Little Boy not eating right after Teeth Filing?

[becomingabetty]

Hello All!
I just wanted to ask your advice on a problem my Degu Diego is having at the moment. He just over a year old; him and his brother Peds have been happy and healthy since we had them. Unfortunately they have been apart for a few months after some nasty fights-but we hope to try again to reintroduce them soon. They are so enchanting -I’m truly in love! The have the best quirky personalities-it’s making me very sad to see Diego struggling as he’s a real character.

He had a bad back tooth back in May, which eventually after painkillers and antibiotics has worn down and he started eating ok again. I'm happy to say he made it through that episode, and put on abit of weight( 200g is the biggest he's ever been so I think he was just the runt of the litter bless him!)...he sadly couldn't eat hay however hard I tried...I even got a selection pack of different types but alas no joy. His brother loved all the new varieties-Diego would try and shred but never eat the hay. So I knew that we would have problems with his teeth quickly because he wasn't eating hay.


Last week I noticed he'd lost abit of weight and was taking ages eating:'( He went to the vets on Monday(last week) and had to have a GA so the vet could investigate, he found that 3 teeth we're way too long and filed them down. He got through the GA ok again and I was so relieved, however I'm getting quite worried now.
He's really struggling to eat much still,(in fact he was eating better before as now he won't eat pellets) I've only managed to get down him a few choice bits and bobs each day, Dandelions, fresh Herbs, Oats, Crushed peas, shelled walnuts and puffed rice and dried echinacea over the last 2 weeks. He picks other things that he normally loves up but drops them again. He's drinking ok and running about on his wheel and doesn't seem in too much pain and has maintained his weight. He's really keen for me to rub around his mouth and sometimes paws at his mouth as if somethings stuck or annoying him....I feel awful for him as he's being brave but obviously isn't himself! He's taking 0.05ml of Metacam painkiller everyday. He does seem to want to chew on everything in the house thats hard so I wondered if they felt strange after filing and need to 'bed in'? I wondered if the vet could have done something wrong? I just can't understand how they would be worse....

I don't really want to take him to the vets again unless I have to as I don't want him to have another GA to check


I'm so sorry for that essay! all I was asking is how long degus normally take to recover and if anyone else has had the same problem?
Unfortunately he HATES critical care, softened pellets and the sweet potato baby food which isn't helping me build him back up:'( As I'm sure you can tell I worry alot

Also has anyone heard of vets using a mild gas rather than GA to file teeth? I can imagine that would be alot better!

Thank you SO much for your time and advice-it is so appreciated! I just really want him back to ‘normal’...
Best Wishes

Hayley, Diego & Peds x x

[yasmin]

How is Diego doing now? It has taken up to two or three weeks for one of my degus to recover completely after teeth filing but I am concerned about Diego dropping his favorite foods after the filing. How long is it now since he had the procedure done (two weeks)? Weigh him everyday for the next little while to make sure that he doesn't have drastic weight loss.

I really hope someone responds soon to your other thread re: vets in the UK that can have a look at him without GA. Please keep me updated – I know how worrisome this can be (I've posted the same sort of thread before and gone through the same worry.)

[becomingabetty]

Hey
Thanks so much for your replies...you're right it is SO worrying I just hate not being able to help or see him improve He's the same really but obviously getting more disgruntled with his situation now as he's not himself. I'm going to take him to the vets again today, just to see if he can shed any light. I'll let you know how we get on...

Lots of hugs x x

[yasmin]

What did the vet say?

Is his condition improving?

[deguconvert]

I would like to know about his condition as well. How is he doing?

What if you were to mix some peanut butter into his softened pellets to tastey them up a bit? Will he eat sunflower seeds, or pecans, hazelnuts, or such?

[becomingabetty]

;)Thank you both so for your posts! ....and suggestions!
I'm so sorry for the delay in replying...I work in a school and I went back to work this week....abit of a shock to the system to say the least!

Well I took him to the vets last friday and he said he wanted to do another GA to check Diegos roots havent overgrown too. I wasn't too keen on the idea as he takes a while to recover from the GA He suggested upping the dose of Metacam and giving him antibiotics. He almost overnight was alot better, his eating is still pretty picky but he's even had a few pellets!
The problem now is I'm not sure what actually helped him!? I've cut down the Metacam and stopped the antibiotics now and he still seems ok...I'm going to monitor him over the next few days and see how he gets on. He hasn't had any weight loss and seem pretty happy in himself.
I'll have to go back to the vets if he's still bad I guess-I'm just SO hoping his roots haven't overgrown-I know theres not much that can be done in that case I'm just trying to take a day at a time and hope for the best!

Thanks so much again for your support and advice-it helps so much knowing you have somewhere to turn I think my boyfriend has been ready to throttle me how much time I spend fussing over Diego!
Big Loves x x

[Deleted]

I can't offer much information but I really hope he gets better and I will be thinking about you and Diego everyday until he gets better. I'm here to give support and reassurance if you want any. It's my specialty
Hope everything goes well xxx

[moletteuk]

I hope he continues to improve for you, sometimes they do just take a while to feel themselves again after dental work, so hopefully it's not the roots growing upwards. Just FYI, I think an xray is the normal way to diagnose root overgrowth, and most vets have their own way of carrying this out.