Token's Medical Thread

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Jun 16, 2018 8:50 am


That you have seen a great deal of improvement says to me that the drops were doing a great job. If I were you, I'd continue with them but monitor closely and be ready to try the ointment again. The ointment might also be handy for longer time periods if he still needs treatment.

I guess I have never had to put ointments or drops in guinea pig eyes so someone more experienced might have better tips for you if you continue with it. I am surprised that it appears the ointment might sting more. Perhaps there is an ingredient he is sensitive to.

Butters

Post   » Thu Jul 12, 2018 12:47 am


Hi all,

My 6.5 year old guinea pig Token underwent dental surgery 2 days ago. His front tooth had broken off and was infected within the gums, and his back teeth had overgrown (mild to moderate, they said). The last time he had a dental was at 3.5 years of age and has not needed a dental since.

I don't know if the teeth overgrew due to changes that had been happening with his eye. See thread here: https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewt ... =2&t=76547

The exotics vet said he came through the surgery very well and was eating pretty much straight away, but that night when I brought him home he could not chew. He would take food into his mouth, chew for ages, then gag and spit it out (or I would have to pull hay/grass out) so he wouldn't choke on it. He was not swallowing anything at all.

He has been on critical care 60ml a day but has dropped weight to 910g (previously 1.04). Yesterday and today he has not eaten anything. He would mildly attempt to take some food into his mouth but not be able to consume it. Long foods like hay come out lumpy at the top. The vet is convinced he was eating heaps post-surgery and he could just be in pain, but he is already on Meloxicam.

They also found an inner-ear disease which is being treated with Tramal. The gum infection is being treated with Doxycycline for a month, and he is on Zantac for 7 days.

I'm very concerned at his lack of ability to eat. Food is being chopped up very small and he still is having trouble. I know each pig is different but how long before he should be showing signs of being able to chew normally again?

The vet said if there is still pain 2 days post-op it could be related to something else as he had no ulcers in his mouth at the time of surgery. Why else would there be pain and why would it not dissipate? I would think he would be in less pain today than he was yesterday?

Any advice welcome!! Thank you!

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Thu Jul 12, 2018 1:34 am


It's incredibly important that he eat. You can't give him any choice in the matter at all. Guinea pigs are wired to require food moving through their digest tracts at all times. Unlike people, dogs, cats, etc., which only secrete stomach acid at specific times, GPs secrete it continually. Lack of food in the stomach can cause ulcers which perforate the stomach (I lost a pig that way). It can also cause bloat, because there's no food coming in to stimulate the gut, so the intestinal contents ferment. Bloat is a serious medical emergency, and many pigs don't survive it.

I don't know about Zantac for guinea pigs. I suspect your vet is trying to address the problems associated with lack of food, but if it were me, I'd address them by force feeding him.

So I'd say keep feeding him the Critical Care. The rule of thumb for a pig that is eating nothing on its own is that you feed 100+ cc. per day for every kilogram the pig weighs, every day, split into 6-8 feedings around the clock. Adjust up or down according to the pig's weight, and down if it's eating some food.

He may be able to eat things that are cut into matchstick slivers rather than finely chopped. You'll have to push the slivers toward his back teeth, but if you can get them far enough back, he may be able to chew and swallow them.

It may take a few days for his teeth to meet properly again. But he should be able to eat within another day or so if the issue is that his are unevenly ground down.

The other thing I'd do is put him on a probiotic. Benebac is good if you can get it. So is poop soup with poop from a healthy pig. Failing either of those, you could give him human acidophilus or kyodophilus.

Good luck with him, and keep us posted on how he'd doing.

Butters

Post   » Thu Jul 12, 2018 2:16 am


Thank you bpatters! We will up the cc (have been doing around 60 a day but will do more).

The vet said the Zantac was to assist post-op and also to assist with him having to be on antibiotics for so long (one month). His med list at the moment is:
Muro 128 ointment 2 x a day (for the eye, for life)
Acular eye drops 1 x a day (for the eye, for life)
Meloxicam 0.14ml 2 x a day (for 3 to 5 days)
Tramal 0.1ml 2 x a day (for life)
Zantac 0.12ml 2 x a day (for 7 days)
Doxycycline 0.11ml 2 x a day (for a month or until infection clears)
And the vet wants to add Metamine to facilitate the gut.

I've tried every veg and chopped it up so finely but he just cannot eat it. It goes into his mouth then he gags and spits it out. I am beside myself with worry. Do you think I should just keep up the cc, and just have veg and hay available so he can try when he feels up to it? It breaks my heart to see him trying to eat then not being able to.

As of last night and today I can see him getting more and more dejected with not being able to eat and he is now not even trying to pick up food anymore. I wonder if we had made the wrong decision putting him under anesthetic at 6.5 years of age but he needed the dental and the vet was confident he would bounce back as he was in good health. :(((

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Jul 12, 2018 9:13 am


I combined this thread with your earlier one. Please keep all your medical posts about Token here.

And I am so sorry about Token! bpatters is right about how vital getting food moving through the system is. I would call the vet immediately about this.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Thu Jul 12, 2018 12:08 pm


Finely chopped veggies actually aren't easy for pigs to eat. They need to be able to get food back to their molars to be able to chew and swallow. They may be able to pick up tiny pieces with their front teeth, but then can have difficulty getting them to the back of the mouth. Matchstick slivers work better, because you can push them far enough back for the pig to chew.

If it were me, I wouldn't do the Metamine. As far as I can tell, it's just another name for ketamine, which is an incredibly powerful drug. He's on enough stuff as it is. But I would add poop soup if I could find a healthy pig, or try the Benebac.

Butters

Post   » Thu Jul 12, 2018 7:47 pm


Hi, thank you both. And apologies I thought I should start a new thread if it was a different issue, will keep it all here now. :)

Some good news to report: Last night Token ate a bit of food! After I cc-ed him I sat there tearing up teeny tiny pieces of salad mix and he ate them one at a time, very slowly, but they went down! He even attempted some hay - couldn't manage to get it down but he did try! I am being cautiously optimistic.

My partner took him to work yesterday and administered subcut fluids as he was dehydrated. The dental vet said his jaw moved easily without pain and the back teeth are properly aligned, so it could be the front infected tooth is paining him.

Anyhow we will keep going with cc and hopefully he begins to eat more and more. We will get some healthy poos from his cage mate to mix in with the cc. He is still a bit puffy and looks to be in some pain still but hopefully is improving. We did not administer the Metamine.

Thank you for your advice it is very much appreciated! Many vets have told us he is considered to be quite old for a piggy so we must be prepared but I know he has a lot of life in him still so we will keep on trying hard for him as long as he wants to. x

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