GP struggling to eat and chew

[pinkpinkeverywhere]

I’m looking for advice please.
We have 2 rescue piggies both boars who have always eaten us out of house and home. A week last Saturday we realised one had lost weight and on closer inspection he was struggling to eat. We took him to the vets on the Sunday and found his front teeth were overgrown so he was booked in for them to be burred down the next day. While doing his front teeth the vet discovered his molars had spurs growing too and this is the reason for his not eating. He had a second procedure to burr these down too and came home Monday night with pain relief and liquid food so we could syringe feed him. They told us they expected him to start eating within 24 hours. After 48 hours he still wasn’t eating so we took him back. They said there was no physical reason for him not to eat and maybe his mouth was just sore. It is now a week later and we are still syringe feeding all his water and food. We have tried cutting up all his favourites and mashing nuggets, but although he shows interest he won’t actually eat anything. He has managed a piece of parsley and a blade of grass but he was struggling to chew I think.
So I was hoping someone might be able to reassure me if I carry on syringe feeding him that he’ll ‘learn’ to chew again or give me something else to try?
Apart from this he’s still his normal inquisitive self and doesn’t show signs of being ready to leave us.
Thanks for your help.

I'm assuming you've tried all his absolute favourite treats? Something soft like a slice of cucumber or tomato (one of mine used to love this)

We did have a boar who had a similar issue not eating when he got to about 7. I realised, eventually, that he had a lump around his bottom. He had lost control of his bowels and it had caused a massive impaction. We had him treated, but it only happened again, so we had him PTS. Hopefully, it isn't this, but I'd check for any lumps in that area.

Thank you the quick reply. Yes I’ve tried all his favourites, grass, parsley, Timothy hay, dandelion leaves, tomato and strawberries, and although he sniffs and puts his head towards them, he doesn’t actually put any in his mouth.
He is still weeing and pooing.
The vet gave him a full check over on the Wednesday and took his temperature and said there was nothing wrong.
We thought he was between 4 and 5 from the info the rescue gave us but the vet said he thought he was an older piggy.

I'm glad the vet did a thorough check for him. He's clearly not feeling right though. Is he keen to eat by syringe, or are you having to really coax him? Have you tried cutting the strawberry very small so that he need only chew rather than bite? I really hope he's just taking a while to adapt to being able to chew again.

Sadly, it could just be that he is getting very old, especially if the vet thinks he's older than you thought. We had a couple of guinea pigs who lived way over the average, and they just slowly switched off over a period of months, eventually leading to passing away.

One of ours made it to almost 10 and got increasingly lazy, until he could barely be bothered to move at all (though he could if he desperately wanted a particular food and one of his mates was busy pigging out). But he was weeing and pooing on himself and standing in it, causing sores. We had him PTS, but he did ever so well, bless him.

I'm hoping this isn't the case for your piggy, but just wanted to prepare you in case it was the start of the end for him.

Are you anywhere near Northampton? If so contact Simon Maddock, he is renowned across the UK as a guinea pig dental specialist. He is at the Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton (can't link as on mobile).

Thank you I will look into that as we are in the Midlands.
We have cut everything up very small, grated things and mashed nuggets into a paste, he seems unable to pick the food up. Occasionally if we offer a parsley stalk he can get it in his mouth and chew but this isn’t very often.

It might not even be a dental issue. One of my rescue piggies stopped eating and struggled to pick up/ hold food in the mouth. He was in pain from a bladder stone and there were no actual dental issues.

My suggestion would be to see a cavy savvy vet. If you are near Simon Maddock go and see him to check if there are more dental issues or if there's something else wrong.

It's heartbreaking when piggies are sick. They are such fragile creatures. Good luck

Thank you again. The reason we assume dental is because his teeth were overgrown but I suppose it could be a coincidence.
I contacted Simon but he’s on holiday until the 5th so they’ve said he’ll be in touch then. We’ll carry on syringe feeding until he’s back in case he has any suggestions.

The reason your guinea pig is not eating is probably down to pain.
Has the vet given you any sort of pain relief?
You need to keep syringe feeding for now, but how are the guinea pigs droppings? Are they uniform in size and same as usual?
Also does your guinea pig have a soft feeling tummy or is it hard?
Hope he’s doing ok. X

Hi, sorry i’ve only just checked back today.
He’s been on Metacam since the op and we’ve kept that up since to try and minimise any pain.
He is pooing but they are more irregularly shaped than usual.
His tummy is soft.
Two weeks on he’s more interested in food but still struggling to chew it. It’s almost like his teeth are blunt as he can’t pick things up like he used to and can’t bite through things easily, he has to tug and tear at them. We’re giving him cucumber, parsley and strawberries but have to hold them for him - as though the syringe feeding isn’t time consuming enough!

Hi OP, if I were you I’d get a second opinion from a vet with a bit more experience with GPs, it’d be very unusual to have just the front teeth overgrown without the back teeth overgrowing so the fact this was a surprise and required a 2nd procedure should set alarm bells ringing somewhat. GP needs xrays to assess tooth roots and then will need ongoing dental care for the rest of his life (teeth grow constantly) if this is what is going on. Guineas don’t seem to do as well with dental pain as rabbits and chinchillas, so a good chat with a vet who has experience with these problems with regards to your likely outcomes is sensible. Hope you get the help you and he need.

Well. Two procedures would of been hard on the little guy. Guinea pigs don’t do well with Anaesthetic. Two loads that close wouldn’t of done him a lot of good at all.
Also metacam can put guinea pigs off there food.
I would say as long as poop is coming out keep doing what your doing with the hand feeding.
I mean it’s also possible the incisors have been cut so that the teeth are not able to grind together properly therefore making it uncomfortable to eat.
A small exotic vet is advisable, but please be aware of the risks of Anaesthetic on a guinea pig. But an experienced vet with know this.

I also agree with user1471542018 that two procedures would of been unnecessary and has no doubt lengthened your guinea pigs recovery time.

Morning everyone, we visited Simon at the recommended Cat and Rabbit clinic on Thursday and he re-did our GP’s teeth as they had grown really long again. He said the teeth may or may not have been done correctly but that with him not eating for a couple of weeks they had grown massively again. He started eating straight away and although he’s not been eating as much as normal he’s gaining weight slowly so hopefully he’s getting back into the swing of it! We’re going back next week for his teeth to be checked again and we’ll see how often we need to go back but fingers crossed we can keep his teeth under control.
So thank you everyone for your help and suggestions especially you twointhemorning as we’d have never found Simon without you

That’s great news. I don’t think the other vet helped your guinea pig. But pleased he’s on the mend now! X

That's wonderful news! I'm so pleased he's better.
I've been away on holiday and just checked this thread.