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Not eating after dental surgery

piggydobz

piggydobz

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
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Location
West Midlands
Hey,

Our pig had GA and his back teeth filed yesterday as they were overgrown and had started to prevent him from eating.

He came back round after the surgery ok, and was eating lettuce cucumber grated carrot etc pretty much as soon as he got home. He even started eating hay and was doing really well, other than being a bit spaced out from the drugs. However towards the end of the evening and overnight, he stopped eating and we noticed stringy poops.

We’ve began syringe feeding him critical care and fibreplex but he really hates being force fed. It’s traumatic for us all!

After being force fed, he starts to be interested in hay again for about 10mins but then after half hour he’s back to being fluffed up in his den.

He’s had 0.5ml of metacam today just in case it still feels a bit sore, plus some gut stimulant to keep him going. His poops are normal now but just not very many of them.

Not sure what else we can do for him, the vets only suggestion was to take him in to be monitored there but we’d rather do that here at home.

Is this just a case of sitting tight, keeping up with the feeds and crossing fingers that he starts to get his appetite back again? I hate seeing them like this.
 
I honestly think he’ll be better at home, not at the vets, you can monitor his intake and outtake and you know him best. I would continue the syringe feeding 10 ml every 2-3 hours during the day. Weigh him at the same time everyday, this way you can see if he is getting enough food. You are looking for a trend, if he is loosing weight then try and step up the syringe feeding. Offer him his favourite foods by hand if you can. Metacam is well tolerated by guinea pigs, they have high metabolisms so a dose twice a day gives better coverage. You may want to discus this with your vet, but pain is often the main cause of not eating, the anaesthetic will have worn off and he could be very sore so it’s important to control that pain while everything heals. You could try him with a few blades of grass, most guinea pigs will not turn down grass and it has the important silica that wears the teeth like hay, go very steady at first though, see how he tolerates it and not upset his tummy. Try mashed banana or a bowl of plain dry porridge oats, or soaked pellets in warm water
Good luck, I’ve had a dental piggie and it’s emotionally quite draining and hard work too x
 
T
Bill & Ted said:
I honestly think he’ll be better at home, not at the vets, you can monitor his intake and outtake and you know him best. I would continue the syringe feeding 10 ml every 2-3 hours during the day. Weigh him at the same time everyday, this way you can see if he is getting enough food. You are looking for a trend, if he is loosing weight then try and step up the syringe feeding. Offer him his favourite foods by hand if you can. Metacam is well tolerated by guinea pigs, they have high metabolisms so a dose twice a day gives better coverage. You may want to discus this with your vet, but pain is often the main cause of not eating, the anaesthetic will have worn off and he could be very sore so it’s important to control that pain while everything heals. You could try him with a few blades of grass, most guinea pigs will not turn down grass and it has the important silica that wears the teeth like hay, go very steady at first though, see how he tolerates it and not upset his tummy. Try mashed banana or a bowl of plain dry porridge oats, or soaked pellets in warm water
Good luck, I’ve had a dental piggie and it’s emotionally quite draining and hard work too x
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Thankyou! We’ve given him a little more metacam. He’s eating hay but really not a lot, I suppose that’s more promising than nothing at all!
 
Bill & Ted said:
Today's instructional video on our Facebook page - Syringe feeding
Click to expand...
The good news : he was excited for veggies and managed to eat quite a bit of grated carrot, cucumber and pepper - with a little help from me holding them upright for him.

The bad news : he’s still struggling to eat hay, he wants to but can’t seem to keep it in his mouth.. Just picks up and drops again. I try to hand feed the hay but he won’t have it. I tried cutting it up into smaller pieces / blending it up into hay smoothie but not interested in anything else off me.

