[Gpdd] HEALTH: Apple's Vet Visit

[pat schuett]

Hi again,
 
Apple and I both survived her frosty trip to the vet yesterday --- we were able to eliminate a few more possibilities, but a complete solution will have to wait for next week.
 
I hadn't seen this young vet before but she seemed quite thorough and was very kind to Apple.  She agreed that the unequal incisor length would almost certainly mean some sort of molar involvement, but said that could correct itself after the longer incisor was dremeled down to the proper length, and Apple could chew more normally.  
 
She did have a good enough look around Apple's mouth to eliminate oral thrush as a complicating factor and to say that the molars were definitely not bad enough to be entrapping her tongue --- she couldn't see any bad spurs or lacerations, but said they could certainly be there further back than Apple would let her look.  (The clinic does have a buccal pad separator but the vet said she had never used it on a conscious guinea pig, and after looking at it, it did look to me as if it would be extremely uncomfortable for the pig and require an experienced person to hold it in place.)
 
In the end, she recommended I book the molar exam and if necessary, filing,(probably under anesthetic) with my regular vet when she returns on Tuesday.  She did dremel down the longer incisor without difficulty --- Apple was entirely calm about this and didn't seem to mind the vibrations at all --- and we were off home.
 
Apple is now eating a few pellets (she had not been eating any at all on her own before) and more hay and veggies than she was --- I'm waiting to see if this improves any more from here, though I am resigned to likely needing to take her back in next week.  She is behaving like herself again, bustling around during her floor time and wheeking for treats with her usual animation, and her weight is stable so I'm content to "wait and see" for a bit, anyhow...
 
Strangely enough, I would say we are both rather enjoying the syringe-feeding sessions --- once Apple gets comfortably settled in her towel "papoose", she sits quietly, chewing each mouthful very thoroughly and putting her mouth out for the next bite when she's ready.  It takes a while, since the mouthfuls are only a bit at a time, but it's keeping her well fed and giving us some extra cuddle time, too!
 
                                                                                                    Pat S.
 
                                                                                                            Pat S.