Possible jawline abscess

[Freela]

Thank you for the heads up. Could you tell me which antibiotic you were given please?

How long did you have to wash the wound- I’m away in two weeks, so hoping it’s less than that?!

Did they anaesthetise so they weren’t in pain during the lancing?

It’s awful a vet would even attempt a dental job without adequate knowledge. I am so sorry for your loss.

Biscuit has sat on my knee again tonight and eaten some veg, grass and her probiotics. I imagine peas aren’t the best for them, but she easily ate them and I was glad to get something inside her. I’ve noticed also she’s missing hair odd her leg which I assume she has bitten off whilst in pain. I will get her seen first thing either my vet or the Brixham one recommended below if I can get in. I’d rather someone experienced saw her.

Vets can give a variety of antibiotics... Baytril is a lot of vet's first line but may not be enough for stubborn abscesses. Zithromax is sometimes given as a strong antibiotic for abscesses, I believe my pig was on chloramphenicol for her jawline abscess but it's been so many years now I can't completely remember now. She was anesthetized for the lancing and draining and then was given an injected pain killer immediately post-surgery and was sent home on regular metacam while she was healing. I can't remember exactly how long we had to keep cleaning out the wound (I know it was longer than 2 weeks in our case, but your mileage may vary here.) I hope she is soon feeling much better. All the best!

 

[Surfergirl]

Incisors can be trimmed (ideally burred) very quickly, and consciously as long as someone has a firm grip on piggy! Even if they go too short they grow back fast. If they end up super short keep an eye on the lips and gums for swelling in case they have been caught. But again, that's a temporary issue. Overlong incisors can prevent correct chewing and put them off things like grass and hay which need a deal of grinding down. Something must have put her off biting at things for these to overgrow so it's lucky the vet thinks you have caught it before any molar problems develop. The gut issue might just be that her ratio of fibrous foods to veg is a bit off at the minute.

Give her a day or so for things to settle down and see if her eating habits change. Can you get any clue by her chewing action whether the problem is a localised dental issue? I'm attaching short vids of my rainbow girl Zara who had a problem on the root of her lower incisor. She was initially helped by trimming down the bad tooth to take the pressure off it (the neighbouring incisor was left intact).
BEFORE: chews by sticking out her jaw to avoid catching the tooth. AFTER: smoother action, normal jaw position.
View attachment 214086 View attachment 214087

Thank you, that’s really helpful. Unfortunately she seems traumatised and hasn’t eaten anything since we got home despite coaxing, even her pro c which she loves.
She must have had a wrestle with her because she was gone for nearly half an hour, came back looking very scruffy and they cut her foot in the struggle which was then bleeding.
Said she only managed to take a tiny amount off her teeth due to how wriggly she was. Doesn’t recommend an anaesthetic for further work due to her age. She’s now grinding her teeth which she wasn’t doing before and not eating. Wish I hadn’t gone to the vets now as she’s in a worse state. Been out an hour and a half and still won’t eat.

 

[Surfergirl]

Hope she’s alright after the dental. Jess at Brixham is able to do c9nscious dentals which are much safer and only takes about 5 minutes using tiny files. It does sound like a pain problem may be causing her problems. Make sure you get prescribed a good dose of metacam, she won’t eat well if she is in pain

I will go there if there is a next time. I don’t know if you can see my post below she now won’t eat and is grinding her teeth. She’s grabbed hold of the side of a pot and won’t let go, very unusual

 

[Free Ranger]

Oh Lord, poor Biscuit.
Teeth grinding can be a sign or pain or stress but in this case it could also be a sign of just feeling out her new teeth. If she's got something like a cardboard hay cube or carrot cottage she might try to chew on that. Or frankly just a brown cardboard box!
Has she had her painkiller today? If you have a nice warm cosy she can hide in to recover you could try leaving a few bits of anything she'll still eat just inside and watching out for when these disappear. Once she's eating something you can try again with the syringe - although avoid the front teeth if you can as they'll be tender. I put a (warm) hot water bottle under one side a fleece cuddle sack on my lap for syringing so they can relax. It always surprises me how pigs love soft furnishings - for years we only did hay and bedding but they've all really liked the fluffy stuff and especially when feeling a bit under the weather...

