Possible jawline abscess

[Surfergirl]

This morning Biscuit ate a little mush but refused a fine selection of chopped veg and leaves, which she had eaten the day before. She has lost 20g and was still doing the funny thing with her mouth, ie turning up her top lip and also clawing at her mouth like a hamster.

I phoned Brixham vets and got an early appointment with Jess for a dental. I should be able to be back for hospital and school, even though it’s 4 hours on the road, it will be worth it!

I have just sat her on my knee and she’s taken the mush from a syringe for the first time and in fact has gone mad for the mush. Still refusing chopped grass, hay and veg, but at this point I assume I should be happy for her to eat mush. I have noticed since the vets she’s tilting her head to the side when she eats. She’s still chewing forever compared to normal, even 10 minutes after she’s taken food like there’s something in her mouth.

 

[Surfergirl]

 

[Surfergirl]

Biscuit clawing at her mouth when eating.

 

[Bill & Ted]

No I’m sure Jess only works at Brixham but you could rung and check. I would definitely recommend you go and Jess can have a good luck 8nside her mouth and see what’s going. I agree with everything @Free Ranger said, but we are not experts and can only go by our own experiences of hav8ng dental problems in our guinea pigs. I have seen all these strange chewing head movements and pawning from my Ted over the years. There’s a problem somewhere in her mouth but unless you have the proper tools (specific dental brace and cheek separator) then it’s only speculation what the problem is

Have you got a family member who could take Biscuit there perhaps and get Jess to call you at the end of her session If you have a hospital appt?
I’m so sorry, I remember when after Ted had his first poor dental it took nearly six weeks to get to Simon in Northampton as my mother was I’ll and couldn’t be left and I also had grandchildren to look after during part of the holidays. It was so frustrating, everything transpires against x

 

[Bill & Ted]

Just seen these new videos too. Can you see her incisors and look under her lip? Just check there’s not a bit of something stuck between her lips and incisors? She’s definitely pawing at that area. The head lift might be because she is eating at one side, maybe the other side is painful? Does she have metacam still
So glad you have managed to get an appointment with Jess, I think you will do a lot better there than that other vet. It’s a long journey but I’m sure you will find out what the problem is and Jess will be able to help you

In the meantime I would just concentrate getting as much mush into her as you can x

 

[Surfergirl]

Just seen these new videos too. Can you see her incisors and look under her lip? Just check there’s not a bit of something stuck between her lips and incisors? She’s definitely pawing at that area. The head lift might be because she is eating at one side, maybe the other side is painful? Does she have metacam still
So glad you have managed to get an appointment with Jess, I think you will do a lot better there than that other vet. It’s a long journey but I’m sure you will find out what the problem is and Jess will be able to help you

In the meantime I would just concentrate getting as much mush into her as you can x

Thank you. I will check again in a couple of hours at her next mush feed. I am so relieved she’s finally taking the mush.
I’m not very confident at mouth inspections in case I hurt her sore bit but I will have another go.
Yes it’s a nightmare when you’ve got poorly children/relatives/medical appointments and haven’t slept properly for days! Thank you for your help x

 

[Surfergirl]

Just seen these new videos too. Can you see her incisors and look under her lip? Just check there’s not a bit of something stuck between her lips and incisors? She’s definitely pawing at that area. The head lift might be because she is eating at one side, maybe the other side is painful? Does she have metacam still
So glad you have managed to get an appointment with Jess, I think you will do a lot better there than that other vet. It’s a long journey but I’m sure you will find out what the problem is and Jess will be able to help you

In the meantime I would just concentrate getting as much mush into her as you can x

Thank you yes I’ve got two large Metacam bottles I’m working through. I increased her dose from 2ml to 4ml twice a day x

 

[Bill & Ted]

Thank you yes I’ve got two large Metacam bottles I’m working through. I increased her dose from 2ml to 4ml twice a day x

Well if she is getting pain relief that should help

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

I don’t use any of the recovery foods for the piggies at TEAS, but instead I use a variety of mushed nuggets. I sometimes add baby food to it and sometimes probiotic. I like to give a variety of tastes to piggies who aren’t eating for themselves, as if they were, they’d be getting lots of different tastes.

 

[PerfectPiggyPaws]

I'm so sorry everything is happening at once for you. Poor Biscuit. So glad you have her booked in to see Jess and at least you aren't trying to cope all weekend not knowing what to do for the best.

I know it's difficult to look yourself because if Biscuit is sore, you don't want to cause her more pain. So glad that she is eating something though.

I knew weetabix would be frowned upon but Critical Care which is a recovery food also has wheat in and plenty of people will use that. I feed my piggies grain-free pellets and try to avoid wheat and grains but sometimes you are so desperate to get them to eat that it's worth it to try a small amount of something like weetabix, just to get their appetite going. I wouldn't suggest weetabix normally so I wasn't trying to say it's a great thing to feed a piggy. Desperate times though.... I was only suggesting what I have tried myself and had success with for my piggies.

