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Overgrown Teeth Preventing Guinea Pig from Eating

Starwind Amada

Starwind Amada

Junior Guinea Pig
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I didn't pay too much attention to Oreo's mouth and now his incisors are overgrown. He can't eat. His head is always tilted to the side and he falls over when trying to walk. He refuses to eat or drink. He just sits there, probably in pain and starving. He has hay avaiable at all times and won't touch it. I tried boiling some baby carrots. No luck. When I pick him up I can feel his bones, meaning he's malnourished. I called the vet but the exotic animals doctor is fully booked for the next two months and no other vet in the area does emergencies. He's going to die and there's nothing I can do.
 
You have to find somewhere else. Even if it means you have to drive a long distance. If he is in such bad shape and not eating you need to syringe feed him to get food moving through his gut. You need to weigh him every day also because if he is so bony, then this has been going on. Take him to the vet asap, no way he can wait 2 months.

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
 
I’m sorry to hear this.
Can you travel somewhere else to find a vet? This really cannot wait at all.
The incisors are self sharpening and are usually kept in check by the correct action of the molars. If a piggy isn’t chewing evenly with the molars, or eating properly (for whatever the reason - and there could be many reasons behind an initial reluctance to eat whether it is a primary dental issue or if the dental issues come secondary) then they are not being worn down properly, can overgrow and eventually trap the tongue meaning a piggy cannot eat. You then see issues with the incisors.

You need to step in with immediate home support.
You must syringe feed him a fibre rich recovery feed (such as oxbow critical care) or mushed pellets in the absence of critical care. Mush his normal pellets with warm water to form a paste at the right consistency to go through an 1ml syringe. If using mushed pellets you will need to cut the end off the syringe to get the mixture to go through. You don’t syringe feed veg as it is not what they need in this situation.
Giving him boiled carrot will not help - piggies should not eat anything which has been cooked. Carrot and other veg does not make up enough of the diet to be helpful when they are not eating hay. A piggy who is not eating hay voluntarily has to actually be syringe fed with high fibre feed to keep gut function and replace hay intake.

You need to switch from the routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh him daily. You will need to syringe feed every two hours and feed as much as is necessary to keep his weight stable at the weight checks every day, aiming for a minimum of 60ml per day.
Our emergency and syringe feeding (and watering) guides are below.

Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links
 
I am really sorry to hear this.

It sounds like your guinea pig really needs to see a vet. It doesn’t need to be an exotic vet, just any vet will do.
This sounds much more serious than overgrown teeth, wether they are digging into his mouth and causing so much pain he’s acquired a head tilt or wether there is something else going on.
I am sorry to be so rash but it does sound like your piggy is in a lot of pain and there is a chance he will have a slow painful death if you can not get him seen, please keep his as comfortable as possible.

You can offer him blankets to lie on/with, keep the room warm (not hot) and begin support feeding asap. Please try and get some water in him, you can hold him and then bring his water bottle to his mouth and hopefully he will try to drink from it. If not you can very gently squeeze the bottle and hopefully he will swallow the water that is realised, do not force the bottle down his throat or squeeze it hard so he gets caught off guard. Again I say please do this very gently as you do not want to cause him to aspirate.

When you phone the vet, make this very clear it’s an emergency. I understand that vets are sometimes far and few in America but this may be life or death.

I can tell how much your love your piggy. In reality there is only so much you can do as pet owners and as they are so good at hiding their pain, sometimes we don’t realise/find out about things until it’s too late. I can tell how much you love him and that you’re a great owner so his chance of recovery is now going to come down to the help you provide him now, but I really wouldn’t worry yourself saying you should have caught it sooner.

My thoughts are with you in this time xx

P.S - I am going to attach the forums feeding/diet guide, as cooked vegetables should never be fed, so this may be helpful for future use.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
 
I’m so sorry your piggy is unwell. Great advice above. Good luck finding a vet that can see him as soon as possible. Sending healing vibes his way. ❤️
 
Just got him back from the vet. He feels more weighty now and his head is no longer tilted but he won't stand up or move at all. They said he was eating and moving and on the drive home he was fidgeting around in his travel box. Right now he looks like he's dead but his eyes are open, he's breathing and sometimes his feet move. Could he be sleeping with his eyes open?
 
They don’t like car rides, and yes, he is probably trying to stay in a stable position in the car while sleeping with his eyes open.
 
I think he's dead. Completely unresponsive and he's cold. His eyes are open but that's it.

If that's the case the vet needs to reimburse me the huge expense I just paid them. I think they lied about everything and he just couldn't be helped.
 
Put his body on the cage for him to see. All guinea pigs will act differently. Some will lick the body and others will sniff it then go back to eating. You can leave it in there for half an hour.
 
Starwind Amada said:
No. I think when he was moving around in the car he was having a heart attack.

What about Brownie? He's now alone and I can't buy a new guinea pig.
Click to expand...

I’m so sorry for your loss.

Allow Brownie some time to grieve but he will need a new friend.
How old is Brownie?
If Brownie is young and therefore has many years left ahead of him, it would be unfair for him to spend them alone. They are usually ok in their own for 1-4 weeks while you find a new companion for them.
If you really cannot get another piggy, then Brownie’s best interests need to be considered and whether that means surrendering him to a rescue so he can find a new companion and be rehomed.

Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig
 
I’m so sorry for your loss. You did all you could but sometimes the call to the bridge is too strong.
 
I found a pet crematorium near me and I'll stop by Petco later (no shelters nearby) and see if I can find another boar to join Brownie.

I held Oreo's body last night and cried. I didn't break down because I wasn't attached emotionally, he was just so cute and fun to pet and play with.

Goodbye, Oreo. Tell Pee-Wee Herman I said hi.




As in Paul Reubens, not an old guinea pig. Wait, there's a name for Brownie's potential new roommate.
 
I am so sorry for your loss.

I am sure you can definitely bring it up with the vets, but unfortunately sometimes no matter how hard we try, there is nothing we can do.
He may well have experienced a heart attack or something, with the issues already going on and the travelling, but you will likely never know.

I hope you can find peace in the fact you did all you could for him.
My thoughts are with you in this time x
 
I'm so sorry you lost him. Was brownie with him when he passed? If not it might be worth letting him see the body even for a few minutes as it can help him understand.

I hope you are successful in finding a new cage mate for brownie. Don't forget the forum guides and read up on double checking the sex of a new piggy, quarantining and bonding to try and make sure things go as smoothly as possible
 
Thanks, everyone. I'm burying him today. He's been in a box in my car and is starting to stink a little. I had to get invited to my parents' house since I can't bury him at my complex. Brownie has confirmed he wants the place to himself (hell, he was doing zoomies while Oreo's body was right outside the cage). So that saves me some cash. I already spent $500 at the vet on the little guy. If I don't bury him he's gonna haunt me.
 
Starwind Amada said:
Thanks, everyone. I'm burying him today. He's been in a box in my car and is starting to stink a little. I had to get invited to my parents' house since I can't bury him at my complex. Brownie has confirmed he wants the place to himself (hell, he was doing zoomies while Oreo's body was right outside the cage). So that saves me some cash. I already spent $500 at the vet on the little guy. If I don't bury him he's gonna haunt me.
Click to expand...

I'm glad you’ve found a solution.

What do you mean he has confirmed he wants the place to himself? Have you tried bonding him with another piggy and that has failed? Repeated failed bondings amongst would be the only way to deduce that a piggy wants to be alone.
His behaviour while the body outside the cage does not mean he wants to be alone. Piggies survival instinct
kicks in and they get on with life after the passing of their friend but it doesn’t mean they want to be alone
 
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