 

[Wheekallweek]

Aw poor Biscuit has been through the wars. If it helps I would have taken her for a check over too, you had no idea it wouldn't go too well today and are just trying to do your best for Biscuit.
Hopefully she'll calm down after a few hours and relax enough to eat again. You're doing a grand job x

 

[Bill & Ted]

Aw poor Biscuit she sounds like she has had a right ordeal I think you must step in th syringe feeding soon as her gut will start to shut down if she is still not eating. Hope she’s been given good pain relief, hoping she pulls through the stress of her ordeal
Jess at a Brixham has a really good nurse who is expert at holding piggies round the back end, she said she trusts her fully and couldn’t do it without her calm but firm holding skills, they make a great team

 

[PerfectPiggyPaws]

So sorry I didn't reply earlier. Just caught up and I'm so sorry Biscuit is not doing so well. You were right to take her to the vets to get checked out but it sounds like she is rather traumatised. Hopefully she will settle and start eating. Might be worth trying to get some water into her via syringe in the meantime.
Jess is the vet I see at Dart Vale Brixham, @Bill & Ted mentioned her too. Jess only works Tuesday and Friday so if you are still worried about Biscuit, you might be able to see Jess. If you call and say its urgent they will usually try to squeeze you in. Another vet that is good at Brixham is Karen but Jess is the one who does the conscious dentals and has lots of experience with piggies so I always try to see her.
Do you have weetabix? perhaps a little bit of that in some warm water, mash into a stiff mix and offer Biscuit some. If it is slightly warm, the smell might encourage her to eat. Only use water, not milk.
I really hope Biscuit feels better soon xx

 

[Surfergirl]

I will go there if there is a next time. I don’t know if you can see my post below she now won’t eat and is grinding her teeth. She’s grabbed hold of the side of a pot and won’t let go, very unusual

She’s on my knee and trying to eat some groundsel but looks like she’s now struggling, before the vets she was eating as normal. Her teeth now feel very rough on the edges. I’m worried because she didn’t eat anything from when I left for the vets this morning. Have just given her a bit more Metacam I’m wondering if this vet has done something very wrong or could it be it takes time to get used to her new teeth?
I rang the vet and she said she might just be stressed, but she is trying to eat and where a piece of grass would usually shoot inside, it’s just being mashed on the end, not chewed or swallowed.
I’ve just been to get a banana and she’s trying to eat it and she’s eaten a few peas. She’s trying to bit the banana slice but doesn’t look like it’s barely been touched. Almost as if she can no longer bite. Before she went to the vets she was biting her pellets and eating them fine. Doesn’t look like she’s touched any of her veg, grass, weeds or hay.
I wonder if the vet was just looking for a reason and it may not have even been her incisors. She couldn’t really see in her mouth although couldn’t feel an abscess.
Got her on my knee where she best eats when poorly and will have to syringe feed her too.

Oh Lord, poor Biscuit.
Teeth grinding can be a sign or pain or stress but in this case it could also be a sign of just feeling out her new teeth. If she's got something like a cardboard hay cube or carrot cottage she might try to chew on that. Or frankly just a brown cardboard box!
Has she had her painkiller today? If you have a nice warm cosy she can hide in to recover you could try leaving a few bits of anything she'll still eat just inside and watching out for when these disappear. Once she's eating something you can try again with the syringe - although avoid the front teeth if you can as they'll be tender. I put a (warm) hot water bottle under one side a fleece cuddle sack on my lap for syringing so they can relax. It always surprises me how pigs love soft furnishings - for years we only did hay and bedding but they've all really liked the fluffy stuff and especially when feeling a bit under the weather...
View attachment 214093 View attachment 214094

ahh thanks so much. They’re super cute. She had her morning pain relief, I’ve just given her half of her evening pain relief. I’ve left some bits beside her house and she now lives in the lounge so it nice and warm.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Poor Biscuit! The trouble with incisor teeth teeth is that they normally wear lovely and sharp at the biting edge. When some vets burr the teeth they don’t angle the biting edge so it’s basically blunt at best. Inexperienced vets always cut their incisors far too short like a rabbits, in fact GP’s have quite long incisors naturally. Again they will grow but it takes a week or so. My Ted‘s first GA dental locally for a molar spur came back home with incisors so trimmed back I could barely see them and of course they didn’t meet

I would just try and get as much food into her as you can tonight. Can you mash up some pellets in warm water, would she take it better on a spoon.

