Yawning/sleeping/tummy ache?

[Chickensmom]

Hello,
This probably goes with my other post about yawning, but I wanted to post it here as well.
Recently my 6 year old boar named chicken has started to yawn frequently. I was told this could be dental issues, so I emailed the nearest exotic vet but they haven’t responded. Tomorrow I’ll try to work up the courage to call (I have social anxiety, chicken is my ESA).
I’ve noticed he sleeps/rests a lot as well as the yawning. His appetite is completely normal, he’s eating hay and veggies and his vitamin c tablet.
On a (possibly) unrelated note, whenever I touch his belly he squeals a bit, not in a super painful way but in an uncomfortable way. He’s always hated when I touch there but I feel this is different. When I listen to his stomach it sounds very normal luckily. He’s pooping normally.
I feel like I might just be anxious about my old boy, but I feel like my life would be over if I lost him.
Any advice?
Also I should note that this vet doesn’t take emergency cases, the nearest emergency exotic vet is over an hour away by Uber, since I don’t have a car in college.

 

[Chickensmom]

I almost forgot, in addition to the sleeping, sometimes he will twitch while sleeping/resting.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Yawning (ie opening his mouth straight open and closed and showing his teeth) is possibly not dental issues but a vet would need to confirm. More typical signs of dental issues would be weight loss due to reducing the amount of hay they eat or refusal to eat hay. Weight checks should be switched from routine weekly checks to daily checks where there are health concerns. Refusing to eat harder foods, dropping food, drooling.
There could be a mouth movement when something is stuck in the teeth but I would not refer to it as yawning as such.
The movement of something stuck tends to be more sort of opening their mouths a little way, moving the jaw, pawing at the jaw, whereas yawning tends to be wider, showing the teeth opening straight up and closing again, sometimes a a sign for another to stay away.
It might be helpful if you can get it on video.

Resting more is what older piggies tend to do. Provided they are still active at times, and their weekly weight checks and heft checks are normal.
However as an older piggy checking out with a vet whether resting more is coinciding with joint pain is a good idea. Daily painkillers and joint supplements can sometimes be needed for older piggies.

A painful tummy - best to have a vet check any signs of bloat out as it is an urgent condition. Bloat is painful. The tummy can feel hard, they stop eating, therefore stop pooping. It’s an urgent situation which requires a vet, medication and syringe feeding.
Not wanting to be touched in an area is pretty normal but again it can also coincide with some pain, whether there is joint pain from moving to avoid being touched in an area or pain in the area itself.

 

[Wiebke]

Yawning (ie opening his mouth straight open and closed and showing his teeth) is possibly not dental issues but a vet would need to confirm. More typical signs of dental issues would be weight loss due to reducing the amount of hay they eat or refusal to eat hay. Weight checks should be switched from routine weekly checks to daily checks where there are health concerns. Refusing to eat harder foods, dropping food, drooling.
There could be a mouth movement when something is stuck in the teeth but I would not refer to it as yawning as such.
The movement of something stuck tends to be more sort of opening their mouths a little way, moving the jaw, pawing at the jaw, whereas yawning tends to be wider, showing the teeth opening straight up and closing again, sometimes a a sign for another to stay away.
It might be helpful if you can get it on video.

Resting more is what older piggies tend to do. Provided they are still active at times, and their weekly weight checks and heft checks are normal.
However as an older piggy checking out with a vet whether resting more is coinciding with joint pain is a good idea. Daily painkillers and joint supplements can sometimes be needed for older piggies.

A painful tummy - best to have a vet check any signs of bloat out as it is an urgent condition. Bloat is painful. The tummy can feel hard, they stop eating, therefore stop pooping. It’s an urgent situation which requires a vet, medication and syringe feeding.
Not wanting to be touched in an area is pretty normal but again it can also coincide with some pain, whether there is joint pain from moving to avoid being touched in an area or pain in the area itself.

Hi

I hope that you can get your boy vet checked. Increased sleeping is not uncommon for older piggies and neither is arthritis but you need to have the painful tummy and also the heart checked as well as something potentially stuck between teeth.

Here is our information pack for looking after older guinea pigs. You may find it helpful: Caring for Older Piggies and Facing the End - A practical and supportive information collection

All the best.