Moomintroll & Snufkin medical thread

littlemoomins

Post   » Wed Mar 21, 2018 5:10 pm


Thanks for cropping the image so it can be displayed! I'm totally fine with that :) I've had a look through the poops and cant see anything unusual. It could very well be related to his hay as we have had to switch to timothy hay (which he hasn't had before) from oaten hay due to supply issues in our area. Well, since he is fine in all other aspects I think I'll keep an eye on it but not worry too much. We are taking both of our pigs to be wormed on the weekend anyway so I will ask the vet as well :)

littlemoomins

Post   » Tue Dec 03, 2019 4:57 am


Well I'm back. Happily, my two boys have been in fine fettle since I last posted, with regular check ups at the vet (interesting fact - their poops are still sometimes in the previously mentioned coffee bean shape. We still have no idea what could be causing it). I've come back to ask about teeth. I am a tad worried about Snufkin's front teeth.

Two days ago I noticed that Snuf had chipped one of his front bottom teeth. It was just a small chip off the side, no bleeding or anything extreme like that, so I decided to give him some oral vit
c to ward off anything and keep an eye on him.

Well I've just got home from work and have checked his teeth again, and while the chip on the bottom tooth is smaller (I guess he has worn it down), his top two teeth are a little jagged. Is this a usual side effect of a chipped tooth? I did notice that his chin was a bit wet but I'm not sure that it is drool. It just smells like a wet guinea pig, seemed to dry up in the time that I was handling him so maybe it was just water? I will have to keep checking to see if it persists.

He is eating and playing as usual, and not exhibiting any signs of pain. I'm trying to encourage him to eat as much hay as possible by limiting their soft veg for now. Of course I will get him to a vet if you don't think any of this is normal for a chipped tooth/he worsens! I'm so hoping that it isn't his molars.

Any advice would be most welcome and appreciated.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue Dec 03, 2019 6:18 am


I wouldn't expect both top teeth to be jagged if it were related to the bottom chipped tooth, as, in theory, the 'normal' bottom tooth should be abrading the matching incisor above. I do wonder how he chipped he bottom tooth, though. Could this have been some sort of injury? -- fell off a ramp, for example? Maybe the bottom tooth wasn't the only dental injury?

If it were me, I'd monitor it for now and see if they continue to look jagged once they have all had a chance to wear down a little. Otherwise, if your vet could lightly file/smooth all four incisors so that they're even, it would give you a better idea if they're wearing normally (and the vet can have a look at back teeth while he/she is at it).

littlemoomins

Post   » Tue Dec 03, 2019 6:33 am


Thanks for your response, Sef!

I'm actually not sure how his tooth was chipped. It happened while I wasn't home and he was in his pen. He doesn't have a ramp and has never been a climber of his log tunnels. My guess is that he tried to bite the bars of the pen or yanked too hard on the water dripper? This is my first time dealing with a chipped tooth so it's a bit of a mystery.

I'll keep an eye on it and update if anything interesting happens!

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue Dec 03, 2019 6:57 am


Sounds good. In the meantime, I would suggest weighing him daily (preferably same time every day, such as first thing in the morning before feeding) to make sure he isn't losing weight. See:
https://www.guinealynx.info/weigh.html

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Dec 03, 2019 8:29 am


I wonder about the jagged you describe. You are welcome to send me a crisp clear pic if you have one and I can put it up.
Image

See also:
https://www.guinealynx.info/teeth_broken.html

Let us know if by broken, you mean slanted. Are there bars in the cage that he chews on?

Become familiar with the signs of malocclusion too, in case anything develops.
https://www.guinealynx.info/malocclusion.html

littlemoomins

Post   » Mon Jul 26, 2021 11:45 pm


Hi, just wondering if anyone has any advice for diarrhoea/gas in older guinea pigs.

For context, my boy is around 5 years old and not castrated. Nowadays, he regularly becomes impacted, so I do express and clean his sac as often as required.

In the last three days, he developed very soft and gassy poops, as well as a cough and decreased appetite, so off to the vet he went.

Our vet examined his poop and he has no unusual bacterias or parasite in his gut to explain the soft poops. During the sac expression gas is audibly expelled, which is not normal. The vet did diagnose a URI. His teeth are fine. He has no swelling/growths in his abdomen.

He is currently being treated with antibiotics for the URI, which we know might make the poop situation worse but felt it was necessary. He is also getting probiotics during the antibiotic cycle to support his gut, as well as vitamins C & B.

Since starting the antibiotics he has recovered his appetite and has been much more energetic and chirpy and the cough is clearing.

We feed our piggies timothy hay and burgess pellets. We've significantly reduced his vegetables since his poops became soft.

If anyone has any ideas on what could be causing the very weird poops/experienced this before, please let me know! :)

User avatar
ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Tue Jul 27, 2021 12:16 am


My female just had a week of being off her food and developing soft, mushy poos. I did much the same as you are doing. I cut out the fresh veggies, especially cucumber and green pepper since they can be gassy. I fed Critical Care and also a few corn husks since she wasn’t eating hay or pellets. I syringed Benebac mixed with Pedialyte several times a day. Just wait at least an hour after the antibiotic before giving the probiotic.

Once she started eating hay, the fiber helped get her digestion back to normal.

Good luck, I hope he starts feeling better.

littlemoomins

Post   » Tue Jul 27, 2021 12:23 am


Thanks for the advice ItsaZoo. I'm glad to hear your piggy got back to normal!

littlemoomins

Post   » Thu Jul 29, 2021 7:22 pm


Hi again,

I ended up taking Snufkin to a second vet for a second opinion. Their exam found that he has advanced dental disease which would require (at their estimate) dental surgery under general anaesthetic very 3-5 weeks for the rest of his life.

They explained that his jaw misalignment is likely caused by arthritis due to age and is not curable, and with the surgeries would be manageable - for a time.

My feeling is that, at his age of 5, I am not comfortable putting him through so many procedures involving general as the risk is quite high. I also feel it would detract from his quality of life significantly.

Snufkin is still managing to eat some veggies (slower than usual, but happily) and is in good body condition, and is happy. The vet has assured me he is not in any pain.

So, we have made the decision to support him with critical care and lots of love until he lets us know that it's time, and then we will let him go.

This breaks my heart but I really think it is the right decision for him.

It also leads to my next question - at some point, Snuffy won't be with us. How can I go about preparing my second pig Moomin for this, and what can I do when the time comes to make that transition/grief period easier on him?

Apologies for the very long post.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Jul 29, 2021 9:05 pm


I am sorry for the poor prognosis. Continue to weigh him often. If there is something obvious like the incisors are getting too long, preventing closing the mouth, at least have them trimmed.

I can say, there are vets who might give a different prognosis. Don't completely give up.

Perhaps you will get a companion for your remaining guinea pig. Until then, these tips can help.
https://www.guinealynx.info/alone.html

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