Jess does only work at Dart Vale Brixham Tuesday and Friday and she normally gets booked up quickly, that surgery is very small so I don't think they could offer boarding as no-one is there after clinic hours. There are other branches of Dart Vale in Paignton and Totnes that are larger, Totnes being their main surgery I believe. I had to take my piggy Bear to Paignton for xrays as the Brixham branch doesn't have all that equipment.
For conscious dentals with Jess, you can usually leave a piggy there to collect later. That way, Jess can do a bit at a time and not cause too much stress by trying to do it all at once. Hopefully Jess can sort Biscuit out and make her feel better. I have a lot of faith in Jess so I'm really glad you are seeing her.

 

[Surfergirl]

I'm so sorry everything is happening at once for you. Poor Biscuit. So glad you have her booked in to see Jess and at least you aren't trying to cope all weekend not knowing what to do for the best.

I know it's difficult to look yourself because if Biscuit is sore, you don't want to cause her more pain. So glad that she is eating something though.

I knew weetabix would be frowned upon but Critical Care which is a recovery food also has wheat in and plenty of people will use that. I feed my piggies grain-free pellets and try to avoid wheat and grains but sometimes you are so desperate to get them to eat that it's worth it to try a small amount of something like weetabix, just to get their appetite going. I wouldn't suggest weetabix normally so I wasn't trying to say it's a great thing to feed a piggy. Desperate times though.... I was only suggesting what I have tried myself and had success with for my piggies.

Jess does only work at Dart Vale Brixham Tuesday and Friday and she normally gets booked up quickly, that surgery is very small so I don't think they could offer boarding as no-one is there after clinic hours. There are other branches of Dart Vale in Paignton and Totnes that are larger, Totnes being their main surgery I believe. I had to take my piggy Bear to Paignton for xrays as the Brixham branch doesn't have all that equipment.
For conscious dentals with Jess, you can usually leave a piggy there to collect later. That way, Jess can do a bit at a time and not cause too much stress by trying to do it all at once. Hopefully Jess can sort Biscuit out and make her feel better. I have a lot of faith in Jess so I'm really glad you are seeing her.

Don’t worry, I know you meant well and I’d rather she ate that than nothing, which she did with gut stasis and it kept her alive.
I’m hoping it’s not an all day thing as I live an hour away and have got hospital appointment and school run. I thought it might be a 5 minute file but now I’m hearing other things, I am worried it will take longer.
The receptionist said she couldn’t fit me in until a week on Friday with Jess for any longer dental work. I hope to goodness she can help me this Friday as the stress of a poorly guinea and hand feeding is killing!

 

[PerfectPiggyPaws]

Jess will do all she can so I wouldn't worry. Jess will tell you if there is something more that needs doing at a later date.
No-one can tell you what will need to be done and how long it will take but Jess is your best bet and she will do all she can to help Biscuit.
I always try to get in early with appointments because Jess is so popular. She learnt conscious dentals with my boy Rory and I trust her completely. She is competent and kind and won't do or suggest something without good reason.
Yes, you really do have your hands full a the moment so hopefully Biscuit will start to feel better soon and be able to eat on her own again.
Whatever happens, you have done everything you can to help Biscuit and you can be sure that after seeing Jess, you will feel more confident that Biscuit will have seen a competent vet that will help her without doing more harm. Hopefully you will have peace of mind to know that you have the best advice and treatment.

 

[Surfergirl]

Jess will do all she can so I wouldn't worry. Jess will tell you if there is something more that needs doing at a later date.
No-one can tell you what will need to be done and how long it will take but Jess is your best bet and she will do all she can to help Biscuit.
I always try to get in early with appointments because Jess is so popular. She learnt conscious dentals with my boy Rory and I trust her completely. She is competent and kind and won't do or suggest something without good reason.
Yes, you really do have your hands full a the moment so hopefully Biscuit will start to feel better soon and be able to eat on her own again.
Whatever happens, you have done everything you can to help Biscuit and you can be sure that after seeing Jess, you will feel more confident that Biscuit will have seen a competent vet that will help her without doing more harm. Hopefully you will have peace of mind to know that you have the best advice and treatment.

