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Help With Getting Piggie To Eat Independently

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No he said he didn't need it is there anything I could give him as a natural pain relief myself or should I try another vet?
 
I think I'm going to mash down some veg and syringe feed him it by hook or by crook this wee dude is going to be as big as his brother!
 
The fact that he can only eat soft food means there is something not right still and so I think a second opinion would be a good idea.
 
He's just eaten some boiled (then cooled) & mashed carrot so hoping now he's got a new flavour again I can start introducing veg again and he won't turn away :D
 
I think he definitely needs some pain relief, for whatever reason something else is going on :( It could be his teeth or teeth roots or an abscess, or it might be a secondary symptom to an internal problem (Illness- pain-loss of appetite-teeth overgrow etc) He could have oral thrush as a result of the teeth burring. The best way to be sure is for the vet to do x-rays & a thorough mouth & physical exam whilst Scruffy is under anaesthetic. However, personally I would only agree to that if your vet is a cavvy savvy one with a lot of experience of doing such things with small mammals. An Exotics vet or one recommended on our vet locator above would be the best if you are not able to travel down to see Simon at the Cat & Rabbit Clinic. Well done for doing so much for your boy :)
 
If you decide to get a 2nd opinion Glenn at Apex Vets in Denny is very good although it is a bit of a drive for you. I hope your piggy gets well soon, He is very cute.
 
Having run the gauntlet of pigs with dental issues the last 3 months, the one thing I have noticed is that if, following a dental, they don;t want to eat for themselves within 48hrs (and they have adequate pain relief) then it means there is possibly still an underlying problem that has been overlooked that is preventing them from taking in or manipulating the food inside their mouths....(especially the leafy stuff and hay)

This is either
a) an overlooked molar spur causing increased trapping of the tongue...or
b) an incisor problem (sometimes dealing with molar spurs vets forget they may need to also shorten the incisors that have grown overlong and prevent the molars from meeting together (occluding) properly This can lead to problems picking up or manipulating food and cause further molar spur problems within 2 weeks. Conversely some vets do burr the incisors leaving them too short so the pig can;t pick up stuff until the incisors have grown back properly).....or
c) an as yet undiagnosed underlying jaw infection creating painful chewing (and/or wobbly teeth)

Agree with both Poppy's Mum and Flintstones - if he doesn't improve in the next 48hrs consider taking him to Glen at Apex.

In the meantime - welcome to the wonderful world of syringe feeding - you're doing a fantastic job!
x

P.S Liquidising his pellets, adding in probioitic, Vit C and Ellas organic baby food (carrot apple and parsnip) to make a slurry is the most cost-effective way of providing nutritional support if he really can;t chew.
 
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Ahh I never thought of baby food I've just been boiling up carrots and now mashing cucumber lol! Vet said today that his incisors were slightly long but nothing to worry about as his back teeth were still meeting if that makes any sense?

He is eating independently but just not hay or veg - I put wet pellets in the cage and have seen him eat them also he's out for a few hours a day noshing on wet pellets - I've not had to syringe feed for a good week now. I tried syringe with the carrot tonight but all I had to do was stick a pellet in with the carrot and he scoffed the lot! I will defo see how he is over next 48 hours and then consider our next options. I just hope he's ok as he's such a wee sweetheart and is putting up with me so well with no fighting x
 
I'm not having to liquidise the pellets any more I just leave them whole and add some warm water but cutting back on water to make them harder. I also put probiotic in every feed and drink
 
That all makes sense in terms of what's going on for him atm
It's all sounding good...you just need to undertand why he is STILL not eaing the veggies/hay
He may need his incisors trimmed...but at this stage I'd consider a second opinion from the wonderful Glenn!
x
 
No change! He's at vets just now going to get an X-ray done this morning - please keep everything crossed that he's fine and it's something they can fix. Do they need a GA for an X-ray? Going to worry for next couple of hours! :(
 
Ok X-ray went well! No abscesses, no lumps or bumps. Just back molars that are growing quickly! So back molars have been filed down again and got to keep on trying to get him to eat crunchy food. Vet wouldn't give me painkillers as he didn't think they were needed or suitable :( anything I can give him as a natural painkiller that won't harm him?
 
Did they take x-rays of his whole body? I really think he does need pain relief, just for a short time as any pain will put him off eating. Did they check for any fungal infection in his mouth, such as oral thrush? You still need to syringe feed him & I suggest you try hand feeding him soft strands of hay or something like Wilko's Dandelion & Oat treat hay, to get him eating hard food again, because the back teeth need to be kept down & hay is the best thing for that. Weigh him daily & if his weight starts to dip or if he begins to drool/dribble then I would personally be taking him to Glenn at Apex if I were you for a second opinion, take the x-rays already done with you.
 