Will continue with the syringe feeding - even though he absolutely hates it with every fibre of his being! Staying hopeful though. Gonna get alarms set for overnight checkups / feeds. Exhausting work! 🥱
 
That sounds like good news, keep hand feeding as he will gain confidence as his mouth feels less sore. If after a period of time, he is still not eating hay or still needs support feeding please consider getting a referral from your vet to the Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton. Simon or Kim Maddock are the go to vets in the U.K. They are experts and do around 40 guinea pig dental a week, people travel from all over the U.K. they do conscious dentals so no nasty GA to deal with. We used to take our Ted to them, they got Ted eating hay after the first conscious dental within 5 minutes after struggling for over 2 months after a local vet performed a poor GA dental, then said he needed to be PTS as there was no hope for him. He lived a happy healthy life for a further 2.5 years and died just before his 6 birthday. I cannot recommend them enough.It was a 600 mile round trip but worth every mile, they are very reasonably price too x
 
Bill & Ted said:
That sounds like good news, keep hand feeding as he will gain confidence as his mouth feels less sore. If after a period of time, he is still not eating hay or still needs support feeding please consider getting a referral from your vet to the Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton. Simon or Kim Maddock are the go to vets in the U.K. They are experts and do around 40 guinea pig dental a week, people travel from all over the U.K. they do conscious dentals so no nasty GA to deal with. We used to take our Ted to them, they got Ted eating hay after the first conscious dental within 5 minutes after struggling for over 2 months after a local vet performed a poor GA dental, then said he needed to be PTS as there was no hope for him. He lived a happy healthy life for a further 2.5 years and died just before his 6 birthday. I cannot recommend them enough.It was a 600 mile round trip but worth every mile, they are very reasonably price too x
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Amazing thankyou for your advice, hopefully won’t need it - but if we do that’s not too far for us bout 1hr n half drive!
 
piggydobz said:
Amazing thankyou for your advice, hopefully won’t need it - but if we do that’s not too far for us bout 1hr n half drive!
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They are the best, so knowledgeable and their skills at dentals are second to none
 
Quick update, we’ve managed to start regular syringe feeding but he seems to be regressing? Has anyone else ever had that?

Poops are still coming but really tiny, he’s pretty lethargic (but still slightly interested in treats) And now he won’t even eat hay assisted. I put toilet roll in for him to practise chewing and he was interested, but he just takes a little bite and drops it straight away like he can’t get a grip. But he will repeat over and over. Same issue with hay, he just picks up n drops.

Back to the vets tomorrow for a checkover I think to make sure it’s not anything else and we just need to stay patient. This is so tiring.
 
I’m sorry to hear this.
Please make sure you weigh him every day so you can monitor that he is getting enough syringe feed to keep his weight stable. Small poops can suggest that his food intake isn’t high enough, and also poop output is 1-2 days behind food intake - so is not a reliable gauge of real time food intake information. Do you know how much syringe feed he is getting in each 24 hour
I would also suggest you get a referral to Cat and Rabbit

Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Weight - Monitoring and Management
 
Piggies&buns said:
I’m sorry to hear this.
Please make sure you weigh him every day so you can monitor that he is getting enough syringe feed to keep his weight stable. Small poops can suggest that his food intake isn’t high enough, and also poop output is 1-2 days behind food intake - so is not a reliable gauge of real time food intake information. Do you know how much syringe feed he is getting in each 24 hour
I would also suggest you get a referral to Cat and Rabbit

Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Click to expand...
I just gave them a call and they’re not taking new clients ? Not even for referrals. I’m lost on what to do here.
 
piggydobz said:
I just gave them a call and they’re not taking new clients ? Not even for referrals. I’m lost on what to do here.
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Are you sure? They were, as long as the vet who is currently treating was happy to refer. I just wonder if the person you spoke to, wasn’t aware. They’ve recently taken on some new staff. It’s only guinea pigs they’re doing this for, so it may be the staff member wasn’t aware.
 
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Do speak to them today, as Debbie has stated it may be misinformation on the new staff members part
 
I have spoken to the practice and I have been given the correct protocol for getting an appointment. I am going to make a thread about how to go about it, so there is no confusion. It seems as though you were given incorrect information from a new member of staff.
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Information for referral here The Cat and Rabbit Clinic - Referrals for guinea pigs with dental issues
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Thank you so much for finding out for me.

