[Gpdd] Health: Puzzled by symptoms, any ideas? for Vic and Angela

[Carla Martinez]

Regarding Vic's question about Angela's symptoms of dropping weight and not
eating much: Vic you said you had been to an exotics vet and they trimmed
her teeth which had overgrown. You didn't mention how long ago that was, but
I will share my experience in case it is helpful, because the eating
problems sound so similar.

My 5-year-old boar Snowball has had malocclusion for two years. Both the
exotics specialist and the regular vet with a large dental practice have
said that his problem is unusual. Maybe Angela has something like that? 

It is not only the incisors (front teeth), but also the molars on Snowball,
grow points on the ends and grow at an angle like a pitched roof towards the
inside of his mouth. The vets couldn't understand how that could happen
because they had not seen it before. It hurts his mouth to eat at that
point. It traps his tongue and eventually restricts his movements in
swallowing food. 

With so much help from the vets we have been successful in treating the
problem. We go to the vet's office once a month when Snowball's molars begin
to bother him. He starts doing some of the things that Angela does,
struggling valiantly and giving up on the veggies. The vet gives him
anesthesia and files off the points and trims back where it needs it so the
tongue is freed. It usually takes about an hour til we are ready to leave.
Then I give him Metacam for pain and after awhile he gets hungry. 
The evening after the trimming I sometimes syringe feed Snowball some
Critical Care, but sometimes he will start eating a salad right away. He
stays on the painkiller for two days and it helps increase his appetite as
well. He has gotten comfortable with the entire process, but it did take us
both time to adjust.

Also some other home care that might encourage Angela to eat more: A plate
of mush made of regular pellets diluted with water, so there is something
soft. Snowball is able to eat that. I change it twice a day, along with a
dish of regular pellets and a bowl of water that he swishes around in his
mouth with the hard pellets to make them softer. The hard pellets look like
powder when he gets done with a meal.

Also if you haven't tried this, cut up the veggies in smaller slices.
Snowball gets shredded romaine, shredded carrot bits on occasion, and he is
able to eat leaves of cilantro. You can experiment with various shapes and
textures to see what is acceptable to Angela. I cut apple slices in long
thin strips the shape of Snowball's guinea pig mouth. When he is having
trouble eating I give him soft fruits like strawberry and cantaloupe slices,
in manageable sizes. He has a sweet tooth and loves fruit. The vet said that
is okay, whatever he likes, because at least he is eating something.

This email is longer than I intended it to be. Even though I don't know what
is causing her leg problem, Angela's eating problems sound so much like
Snowball I wanted to let you know our experience. If you have tried all this
I hope someone else will have an answer for you. Let us know how she is
doing!

Carla, Snowball and Apache



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