Guinea pig weight loss and less appetite after tooth triming

[Roka2018]

Hi,

My guinea pig had a teath issue where his front upper and lower tooth where not vertical. We went to the vet to get him checked up they trimmed it to a certain extend.
His weight during that time was 752gm (he is 3 yrs old). I know the weight is not right at all. Now his weight is around 690gm . He is eating less after trimming of the tooth.
Yesterday I took him to vet to give him some pain killers because when he eats he was opening his mouth widely after every bite. Today I asked the vet to give him some more pain killers. They prescribed me Loxicom 0.5mg/ml Cat Meloxicam. Dosage said was 0.14ml once a day

Please help me to help him gain his weight back and help him recover faster

 

[Piggies&buns]

Did the vet check the back teeth? Often issues with the front teeth are due to the back teeth not wearing evenly.
How experienced is your vet with guinea pigs?

Please step in and syringe feed your guinea pig either a recovery feed or his normal pellets mushed up with water. Your syringe feeding will keep the gut functioning properly while he isn’t eating hay for himself. Weigh him daily so you can ensure enough food is going into him. If his weight continues to drop then you will need to syringe feed more often.

Regaining lost weight will depend on whether his dental issue has actually been properly dealt with, But also even if it has been, it can take a long time before they regain lost weight.

Pain killers are best given to guinea pigs twice a day (and they can take higher doses than you have been prescribed) as they have faster metabolisms and pain meds wear off more quickly in piggies.

The guides below can help.

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

 

[Roka2018]

The vet did not check the back teeth. They suggested he would have to be sedated for doing this.
Not sure how experienced they are. But it is one of the big veterinary hospital in Denmark.

He is really reluctant to take syringe feeding and it is an uphil battle between me and piggie
But I will try my best to give him more food through syringe.

Is there any time difference for giving the pain killers. Like should it be 12 hr gap between each of them?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Without the back teeth being checked then you cannot know the problem is solved and this may be the reason why your piggy is still struggling. As I say sometimes the front teeth being uneven is actually caused By the teeth being uneven and over growing at the back

you will need to strong and confident to get the syringe feed into him. While your piggy is losing weight ans not eating for himself then your syringing is essential. You are aiming for around 60ml of syringe feed

pain meds can be given every 12 hours. A vet needs to tell you how often and how much meds to give though

if your piggy isn’t getting better then do go back to the vet

 

[Bradshaw Piggies]

I agree with @Piggies&buns
The issue is most likely to be with the back teeth and it’s very important he is seen by a vet who is experienced with guinea pigs.

The mouth opening you describe is a sign of pain (either in the mouth due to teeth problems, ulceration etc) or with the jaw.

Unfortunately vets that are able to offer conscious dentals are as rare as rocking horse poop. So yes, your boy is likely to need sedation; but it is imperative that any problems with the back teeth are corrected.

As per the amazing advice you’ve had above, please step in with support feeding where required and weigh your piggy daily.

I hope you can get him to a cavy savvy vet soon

 

[Roka2018]

So at a time should i feed him 60ml of syringe? Is there any recommendation on that?

If anyone knows a really good vet in Denmark I would take a look at them.

 

[Roka2018]

Also when feeding by syringe is there a recommended frequency I would need to give like every hour, 2hr or 3hr?

 

[Bradshaw Piggies]

The guides on here are fantastic.
Please have a read of the syringe feeding guide:

Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

But please do also get your piggy to piggy savvy vet, ASAP, to have the teeth checked.

 

[Piggies&buns]

60ml in total in 24 hours, not 60ml in one go. You feed him as much as he can take at one sitting, that may be just a few ml. The frequency depends on how much he is taking at one sitting - the less he takes at each sitting, the more often you will need to feed. However, this all depends on what happens with his daily weight checks. If you feed him 60ml but his weight continues to decline, then you will need to give him more than that in a 24 hour period. The guides I linked in detail everything.

It is important you get to a vet so the back teeth can be checked though.

 

[Wiebke]

So at a time should i feed him 60ml of syringe? Is there any recommendation on that?

If anyone knows a really good vet in Denmark I would take a look at them.

Hi!

How much and how often you feed depends on whether your piggy is still eating partially on their own and whether they are keen to eat or whether they have lost their appetite entirely and you struggle to get any food in.
You control the feeding support by weighing your piggy daily on kitchen scales (I prefer first thing in the morning when the weight is lowest for a daily comparison).

If a piggy is accepting only 5-10 ml in one go and is not able to eat indepently; then you have to feed every 2 hours during the day and if necessary once in the night. If a piggy is hungry but cannot pick up food and chew it, and you can get 15-20 ml into them in one session, then you can get away with 3-5 feeding sessions in 24 hours, depending on whether they can still eat a little fresh grass or very finely shredded lettuce if you place it into their mouth and can still eat their pellets if they have been soaked in warm water.
Overall, you are aiming for a food intake of at least 90 ml over the course of 24 hours in a piggy that is hungry but cannot eat and 60 ml in a piggy that has completely lost their appetite and doesn't want to eat at all.
Be aware that the mouth of an adult piggy can only hold around max. 0.5 ml at a time but it can only be as much as 0.1-0.3 ml if a piggy has problems with swallowing (like tongue trapped by dental premolar spurs). You cannot just squirt the contents of a syringe into the mouth. Ideally your piggy is drinking/eating from a syringe and you adjust the speed accordingly. You will learn what your own piggy needs and adapt to that. If they are coughing, sneezing or sounding gurgling or blubbering, you know that things have gone down the wrong way, either into the lungs or up in the nose.

Please take the time to read our syringe feeding guide links. You will find them very helpful:
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Syringe Training Before The Need For Medicating (feeding video)

 

[Roka2018]

Hi,

We took Rocket to the vet, they sedated him and took an x-ray of his back tooth. I have attached
The vet said there is inflammation on the lower part of the right jaw and the bone structure on the right jaw is kind of dissolving. The only reason that it can happen is because it a Tumor. The very first thing which they said was to PTS. There was nothing you could do for him.
Since the vet thinks it is a tumor and it has already caused a lot of damage on his right Jaw taking sample for Biposy was pointless. This was their opinion

We requested instead of PTS, we could give him some antibiotics and see if we could help him fight it.
Antibiotic - Exoflox 25mg/ml. We are now giving him 0.14ml twice a day along with Loxicom 0.5 mg/ml (0.14ml twice a day)

Before taking Rocket to vet on Thursday, he started eating as usual by himself. I am also feeding him 1ml by syringe every 2hrs. After taking him to the vet he was a bit drowsy in the begining but later the night he started to recover and eat by himself also. Today also he is eating own his own (salad, hay, pellets, herbs etc).

If you think the vet is wrong or you have a different opinion please let me know.

 

[Merab]

I can’t advise but just wanted to offer support for you.