Teeth Guinea pig teeth problems? not eating?

[nazira03]

Hello Everyone. My guinea pig Cotton top began not eating just a few days ago. I tried to persuade him to eat, but he didn't even eat his favorite treat (slice of apple). I have been syringe feeding him water, and hand feeding him mushed veggies and oxbow pellets mushed up (he wont eat anything that is solid and hard, only mushed up things.) The last few days he is hunched up in his igloo (Witch he usually does, but he often comes out when its veggie time, but right now he shows no interest.) i am getting very concerned about his health. I checked his teeth and the bottom ones seemed a little off, like the two bottom teeth weren't aligned correctly (sorry, don't know how to describe it.) I do not have a cavy savvy vet near me, only one that is almost 4 hours away.

 

[bpatters]

I'm sorry. It does sound like tooth problems, and there's absolutely nothing you can do about those. He needs a good rodent dentist, and soon. The problem will not be with his front teeth, but with his molars, and he'll need dental x-rays and an exam to determine whether the problem is an abscess, elongated roots, a jaw problem, or genetic issues.

How close are you to a large city, and which one? Maybe we can help you find a vet.

 

[nazira03]

I will not be able to pay for the vet bills, even if i had a vet near me. i live with a disabled family member, and all our savings go towards his medicines and doctor appointments, and we have no money left over after we take care of our own needs (food, bills, etc.)

 

[bpatters]

Then you need to see if you can find a rescue that will take your pig in and get it the treatment it needs, or rehome it to another person who will. If you can't do that, you'll need to consider euthanasia. If he truly has problems with his molars, he will starve to death unless those problems are addressed by a good rodent dentist. He may also be in pain if his molars have sharp points that lacerate his tongue and gums.

Do not let a non-exotic vet just file his front teeth. Front teeth are almost NEVER misaligned unless there's a problem with molars. All clipping his incisors will do is make him unable to eat by himself, and do nothing for the underlying problem.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

I agree with bpatters.

 

[nazira03]

When i adopted my pig, i signed a contract stating that i will not sell or give the guinea pig to a third party, if i need to rehome the guinea pig i will give the guinea pig back to the shelter. the problem is, the shelter is closed until january for the holidays.

 

[sallyvh]

If you're unwilling to surrender to a third party I suggest you try your hardest to find emergency contact info for the shelter you adopted him from to surrender him back to them.

I would consider this an emergency as your pig is probably in quite a lot of pain, he either needs to receive veterinary treatment, go to someone who can provide that care for him or consider euthansia. It is an unfortunate situation to be in but it is inhumane to let him sit there in pain without providing him any treatment. Especially if it is teeth, they will not get any better on their own and he will continue to suffer. Hopefully you can find something for him.

 

[nazira03]

is there any possible way he can continue his life with only syringe feedings? i feed him every couple of hours and he seems not in pain.

 

[sallyvh]

To the best of my knowledge, no. The back molars will continue to grow and will arch over and trap the tongue making it so the guinea pig cannot close his mouth properly. The front incisors will continue to grow and will curl which also make him unable to close is mouth. With all the growth of the teeth he will probably reach a point where it is extremely difficult to even swallow the pellet slurry.

Guinea pigs are notorious for hiding pain and illness, they will keep going as normal until they physically cannot any longer. Even though he may not seem in pain, he more than likely is. You mentioned that he sits hunched up in one place and that is a sign of pain.

I'm sorry you're going through this but it is not an issue that you can sit around and not do anything about, in my opinion it is extremely unfair to your pig to not seek out any medical attention.

 

[bpatters]

No, he can't keep going on just slurry. @sallyvh is correct that he's in pain, it's never going to get better. You took the responsibility for him when you adopted him. It's now time to surrender him to someone, somewhere, who will get the proper treatment for him, or put him down.

And next time, please consider the medical costs of owning a pet before you adopt one. It's not fair to the animal to take them in when you can't provide for their medical care.

 

[lunarminx]

The reason he is staying in his igloo is because he is in pain. I know how you feel, I lost a great job in December 13 and an older pig I adopted developed molar problems. The shelter I got him from was a no kill shelter and when I called to turn him back in because I knew I wouldn't be able to cover the cost( it was over $600.00) they covered it and allowed me to keep him because otherwise he was healthy and well taken care of. He is starting to show the signs again and I will not ask them to pay it again when that amount of money can save so many more animals. I did get some metacam today and crictial care and will keep him comfortable until I can no longer do it or he is no longer comfortable and then I will have him put down. Please don't allow him to suffer because you feel its horrible to have him put down. I live a life of chronic pain and its no fun for me with pain medicine, I wouldn't ask that of a beloved pet to live like that with none.

