janinehunt
Cavy Star, Photo Contest Winner
Cavy Slave
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2011
- Posts
- 550
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2011
- Messages
- 550
Hello
My guinea pig Pumpkin had her molars planed two weeks ago after one had grown over her tongue. I am force feeding her critical care, as well as a pellet & veg smoothie I make. I manage to get about 20 - 25 ml of these into her 5-6 times a day, but she is still losing weight. She went into the vets at 850g, came out the next day at 750g. She is now at about 710g, whereas her normal weight has always been about 950g - 980g.
She doesn't seem to be able to eat on her own. She wants to, but can't, and it's heartbreaking. I have tried many methods, such as cutting veg into slivers, or very thin slices with the vegetable peeler, giving her the bottom of the bag broken bits of hay from a bag of Oxbow orchard grass, and hand-feeding her leafy veg which she can tear with her front teeth while I'm holding the food for resistance. It takes her ages to chew anything she eats on her own, so it's pretty ineffectual. She can manage melon, so she's getting probably too much of that. I'm worried that she's slowly starving to death, despite my efforts. Pumpkin is getting fed up with me force-feeding her several times a day. I've had to divide my cage in two as Bubbles has started picking on Pumpkin, and is chasing her away from the food, and has different dietary needs now.
I am going to take her to the vet this week for a check up, to make sure there is not something else going on, after reading about @spy9doc 's issues with Chester (from whose posts I have learned a lot, so thanks for that!) . Pumpkin had metacam and antibiotics following the planing, and I am giving her probiotics in her CC.
I have read that many pigs are never able to eat on their own following this sort of treatment. Will her teeth grow back and eventually she'll be able to eat on her own again? Or will the malocclusion most likely re-occur? I have read the GuineaLynx info on this and on hand-feeding, but I would be grateful to hear of your experience. Thanks!
My guinea pig Pumpkin had her molars planed two weeks ago after one had grown over her tongue. I am force feeding her critical care, as well as a pellet & veg smoothie I make. I manage to get about 20 - 25 ml of these into her 5-6 times a day, but she is still losing weight. She went into the vets at 850g, came out the next day at 750g. She is now at about 710g, whereas her normal weight has always been about 950g - 980g.
She doesn't seem to be able to eat on her own. She wants to, but can't, and it's heartbreaking. I have tried many methods, such as cutting veg into slivers, or very thin slices with the vegetable peeler, giving her the bottom of the bag broken bits of hay from a bag of Oxbow orchard grass, and hand-feeding her leafy veg which she can tear with her front teeth while I'm holding the food for resistance. It takes her ages to chew anything she eats on her own, so it's pretty ineffectual. She can manage melon, so she's getting probably too much of that. I'm worried that she's slowly starving to death, despite my efforts. Pumpkin is getting fed up with me force-feeding her several times a day. I've had to divide my cage in two as Bubbles has started picking on Pumpkin, and is chasing her away from the food, and has different dietary needs now.
I am going to take her to the vet this week for a check up, to make sure there is not something else going on, after reading about @spy9doc 's issues with Chester (from whose posts I have learned a lot, so thanks for that!) . Pumpkin had metacam and antibiotics following the planing, and I am giving her probiotics in her CC.
I have read that many pigs are never able to eat on their own following this sort of treatment. Will her teeth grow back and eventually she'll be able to eat on her own again? Or will the malocclusion most likely re-occur? I have read the GuineaLynx info on this and on hand-feeding, but I would be grateful to hear of your experience. Thanks!