We took him to our usual vets today who assessed him and think his jaw is still hurting from the surgery. So we’ve got stronger metacam dose.

He had some at lunch along with his regular feeding, and even came out for the first time and started eating nuggets. We thought he was getting better… but now after his second dose he’s all lethargic and doesn’t want anything again. He eats carrot and cucumber but nothing hay or grass. It’s so up and down, I’ve no idea if we’re helping him it’s sofrustrating.
 
piggydobz said:
Thank you so much for finding out for me.

We took him to our usual vets today who assessed him and think his jaw is still hurting from the surgery. So we’ve got stronger metacam dose.

He had some at lunch along with his regular feeding, and even came out for the first time and started eating nuggets. We thought he was getting better… but now after his second dose he’s all lethargic and doesn’t want anything again. He eats carrot and cucumber but nothing hay or grass. It’s so up and down, I’ve no idea if we’re helping him it’s sofrustrating.
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Sorry, it’s such a rollercoaster ride, keep doing what you are doing. What dosage of Metacam is he on? is it dog or cat metacam? It should help reduce the pain. He probably finds eating quite exhausting, it must be hard work when your teeth aren’t running on full speed. If I were you I would look to get a referral to Simon or Kim Maddock at the C&R Clinic. He will assess what’s happening in his mouth/teeth and do any work needed with no GA so you’ll be in and out in 20 minutes x and you will get some answers
 
Bill & Ted said:
Sorry, it’s such a rollercoaster ride, keep doing what you are doing. What dosage of Metacam is he on? is it dog or cat metacam? It should help reduce the pain. He probably finds eating quite exhausting, it must be hard work when your teeth aren’t running on full speed. If I were you I would look to get a referral to Simon or Kim Maddock at the C&R Clinic. He will assess what’s happening in his mouth/teeth and do any work needed with no GA so you’ll be in and out in 20 minutes x and you will get some answers
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I will thanks. Hes now on 0.3ml xtwice a day of the dog metacam (vs 1ml a day of cat metacam). It’s his first day with the upped dosage. The frustrating thing is hes eating fresh grass, coriander, parsley etc… but no dry hay. Even if it’s the same shape or thickness, so shouldn’t in theory be causing him trouble. He was eating bits of hay but now won’t. We really don’t get it!
 
piggydobz said:
I will thanks. Hes now on 0.3ml xtwice a day of the dog metacam (vs 1ml a day of cat metacam). It’s his first day with the upped dosage. The frustrating thing is hes eating fresh grass, coriander, parsley etc… but no dry hay. Even if it’s the same shape or thickness, so shouldn’t in theory be causing him trouble. He was eating bits of hay but now won’t. We really don’t get it!
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It sounds like the teeth are almost right, but not quite. I would definitely get your vet to refer to Simon/Kim Maddock. They’re both amazing and the reason that TEAS exists. We wouldn’t be able to help all the piggies, we do, without them x
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
It sounds like the teeth are almost right, but not quite. I would definitely get your vet to refer to Simon/Kim Maddock. They’re both amazing and the reason that TEAS exists. We wouldn’t be able to help all the piggies, we do, without them x
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He’s booked in for Monday morning to see Kim! 🤞🏻
Now need to plan the logistics of getting him there comfortably. About 1.30hr away but we might hit rush hour traffic. Do we have any links to advice on travelling with a sick pig? I guess we will need to load him up on food before we leave. Thank you all so much for your help so far it’s much appreciated!
 