Thanks I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle - we are back to syringe feeding again. I will get some if that hay tomorrow - didn't get to see X-ray today as another patient was in but will nip back in to see it. He said his mouth is totally clear no thrush. So frustrated trying to get him to feed I have got his weight up from 480g to 550g so we are heading in right direction just need to work harder at it I suppose x the only problem with going to Denny is it's 45 miles away and both myself and husband work 50 hour weeks so not much scope to get up there and then if he needed an op is havevtobtesvel up and down - I feel like a bad piggie mum for even saying that tho - wracked with guilt!
 
He's so young to be having dental problems. However in my experience those who get appropriate treatment whilst still young generally do well. I have a piggy here who came to me at the age of three months weighing 128g. She had severe dental disease. She has been having regular dentals, initially weekly, then two weekly and she is now going three weekly. Her weight is increasing rapidly and Simon, my vet, feels sure she will completely cure. I could offer a temporary place here at TEAS if you would like him to be seen by Simon Maddock. We have had fantastic results.
 
furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary said:
He's so young to be having dental problems. However in my experience those who get appropriate treatment whilst still young generally do well. I have a piggy here who came to me at the age of three months weighing 128g. She had severe dental disease. She has been having regular dentals, initially weekly, then two weekly and she is now going three weekly. Her weight is increasing rapidly and Simon, my vet, feels sure she will completely cure. I could offer a temporary place here at TEAS if you would like him to be seen by Simon Maddock. We have had fantastic results.
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Thank you so much for your very kind offer! We have had an eventful day here today! This morning Scruffy looked worse and was refusing all food he was just very still and looking like in shock! So we phoned our local vets and got the younger guy who knows much more about guinea pigs - he drove 3/4 hour to where we live to see the wee man. So scruffy has now had two shots of anti-biotics and we are home with Loxicom which we are hoping will help him. On looking at the X-ray done yesterday he said that the only thing he could see that might be causing the problem was two dark pockets underneath his teeth (so in the jawline I think) he reckons if he doesn't pick up by Monday then he will do an operation to check these out - he's reckoning teeth are growing down the way. Sorry this is all second hand info as my hubby took him to vets as I was shopping for loads of guinea pig goodies!

Tonight he is still quiet but eating his wet pellets and has guzzled some celery leaves so I'm happier - we are not out of the woods yet and I may have to call on you - so happy to know that there are places I can turn to if this doesn't work. X
 
I have a different wee piggie tonight! He is very active back on hard pellets, eating a wee bit of dandelion & oat hay and drinking away! Sooo much happier with him - fingers crossed we have turned a corner :) even chewed some cardboard!
 
A quick update : Scruffy is now weighing 570g :) he's attempting to eat hay & veg (very gradually & gingerly but showing an interest so all good!). He's still on wet pellets which I put in alongside dry (he has attempted dry but not much) - I take him out of cage 5/6 times a day for a feed away from Chocolate (who has now become very domineering with Scruffy!). He gets painkillers once a day and this seems to helping him tremendously! We now have a very very cuddly boy who loves to spend the evening snuggled into our necks! Here's hoping we have finally turned a corner with his dental issues (hoping I haven't spoken too soon!). Think I'll take him to our vet at end of week just to have a wee checkup on his teeth.

Thank you all for your invaluable advice we are not out of the woods yet but heading in the right direction x
 
That all sounds positive, would your vet consider allowing you to split the pain killer dose in 2 so that he has it twice a day? pigs have a fast metabolism and a lot of vets are now agreeing to twice daily dosing.
 
If you need to see a better vet, First Vets in Glasgow do conscious denials which if your guinea needs any more treatment more GA are not good for him but better still as @furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary has offered you a space please consider as these things can get out of hand and guineas determinate very quickly and I'm sure you wouldn't want to leave it too late :(
 
helen105281 said:
That all sounds positive, would your vet consider allowing you to split the pain killer dose in 2 so that he has it twice a day? pigs have a fast metabolism and a lot of vets are now agreeing to twice daily dosing.
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I'll give my vet a ring and see I'm sure he will be fine with this :) he's just demolished a huge pile of herbs which is fab :)

TEAS is a very serious consideration most definitely as we want the best for the wee dude x
 
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