 

[Surfergirl]

So sorry I didn't reply earlier. Just caught up and I'm so sorry Biscuit is not doing so well. You were right to take her to the vets to get checked out but it sounds like she is rather traumatised. Hopefully she will settle and start eating. Might be worth trying to get some water into her via syringe in the meantime.
Jess is the vet I see at Dart Vale Brixham, @Bill & Ted mentioned her too. Jess only works Tuesday and Friday so if you are still worried about Biscuit, you might be able to see Jess. If you call and say its urgent they will usually try to squeeze you in. Another vet that is good at Brixham is Karen but Jess is the one who does the conscious dentals and has lots of experience with piggies so I always try to see her.
Do you have weetabix? perhaps a little bit of that in some warm water, mash into a stiff mix and offer Biscuit some. If it is slightly warm, the smell might encourage her to eat. Only use water, not milk.
I really hope Biscuit feels better soon xx

Thank you very much. Yes I’ve got weetabix so will try that I think it saved her life during gut stasis but thought it might be frowned upon here, so thank you for the reassurance.
I’ll definitely go to Jess if there is a next time.

 

[Surfergirl]

Poor Biscuit! The trouble with incisor teeth teeth is that they normally wear lovely and sharp at the biting edge. When some vets burr the teeth they don’t angle the biting edge so it’s basically blunt at best. Inexperienced vets always cut their incisors far too short like a rabbits, in fact GP’s have quite long incisors naturally. Again they will grow but it takes a week or so. My Ted‘s first GA dental locally for a molar spur came back home with incisors so trimmed back I could barely see them and of course they didn’t meet

I would just try and get as much food into her as you can tonight. Can you mash up some pellets in warm water, would she take it better on a spoon.

Thank you very much. It sounds exactly right, they are now blunt and rough and were previously smooth. I don’t actually think they were an issue. The vet is young and also has rabbits, so there we have it! Fortunately Biscuit put up a fight so she didn’t get much cutting done. I did check when I phoned back if she filed them and she said no she cut them!
My poor baby, she’s grazing on petis pois at the moment although chews each one for about 3-4 minutes. Normally she’d have gobbled the lot by then.
Fingers crossed she can manage grass, hay and food veggies soon and yes I will try the battle of syringe feeding too. I’ve got 2ml of Metacam left to give today, so I’ll do that now.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Thank you very much. It sounds exactly right, they are now blunt and rough and were previously smooth. I don’t actually think they were an issue. The vet is young and also has rabbits, so there we have it! Fortunately Biscuit put up a fight so she didn’t get much cutting done. I did check when I phoned back if she filed them and she said no she cut them!
My poor baby, she’s grazing on petis pois at the moment although chews each one for about 3-4 minutes. Normally she’d have gobbled the lot by then.
Fingers crossed she can manage grass, hay and food veggies soon and yes I will try the battle of syringe feeding too. I’ve got 2ml of Metacam left to give today, so I’ll do that now.

If she “cut” ? them I hope she hasn’t used dental pliers I have seen some videos of this procedure done on the internet, it’s not good practice as the pressure caused can split the tooth lengthwise Hope poor Biscuit goes alright tonight and she starts to eat again

 

[Surfergirl]

If she “cut” ? them I hope she hasn’t used dental pliers I have seen some videos of this procedure done on the internet, it’s not good practice as the pressure caused can split the tooth lengthwise Hope poor Biscuit goes alright tonight and she starts to eat again

Omg the more I read about the horror stories on here about vets and teeth, the more worried I am. She certainly didn’t file them because I double checked after you told me how Jess does it.
She’s eaten enough to get her through the night but has probably burnt more calories chewing than she ate. It’s not normal.
I did feel I should take her to the vets after I said I would. Not you, but people do keep saying on all the threads to get the vet to check. My gut this morning said don’t go because she was eating normally again and seemed fine. I honestly wish I hadn’t gone.
If she has cut them blunt, I take it they will sort themselves out? It’s just whether she survives in the meantime. She didn’t really go into this fighting fit and I am more worried about her after the vet trip than I was before. She won’t take mashed pellets or warm weetabix even as advised to try above.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you very much. Yes I’ve got weetabix so will try that I think it saved her life during gut stasis but thought it might be frowned upon here, so thank you for the reassurance.
I’ll definitely go to Jess if there is a next time.

