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Not Eating Scooter's medical thread

Guinea Pig Papa

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Update for Scooter:

Wow. It's been 3 weeks since I've had an update. Shameful.

Scooter is doing well. Tonight, he had his last dose of antibiotics. His weight has gone as high as 1220, but no higher and usually drops right back down.

What I can say is this. Since the last week of October, at his weekly weigh in, he has not LOST any weight over a week long period. It has either gone up, or stayed the same. This Sunday, he was 1167. Compare that to 1083 November 3rd. He is slowly going up, but he IS going up. I am hoping beyond hope that he will gain more now that the antibiotics are finished.

In the mornings when we get up, he has a syringe full of Critical Care, and then a generous pepper slice and a half inch thick cucumber slice. He now eats all of it. Once he's finished, he'll dive in the hay pile and munch for awhile. He's been hot and cold with his pellets: right now it's cold. He STILL won't drink water on his own. I am puzzled by this.


So now it's wait and see. Wait to see if the antibiotics have been enough, and the infection stays gone. I have two bottles of azithromycin in case it isn't, which of course I had to keep handy with the holidays fast approaching.

My fingers are crossed. We've all been through enough, Scooter especially.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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It is wonderful to hear such good news. I am thrilled to hear that Scooter is doing much better.

After I had my male neutered he refused to drink on his own for several days and went downhill. I diligently syringed water into him and Pedialyte, then I put in a different water bottle (actually an older one rather than new which is kind of funny) and he drank and drank and drank!

It was quite by accident because it was the bottle used by the girls that I accidentally put in his cage instead. I was so excited that it became permanently his...and I may have taken numerous videos of the event which were sent to my less than impressed friends/family who did NOT share my enthusiasm of my guinea pig drinking from a water bottle. Another reason I love this forum 😉
I love it! I have a funny feeling the girls scent may have had something to do with it, however. I was worried about his water bottles, so I bought two brand new ones a month or so ago. No change. I even tried putting his old one back in a week or so ago just in case. Still nothing. I am just puzzled.
 

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You might want to try a water bowl. Our tow refuse to do the bottle even though that's all they had in the store. We have a bottle in the cage but we just keep cleaning it and refilling it never touched. THe water bowls are filed quite often and cleaned even more.

He's only been refusing the water bottle since he's been ill. He's drank from it his entire life. He's had a couple of life changes, between the illness and losing his brother. Rest assured, he IS getting plenty of water but this is the last hurdle (we hope) that he needs to clear.
 

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Update for Scooter:

Tuesday will be three weeks since Scooter has finished his antibiotics. He has shown slow signs of improvement, most notable attitude and weight gain. A couple of days ago he actually went above 1300. Briefly, but he was there. Been several months since that has happened, and his last 3 Sunday weigh ins have been at or above the 1200 gram mark.

As some of you may have seen, I found the buddy for Scooter that he seems to so desperately have needed. And realized that his new buddy needed him just as badly. There have been significant changes in both pigs over the last 24 hours since meeting.

Scooter has been eating his hay and pellets much, much more. He has been out playing, and he is vocalizing the way he used to once again. But the most notable change has been.........

He all of a sudden will use the water bottles again. Just like that. It started yesterday in the introduction pen, and as I sit here and type I'm watching him on the camera eat pellets and drink from the bottle as if nothing was different.

He was more depressed about losing Punkin than I understood. It has literally been like a switch has been flipped, and the old Scooter has come running back. I attributed a lot of the changes in his personality due to his illness. His relationship with Leo so far has been great, but of course not like what he had with Punkin. He and his brother were exceptionally close, and I was a lucky piggy parent to have been a part of it.

There is a great, big bright white light at the end of the tunnel. It's getting brighter.
 

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Looks like this is hopefully the final update for Scooter on this issue.



Scooter's weight is hovering between 1200-1250. He is a very active, happy boy again. He has not had any supplementation with Critical Care or other meds whatsoever since being introduced to Leo. He is eating his entire pepper slice every morning, and begging constantly for treats. He drinks his water normally. He eats his pellets normally. And he is eating his hay normally again. Except for being lighter, he seems to be his normal self with one exception.