Thank you. Friday can’t come soon enough! I just hope she can sort her quickly as I’m away next weekend and was hoping the ex guinea owner neighbour would cope with veggies and Metacam, but can’t ask her to syringe feed and mush food etc.
Whilst there are some Cornwall and Devon members following the thread, does anyone know of guinea boarding please? The sanctuary I used in Liskeard shut down. Thank you x

 

[PerfectPiggyPaws]

I don't know of any boarders unfortunately. Perhaps if nobody knows on here, you could ask Jess as she has a lot of piggy patients and one of them might use boarders themselves. Always best to get recommendations so you can relax knowing your little one is in safe hands.
Always difficult when a piggy needs extra care though. Does your neighbour know that Biscuit is poorly and not eating so well at the moment? Might be best to give her a heads-up even if Biscuit is eating perfectly well on her own by then.
Perhaps @Bill & Ted might know of a boarders in Cornwall....

 

[Surfergirl]

I don't know of any boarders unfortunately. Perhaps if nobody knows on here, you could ask Jess as she has a lot of piggy patients and one of them might use boarders themselves. Always best to get recommendations so you can relax knowing your little one is in safe hands.
Always difficult when a piggy needs extra care though. Does your neighbour know that Biscuit is poorly and not eating so well at the moment? Might be best to give her a heads-up even if Biscuit is eating perfectly well on her own by then.
Perhaps @Bill & Ted might know of a boarders in Cornwall....

Thank you. Jess is an hour away, but if she’s still in this state, I will drive wherever to get her the proper care.
Haven’t told neighbour yet as am hoping things sort themselves out. Fingers crossed! Thank you for your help.

 

[Surfergirl]

Good morning all
I just wondered how much water they should drink a day? Biscuit has never drank much as she used to eat a lot of grass. She is now eating majority mush and I haven’t seen her drink from the bowl or bottle.
I offered a syringe of water with some pro c and she gobbled four syringes, she loved it! I don’t know if it’s like humans and you don’t want to fill them up with water as they’ll think they’re full? A rough guide for a 920g guinea would be appreciated many thanks.

 

[Piggies&buns]

There is no guide and no right amount - a piggy’s drinking needs are individual.
There is water in the mush, so she will still getting water that way.
All you can do is ensure fresh water is available

Better to add the pro c to the pellet mush, not drinking water

All About Drinking And Bottles

 

[Free Ranger]

I’ve got two large Metacam bottles I’m working through. I increased her dose from 2ml to 4ml twice a day

Just checking this. I was assuming you meant 0.2 or 0.4 ml... sometimes people put 2ml when they mean 0.2ml. Sometimes also with metacam you get a syringe marked in 'units'. I have dog metacam and the purple syringe has a picture of a dog on and the 'units' are actually dog kg. So If I give George 4u in the morning, and another 4u in the evening, that's actually the daily dose for an 8kg dog. George is not 8kg, but piggies are a bit different. And the 4u is not actually 0.4ml, it's a bit less, nearer 0.3ml. The vet prescribed this for him.

So if you really mean 0.2ml - 0.4ml / 2u - 4u twice a day of dog (1.5mg/ml) then this has been done before for piggies and they're typically OK but it's well beyond the current licensed recommendations. Cat strength (0.5mg/ml) you'd be on more solid ground... but as you'll have gathered we'd debate the effectivity with some vets. But if you really have upped her to 4ml cat strength twice a day it's way too high. 4ml would be about a teaspoon in volume rather than a little drop. She'd look rough afterwards and it can damage the kidneys... and that can sometimes show as guzzling lots of water.

But again I'm assuming again that she only wanted the water because it had the ProC in and that if you offer her plain water in a little syringe she won't be interested. That just means she's hydrated enough. Even if her poops are smaller if they look moist it's a good sign.

Hope that helps. Good girl Biscuit!

 

[Bill & Ted]

I don't know of any boarders unfortunately. Perhaps if nobody knows on here, you could ask Jess as she has a lot of piggy patients and one of them might use boarders themselves. Always best to get recommendations so you can relax knowing your little one is in safe hands.
Always difficult when a piggy needs extra care though. Does your neighbour know that Biscuit is poorly and not eating so well at the moment? Might be best to give her a heads-up even if Biscuit is eating perfectly well on her own by then.
Perhaps @Bill & Ted might know of a boarders in Cornwall....

I use Maria’s animal shelter for boarding, they are great. They deal with lots of poorly guinea pigs so they certainly know how to look after and syringe feed piggies. They have a website, email address [email protected] you could ask if they are prepared to board Biscuit they are lovely people

 

[Surfergirl]

Just checking this. I was assuming you meant 0.2 or 0.4 ml... sometimes people put 2ml when they mean 0.2ml. Sometimes also with metacam you get a syringe marked in 'units'. I have dog metacam and the purple syringe has a picture of a dog on and the 'units' are actually dog kg. So If I give George 4u in the morning, and another 4u in the evening, that's actually the daily dose for an 8kg dog. George is not 8kg, but piggies are a bit different. And the 4u is not actually 0.4ml, it's a bit less, nearer 0.3ml. The vet prescribed this for him.

