Worst Guinea Pig carer in the world or the unluckiest?

rjespicer

Post   » Fri Mar 05, 2021 12:00 am


Sorry the pain med is meloxicam at a concentration of 1.5mg/ml.

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ItsaZoo
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Post   » Fri Mar 05, 2021 12:39 am


This has to be so stressful for you and for Chunky. Does she like the critical care enough to take it without the syringe, or is that the only way she will eat? I know others have had some success in cutting veggies into long thin strips and putting them well into the mouth. But she would have to want to eat, and it sounds like that's not really the case. Has the vet indicated how long she should be receiving pain meds?

rjespicer

Post   » Fri Mar 05, 2021 12:57 am


In the past she would lick it up but not this time.

The vets instructions on the pain meds were not not stop giving them. No end date was given.

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ItsaZoo
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Post   » Fri Mar 05, 2021 1:03 am


I sounds like she's having mouth issues. Maybe a tender area or something and she just doesn't want to eat. Was there any favorite food that she ate no matter what? For mine, frozen corn husks were the only thing she kept eating when she was sick. Maybe try strips of veggies warmed up or frozen. If her mouth hurts frozen would feel good, but if teeth are sensitive warm might feel better. Just to get her started eating again.

rjespicer

Post   » Fri Mar 05, 2021 1:25 am


She used to eat pretty much everything hence her name. She has had 4 oral procedures now and nothing seems to help. The vet said she appeared to have what looked like ulcers at the back of her mouth but couldn’t say what might be causing them or what could be done about them.

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Lynx
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Post   » Fri Mar 05, 2021 7:31 am


I am so sorry you are dealing with this. It has to be so hard for both of you. The xray that was taken, how long ago was that? Back in November 2020? Can you describe what you mean by an "incisor drilling"? If you hand feed her something like wheat grass, can she chew on that? It sounds like you have been giving the metacam for some time. I suspect it is helping and accounts for her looking like she is doing fine. If she did better on the slow release buprenorphine, I wonder if there is another pain medication that would help more.

The slow feeding, does she seem to have trouble chewing? Does food drop out of her mouth? Is there any sign of an oral yeast infection - or an oral odor of any kind? If you put moistened balls of Critical Care on a plate, might she be hungry and eat them herself? Perhaps an appetite stimulant like diazepam could help?

I wonder if new xrays and a second opinion from a veterinary dentist (like Dr. Legendre in Vancouver) might turn up anything else.

rjespicer

Post   » Fri Mar 05, 2021 3:33 pm


The X-rays were taken on Jan 12 I think.

I gave the vet details of Dr Legendre but I don’t know if she did anything about it.

She is chewing but most of the Critical Care spews back out of her mouth as she is chewing.

At present she will sniff at food but not eat it. I have tried offering her critical care on a spoon but rather than licking it up she bites at it.

I am also dealing with some domestic issues as well which could result in some drastic changes and spending so much time feeding Chunky isn’t leaving much time to focus on anything else.

rjespicer

Post   » Fri Mar 05, 2021 10:38 pm


I managed to get her to eat a couple of long thin bits of red pepper and also a couple of hay buds but only if I held them end on in front of her. If they were sideways on she would grab them and throw them.

I also noticed that when she was trying to bite my finger she would try and bite from the side rather than straight on. I don’t know if that means anything. She will bite and grab on to the towel she is sat on though.

She also had a go at a pea flake but where as in the past she would bite on to it and then get it in to her mouth and chew instead she now just nibbles bits off and chews on those.

The amount of critical care getting in to her and the amount of weight she puts on each time seems to be getting less.

What ratio do you usually mix it at?

The packet says 1 part powder to 2 parts water but the vet said 1 tablespoon of mix to 45ml of water.

The vets mix is quite runny and tends to just dribble out of her mouth but the 1 to 2 mix seems to think and dry so I have been aiming for midway between the two.

Watching her approach and sniff food it is almost like she wants to pick it up but either can’t for some reason or has forgotten how to.

I have contacted the vet with an update to see what she suggests but I am starting to think she doesn’t know what the issue is.


I just hope she starts eating by herself soon.

rjespicer

Post   » Fri Mar 05, 2021 11:50 pm


Watching her try to eat by herself just now it is almost like she can’t get her mouth around the food to get it in. She can worry at it and nibble little bits off but not actually get it in to her mouth.

rjespicer

Post   » Fri Mar 05, 2021 11:51 pm


Oh and the incisor drilling was to shorten her lower incisors a little.

The other twos lower incisors are barely visible above the lower jaw line but Chunkys stick up a bit more. The vet says they are the right size and match up with her top ones but it means her bite point is more towards the center of her mouth than towards the bottom like the other two. I have been told that this is normal in Guinea pigs and that their teeth differ.

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Lynx
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Post   » Sat Mar 06, 2021 8:11 am


Some good pics of incisors are here:
https://www.guinealynx.info/teeth_broken.html

I am confused by your saying, "Oh and the incisor drilling was to shorten her lower incisors a little." And "The other twos lower incisors are barely visible above the lower jaw line..."

There are only two lower incisors (unless there are some unusual "peg teeth" and also two upper incisors.

You wrote: "The vets mix is quite runny and tends to just dribble out of her mouth but the 1 to 2 mix seems to think and dry so I have been aiming for midway between the two." I think midway is a good place to be.

rjespicer

Post   » Sat Mar 06, 2021 12:44 pm


I meant the lower incisors of our other two guinea pigs. They are not visible as they are the same height as their lower gum line. Chunkys lower incisors are longer and visible.

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