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[Black piggies]

You've done research, you want to do the best thing for your piggies, but this forum is the best place for expert advice, which you're receiving. Good hay versus toys helps prevent piggies develop dental problems. If you have a piggy with a dental problem, (nothing worse in my opinion), sadly many vets won't be able to help.

 

[Swissgreys]

from the information i am able to gather, i’m finding it impossible to support this assumption. i’m going to assume it’s due to different locations,

very interesting! is there any way to access this information? or some material regarding this information to look at? (e.g. factual sites, educational veterinarian journals, libraries that may hold information on this?) i’d love to see more on this!

As you say it is your vet/s who offer this advice based on research (assuming peer reviewed and published of course) then they should be able to at least allow you to view the literature whilst in their office. They can't legally provide the entire article unless it is open access, but they can technically provide the abstract which can be used to find out further info, and often contact the author directly with specific questions.

As @Bradshaw Piggies has already mentioned, many articles published in professional journals are not free to access and you need to buy individual articles, pay to access the entire journal, or check what access rights your institution (academic or professional) can offer you as an employee/student.

But a Google search for scientific articles on a specific topic of interest should bring up plenty of info.
Google Scholar is good as is Research Gate. Or check the big scientific publishers like Elsevier, Wiley, etc.

But if your vet is giving the info then I would suggest they are a good starting place to provide a source for their knowledge.

 

[mackie]

What access do you currently have to international publications? I strongly suggest google scholar. It is unlikely that individual veterinary practices will publish the information, as this will be reserved for veterinary research and educational institutions. Veterinary professionals do not feel the need/nor are obligated to publicly publish the education/research behind the expertise that they have to offer.
I'm not sure how you go about accessing academic literature in the US? I presume you will need to go via educational institutions too?
Best of luck in your search. Perhaps a discussion within the field in your own country will also be of use? That's presuming you are of an educational/research background?

There is always going to be differing opinion, whether than be academic, professional or the opinion of those with hands on experience. I've been more than open to discussion, and fully support my initial comments that toys are not a recommendation for maintenance of dental health, with the advice of veterinary professionals and those with years of practical experience from whom I've developed my own knowledge of guinea pig care (mostly thanks to this forum).

I would be more than happy to continue to discuss, but I can't help feel that your reactions to comments and your replies are somewhat facetious. I'm sure others will be happy to continue this discussion.

Best of luck in your research and search for further information - it is nice that you care so much about your piggies

my comments are not intended to be ‘facetious’. i do deeply apologize if it has been perceived as so. the information provided by this comment had influenced me to seek more education on the topic. i tend to be a very cautious individual on matters regarding my pets. i’m only more inclined to look further into this topic, as i find it very helpful! i did not hear anything regarding the topic of the disadvantages that toys may render. thus me requesting specific information (verification of veterinarians, any articles it may pertain to, factual evidence of the topic) & stating that i had absolutely no sources to support it. as i stated, i absolutely do NOT doubt that the information is inaccurate, misleading, or not verified. i see why my posts or replies are being deemed as suggestively disrespectful towards the audience & helpful community i sincerely apologize if my replies had been perceived as disrespectful, mockery, or incivility towards the discussion. i tend to be unceremoniously open. my intentions are not to be abruptly impolite towards any of this lovely community. simply only seeking more supportive factual evidence towards this matter!

 

[Deleted member 139433]

my comments are not intended to be ‘facetious’. i do deeply apologize if it has been perceived as so. the information provided by this comment had influenced me to seek more education on the topic. i tend to be a very cautious individual on matters regarding my pets. i’m only more inclined to look further into this topic, as i find it very helpful! i did not hear anything regarding the topic of the disadvantages that toys may render. thus me requesting specific information (verification of veterinarians, any articles it may pertain to, factual evidence of the topic) & stating that i had absolutely no sources to support it. as i stated, i absolutely do NOT doubt that the information is inaccurate, misleading, or not verified. i see why my posts or replies are being deemed as suggestively disrespectful towards the audience & helpful community i sincerely apologize if my replies had been perceived as disrespectful, mockery, or incivility towards the discussion. i tend to be unceremoniously open. my intentions are not to be abruptly impolite towards any of this lovely community. simply only seeking more supportive factual evidence towards this matter!

No problem at all. Apologies if I misinterpreted.
I one million percent recommend this forum for expert advice and wouldn’t have helped my poorly piggies through so much without it.

apologies if we got off on the wrong foot. I honestly can’t recommend this forum enough.
And as I say I often discuss topics from here with my work colleagues, as being academics they are always interested in new ideas and theories.

It’s lovely when we get some one on here who generally cares for the guinea pig species

 

[mackie]

As you say it is your vet/s who offer this advice based on research (assuming peer reviewed and published of course) then they should be able to at least allow you to view the literature whilst in their office. They can't legally provide the entire article unless it is open access, but they can technically provide the abstract which can be used to find out further info, and often contact the author directly with specific questions.