So if you really mean 0.2ml - 0.4ml / 2u - 4u twice a day of dog (1.5mg/ml) then this has been done before for piggies and they're typically OK but it's well beyond the current licensed recommendations. Cat strength (0.5mg/ml) you'd be on more solid ground... but as you'll have gathered we'd debate the effectivity with some vets. But if you really have upped her to 4ml cat strength twice a day it's way too high. 4ml would be about a teaspoon in volume rather than a little drop. She'd look rough afterwards and it can damage the kidneys... and that can sometimes show as guzzling lots of water.

But again I'm assuming again that she only wanted the water because it had the ProC in and that if you offer her plain water in a little syringe she won't be interested. That just means she's hydrated enough. Even if her poops are smaller if they look moist it's a good sign.

Hope that helps. Good girl Biscuit!

Hi yes you’re right. It’s cat strength and the syringe says 1-10, but it’s actually 0.1-1.
The vet said to give her ‘2 on the syringe’ once a day which previous posts said is poxy. I did increase to 2 on the syringe twice a day, but am now giving 4 on the syringe twice a day. The vet said 9 on the syringe once a day is the max after an op. I am aware of the kidney issue but until I see the guinea dentist tomorrow, I thought another day or two of 0.4/4 on the syringe would ensure she eats something and keeps the pain down.
Yes she wouldn’t drink plain water any way offered, but loved the water with pro c in. Just wanted to ensure I wasn’t overdosing on water!

 

[Surfergirl]

There is no guide and no right amount - a piggy’s drinking needs are individual.
There is water in the mush, so she will still getting water that way.
All you can do is ensure fresh water is available

Better to add the pro c to the pellet mush, not drinking water

All About Drinking And Bottles

Thank you. I tried adding pro c to the mush, and she refused to eat it! I have only given the water with pro c in after she’s eaten. I assume this is what you’re saying, ie she needs probiotics with food?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you. I tried adding pro c to the mush, and she refused to eat it! I have only given the water with pro c in after she’s eaten. I assume this is what you’re saying, ie she needs probiotics with food?

No, it’s not that they need probiotics with food, it’s that adding anything to drinking water can change the way they drink - for some, it can stop some from drinking altogether.

 

[Surfergirl]

Thank you. I tried adding pro c to the mush, and she refused to eat it! I have only given the water with pro c in after she’s eaten. I assume this is what you’re saying, ie she needs probiotics with food?

Just to add to that, she previously would only eat mush with pro c in, but last night decided she’d only eat it without! Just like she’d only eat off a spoon, then for half a day decided she’d only be syringe fed! I am just playing it by ear at each feed time and trying to get food inside her one way or another!

 

[Surfergirl]

No, it’s not that they need probiotics with food, it’s that adding anything to drinking water can change the way they drink - for some, it can stop some from drinking altogether.

Yes I have read that on here, it’s just she wouldn’t drink any water at all, then when I added her favourite pro c, she drank syringe after syringe full!

 

[Piggies&buns]

If she won’t drink plain water then the chances are it’s because she isn’t thirsty.
As I say there is water mixed in with the mush, so she is also getting fluid from there - just as they get some from veg so won’t drink more in addition.

All you can do is what you think is best but there is no guide to the amount because some drink hardly anything, some will empty a 300ml bottle and both extremes are normal.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Just wanted to wish you and Biscuit all the luck for tomorrow I hope you find out what the problem is and Jess can fix it

 

[weepweeps]

Good luck tomorrow. I hope they can find out the problem and it’s easily fixed.

 

[Surfergirl]

Just wanted to wish you and Biscuit all the luck for tomorrow I hope you find out what the problem is and Jess can fix it

Thank you. It can’t come soon enough. She’s lost 10g this morning after I thought she’d done really well. Hope she can fix it, they said she couldn’t see me for at least a week if it’s anything other than a quick fix. There has been no improvement and she hasn’t eaten anything hard. I did cook some broccoli tonight, I know they shouldn’t have cooked veg, but I thought it might give her some variety from the peas. She used to love her grass bless her.

 

[Surfergirl]

Good luck tomorrow. I hope they can find out the problem and it’s easily fixed.

Thank you. I can’t wait now! It is further than I thought, so a 3 hour round trip and I’m praying I’m back in time for my little girls hospital appointment. My little boy has a tooth abscess and I’ve got toothache too. Think we’re all coming out in sympathy! I’m so stressed with it so really hope Jess can fix her.

 

[Surfergirl]

Good luck tomorrow. I hope they can find out the problem and it’s easily fixed.

Just wanted to wish you and Biscuit all the luck for tomorrow I hope you find out what the problem is and Jess can fix it

Does Jess take them away to file their teeth? I do hate watching them being treated especially as I know she’ll struggle and probably be in pain after the last vets hash up.