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Guinea Pig struggling to eat

Stacey Guinness and Pumpkin

Stacey Guinness and Pumpkin

New Born Pup
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Hello,

So my 2.5 year old guinea pig had some dental work under anaesthesia yesterday.

Prior to him going into veterinary hospital he had dropped quite a lot of weight. He stayed overnight before op, took syringe food well and had iv drip. He was strong enough and got through surgery well.

He was struggling to 💩 but eventually after a second night in hospital he was able to come home.

He has come home with bowl movement medicine and metacam.

My concern is he is still struggling to eat by himself…he is trying his absolute best. Currently sat in hay. But it looks like it’s just too painful for him. I’m wondering if this due to painful teeth.

I’m currently syringe feeding him, but worried this won’t be enough.

Has anyone else had similar experiences? Is it normal for guinea pigs to struggle after dental surgery? How long have you had to continue critical care syringe feeds until your piggie has been able to feed themselves as normal?

Also, I have check up app on Monday at 10am.

Many thanks,

Guinness pig mum
 

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Hi there. I don’t have experience of dental issues with pigs myself, but many people on here do have and hopefully one of them will be along soon to advise.
 
I’m sorry to hear your boy is still suffering. It’s unfortunate that not many vets are experienced in dealing with dental issues in piggies.

They can sometimes be scared to eat due to the pain experienced with the dental issues. What dose of metacam was he given and is it cat or dog?

You will have to syringe him as long as he needs it. You’ll have to switch to weighing him once daily (mornings are best) and adjust the amount accordingly. In the meantime, you need to aim for 60ml in a 24 hour period. So as much as you can get into him every 1-2 hours.

Grass is another thing that you can give him, if you have it available. You would have to get his tummy used to it if he’s not had it yet.

Someone with more experience will be along to give you more advice. I hope he starts feeling better soon and eating.
 
Thank you so much for your replies. He is on metacam for 3 days post op. It is the cat one. They have told me to give one dose at 10am. However I’m noticing a decline during evening so I’ve sought some advice at Cavies Corner and she suggested halting his metacam dose am and pm so he has pain relief throughout the day. He has had the odd nibble but nothing substantial.

He has now 💩 albeit not normal, but least I know some stuff is getting through.

I’m going to phone a specialist guinea pig vet tomorrow and hopefully get him in with Ellie Whitehead in Matlock for a second point and to see if his teeth are done properly. As he is still grinding when I syringe him especially.

Also I do have grass and he has regular grasstime before, and I keep tempting him. Tried getting bits in at corner of mouth. I know it takes a lot of patience but I’m fighting for my boy.

Thank you again il post an update when spoken to specialist hopefully tomorrow 🤞
 
The advice you have been given to give painkillers twice a day is absolutely right. Once a day is not enough as they metabolise a dose of pain meds in 12 hours. Given it’s cat metacam you also need To make sure it is a good enough dose for his weight. Cat metacam being three times weaker than dog.

All you can do is continue to syringe feed often and weigh him daily to make sure he is getting enough.
Let us know how you get on speaking with the vets
 
Piggies&buns said:
The advice you have been given to give painkillers twice a day is absolutely right. Once a day is not enough as they metabolise a dose of pain meds in 12 hours. Given it’s cat metacam you also need To make sure it is a good enough dose for his weight. Cat metacam being three times weaker than dog.

All you can do is continue to syringe feed often and weigh him daily to make sure he is getting enough.
Let us know how you get on speaking with the vets
Click to expand...
Thank you so much. Glad you agree that giving painkillers once a day was not enough. I’ve given him half dose at 10am and other half at 10pm. I will get the vet to check weight etc tomorrow to see about altering his dose. The vet I’m taking him to (hopefully if she has an appointment) is a proper specialist so I think she will have a much better understanding.

Quick update, he seems a bit more energetic. And having a very good go at eating. I think he managed a tiny bit hay on his own. I’m going to continue everything as everyone has suggested. I will be doing round the clock critical care feeds. I was up at 3am and 6am last night so he kept up his feeds.

I will update everyone on tomorrows vet trip.
 
I'm so sorry - it is a real worry. Well done on syringing which can be a bit stressful for both of you until you get a routine sorted out. His poops will be running a bit behind intake - maybe even a day or two. Well done too for travelling to see the other vet if you can get in, because although teeth can just be a teeth problem (like a spur on a molar) it can also be an indicator of something underlying like an abscess in the mouth which would need to be spotted and treated with antibiotics to prevent eating pain and the teeth overgrowing again. But you should have a few weeks grace before this happens so don't panic!

Mine came out with painkiller for a week as it makes the mouth very tender... and that's if things have gone well. Also emeprid gut stimulant to encourage things to keep moving as the anaesthetic alone can put them off their food without anything else. You have been given the cat metacam which is licensed for piggy use but they tolerate the stronger dog version (unlicensed) very well. My boy is 1.35 kilo and on just under 0.3ml of dog twice a day for arthritis and that will be for the rest of his life. But of course it is dependant on the weight of piggy and any other health issues they have to take into account. My dental pig was on a higher dose for the week and she had no problems with that.

