Dental Help and advice needed please! Guinea pig struggling to chew/eat

[Guineapigmum]

Hello all,

I'm very worried about my guinea pig.

I have an emergency guinea pig specialist vet appointment tomorrow morning.

A couple of days ago I noticed my 3 and a half year old female guinea pig taking longer to eat than usual. She was chewing but she was taking ages to consume anything. Last night it got worse and she was really struggling to chew up anything she moves her head around like she's trying to rip the food apart but then chews for ages and the food falls repeatedly out of her mouth. She also occasionally looks like she's choking on the food. I've been trying to hand feed her but it takes 30 mins at least for her to even consume a bit of green bean (her usual favourite). She also seems to regurgitate some food. She's now very quiet and not socialising with her sisters. Today she also had a little diarrhoea.

Has anyone seen anything like this before? I've attached a photo of her teeth, they seem very uneven. Think she may have broken them.

Thank you

 

[Wiebke]

Hello all,

I'm very worried about my guinea pig.

I have an emergency guinea pig specialist vet appointment tomorrow morning.

A couple of days ago I noticed my 3 and a half year old female guinea pig taking longer to eat than usual. She was chewing but she was taking ages to consume anything. Last night it got worse and she was really struggling to chew up anything she moves her head around like she's trying to rip the food apart but then chews for ages and the food falls repeatedly out of her mouth. She also occasionally looks like she's choking on the food. I've been trying to hand feed her but it takes 30 mins at least for her to even consume a bit of green bean (her usual favourite). She also seems to regurgitate some food. She's now very quiet and not socialising with her sisters. Today she also had a little diarrhoea.

Has anyone seen anything like this before? I've attached a photo of her teeth, they seem very uneven. Think she may have broken them.

Thank you

Hi!

Which country are you in? You should see a dental savvy vet as soon as possible in order to save your piggy's life.

It very much looks like a one-sided dental overgrowth (possibly because of a pain issue and uneven chewing); the premolar on that side looks like it has already grown a spur that is large enough to prevent the front teeth from meeting and self-sharpening and from chewing at the back.

Please step in with syringe support feeding asap as guinea pigs can't cope with fasting. The guides below will talk you through every aspect of that (including a video) and how you can improvise until you can receive your order for recovery care formula:
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment (includes vet lists and tips on how you can improvise in a pinch)

@furryfriends (TEAS)

 

[Guineapigmum]

Hi,

Thank you so much. I live in the South of England. I have ordered some more feeding syringes and recovery food that will be delivered tomorrow. I will watch and read all the resources you sent me. We are booked in to see the specialist first thing in the morning. I'm just so worried as she is usually very into her food and is a social guinea pig. I just checked and the vet does dental work on guinea pigs too thankfully.

Many thanks again

 

[Wiebke]

Hi,

Thank you so much. I live in the South of England. I have ordered some more feeding syringes and recovery food that will be delivered tomorrow. I will watch and read all the resources you sent me. We are booked in to see the specialist first thing in the morning. I'm just so worried as she is usually very into her food and is a social guinea pig. I just checked and the vet does dental work on guinea pigs too thankfully.

Many thanks again

All the best! Please be aware that guinea pigs won't usually eat straight away after any treatment under full GA. It very much depends on how experienced your vets really is with piggy dentals.

 

[Freela]

Generally by the time the front incisors are slanted, the rear molars are badly overgrown. It's good that you're seeing a vet with experience doing guinea pig dentistry, that is exactly what she needs. In addition, feel along the side of her jawbone for any lumps or bumps and have the vet do the same- sometimes this can be caused by an abscess that is making it uncomfortable to chew on one side. Best of luck to you and your piggy!

 

[Guineapigmum]

All the best! Please be aware that guinea pigs won't usually eat straight away after any treatment under full GA. It very much depends on how experienced your vets really is with piggy dentals.

Thank you, my guinea pig had full dental work done today and I've managed to syringe feed her a bit. Your diagnosis was correct! She is on a lot of medicine too after the general anaesthetic. The vet also found several ovarian cysts during an xray. She is resting at the moment and has tried to eat a little solid food but can't really manage it. So I will continue regular syringe feeding. Thank you for your help, advice and support I really appreciate it.

 

[Guineapigmum]

Generally by the time the front incisors are slanted, the rear molars are badly overgrown. It's good that you're seeing a vet with experience doing guinea pig dentistry, that is exactly what she needs. In addition, feel along the side of her jawbone for any lumps or bumps and have the vet do the same- sometimes this can be caused by an abscess that is making it uncomfortable to chew on one side. Best of luck to you and your piggy!

Hello,

Thank you for your message! My guinea pig had full dental work done today under general anaesthetic. They also found some ovarian cysts and an abscess. She is currently resting and I'm feeding her at regular intervals with a syringe. Thank you for your advice!

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you, my guinea pig had full dental work done today and I've managed to syringe feed her a bit. Your diagnosis was correct! She is on a lot of medicine too after the general anaesthetic. The vet also found several ovarian cysts during an xray. She is resting at the moment and has tried to eat a little solid food but can't really manage it. So I will continue regular syringe feeding. Thank you for your help, advice and support I really appreciate it.

Feed fresh grass in addition to syringe feed every 2-3 hours during the day if you can access it and your girl is used to it.
It is the best fresh food as it can be eaten easily and contains the all important silica. What most people are not aware of is that fresh grass is rich in vitamin C - it is the reason why guinea pigs never had the need to make their own. Even hay contains some. Make sure that the grass you feed is dog pee free and that you introduce it slowly if your piggy is not used to it.
Otherwise fresh herbs like coriander and flat leaf parsley go down well or soft romaine or gem lettuce cut into small strips.