He is a much more vocal pig than he used to be. Every time I walk through the door he is wheeking, and loudly. He's teaching Leo to do it. He runs around the cage and pen burbling happily to himself.

On some level, perhaps maybe he understands what he went through and what he lost. Maybe it's just wishful thinking. What I do know, is that Leo has come out of his shell and is both a joy to be around and to have around. They are the best of buddies.


And Scooter has a renewed soul.
 

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I had pretty high hopes. Perhaps not out of the woods yet.


Noticed on Wednesday that maybe Scooter was eating a little slower than usual. Yesterday morning, didn't finish his pepper slice. I was out most of the day and from what little I did see, he didn't seem quite as active. Last night watching him eat his bedtime salad, I noticed that he was eating slower than normal. On a whim, decided to weigh him.

He was down to 1180. And that was at the end of the day, when his weight should have been up after eating and drinking all day. So I took him out of the cage to eat a cucumber slice and he took a while to eat it, opening his mouth wide once or twice as if he had something stuck.

This morning, down to 1160. Picked at his pepper slice but didn't eat much. Gave him some metacam and two full syringes of Critical Care which he happily gobbled (even going so far as to go and pick up the syringe on his own when I wasn't quick enough), and some vitamin C. He went back in his cage and picked at his pepper slice some more, nibbled at his pellet bowl and ate a little hay.

Will be calling the vet at 9. I feel like a balloon that someone has just stuck a pin into.
 

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He has a vet appt for Monday afternoon.

I know it's going to take a few days for the meds to kick in. He's hungry but doesn't seem to be able to eat much on his own. Still goes gaga for Critical Care.

He was 1160 yesterday morning, 1185 last night. Dropped to 1130 by this morning. I've seen him trying to eat pellets and hay, and last night he had an orange segment caught in his mouth. He was a bit panicked trying to dislodge it. He HAS been up and around, grumbling and playing and very talkative. Very interested in food but when it's given to him, he just seems to give up.

I fed him two syringes full of CC this morning, and have since offered it to him in a bowl which he seems to eagerly eat. So he's getting some into him on his own.

Just have to wait and see. I'll know more by Monday/Tuesday.
 

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Update for Scooter:

This morning, eating Critical care both on his own, and from the bowl. Nibbled his pepper slice, nibbled a cucumber slice but that was all. Looked like he was trying to eat some hay, but hasn't had any water from the bottles nor any pellets at all. His weight was down to 1107 at 6am.

Fast forward to lunch time. Wouldn't even try to eat his salad. Mixed up a batch of critical care and left some out for him to try himself, and some in a syringe in case he wouldn't. He didn't want any of either. Force feeding him was very slow going, and he spit out a fair bit of what was gotten into him. I can feel some obstruction in his mouth when I use the 1ml syringe to give him water. His spirits seem fine, but this is virtually a mirror image of how Punkins problem started at the beginning of September. At that time, it was found that Punkin's molars had overgrown into points and were stabbing his tongue.

The antibiotic and metacam doesn't seem to have made any difference whatsoever, he has continued progressing downward. With the obstructions that I can feel in his mouth, it seems likely that his molars are overgrown. The last dental work he had at all was minimal and it was on October 31st.

I have spoken a couple of times with his vet tech over the weekend. Scooter will go in on an emergency basis first thing tomorrow morning, and he will be looked at before their afternoon surgeries begin.
 

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Bella and I sending strength and energy to our little guy and to you. Xx

Thank you, [MENTION=27627]Artista[/MENTION]. We always very much appreciate your strength and well wishes!
 

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Sorry that you both are going through this.......yet again. You and I have the worst luck with piggies and their dental problems, don't we? I'm always amazed at just how quickly their molars grow.

Yes, every detail that you have posted sound like the progression of overgrown molars when they develop points/spurs that begin to dig into the tongue. The good news is that it can be remedied for now. Not so good news is that this may be an ongoing issue for him with repeat dental procedures.

You know, I wonder how much of this issue is genetic? Weren't Punkin and Scooter litter mates? Please ask your esteemed Vet what the published literature says about the issue.

All the best to our boy Scooter tomorrow..........and his Papa too!