Can he eat the slurry food on his own without having the syringe? Or will his cage mate try and pinch it in the night! If they are not separated don't do it just for foods sake though as the companionship is so important to keep his spirits up. My pigs have been able to take several ml comfortably in each sitting - they will take more with persuasion but I think that after this point the tummy is full, so if he starts off well but then slows down that'll be why. If you keep monitoring his weight once a day you will be able to see if he's losing, maintaining or gaining weight. We had a food called Recovery, which I think is pretty bland but palatable. We tried one called Critical Care (green packet) which was aniseed flavour and not popular even with the healthy piggy who hovered round hoovering up the drips as I sat on the floor syringing my poorly piggy. But other people's pigs have liked it. We ordered in a Critical Care fine grind (brown packet) which is papaya flavour and much more popular here. Pricier though. Another called Emeraid has had good reviews on the forum.

We found little bits of cucumber middles to be soft and sloppy - high in water content to keep them hydrated and easy to slurp up. No good for fibre of course but it encourages them to eat a little bit of something on their own that doesn't need much chewing.

Good luck with getting that appointment x
 
🤞 Hope your little ones starts to eat properly soon, it can take a while as their mouths are often sore and they loose confidence in eating. keep up the syringe feeding for as long as it takes and encourage him with little hand fed bits of veggies he likes
 
I hope your piggy feels better soon and they start to eat.

I have a piggy at the moment who lost a lot of weight very quickly. I took him to the vets and his front teeth were slanted. So the vet said they needed to have a look under anaesthetic at the back ones. The back ones were ok. But they took a little off them. But as she was trimming the front ones she saw a white creamy fluid at the base of one of them. So he was diagnosed with a tooth root abscess. He has pain meds and antibiotics. He is eating on his own now. I did syringe feed to start with. Then when his weight was going up I started to leave a bowl of it in the cage. I’m also cutting up his veg into thin strips as I think it hurts to bite at the moment. Good luck.
 
Free Ranger said:
I'm so sorry - it is a real worry. Well done on syringing which can be a bit stressful for both of you until you get a routine sorted out. His poops will be running a bit behind intake - maybe even a day or two. Well done too for travelling to see the other vet if you can get in, because although teeth can just be a teeth problem (like a spur on a molar) it can also be an indicator of something underlying like an abscess in the mouth which would need to be spotted and treated with antibiotics to prevent eating pain and the teeth overgrowing again. But you should have a few weeks grace before this happens so don't panic!

Mine came out with painkiller for a week as it makes the mouth very tender... and that's if things have gone well. Also emeprid gut stimulant to encourage things to keep moving as the anaesthetic alone can put them off their food without anything else. You have been given the cat metacam which is licensed for piggy use but they tolerate the stronger dog version (unlicensed) very well. My boy is 1.35 kilo and on just under 0.3ml of dog twice a day for arthritis and that will be for the rest of his life. But of course it is dependant on the weight of piggy and any other health issues they have to take into account. My dental pig was on a higher dose for the week and she had no problems with that.

Can he eat the slurry food on his own without having the syringe? Or will his cage mate try and pinch it in the night! If they are not separated don't do it just for foods sake though as the companionship is so important to keep his spirits up. My pigs have been able to take several ml comfortably in each sitting - they will take more with persuasion but I think that after this point the tummy is full, so if he starts off well but then slows down that'll be why. If you keep monitoring his weight once a day you will be able to see if he's losing, maintaining or gaining weight. We had a food called Recovery, which I think is pretty bland but palatable. We tried one called Critical Care (green packet) which was aniseed flavour and not popular even with the healthy piggy who hovered round hoovering up the drips as I sat on the floor syringing my poorly piggy. But other people's pigs have liked it. We ordered in a Critical Care fine grind (brown packet) which is papaya flavour and much more popular here. Pricier though. Another called Emeraid has had good reviews on the forum.

We found little bits of cucumber middles to be soft and sloppy - high in water content to keep them hydrated and easy to slurp up. No good for fibre of course but it encourages them to eat a little bit of something on their own that doesn't need much chewing.

Good luck with getting that appointment x
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for your reply. I really appreciate your help.

You are absolutely right to begin with I was on verge of tears syringe feeding him as I just want him to be able to eat himself. And I was so so worried (still am). But we’ve started to get into a little routine now. Every 2-3 hours we are going. I’m aiming for the packets instructions. He does get fed up after a while but his weight is pretty much maintained so happy he is get some inside him. I’ve got the green critical care (aniseed) not a big fan…so got him on the burgess duel care blue box now. Seems to be going down better!