I used to travel from West Cornwall with Bill and Ted a round trip of 600 miles from 6 am to midnight sometimes depending on traffic holdups.
I would give him syringe feed before you set of, make it a little bit runnier than normal so he is hydrated. I used to take Ted and Bill (both dental piggies with separate issues) in a small cage or Ted in a cat carrier, put a little soft hay inside, some cucumber or something he may eat. He’ll be fine as long as he feels secure. You could cover the carrier with a blanket loosely too that helps a nervous piggie. I would also take a small container and a syringe with you so you can give him a feed before you set back off. Will he drink water from a syringe? You could put s8me water in too if he will.
Check the travel news online to make sure your route is clear too x
 
Bill & Ted said:
I used to travel from West Cornwall with Bill and Ted a round trip of 600 miles from 6 am to midnight sometimes depending on traffic holdups.
I would give him syringe feed before you set of, make it a little bit runnier than normal so he is hydrated. I used to take Ted and Bill (both dental piggies with separate issues) in a small cage or Ted in a cat carrier, put a little soft hay inside, some cucumber or something he may eat. He’ll be fine as long as he feels secure. You could cover the carrier with a blanket loosely too that helps a nervous piggie. I would also take a small container and a syringe with you so you can give him a feed before you set back off. Will he drink water from a syringe? You could put s8me water in too if he will.
Check the travel news online to make sure your route is clear too x
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Wow that’s an intense day! Well done 👏🏻 ahh brilliant thankyou, I’ll get a little care package together for the road trip. He just seems so sad and tired all the time, must feel pretty lousy. I really hope we can get him back to feeling ok again 😔
 
Poor lad, keep up with the syringe feeding and hopefully after seeing Kim he will be back to eating again. they loose so much confidence and then feel sorry for themselves, it’s is so sad for them. They are the best vets for dental problems so you are really doing the very best you can do for him x
Good luck! I hope it goes really well and you will find out exactly what the problem is. It can be something like a tiny spur on the side of one tooth that’s putting him off, they won’t eat unless their teeth are nearly perfect, they are strange little things 😊
 
Bill & Ted said:
Poor lad, keep up with the syringe feeding and hopefully after seeing Kim he will be back to eating again. they loose so much confidence and then feel sorry for themselves, it’s is so sad for them. They are the best vets for dental problems so you are really doing the very best you can do for him x
Good luck! I hope it goes really well and you will find out exactly what the problem is. It can be something like a tiny spur on the side of one tooth that’s putting him off, they won’t eat unless their teeth are nearly perfect, they are strange little things 😊
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Piggy is now only eating cos we’re force feeding, he won’t take treats or grass. He sits looking miserable all day and doesn’t move. The most energy he has is to fight us off from feeding him. Managed to get about 70ish ml a day of CC into him over the last few days, trying our best. I really hope he’s just being very dramatic and he makes it to the appointment 😢 it’s so draining. It makes no sense as he was fine before the surgery, other than struggling a little with food. He’s just gradually got worse and worse, despite everything we’re doing and the meds he got in him.
 
Just keep plodding on, even if you are just getting in small amounts. You will be getting enough in to keep him ticking over. I'm sure Kim will get to the bottom of what's going on. She's so thorough and will hopefully get him eating again very soon! I'm just glad you've been able to get an appointment so quickly. It will definitely be worth the trip! xx
 
Sending your piggy healing vibes and a hug for you. Keep going. You are doing a great job. Good luck tomorrow.
 
Not long now, fingers crossed for tomorrow. I think you’ll get some answers and Kim will find what the problem is, she is so good. 70 cc syringe feeding a reluctant piggie is pretty good, you are doing very well x
 
Simon had a look at him, his teeth are ok but there’s a painful abscess in his jaw. They’ve taken him in for surgery 😭
 
Oh I'm so sorry - but you are in absolutely the best place in the country for this. It was possibly the abscess developing that led to the teeth getting overgrown in the first place. They know all about the best antibiotics to use and how to get things cleared up. Let us all know how he gets on x
 
Aw poor little man, now wonder he is having such trouble. Try not to worry too much. Several of my piggies have had various ops, from neutering, tumours and cysts as well as conscious dentals and they all done really well and fully recovered. Simon is “the best” he is so experienced and a marvellous surgeon x

Thinking if you both 🤞
 
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