As @Bradshaw Piggies has already mentioned, many articles published in professional journals are not free to access and you need to buy individual articles, pay to access the entire journal, or check what access rights your institution (academic or professional) can offer you as an employee/student.

But a Google search for scientific articles on a specific topic of interest should bring up plenty of info.
Google Scholar is good as is Research Gate. Or check the big scientific publishers like Elsevier, Wiley, etc.

But if your vet is giving the info then I would suggest they are a good starting place to provide a source for their knowledge.

yes! thank you. i am most definitely going to consult my veterinarian regarding this topic & i am going to request supporting documentation to verify that my veterinarian is giving me the proper information regarding my pets dental needs. i do not disagree, i’m positive that there is documentation supporting that toys may be the culprit of dental complications, i’m currently in the process of finding it. so far, i found nothing to support this information. i am going to continue looking. i requested the veterinarian(if it is a publication) to hopefully find something. i did refer to the suggestions to help find documentation. unfortunately i did not see any information regarding the harmfulness of toys, at all this is why i requested if there is proof supporting this information, if it is published, if it is distributed as advice by licensed veterinarians, or if there is any physical corroboration. that’s all! i did intend to seem insensitive or disrespectful

 

[mackie]

No problem at all. Apologies if I misinterpreted.
I one million percent recommend this forum for expert advice and wouldn’t have helped my poorly piggies through so much without it.

apologies if we got off on the wrong foot. I honestly can’t recommend this forum enough.
And as I say I often discuss topics from here with my work colleagues, as being academics they are always interested in new ideas and theories.

It’s lovely when we get some one on here who generally cares for the guinea pig species

yes ma’am! this community is HIGHLY recommended by enthusiasts & professionals! i love it. it provides good, accurate information, suggestions & tips that i am unable to find or receive on other platforms. it’s a relief that there are good people in this community! always helpful & interesting

 

[Deleted member 139433]

yes! thank you. i am most definitely going to consult my veterinarian regarding this topic & i am going to request supporting documentation to verify that my veterinarian is giving me the proper information regarding my pets dental needs. i do not disagree, i’m positive that there is documentation supporting that toys may be the culprit of dental complications, i’m currently in the process of finding it. so far, i found nothing to support this information. i am going to continue looking. i requested the veterinarian(if it is a publication) to hopefully find something. i did refer to the suggestions to help find documentation. unfortunately i did not see any information regarding the harmfulness of toys, at all this is why i requested if there is proof supporting this information, if it is published, if it is distributed as advice by licensed veterinarians, or if there is any physical corroboration. that’s all! i did intend to seem insensitive or disrespectful

As I said, the research in respect of dental changes as a result of chewing objects was in horses. There is only a suggestion that it will have similar affects on rodent dental health due to the similar nature of the teeth and chewing motion

 

[mackie]

As I said, the research in respect of dental changes as a result of chewing objects was in horses. There is only a suggestion that it will have similar affects on rodent dental health due to the similar nature of the teeth and chewing motion

that’s probably why it’s difficult to find supporting arguments or documentation verifying it. i apologize. that’s a misapprehension on my part. i presumed the posting had insinuated that the study is comparing 2 entirely different species as if it had the same result. that is my mistake.

 

[Deleted member 139433]

that’s probably why it’s difficult to find supporting arguments or documentation verifying it. i apologize. that’s a misapprehension on my part. i presumed the posting had insinuated that the study is comparing 2 entirely different species as if it had the same result. that is my mistake.

It could have been the way I had written the response, so apologies on my part.
The literature discussing dental structure and health of small herbivores does make reference to equine.
Whereas the equine research into detrimental effects of crib biting on overall dental health does not reference guinea pigs but it’s been suggested in the academic field that there is possible similarities as both species have very very similar dental structure, chewing mechanism and digestive tracts.

hope that makes sense!

 

[Wiebke]

yes ma’am! this community is HIGHLY recommended by enthusiasts & professionals! i love it. it provides good, accurate information, suggestions & tips that i am unable to find or receive on other platforms. it’s a relief that there are good people in this community! always helpful & interesting

Have you yet discovered our extensive information resource?
We have got a very comprehensive practical New Owners guide collection: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

Our full information resource can be accessed laid out in thematical order via the guides shortcut on the top bar. Since we cannot repeat everything from scratch in every post (seeing that we are all doing this for free in our own free time), we do link in relevant guides that provide more in-depth background information, which we try to keep as practical and precise as possible in all the tricky little details that can throw a newbie to that particular area.

Our information is very much based on our own long term owner experience and on the practical experiences on this forum; with thousands of piggies passing through here over the course of 15 years, you usually find out whether a new thing making the rounds does bear out or not - very often, it sadly doesn't.