Keep trying with the mashed pellets, it is of course what she needs if she isn’t eating hay.
I would not give weetabix - they don’t need wheat in their diet

 

[Free Ranger]

I'm so sorry you've got all this stress - and poor Biscuit
There was a forum piggy called Little who had no bottom incisors at all and had to re-learn how to get food into his mouth but he did it - they can do it and even in such extreme circumstances can relearn how to eat independently. Sometimes you have to offer little slices of veg or slivers of leaf at first to encourage them to build a bit of confidence..? All they know is that they could eat, but they can't now - they don't necessarily know that they will be able to eat again and hopefully quite soon. Syringing will help her not feel hungry while she sorts herself out. If there has been physical damage to the teeth get back in touch with the vet and let them know - even if you choose to go to a different vet in the future. They will want to know.

My rainbow girl Ivy had her incisors burred once - but rather too short - and she had to figure out how to get food in and keep it in. Saying that, Ivy actually found the chewing part easier as her overgrown incisors had been in the way. Her chewing speed improved no end. The vet that spotted the incisors said she couldn't close her mouth properly. The senior vet who actually did her teeth was experienced with the burr tool but hadn't realised she had caught the lip - neither did I until the next day when Ivy clearly had a fat bottom lip and was extremely irritated with me! I phoned in to let them know and got advice on pain relief and what to watch out for regarding complications. Luckily there weren't any and it took about a week for the bottom teeth to meet the top ones again.

It's not been a great experience for either of you (or the vet by the sounds of it) and I really hope this doesn't set Biscuit back too much. If you have anything wooden like a bendy bridge, or a thick brown cardboard box, she might feel like she wants to bite at something to re-shape those front teeth. It's perhaps why she went for that plant pot.

PS: On a previous occasion I did tempt Ivy to eat with dry Fruit and Fibre flakes which were obvs not part of her regular diet but perked her up a bit when she was down. I don't know why she liked them - the others were never bothered! I think she quite liked the crunching.

 

[Surfergirl]

I'm so sorry you've got all this stress - and poor Biscuit
There was a forum piggy called Little who had no bottom incisors at all and had to re-learn how to get food into his mouth but he did it - they can do it and even in such extreme circumstances can relearn how to eat independently. Sometimes you have to offer little slices of veg or slivers of leaf at first to encourage them to build a bit of confidence..? All they know is that they could eat, but they can't now - they don't necessarily know that they will be able to eat again and hopefully quite soon. Syringing will help her not feel hungry while she sorts herself out. If there has been physical damage to the teeth get back in touch with the vet and let them know - even if you choose to go to a different vet in the future. They will want to know.

My rainbow girl Ivy had her incisors burred once - but rather too short - and she had to figure out how to get food in and keep it in. Saying that, Ivy actually found the chewing part easier as her overgrown incisors had been in the way. Her chewing speed improved no end. The vet that spotted the incisors said she couldn't close her mouth properly. The senior vet who actually did her teeth was experienced with the burr tool but hadn't realised she had caught the lip - neither did I until the next day when Ivy clearly had a fat bottom lip and was extremely irritated with me! I phoned in to let them know and got advice on pain relief and what to watch out for regarding complications. Luckily there weren't any and it took about a week for the bottom teeth to meet the top ones again.

It's not been a great experience for either of you (or the vet by the sounds of it) and I really hope this doesn't set Biscuit back too much. If you have anything wooden like a bendy bridge, or a thick brown cardboard box, she might feel like she wants to bite at something to re-shape those front teeth. It's perhaps why she went for that plant pot.

PS: On a previous occasion I did tempt Ivy to eat with dry Fruit and Fibre flakes which were obvs not part of her regular diet but perked her up a bit when she was down. I don't know why she liked them - the others were never bothered! I think she quite liked the crunching.