Punkin and Scooter were indeed littermates. Pretty much inseparable from the day they were born. Scooter HAS had dental work, but we assumed it was simply because of the illness he had and the fact that the antibiotic killed his appetite, facilitating almost a complete Critical Care diet which likely led to the overgrowth. Now, I'm not so sure.

To be perfectly honest, [MENTION=19714]spy9doc[/MENTION], It's beginning to make me wonder if I'M doing something wrong. He's been getting veggies, yes, but he's been voracious with his hay and pellets again since being introduced to Leo. That's only a month ago, and I wonder if this issue hadn't been brewing earlier and his improved diet after the infection was gone and his new buddy just delayed this. I just don't know.
 

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Nothing new to report.

Vet had a quick look at Scooters teeth, but will be sedating him for a better look first thing in the morning as we've been down this road before. They were inundated with emergencies today and since Scooter isn't critical, Dr. Ker was uncomfortable with sedating him so late in the day without an observation period before sending him home.

So it LOOKS as though Scooter will be having a molar planing first thing in the morning, and will be on the Azithromycin for the forseeable future to try and get rid of this nagging inner ear infection.

I should add that after 4 days on the azithromycin already, he DOES seem to be more willing to eat the Critical Care on his own from a plate so I'll take that as a positive.
 

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Update for Belly Pig.

Scooter was the first appointment of the day. Yesterday when he was quickly observed, there didn't appear to be anything wrong with his molars. Knowing that Scooter has a small mouth, loves to fidget and be uncooperative AND past experience with exactly this, I asked that he be sedated for a better look.

Once Scooter was anesthetized his vet was able to get a much better look. And indeed, the lower left molars were overgrown. The far back one more so, but the one in front of it as well. The back one was beginning to trap his tongue, the other one was stabbing it.

It appears that this inner ear infection causes pain and pressure in his jaw, which cause him to chew on one side. Which invariably causes a problem with his molars. It's very interesting to note that throughout all of this, his incisors are and have always been perfectly straight. No indication of any problem with his molars by angled incisors.

So as expected, his molars were trimmed down and he is to stay on the azithromycin for some time. This is proving to be a very difficult infection to get rid of but we'll do whatever we have to for Scooter.

He's home now resting comfortably in his cozy. Every time I walk through the door, though, he runs over babbling away to see if I've brought him a treat. Boy, do I love these little guys.
 

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Great news! So happy to know that he is home and doing well. How did Leo handle Scooter's absence?

Leo seemed pretty bored without Scooter being there, and as soon as he came home Leo was over to pester him. Leo has also been bullying Scooter and snapping at him for the last week, so I'm pretty sure Scooter didnt miss Leo as much as Leo missed him.

Dr Ker didn't feel that the malocclusion in both pigs was genetic. He feels its more a product of unfortunate circumstance, as both pigs contracted an infection in different places but both experienced effects in their mouths.

Had a moment of sheer panic this morning when I woke up. Morning routine completed, I picked Scooter up to weigh him, and commence with a Critical Care feeding. His chest was wet, it appears he had been drooling. I'm sure it's normal for some drooling, especially after the freezing on his gums wears off. The panic was due to the fact that this is where Punkin's downfall began, with constant drooling. Scooter has not drooled before with dental work, and Sly never did so this absolutely terrified me. Not a great way to start the day.

He took two full 412 syringes of CC, along with his metacam and antibiotic. Washed his face and chest and checked him an hour later. His chest was a little crusty, but dry.
 

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I’m sorry he is still under the weather. I hope he recovers completely and quickly!

As for Leo asserting dominance all of the sudden: I read that when a formerly dominant piggy is sick for a while, the submissive piggy can know this and use it to their advantage to gain dominance. Maybe that is the case for your boys.

Leo was the dominant piggy and once that was established, other than the occasional snap at Scooter there was little else to it. For the past week since Scooter began showing signs of illness, the bullying from Leo became much more pronounced. I know that an ill pig may be bullied by their cage mates, I just hate seeing it with Scooter. He's already feeling bad and Leo being a jerk doesn't help him at all.
 

