Dental My guinea pig has a really bad gum infection! Help!

[crunchyjam]

We have already took her to the vet, and we were given medicine. She has been taking the medicine and all, and the infection has now moved in her mouth. The infection started below her bottom incisors beneath the teeth on the gums. Now it has moved to inbetween her bottom incisors, I cleaned it out and THERE IS BONE SHOWING! I cleaned it out as carefully as I could, it seems like so far her medicine she was prescribed isnt working... I intend to call the vet tomorrow for a new medication. Luckily she is still somehow eating, and when she chews she makes a different sound. She does have a hard time eating but the painkillers seem to be working. At least she is eating, drinking, and she is still aware of her surroundings. Her eyes are shiny, no crust around them. Her coat is clean and well groomed too. It really hurts me to see her hurt like this. My main question is what to feed her and how to keep her teeth under control while she has a hard time chewing. Before this she did have a worse dental problem, and we got this powder to mix with water for her. I started to feed her that and she is able to eat it all by herself. But what should I feed her in this situation? She doesnt eat as much as she used too, but I can see why. What should I feed her to help the healing process?

 

[Betsy]

Please only open 1 thread per topic otherwise it can get very confusing for the Members trying to help you. It keeps everything together in one place and The Health & Illness gurus can refer back to what has been said. @VickiA, @sport_billy can you merge or delete as necessary. Thanks
This is the other thread
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/hello-I'm-new-here-and-i-need-advice.173203/

 

[Swissgreys]

Thanks @Betsy - the double thread has now been deleted.

@crunchyjam welcome to the Forum and I am very sorry your piggy is ill.
Can I ask roughly where you live, as it sounds like you need ot see an experienced guinea pig vet and maybe someone on the Forum can recommend one.

You say she has lost weight so you need to start weighing her daily at the same time to keep an eye on this.
Was the liquid food something like Critical Care?
If so you can feed this as often as she will take it to help keep her weight up and add some more nutrients to her diet.
How long has she had this problem?

If we have some more details I am sure someone on here can help.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

Here are our support care guides, which you may find helpful. Please weigh daily at the same time and support your piggy with additional syringe feed of recovery formula as needed. Keep in mind that over 80% of the daily food intake should be hay, which you cannot monitor by sight alone.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide (including a chapter on dental guinea pigs)

Could you please specify:
- Which country are you in?
- Where in the mouth is the dental root abscess located; the incisors (upper/lower) at the front or the molars and premolars at the back?
- Has your vet mentioned whether the abscess may have penetrated into the bone?
- What medication (brand names/dosages) is your piggy on and what is its weight in grams?

Our advice will depend on your background information as it is too vague to help you right now. Thank you!