Thank you, really appreciate the advice. She refused her mushed pellets in any form. However I mixed in a little Pro C and bingo she has eaten them! She is now back in her cage chewing on her cardboard house! She does have a plastic one but has always preferred a shoe box!
Am just glad she has eaten a little and good to hear she may get used to it all and improve.
I wasn’t sure if cereal flakes would be allowed on here, but I did get her eating again after gut stasis with two gluten free flakes! Good idea, I’ve put a couple in her bowl and hopefully once she starts eating, she will continue!

 

[Surfergirl]

Keep trying with the mashed pellets, it is of course what she needs if she isn’t eating hay.
I would not give weetabix - they don’t need wheat in their diet

Me neither, I’m also gluten free! Thank you for the advice. So much conflicting advice on here, you never know what to believe!

 

[Free Ranger]

Yes you'd be right - generally it's best to stick with piggy food for piggies and people food for people. I took the responsibility (and thus any unforeseen consequences!) upon myself using a few cereal flakes to encourage a food-refusing pig to have a bit of a go.

The forum tries not to give conflicting advice overall, although with so many members we are bound to reflect different - and possibly contradictory - experiences. This is sometimes highlighted when older threads come up in searches - treatments and medications alter over time. But generally look for the green 'Health and Illness' sign under a member's post for the best advice the forum can give. You'll see these members have plenty of message postings listed on the left hand bar showing their details. The green banner identifies them as our Sages! Sometimes people join and really want to help so they'll give you all sorts of suggestions as to what they think you should do, but with the best will in the world it's not always right. If someone appears to have joined only recently and hasn't posted many messages they sometimes haven't had time to 'tune in' so to speak. And the final issue is that lots of people are in different countries with better/worse access to veterinary care so the forum tries to tailor advice to the resources they have available. That takes some doing!

I might have to get me some of that Pro C for my George when he's having his off days...

 

[Surfergirl]

Yes you'd be right - generally it's best to stick with piggy food for piggies and people food for people. I took the responsibility (and thus any unforeseen consequences!) upon myself using a few cereal flakes to encourage a food-refusing pig to have a bit of a go.

The forum tries not to give conflicting advice overall, although with so many members we are bound to reflect different - and possibly contradictory - experiences. This is sometimes highlighted when older threads come up in searches - treatments and medications alter over time. But generally look for the green 'Health and Illness' sign under a member's post for the best advice the forum can give. You'll see these members have plenty of message postings listed on the left hand bar showing their details. The green banner identifies them as our Sages! Sometimes people join and really want to help so they'll give you all sorts of suggestions as to what they think you should do, but with the best will in the world it's not always right. If someone appears to have joined only recently and hasn't posted many messages they sometimes haven't had time to 'tune in' so to speak. And the final issue is that lots of people are in different countries with better/worse access to veterinary care so the forum tries to tailor advice to the resources they have available. That takes some doing!

I might have to get me some of that Pro C for my George when he's having his off days...

Thank you for the information.
I was advised on here to use Pro C but did double check as it’s mostly sugar. Apparently it is okay. They absolutely love it. I never put it on grass etc as she isn’t keen on that but will lick it off my finger and is now enjoying it stirred into some mushy pellets which she wouldn’t eat.

 

[Wheekallweek]

Good to hear Biscuit is eating something!

 

[Bill & Ted]

I’m glad Biscuit has got through the night after that ordeal yesterday and is managing some cardboard and mushed pellets with Pro C. Hopefully her mouth will be less sore and she will get used to her teeth. The more she chews the sharper her front teeth will become
When Simon (vet at C&R) burrs incisors he places his finger nail behind the teeth and he says he can instinctively feel when the burr is about to drill through the other side. It’s really is all down the experience. I would try Jess if she is no better, she has all the equipment for having a proper look inside a guinea pigs mouth

 

[Surfergirl]

I’m glad Biscuit has got through the night after that ordeal yesterday and is managing some cardboard and mushed pellets with Pro C. Hopefully her mouth will be less sore and she will get used to her teeth. The more she chews the sharper her front teeth will become
When Simon (vet at C&R) burrs incisors he places his finger nail behind the teeth and he says he can instinctively feel when the burr is about to drill through the other side. It’s really is all down the experience. I would try Jess if she is no better, she has all the equipment for having a proper look inside a guinea pigs mouth

