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Advice on what to do - dental problems

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fidgety-fudge

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I have taken my piggy, Fidget, to the vets today as he has lost weight over the last month and I noticed he was dribbling and having problems eating.

I don't have much faith in the vet I saw as I had to tell her what I thought the problem was (after reading forum's and my piggy books), she had a look and agreed that he has overgrown molars and incisors.

The advice was to have GA but she also said infront of my 11 year old that he may not survive the GA. It would also cost £90 to have his teeth done under GA. I don't mind the cost but she didn't instill me with much confidence and didn't seem too sure herself.

I didn't agree on any course of action as I had read about Rodentologists and wanted to find out more. I have also seen on one of the threads on here about a vet in Maidstone who works with small animals.

The advice I would like is:

Should I get a second opinion?
Is it worth taking him to see the vet in maidstone has anyone dealt with him -his name is Mark Rowland.
As he is about about 300g underweight what do people think his chances are of surviving the GA?

I am syringe feeding him and giving him Metatone tonic as suggested in one of the piggy books, he is also eating a very small amount of food himself.

I would just like to do the best for him as he is a beautiful long-haired with a lovely personality.

Any advice would be welcome
 
guineas don't need a ga to have their teeth seen to. Are you near Cambridge at all? The Cambridge cavy trust will help your pig. I'm on my phone so can't provide the link so Google it. Alternatively get in touch urgently with Laura at guinea pig helpline so she can give you advice on syringe feeding etc. She sometimes takes on sick piggies too. Her phone number is on the website text her now. Hope your little one gets some proper treatment soon. Hope you dont mind me saying but the vet you saw didn't have a clue x
 
Unfortunately I'm not near Cambridge but I have emailed the April lodge in Sandwhich, Kent to see if they know of any Rodentologists in Kent. If I can't find one then I think I will take him to the surgery in Maidstone as they had a vet who specialised in small animals.

I agree the vet had no clue, she was the same the last time I took him but it wasn't anything serious that time.

On the plus side, I have just syringe fed him and he was interested and took some. His white fur is now a bit orange now though due to spillages:))

He is also a little bit perkier than earlier so thats a good sign.

Thanks for replies.
 
Just looked up April lodge and they are affiliated with the CCT so they should be able to help rodentologist wise.
www.guineapighelpline.com - Laura would be able to help you quickly too if you dont get any replies to your email. This is serious, your guinea will be slowly starving and may be in some pain and needs urgent attention. I can't emphasise this enough. I've been through it and it was very traumatic. Sorry to sound harsh but I really dont want your pig to go the same way as mine did a couple of years ago x
 
i agree, you need to act asap, i have been through this too and it isnt nice to watch your piggy starve to death :0, good luck x
 
I have heard good things about the vet you mentioned in Maidstone. CGilchrist, who is a forum member, speaks highly of him.

I know there is a rodentologist in Hastings who does teeth. Not sure if they are too far. They are recommended by CCT, so April Lodge should know about them.

Hope you find someone to help your piggy soon. :)
 
I can't tell you how highly I recommend mark he sees all my piggies and is amazing with them, if you don't feel confident in the vet you already have then i would defiantly recommend a second opinion.
 
I would def see if you can find vet who is a bit more specialist,took my piggie to my local vets and he didnt have a clue and felt his opinion was "its only a gunnea pig so doesnt really matter" was recommended a vet by someone on here and wow what a difference he knew straight away what was wrong and what to do about it .I know there are some vets that will do teeth without ga .dont know whereabouts they are though.am sure somebody on here will know.I am a new member as well but its a fab forum packed with loads of info ,and some very kind and caring piggie owners
 
Since I don't know your vet, I can't really comment but I always think that if you are unsure and not confident in your vet then you should definitely get a second opinion.

I would say that whatever you do, you need to act quickly as overgrown teeth can be a amjor issue and 300g underweight is pretty serious. There are vets that can do teeth without GA and some vets who prefer GA because it's easier.

Our vet is very good and we really like her - she used GA to do Biscuit's teeth but then she was also taking blood samples and nasal/traecheal samples at the same time so a GA was definitely necessary...

Whether you end up with a vet the wants to administer a GA or not, it is important that you feel confident in the vet and what they're doing. We used to have a specialist exotic pet vet (the most qualified at the centre) but we didn't really like him - he cam accross as a little unsure of himself and wasn't very communicative. We switched to another, less well qualified vet at the same centre who is terrific and very open and communicative and that was important for us.

I'll keep my fingers crossed - best of luck :)
 
Oh no hope you manage to get help quickly! Is metatone good to give the piggies then? I've got a bottle at home cos I've been so poorly recently so have been taking it myself
 
Update on Fidget

Thanks for all of the messages. I was fortunate to find a rodentologist not too far from me and she saw him on Monday evening. She did his teeth in about 5 minutes, found an abscess the vet missed and gave me lots of great advice.

He has put on about 50-60g this week and eating his food and also enjoying being syringe fed. Went to a different vet to get him antibiotic but he seems much happier. Still a long way to go but fingers crossed.
 
Metatone is mentioned as a good tonic for piggies recovering in Piggy Potions book. Seems to be helping along with critical care, neurofen and a herbal mouth gel. All thanks to the rodentologist.
 
Makes such a difference seeing a qualified vet! Took Terry to a reccomended vet nearish me because he'd started dribbling and she had a sterilised dental kit especially for piggy examinations ready for when we arrived. She was quick and helpful :) So glad he's doing better, get well soooon x
 
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