Our girl Cherry has taken ill and has lost some of her appetite

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Feb 26, 2020 10:17 am


I too am very sad to hear this. How serious is this? Are both the upper and lower teeth causing problems? Do you have any xrays you could share?

A case that is not too far along supposedly can be managed for a while by grinding down the molars but this is indeed serious.

duskern

Post   » Thu Feb 27, 2020 7:14 am


I'm currently not aware of how serious this is. I can perhaps get a hold of the xrays. They filed down at least one spike on a molar. They told me that only time will tell, but that it might be possible to keep at good health by keeping her molars filed down and making sure she gets branches and stuff to chew on, and lots of hay. The first couple of days, since she had this done Monday, she wasn't really eating that much by herself. She often sat still in hiding or was relaxing. Sometimes you could tell that she wasn't feel good. She's much better now. She has started eating almost by herself now. She's more active and almost seems like herself now. We still do give her CC and FP, but not that much. She is eating both hay, pellets and vegetables now. She is still on pain meds and I think she will have to have it for a while.

She is only a couple of years old, so I really hope we can keep at good health for a long time. I can post a picture of her later. She is such a beautiful red pig <3 She reminds me a bit of a smaller Abigail, but with a more dark red color.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Feb 27, 2020 9:22 am


Glad she is on pain meds and eating well. She is so young. I hope the diagnosis of elongated roots is mistaken (or at least can be interrupted).

If your vet is amenable, perhaps you could ask if they would seek a second opinion on the xrays regarding elongated roots? Dr. Legendre in Canada is a published expert who understands the challenges, has worked with one of our member's guinea pigs, and could likely give feedback as to how serious this is via a consultation with your vet.

Unfortunately, I just checked the https://www.avdonline.org/ website and they are in transition and basically have no contact information up at all. I did find this doing a search online:
https://www.avdc-dms.org/dms/list/diplomates-map.cfm
https://www.wcvds.ca/about-us/

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Thu Feb 27, 2020 3:33 pm


Ditto Lynx's suggestion to contact Dr. Legendre for a possible consult.

duskern

Post   » Fri Feb 28, 2020 3:55 am


She seems to be doing better and better. Got her to eat beetroot last night and she seemed really into it. She also ate really fine from both hay and the pellets, as well as all the other vegetables we put in the cage. This morning she was already eating pellets when I came down. Had to postpone giving her the pain meds like 15 minutes or so, because I didn't want to interrupt her when she was eating so nicely :)

Regarding getting a second opinion. I think that our vet is the leading expert on guinea pigs, at least in our region, so I'm not sure contacting other vets here in Denmark would make too much sense. It might be a good idea to contact the doctor you guys mentioned though. I'm not sure how our vet would react to inquiries regarding that though. She is a middle aged really strong woman :) What would you guys suggest that I do?

I really appreciate all your help. It's really uplifting to read your posts.

duskern

Post   » Fri Feb 28, 2020 5:32 am


Just out of curiosity, what do you think this Dr. Legendre could help with? Is there some kind of treatment?

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Feb 28, 2020 9:34 am


What I believe would be most helpful would be having him evaluate the xrays and give his opinion on the root elongation (if it has been caught early or if it has progressed). I am guessing that if the roots are pushing into the eye socket, there may be weeping of the eye.

Here is a link to a published article by Dr. Legendre. It does not cover treatment of elongated roots, unfortunately, but mentions the need for identifying other conditions when teeth overgrow:
First, one must obtain diagnostic radiographs to determine whether elongation of roots, periodontal disease, osteomyelitis, or periapical abscesses are present. These conditions are sequelae of malocclusion.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC339280/

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Fri Feb 28, 2020 5:47 pm


Legendre is considered "the" authority when it comes to small animal dentistry. I don't know how comfortable your vet is with interpreting dental xrays or treating a problem like this; if he/she is quite capable, that's certainly fine. Just offering this as a suggestion. Many here have sought Dr. Legendre's opinion over the years, particularly on more complicated cases. It's something to keep in mind if your vet is stumped and/or would like another expert's opinion.

duskern

Post   » Fri Mar 20, 2020 7:06 am


It's been a while since I had the time to write a status here. A lot of stuff has happened in my life. Just started in a new job the 1st of March. The day before we found out Cherry had a large abscess in the area around her throat under her mouth. They had to remove it, which they did the 2nd. Between worrying about Cherry, new job, kids, Corona virus and being forced to stay home I just didn't have that much energy to do much. Writing an update here was not something I could put myself up to do until things started to clear up a bit.

Things are going ok here. Cherry seems to be doing good. The wound after her operation has healed pretty nicely and she is generally eating better now. I think both Cherry and Luna might have a small cold right now. They have been sneezing a bit these last couple of days, a bit less appetite. Cherry have been making this small sound sometimes while breathing, so I was worried it might be something with the lungs. Talked to the vet and they didn't seem to worry that much since she is is still on antibiotics and the sound is so vague. She is also still eating and is really fresh and lively.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Mar 20, 2020 9:36 am


Glad to hear the operation was successful. What a trying time for you and your family! So many of us are affected one way or the other by COVID-19. It sounds like you are being very observant. What is the antibiotic she is on?
https://www.guinealynx.info/antibiotic_advice.html

duskern

Post   » Fri Mar 20, 2020 5:11 pm


She is on something called Baytril as far as I know. That's what they usually use at our vet. Yes it have been pretty rough. I can work from home so that's not a big problem. The daycare institution is closed so our daughter have to stay at home. My wife is still on paternity leave with our baby boy, so it's not a disaster, but it is still a bit rough to get it all to work out every day. Sick pigs is not helping out /: I really hope Cherry is going to be ok soon. I so much need a period without all that illness.

duskern

Post   » Sat Mar 28, 2020 3:46 am


So since I last wrote a lot of stuff has happened. We found another abscess, this time under her chin. The vet removed a front tooth that seemed to be causing that problem. She is on antibiotics again + painkillers, and have been eating nicely since. That was done this Thursday the 26th. Right this morning as I was giving her the meds I found what feels like another abscess under her chin. So now we have to wait until Monday to find out what's going on. I really fear that this is the end for her :( If it's the other lower front tooth.

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