I will do thank you for your advice and support. She wouldn’t even have her Metacam this morning which she goes mad for. I’ve had her on my knee for 1.5 hours and after gentle coaxing she’s eaten some mushed pellets and some extremely finely chopped greens. She keeps tilting her head to the right, opening the left side of her mouth and pawing at it with her left foot whilst trying to chew. I can only describe it as if you’d got a massive lump of food stuck under your gum and trying to push it out. I’ve never seen this before and no idea if it could indicate anything.
I wish I had gone to Jess. It’s just with a dentist and hospital appointment, plus the school run, it was impossible. If it doesn’t settle down, I’ll go to Jess next week.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Don’t blame yourself, your little boy was poorly and he has to come first. It does sound like something is bither8ng that side of her mouth. I wonder if there is a bit of food stuck. can you feel anything aling her jawline

 

[Surfergirl]

Don’t blame yourself, your little boy was poorly and he has to come first. It does sound like something is bither8ng that side of her mouth. I wonder if there is a bit of food stuck. can you feel anything aling her jawline

I will have a feel in a bit when I get a moment. It’s only now and again whilst she’s eating and then only on and off. I haven’t seen her do it since the vet visit.

Her chewing is also very loud now, grinding with a squeaky grinding sound. Was just the normal chomping sound prior to the vets visit. She’s also having to chew forever each time, much much longer than normal.

 

[Surfergirl]

Don’t blame yourself, your little boy was poorly and he has to come first. It does sound like something is bither8ng that side of her mouth. I wonder if there is a bit of food stuck. can you feel anything aling her jawline

Thank you. How long do you think I should leave it? She’s only eating mushed pellets if they have pro c, and a tiny amount of finely chopped veg. Won’t touch chopped hay or grass. Her poo had normalised by the vet visit but is now not normal. I understand Jess only works Friday and Tuesdays?
Should I give her a few days or is this not normal? I am so cross that she was eating fine again before the vet meddled.

 

[Free Ranger]

I'd try and get in to see this Jess on Friday if she's a savvy vet. If it hasn't resolved itself by then you'll need to see someone - if it has it would be worth getting another opinion on jawline lumps and bumps anyway. Nobody wants to be syringe feeding for a week if they don't have to!

 

[Surfergirl]

Incisors can be trimmed (ideally burred) very quickly, and consciously as long as someone has a firm grip on piggy! Even if they go too short they grow back fast. If they end up super short keep an eye on the lips and gums for swelling in case they have been caught. But again, that's a temporary issue. Overlong incisors can prevent correct chewing and put them off things like grass and hay which need a deal of grinding down. Something must have put her off biting at things for these to overgrow so it's lucky the vet thinks you have caught it before any molar problems develop. The gut issue might just be that her ratio of fibrous foods to veg is a bit off at the minute.

Give her a day or so for things to settle down and see if her eating habits change. Can you get any clue by her chewing action whether the problem is a localised dental issue? I'm attaching short vids of my rainbow girl Zara who had a problem on the root of her lower incisor. She was initially helped by trimming down the bad tooth to take the pressure off it (the neighbouring incisor was left intact).
BEFORE: chews by sticking out her jaw to avoid catching the tooth. AFTER: smoother action, normal jaw position.
View attachment 214086 View attachment 214087

Hi I’ve got a video of Biscuit chewing and the strange thing I explained below she keeps doing with her mouth. If you or anyone can say if the chewing is normal or what the strange thing she’s now doing with her mouth is, I’d be very grateful. It’s consuming my life at the minute and having to sit her on my knee to eat or else she isn’t too interested.

 

[Free Ranger]

I think you have to put it on youtube or something and then post a link onto here - sorry not very tech savvy...

 

[Surfergirl]

Hi I’ve got a video of Biscuit chewing and the strange thing I explained below she keeps doing with her mouth. If you or anyone can say if the chewing is normal or what the strange thing she’s now doing with her mouth is, I’d be very grateful. It’s consuming my life at the minute and having to sit her on my knee to eat or else she isn’t too interested.

Did they post?!

 

[Surfergirl]

I think you have to put it on youtube or something and then post a link onto here - sorry not very tech savvy...

Oh thanks, I haven’t got a clue how to do that!