat and rabbit clinic in Northampton) and sadly if a vet does it wrong, then it can make things worse.

You say grain, I assume you mean plain guinea pig pellets?

 

[songbird35]

Yes, sorry, pellets. I think it's a family habit to call them grain!

I also should have been a bit clearer - it does seem to be picking up the food that's the main issue. She can still grind grain down if she gets food into her mouth, but quite slowly. The back teeth were also checked and I wasn't told there was a problem there (though oddly the vet who treated Pumpkin did not speak to me after the dental work and someone else handed her back to me). I wouldn't say Pumpkin is any worse after the dental treatment but she certainly isn't better like I hoped.

The only change is that she does seem less miserable, which makes me think the front bottom teeth being overgrown was causing her pain, which has now settled a little.

The vet I went to isn't a small animal specialist but I live in Northern Ireland and am not sure tbh if we have any who are. I'm going back with her tomorrow and will try to get a bit more feedback from the vet on what exactly is happening.

Thanks very much for replying.

 

[Piggies&buns]

If the front teeth have been filed too short then that can also cause problems. I understand from other posts that finding vets in NI isn’t easy and unfortunately a vet who doesn’t know what they are doing or looking for and doesn’t understand the way rodent teeth work can all too easily do things wrong.

She needs to be eating hay - she needs to be able to pick it up and eat it for herself. If she can’t pick it up, are you able to see if she can chew hay if you hand feed it to her? The problem with pellets is that they go soft and basically slide down! She won’t have to much put effort in with them but eating hay is the essential part.

You will need to weigh her daily so you can adjust her syringe feeds accordingly to ensure she maintains her weight. Your syringe feeds directly replace the hay she isn’t eating for herself.

is she on any pain relief?

@furryfriends (TEAS) is our most experienced member with dental piggies.

 

[songbird35]

If the front teeth have been filed too short then that can also cause problems. I understand from other posts that finding vets in NI isn’t easy and unfortunately a vet who doesn’t know what they are doing or looking for and doesn’t understand the way rodent teeth work can all too easily do things wrong.

She needs to be eating hay - she needs to be able to pick it up and eat it for herself. If she can’t pick it up, are you able to see if she can chew hay if you hand feed it to her? The problem with pellets is that they go soft and basically slide down! She won’t have to much put effort in with them but eating hay is the essential part.

You will need to weigh her daily so you can adjust her syringe feeds accordingly to ensure she maintains her weight. Your syringe feeds directly replace the hay she isn’t eating for herself.

is she on any pain relief?

@furryfriends (TEAS) is our most experienced member with dental piggies.

She unfortunately doesn't seem able to get most food into her mouth anymore, including hay, even when I try to hand feed her. Thanks for the advice on syringe feeding. I'm trying my best but work full-time and she is very wriggly so it has been difficult.

 

[Bill & Ted]

firstly hello and welcome to the forum
Sorry you are having dental problems with Pumkin. this often happens after a badly performed dental, the piggie is unable to eat becuase the incisors are cut too short or there are problems with the back molars.
Your very best bet is to take Pumkin to see very experienced vets who deal with around 30-40 dental problems with guinea pigs a week. The vets are Kim and Simon Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton. I don’t know where you live but people travel from all over the country to see these two vets who ai can thoroughly recommend. They work miracles with guinea pigs and get them eating even within 10 minutes of a conscious dental sometimes. No referrals needed just ring for an appointment at 8.00 am.
In the meantime you need to syringe feed your piggie to keep her going. Also is your piggie on any painkiller/anti-inflammatory like Metacam or Loxicom, she probably needs it
Here is the syringe feeding guide

Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Sorry I have just seen you are from Northern Ireland, perhaps you could ring round any Gu8neaguinea pig rescues and see if they know an experienced guinea pig vet. Best of a luck x

 

[songbird35]

firstly hello and welcome to the forum
Sorry you are having dental problems with Pumkin. this often happens after a badly performed dental, the piggie is unable to eat becuase the incisors are cut too short or there are problems with the back molars.
Your very best bet is to take Pumkin to see very experienced vets who deal with around 30-40 dental problems with guinea pigs a week. The vets are Kim and Simon Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton. I don’t know where you live but people travel from all over the country to see these two vets who ai can thoroughly recommend. They work miracles with guinea pigs and get them eating even within 10 minutes of a conscious dental sometimes. No referrals needed just ring for an appointment at 8.00 am.
In the meantime you need to syringe feed your piggie to keep her going. Also is your piggie on any painkiller/anti-inflammatory like Metacam or Loxicom, she probably needs it
Here is the syringe feeding guide

Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Sorry I have just seen you are from Northern Ireland, perhaps you could ring round any Gu8neaguinea pig rescues and see if they know an experienced guinea pig vet. Best of a luck x

Thanks for your response. I saw a better vet today and have been told her teeth are badly misaligned because of the excessive growth of her front incisors. Because of her age (6 years, 2 months), there's sadly not much that can be done at this point.