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Dental Are Abscesses Common In Pigs?

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Beffys mum

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Hi all, looking for some advice please as a new Guinea pig owner. We've had our 2 girls almost 2 months, Polly and Flo are now 16 weeks old and we adore them. Polly developed an abscess on the right side of her jaw when we had only had them a fortnight, which was successfully treated with antibiotics. Now Flo seems to have a lump in almost the same place, not as large as Polly's but we'll be taking her to the vet to get checked out anyway. But this seems odd that both piggies have developed an abscess in a relatively short space of time - is this common? They eat a hay based diet topped up with vegetables and nuggets, plus grass when they are out in their run. I've checked their house and there's nothing obviously sharp or dangerous in there, and it's lovely and clean. Is this just a coincidence or are we doing something wrong? Any advice gratefully received as we're now quite worried for our little piggies! Thanks :)
 
I haven't had any piggies with them personally but my sister has with both of her guinea pigs.
I've heard about lumps and stuff being somewhat common but I'm not sure why.
 
Tagging in Debbie for you, she runs a Guinea Pig Dental Sanctuary. Her and her vet have lots of experience in dental issues and I know she has experience of Abscesses @furryfriends (TEAS)
 
are they related? if so, then they could both be prone to them developing. lumps and bumps are common in piggies but can be a number of things. don't think you are doing anything wrong :)
 
Ah OK, I think they are from the same litter ( if thats the right word) so maybe thats why. Thanks, just have to keep an eye on them for any more I guess! :-)
 
Ah OK, I think they are from the same litter ( if thats the right word) so maybe thats why. Thanks, just have to keep an eye on them for any more I guess! :-)

were they from a breeder? if so, let them know if both turn out to have abscesses so they don't continue to breed from the same parents. saves it being passed down again and especially if it turns out to be dental related :)
 
I am tagging our abscess and dental issues specialists for you. There is a likelihood of a genetic link to dental issues if your two girls are related.

You could help us a lot by please telling us where your have got your girls from and by adding your country, state/province or UK county to your details, so we can adapt any advice and - if possible - practical help to your location. You can do this by clicking on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. Thank you!

@MintyAndGarry (TEAS) @furryfriends (TEAS)
 
We got our girls from pets at home. I will definitely let them know what we're experiencing, thank you for your advice :)
 
My experience is that dental abscesses are not uncommon (out of four pigs I've had over the past seven or so years, three have had issues with abscesses- two were dental and one was a skin cyst that became infected/abscessed on her back.) Some pigs may be more prone than others, and if yours are siblings, they may have a similar genetic susceptibility. It's also worth getting their teeth checked, as sometimes underlying dental problems can cause overgrown teeth that can lead to abscesses. Find a vet with experience dealing with abscesses and teeth for treatment- it makes a HUGE difference! We lost a pig to a dental abscess from an inexperienced vet who didn't manage her care properly, but the success rate with experienced vets and proper procedures and antibiotics is really good. Hopefully someone here can recommend a good vet in your area (I have a great one, but am in Canada so unlikely to be much help there!)
 
Thank you! Really appreciate everyones input, hopefully our vet can get on top of the problem with Flo. Polly recovered well from her abscess so fingers crossed it will be the same for Flo.
 
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