• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Piggy not eating (even after dental surgery)

P

Popcorns parents

New Born Pup
Joined
Feb 12, 2022
Messages
7
Reaction score
2
Points
60
Location
Scotland
Our 3yo girl suddenly stopped eating food about 10 days ago. Show would want it and try picking it up but it wouldn’t go in.

First trip to vet, advise was to try hay only diet to sort unsymmetrical front teeth. Unsurprisingly to us she still didn’t eat, or drink.

Second trip they put her under anaesthetic and identified overgrown back teeth which they took down almost to the gum. It was a battle to get her to take the stuff they gave us by syringe, and she still couldn’t eat normal food so back again to the vet a couple of days later.

Third trip, anaesthetic again and another look inside to check the mouth and tidy up any remaining tooth spurs.

Fourth trip today as no change at all, we were in the exact same position as before the dental work. Still resisting syringe, not drinking from water bottle, showing interest in her normal foods but they just don’t ever go in her mouth. Vet changed the syringe food, to EmerAid, which she is slightly more receptive to, but there’s no progress on identifying the underlying problem. Vet suggested they could take blood samples next to see if that gives any clues. However that would apparently take a few days to get results, and even if it does reveal something it may not be good.

In the meantime, poor Popcorn is clearly not happy, she just sits all day, not moving, and let’s us pick her up and manoeuvre her around in ways she’d normally resist. She’s been losing more than 20g in weight daily, thankfully she had plenty to start with so still has 950g.

Any suggestions as to what the cause of this non-eating could be? We are fully prepared for the worst by the way, so don’t worry if you think there is no hope.
 
That's about the same as my pig, Maui. We just found out she has a molar abscess. And Maui is 3 as well. She hates the syringe, all the meds, and the critical care food. Right now, she is 834g, heavier than she used to be, at 654g. Did the vet show you how to syringe feed?
 
Popcorns parents said:
Our 3yo girl suddenly stopped eating food about 10 days ago. Show would want it and try picking it up but it wouldn’t go in.

First trip to vet, advise was to try hay only diet to sort unsymmetrical front teeth. Unsurprisingly to us she still didn’t eat, or drink.

Second trip they put her under anaesthetic and identified overgrown back teeth which they took down almost to the gum. It was a battle to get her to take the stuff they gave us by syringe, and she still couldn’t eat normal food so back again to the vet a couple of days later.

Third trip, anaesthetic again and another look inside to check the mouth and tidy up any remaining tooth spurs.

Fourth trip today as no change at all, we were in the exact same position as before the dental work. Still resisting syringe, not drinking from water bottle, showing interest in her normal foods but they just don’t ever go in her mouth. Vet changed the syringe food, to EmerAid, which she is slightly more receptive to, but there’s no progress on identifying the underlying problem. Vet suggested they could take blood samples next to see if that gives any clues. However that would apparently take a few days to get results, and even if it does reveal something it may not be good.

In the meantime, poor Popcorn is clearly not happy, she just sits all day, not moving, and let’s us pick her up and manoeuvre her around in ways she’d normally resist. She’s been losing more than 20g in weight daily, thankfully she had plenty to start with so still has 950g.

Any suggestions as to what the cause of this non-eating could be? We are fully prepared for the worst by the way, so don’t worry if you think there is no hope.
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome

I am linking in @furryfriends (TEAS) for you to see whether she can help.
 
Maui & Marigold said:
That's about the same as my pig, Maui. We just found out she has a molar abscess. And Maui is 3 as well. She hates the syringe, all the meds, and the critical care food. Right now, she is 834g, heavier than she used to be, at 654g. Did the vet show you how to syringe feed?
Click to expand...
They did, although they make it looks so easy!

I would have hoped that a molar abscess is something they would have noticed when examining the mouth?
 
So sorry to hear about your guinea pigs dental problems. please keep syringe feeding her even though your piggie is not over keen. You can use mushed up pellets as an alternative while piggie is not eating as an alternative.
Guinea pigs will generally eat after dentals as long as there are no spurs and no rough areas on the teeth surface. Sadly there are very few vets that get the procedure right. Filing down almost to the gumline does not sound quite right, it may be that it will take a while for the teeth to grow again and meet so they can grind food. You may need to syringe feed until then, good luck. Did your vet give Metacam painkiller? If not do ask them for some, guineas will not eat if there mouth is painful either
There his a marvellous vet in Northampton but I imagine it would be a very long way for you to travel 😟
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
 
Popcorns parents said:
They did, although they make it looks so easy!