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I’m sorry I thought the order was reversed. I know it’s best to have bonded pairs, but if it’s hurting scooters recovery, maybe a cage divider would help? Cage neighbors. That way Leo can’t get the best of scooter, and scooter can recover in peace and have the best chance to do so. They can still touch noses and talk to each other, until he is better. It is a risk they might not be able to go back to sharing a cage, but if it’s for scooters health it might be best.

That is totally your call not mine, that’s just what I would do.

I appreciate it!

The bullying is nowhere near as bad as it could be. Leo is just annoying him, and snapping at him when he gets too close. At this point, knowing what I know about his demeanor after losing Punkin if I separate them that would be far worse for his recovery. He's requiring handfeeding right now anyway, so Leo isn't keeping him from eating. He just doesn't want to eat yet. I'm sure it's going to take a bit for him to want food on his own, and I think last time he had this done it was four or five days before he ate somewhat again.
 

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Thank you for asking, [MENTION=45113]petluv[/MENTION] !

Scooter is having a bit of a rough go. Only late yesterday and today has he begun to eat a little bit on his own. He's eaten a couple slices of cucumber, a carrot stick and an orange slice but he is still sadly in pain. Hes been drooling off and on as well, which if you're familiar with what happened to Punkin you'll understand why it terrifies me.

The bullying from Leo has stopped and in fact Scooter seems to be giving back a little attitude of his own. His weight is as stable as we can keep it. He was lowest this morning at 1073. He is being fed two full syringes of Critical Care at 4 hour intervals.

His spirits are still good. If I remember correctly, it was about two full weeks before he was able to really eat adequately last time. He definitely doesnt deal with the dental procedures as well as my dearly departed Sly did. He was one tough little boy.
 

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Morning update.

The little bugger seems to have improved even more overnight. He ate two full syringes of food in roughly 40 minutes (20 minutes quicker than normal, and before his daily metacam had kicked in), but after eating those two full syringes, on a whim I had brought up two cucumber slices cut in half, and a small slice of green pepper.

He ate a little of the green pepper which surprised me. It was thick but he still managed to get 10 or 15 bites in. Then he found the cucumber. It took him a little while, but he ate an entire slice, skin and all. Throughout all of this, he only gagged once on the cucumber and cleared it himself. To top it all off, he ate almost half of the second slice.

To top it all off, over the weekend he had started tugging on the water syringe while being given some. This morning, he's decided it's a fun game to tug at the food syringe, too.

It's nice to start finally seeing some noticeable improvements!
 

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I have been very busy with life and finally had a chance to drop back in and it is nice to see good news here!
How is Nutter Butter doing?
 

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Update for Scooter:

I figured I should do an update for Scooter for those interested in his well being. Unfortunately, there really isn't anything to report.

Scooter is still being fed Critical Care several times a day. He eats very little on his own. He LOVES orange segments, and he will nibble pepper slices and cucumber slices. He doesn't seem to be able to eat anything else.

It's been almost 3 weeks since his molars were done, and after some initial improvement he has levelled off and there hasn't been any more. He spends most of his time sleeping in a cozy between feedings.

He drooled a fair bit through most of the first two weeks, but it's been a week now since the drooling has stopped. He has another appointment with his vet Monday afternoon, as we are at a loss at to what is going on at this point.
 

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I’m so very sorry to hear this! I was hopeful the surgery would solve the issue. I don’t have any ideas to what it might be but I hope and pray the vet figures it out soon and can help him perk back up to his old playful self!

ETA: How old is scooter? Is he in his senior years? That might have a bit to do with it, the inactivity. However even a senior pig has a healthy love for eating, and the ability to do so. That is what is most concerning. Could the vet have accidentally hurt his mouth? Even skilled exotic vets can mess up once in a while, especially since their charges are so very small. Have you been back for a follow up? I know scooter is getting the best possible care he could from you, I just was wondering when the last check was and if he received an official all post-op healed from the vet.


You'll find a LOT more info about Scooter if you read back through this thread. This issue has been ongoing since September and we THOUGHT we had it beat.

Scooter turned 3 years old October 8th, so by no means a senior. He and his brother fell seriously ill at roughly the same time just past September. Believe me when I tell you, we are doing everything we can for Scooter. He doesn't deal as well with the dentals as our other pig did before him.

This Monday will be his follow up, and will likely also include xrays (again) to see if there is anything else we can see.
 
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