I had him out for a while this morning at feed…and he did a few 💩 too which I’m pleased his digestive system is hopefully working.

It broke my heart this morning though. I gave his metacam at 10am, waited about an hour, to put veggies in cage and he tried his absolute bestest! Sniffing and attempting but after a few attempts, he went back under the jungle but if cage and looked so sad. I’m happy he is still trying though.

Good news! I have appointment with specialist tomorrow at 5pm so I will keep this post updated and hopefully the specialist vet can help.
 
weepweeps said:
I hope your piggy feels better soon and they start to eat.

I have a piggy at the moment who lost a lot of weight very quickly. I took him to the vets and his front teeth were slanted. So the vet said they needed to have a look under anaesthetic at the back ones. The back ones were ok. But they took a little off them. But as she was trimming the front ones she saw a white creamy fluid at the base of one of them. So he was diagnosed with a tooth root abscess. He has pain meds and antibiotics. He is eating on his own now. I did syringe feed to start with. Then when his weight was going up I started to leave a bowl of it in the cage. I’m also cutting up his veg into thin strips as I think it hurts to bite at the moment. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Arw so sorry to hear that. But so happy your piggy is back eating on his own. It’s so worrying!

I have tried leaving a bowl with the mush but he hasn’t touched it. I will always leave it at night though just in case. But I’m currently doing a 3am feed and one about 10pm night before and 6/7am the morning after. I just don’t want him hungry and loosing weight.

I keep cutting veggies really thin and hopefully it eventually tempts him back to eating by himself.

I have an appointment at the specialist vet tomorrow…fingers crossed.
 
Stacey Guinness and Pumpkin said:
Hello,

So my 2.5 year old guinea pig had some dental work under anaesthesia yesterday.

Prior to him going into veterinary hospital he had dropped quite a lot of weight. He stayed overnight before op, took syringe food well and had iv drip. He was strong enough and got through surgery well.

He was struggling to 💩 but eventually after a second night in hospital he was able to come home.

He has come home with bowl movement medicine and metacam.

My concern is he is still struggling to eat by himself…he is trying his absolute best. Currently sat in hay. But it looks like it’s just too painful for him. I’m wondering if this due to painful teeth.

I’m currently syringe feeding him, but worried this won’t be enough.

Has anyone else had similar experiences? Is it normal for guinea pigs to struggle after dental surgery? How long have you had to continue critical care syringe feeds until your piggie has been able to feed themselves as normal?

Also, I have check up app on Monday at 10am.

Many thanks,

Guinness pig mum
Click to expand...
Quick update: I have an app at a specialist guinea pig vet tomorrow. She is very experienced in guinea dental work so hoping there is some treatments for Guinness! I will update what the vets outcome is tomorrow…I’m continuing to pray to the piggy gods 🙏 thank you to everyone’s kind words and advice 😃
 
Hello all,

I just wanted to give to a quick update on Guinness…

So the trip to the specialist vet was very successful….basically his back molars…one was bigger than other so obviously he couldn’t clamp down properly to chew. He was on noway near enough pain relief. (As you suspected). He is now on the dog loxicom, bigger dose and twice a day. And wow… he has just ate grass, he ate cucumber on the way home and just took sip of water.

Ellie (the guinea pig vet) wants to see him again in 10 days time. Appointment on 1st July. As his back molars are on more of a slant than they should be so could be ongoing issue, but depends if he can keep them worn down enough with hay and grass.

I’ve just cleaned cage out and he been making his little sounds and running about…he seems happy on soft cucumber middles and grass to get his strength up. He ate a bit of hay too. I just really hope he continues to eat by himself. Ellie said to continue to syringe feed if he isn’t eating enough but not overly if he is managing on himself so he doesn’t get dependent on it.

Thank you to everyone for their help and advice
 
He shouldn’t become dependent on it if he is able to eat for himself but topping up with syringe feed is important. Your daily weight checks are one of the most important things you can do as that is your guide as to how much syringe feeding is needed.
 
Free Ranger said:
Oh it's a relief when you can get some answers! Did she have to do any more dental work on him or just see how he's managing?
Click to expand...
She did further dental work as one side was higher than other. He has been doing really well eating and has a check up next week. I heard slight grind so possibly needs tiny bit more work but I’m so happy he is eating!

He is back up to 975g too! He lost so much weight!
 
Piggies&buns said:
He shouldn’t become dependent on it if he is able to eat for himself but topping up with syringe feed is important. Your daily weight checks are one of the most important things you can do as that is your guide as to how much syringe feeding is needed.
Click to expand...
You will be pleased to know I’ve not had to syringe feed him at all since the visit to the specialist on Tuesday. He has put on 50g in just a few days!
 
Free Ranger said:
Piggie teeth are indeed a dark art... I often think those vets with a reputation for excellence should be running masterclasses for everyone else!
Click to expand...
I agree, but these vets are so rare and they are so in demand they never get the time
 
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