guinea pig post teeth operation

Question
My guinea pig Barney had spurs on his back teeth filed down last friday and we picked him up on saturday morning after being told he should eat fresh veggies and we were also given Science Recovery. When we got him home however he has attempted eating his veg but the food just drops out of his mouth! Therefore I have had to syringe feed him the Recovery with either baby food or nuggets with hot water so that he has something to keep him going! Im uncertain as to how long i can carry doing this as he hates being syringe feed and i have to force it in his mouth! Any ideas much appreciated!

Answer
Be very careful forcing food with a syringe. It's very easy for him to aspirate and choke on the liquid feed. He should recover from the dentistry in just a few days. You might also try putting some of the Science Recovery either in a small crock so he can lap it up, or in a water bottle that he can just suck it from.

When you do syringe feed him just barely let the syringe drop anything into his mouth. Put it in the cheeks of his mouth, not directly into the mouth. That will lessen any chance of him choking. If there's just a little at a time on his tongue he will swallow it. Pushing it in will cause him to fight you.

If he's hungry he will lap up the liquid from a dish. You may have to watch closely so he doesn't climb into the dish and make a mess. That's why the bottle might work as well. I would suggest trying both to see which will work out the best for you.

Cut up any veggies small enough that he can chew them. I'd avoid carrots at this point because they might be to hard for him to chew. The inside of his mouth may be sore from the procedure and that will delay him wanting to chew solid things yet.

Parsley is always a favorite of most pigs. And it's easy for him to chew. Same with lettuce. So stick with the softer vegetables until he's ready to try really chewing again.