I would have hoped that a molar abscess is something they would have noticed when examining the mouth?
Click to expand...
Yeah. When the vet was examining her mouth, she noticed pain on her bottom left jaw. She looked around and confirmed it was a molar abscess. If her pain meds and such don't work, she may need x-rays and dental things.
 
Yes she gets Metacam.

Vet said blood test could point to things like diabetes or a kidney problem, but to me that doesn't seem to stack up with suddenly stopping eating, and the way she is very interested in her usual foods and puts her mouth to them, but then nothing happens. They also suggested it could be psychological, ie associating eating with pain from the dental problem. I’d have though an animal instinct to eat and survive would at least result in them trying it in their mouth first.
 
dental piggies do try to eat, there appetite is not altered but they can lose confidence once trying to eat has failed, either through pain or they just can’t because of their teeth.

My experience is with Ted, my old dental piggie
He gradually stopped eating hay
Would claw at his mouth
Take longer to eat vegetable
Make strange faces, drop food out of his mouth, gag when eating veggies or pellets
Gradually loose weigh over time (around 2-3 months)

After a badly GA performed dental he could not eat at all and had to be syringe fed for around a month and gradually hand fed. I eventually found this amazing vet who did conscious dentals and Ted was eating hay with around 10 minutes (still at the vets) It was an ongoing problem and we continued to need regular dentals for the rest of his life, he lived till nearly 6 and was happy, ate well, he died from an unrelated illness
Good luck, it’s horrible, can you maybe find another vet and get a second opinion? I don’t know where you are based but look on the recommended vet list or ask a Guinea pig rescue who they use might be a good option x
 
I think the dental issue hasn't been resolved and there is still a problem. It is a pity you are so far away, as I think that Simon or Kim Maddock, at the Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic, in Northampton, would be able to sort this problem and get him eating. I would definitely recommend seeing another vet, or seeing if there is any way you could get your piggy to Northampton. I offer boarding, for long distance clients of the Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic, through my pet care business. This
includes supportive care (syringe feeding and medicating) and transport to vet appointments.
 
Update - we got her to a more specialist vet 50 miles away who had better equipment and took X-rays which previous vet couldn’t do. This confirmed a load more dental issues. So more dental surgery today, which hopefully gets her eating again once she has recovered.

However, he advised us that she is unlucky to just have bad teeth and a set of problematic roots, and even if she starts eating again, it probably won’t be long, ie weeks or months, before problems become evident again at which point he probably wouldn’t recommend further treatment. But at least it looks like we’ll get her back for a while and we can just hope that it’s a long time before there are further issues.
 
Good luck, hope she starts eating very soon. make sure once she comes out of the anaesthetic later to syringe feed her some mushed pellets or critical care. Plan to give her 5-10 ml every couple of hours before you go to bed and then when you get up in the morning. weigh daily at the same time, it will give you an idea if she is getting enough to eat. If she is losing weight then you need to up intake. Grate little bits of veggies and offer a bowl of plain porridge oats (dry) they are healthy and fairly easy to eat.
 
Update

After staying for 5 days at an exotic pet vet, where she got her 3rd and 4th dental treatments of the last 2 weeks, we got her home yesterday. However it isn’t looking good. She takes happily enough from a syringe but has absolutely no interest in normal foods. Before she had any treatments, she desperately wanted to eat and tried but couldn’t. Now she doesn’t even try to eat and clearly has an aversion to solids. I’m guessing something must hurt, even though she is on 3 different painkillers twice a day.

The vet hoped that pain in tongue and cheeks from sharp bits might subside and she’d start to eat, but there’s absolutely no sign of that, 4 days after the last dental tidying up. He says he’s done everything he can with her teeth.

We’ll keep feeding her in the short term in the hope of seeing some improvement, but I do worry that she is suffering as she just sits all day not moving. I fear a difficult decision is looming.
 
So sorry for you, it’s a horrid situation to be in. She has probably lost confidence in eating after trying for so long and failing. Wish you were nearer to Simon Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton, keep up with the syringe feeding for as long as you can x
 
Final update

Out poor piggy is making her final trip to the vet this afternoon. There will be tears. We gave her every possible chance and spent £800 on treatment, but other than a few recent glimmers of hope when she would try to nibble something, it achieved nothing and the vet confirmed that her dental disease is so bad that she’ll never be able to eat independently and it’s time to let her go.

Thanks for all the suggestions and support.
 
Oh no! That's horrible😢 I'm so very sorry. You did everything you could but there are times of joy and times of sadness in our lives❤ May Popcorn enjoy every moment with you and may her heart lead her to her favorite places and to you💖
You clearly love her very much to spend £800 on her dental bills. I would do the same for my girls💕 I hope you will be comforted in this hard time, for I am praying and thinking of you 🐹
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top