Hello everyone. We have a sick piggy who got her molars trimmed, as the appetite dropped off. It has been weeks, and she has been eating less and less, even though she shows initial interest in food, but then just turns away.
We started syringe feeding some ten days ago, and get on average two to three times worth of 15ml into her. She won't even try eating anymore on her own. She is under 600 grams now, melting away. :-(
Any advice to try and save her somehow? Vet says everything looks just good. Did an ultrasound, xray, molars check, guts are good and still working... we are losing hope...
Hi
I am very sorry for your desperate battle.
How experienced is your vet in doing guinea pig dentals? It is fairly easy to get them wrong - and only very few vets are experienced with guinea pigs.
Have you and your vet considered that any dental overgrowth could have been secondary to a still ongoing underlying problem and not primary.
The issue is sadly not the syringe feeding that is preventing her from eating less and less and withdrawing the syringe feed will not stimulate her appetite and eating on her own, either. It is unfortunately the sign that you may be losing the battle. Please step up the frequency of feeds to every 2 hours during the day and once or twice during the night in a last ditch all or nothing battle to get as much into her as she is still willing to take.
Please stop when she starts to fight the syringe well in excess of her weakened condition or if she really struggles to swallow - in either case she will no longer be able to process any food.
It may be either the dental treatment that has gone wrong (there are very few vets in the world that are really exprienced with guinea pig dentals) or something else is going on that is killing the appetite and that the dental treatment is not addressing. Admittedly, mystery weight loss/loss of appetite with any other pointers as to what is going wrong is my least favourite symptom as so many different issues can be behind it; some rather surprising ones from my own collection of experiences over the years.
Sadly it rather sounds to me like her body may have already started closing down.
Here is our one-stop crisis and emergency care information, including our syringe feeding guide:
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
I am never happy having to post this link but it may be that you will need it; it includes a chapter on how to spot when a piggy is crossing the line of no return and detailed practical advice on what you can do for a dying piggy/when to euthanize them, which you may find helpful - just in case:
A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs
Having been in similar situations far more often than I would have liked, I really feel for you! Please take the time to read the links; they contain all the practical and supportive information that you could need as we are coming to the end of the day on this forum.
I will be thinking of you!
Life is so fragile...