 

[nazira03]

I will not be able to do anything for my guinea pig until January. Even if i had the money to take him to the vet my mom and dad would say no, because they think rodents don't need doctors. they say let it be, it will fine. So i will continue feeding him slurry until he dies. (i will also go to another forum that is much more helpful.)

 

[bpatters]

You can go to any forum you can find, but nobody on any forum, anywhere, can help you with guinea pig teeth. This is a small animal in pain, and he deserves to be taken care of. Find the emergency number for the shelter where you got him, or look at their website -- they probably have at least an email address. If they're a shelter, someone has to be taking care of their animals -- they certainly can't do without food until January.

 

[lunarminx]

How have we not been helpful?

 

[sallyvh]

It's unfortunate that you haven't found this forum informative as this place is a wealth of knowledge.

However, when an animal has a condition that requires medical attention there is absolutely nothing that anyone on a forum can do or say. Members here are not going to sugar coat a situation when an animal needs medical care. A pig not eating is a sick animal and if it is from overgrown molars the only treatment is to file them, which no one can do at home. If there were home treatment options people would suggest them, but they do not exist.

If your plan is to just let your pig die, find the money to get him euthanized. It is EXTREMELY inhumane to let a pig with sharp spikes in it's mouth continue on living with severe pain until it eventually starves to death because it won't be able to get enough nutrients. As pet owners it is our responsibility to ensure our animals have a good quality of life. That doesn't mean having unlimited amounts of money for expensive treatments, but it does mean ensuring that our pets have their basic needs met and that if they are suffering and in pain that we make the decisions to make them the most comfortable.

 

[nazira03]

I told all of you that i can not take him to the vet, yet you still tell me to take him, even if it means driving for several hours and spending every penny i have? i have 5 people in this house to take care of, 2 of them young children and 1 disabled. Only my husband works, and he is a truck driver so his job is hard. And your telling me, instead of feeding my children and family, i should take a overgrown mouse to a vet just to get his teeth trimmed? if i need to, i can do it myself, thank you very much. if he dies, he dies. i am not willing to let my children starve just because i want to save a rat. Don't you people have families? I came on this forum to be helped out because i can not take my guinea pig to the vet, but all of you keep telling me that i need to take him, when i clearly stated i can not. If in need to euthanize him, i will do it myself as well.

 

[Colorado Cavies]

I can't even put into words everything that is wrong with your last post. I can only say that I dearly hope this is the only pet you have and that you never EVER get another pet.

If you are having him put down there is no reason to drive 4 hours away and spend a ton of money. Any vet can do euthanasia and I don't think it costs all that much. How the hell do you suggest doing it yourself? I can't think of a single humane way to do it aside from taking him to the vet.

Why do you even have a guinea pig if you clearly don't care about it? if you actually cared you wouldn't be saying such terrible things.

 

[sallyvh]

I don't want to be rude but if that is how you feel about your pet I suggest you not get any more in your future. You will not find anyone here who supports your way of thinking, all of us treat our guinea pigs like members of the family not "overgrown mice" or "rats" (both of which can be much loved pets also).

No one is suggesting to starve your children, if you didn't have the finances to care for your pig you should not have adopted him in the first place. It's extremely unfair to condemn him to an end of pain because of poor choices. That's your decisions if you will not/can not afford treatment but as myself and other members have suggested, surrender your pig! Find a shelter or rescue who can take him and at least humanely euthanize him if nothing else.

You're not the first or last owner to have financial difficulties, I myself am a University student and was faced with guinea pig medical bills upwards to $2000 last month. You know what? I tried the best I could and made arrangements and financial agreements to get my girl the treatment she needed. I couldn't just sit and watch her suffer because money is tight.

Also, euthanize him yourself? You are teaching your children very unfortunate life lessons.

I hope you can find a solution for your pig and that you do not get any more in the future if this is the attitude you have towards them.

 

[3GPigsplus1more]

Omg, if you were anywhere near me I would ask you to surrender your piggie to me! Poor little guy!

 

[nazira03]

For your information, my kids already know the situation. Its either them to die or the pig, and the obviously choose the pig. I will not surrender him or take him to the vet, unless the cost is under $20 or free, i will just wait and see if he dies or not. if he does, i will get another pig. no big deal. You people are so insane...