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Dental Issues - are there any non GA dental vets in the North West?

Jonnio

Jonnio

New Born Pup
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Hi guys,

We've got a near 8 year old sow who has been having teeth issues since the start of the year. She's had two trips down to The Cat and Rabbit Clinic for dentals, the last one being on the 1st of Feb where we were advised that if there was no big improvement with her eating (only really eating a small amount of fresh grass/veg on her own with us syringe feeding) there was nothing much more that can be done.

About a week later without much improvement we cut down on the syringe feeding to see if she got any motivation to eat more than just a small amount of grass/veg on her own and after a few days (last Wed) she started eating nuggets and drinking by herself again - but frustratingly stopped eating any grass. She's maintaining her weight on the nuggets currently and her behaviour seems fairly normal other than not eating grass/hay.
Her front teeth had worn at quite a severe angle when she was checked over at the last dental so I've been doing my best to check them for an indication of what's going on in her mouth and they seem to have been fairly straight the past couple of weeks although the angle is potentially creeping back in after looking last night.

I'm thinking another dental might be worth a try. Does anybody know of a vet that can do dental work without anaesthetic in the North West or is The Cat and Rabbit Clinic the only place that does this? I don't mind the travel and frankly it's the best vet we've ever been to but I'm wary of the pig not enjoying a 4 hour round trip to have a mouth poked at quite as much!

Cheers!
 
Jonnio said:
Hi guys,

We've got a near 8 year old sow who has been having teeth issues since the start of the year. She's had two trips down to The Cat and Rabbit Clinic for dentals, the last one being on the 1st of Feb where we were advised that if there was no big improvement with her eating (only really eating a small amount of fresh grass/veg on her own with us syringe feeding) there was nothing much more that can be done.

About a week later without much improvement we cut down on the syringe feeding to see if she got any motivation to eat more than just a small amount of grass/veg on her own and after a few days (last Wed) she started eating nuggets and drinking by herself again - but frustratingly stopped eating any grass. She's maintaining her weight on the nuggets currently and her behaviour seems fairly normal other than not eating grass/hay.
Her front teeth had worn at quite a severe angle when she was checked over at the last dental so I've been doing my best to check them for an indication of what's going on in her mouth and they seem to have been fairly straight the past couple of weeks although the angle is potentially creeping back in after looking last night.

I'm thinking another dental might be worth a try. Does anybody know of a vet that can do dental work without anaesthetic in the North West or is The Cat and Rabbit Clinic the only place that does this? I don't mind the travel and frankly it's the best vet we've ever been to but I'm wary of the pig not enjoying a 4 hour round trip to have a mouth poked at quite as much!

Cheers!
Click to expand...

The only two vets in the whole that country are doing conscious dentals are Simon Maddock in Northampton and now new Ellie Whitehead in Matlock/Derbyshire (a vet who has recently started to only treat guinea pigs); she has visited Simon for instruction.

We are keeping our fingers crossed that with Ellie also doing it now that there may be more interest from other vets and that it may catch on over the years to come.

Recommended Guinea Pig Vets
 
Wiebke said:
The only two vets in the whole that country are doing conscious dentals are Simon Maddock in Northampton and now new Ellie Whitehead in Matlock/Derbyshire (a vet who has recently started to only treat guinea pigs); she has visited Simon for instruction.

We are keeping our fingers crossed that with Ellie also doing it now that there may be more interest from other vets and that it may catch on over the years to come.

Recommended Guinea Pig Vets
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, definitely closer to us but probably not worth the timing saving over Kim/Simon as they've already seen her.

It would be great if it caught on, we took her to our local vets when it first started - quite a big place where you end up seeing different people everytime so it's pot luck if you get someone specialised. First vet suggested it under anaesthetic, second vet wasn't keen on the idea and said see how she goes for a few more days, then I found Simon/Kim so got in there ASAP.
I've taken her back to the local place for a foot issue since, explained everything and another vet was strongly implying that a dental under anaesthetic would be better than conscious because she wouldn't be wriggling about?! I didn't walk out of that one in a very good mood frankly.

furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Who have you been seeing at Cat and Rabbit Clinic? Simon or Kim? As this is quite a complex issue, I would strongly urge, maybe one more appointment with Simon.
Click to expand...

Both appointments have been with Kim, the first time both her and Simon did the dental (took turns). I've dropped them an email with an update to see what they suggest.
 
Jonnio said:
Thanks for that, definitely closer to us but probably not worth the timing saving over Kim/Simon as they've already seen her.

It would be great if it caught on, we took her to our local vets when it first started - quite a big place where you end up seeing different people everytime so it's pot luck if you get someone specialised. First vet suggested it under anaesthetic, second vet wasn't keen on the idea and said see how she goes for a few more days, then I found Simon/Kim so got in there ASAP.
I've taken her back to the local place for a foot issue since, explained everything and another vet was strongly implying that a dental under anaesthetic would be better than conscious because she wouldn't be wriggling about?! I didn't walk out of that one in a very good mood frankly.



Both appointments have been with Kim, the first time both her and Simon did the dental (took turns). I've dropped them an email with an update to see what they suggest.
Click to expand...
Kim is an amazing vet, but Simon definitely has the edge, when it comes to the dental work. He's worked wonders with our dental piggies and is the reason that TEAS exists!
 
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I take both my boys to see Simon for dentals and I definitely think conscious dentals are far safer, less stressful and they don’t suffer from anaesthetic problems such as breathing and problems causing tummy issues/bloat due to food disruption while under and recovery. Good luck for your piggie x
 
Thanks for the comments everyone.

I got her booked in mid last week and the appointment was this morning. I was a bit worried about whether or not she would go downhill between then and now but luckily she kept munching nuggets, red pepper and tried a tiny bit of grass but seemed to regret that (looked a bit painful).

Set off dark and early to Northampton with her, front teeth seemed better (worn at less of an angle) and less ulceration at the back so a definite improvement. Shes booked in again four weeks from now so fingers crossed shes get back on the grass or hay soon.
She's got meadow hay, two types of timothy and a variety of nuggets in there so plenty to choose from at the minute.

I asked about trying to keep her drier/cleaner with her tending to sit still most of the day and Simon suggested Vetbed matting which I'd never heard of. We've been using puppy pads underneath fleece for probably a year now so moving to something more absorbant that can be washed will hopefully be better for her and our bank balance.

If anyone's got any ideas for encouraging them to eat hay let me know!
 
Aw, hope she’s feeling better soon, her mouth will be a bit sore for a couple of days. She will eat hay when she’s ready but keep tempting her with veggies she likes. Porridge oats are good for piggies that are under the weather along with grated veg if her mouth is a bit sore
 
Jonnio said:
Thanks for the comments everyone.

I got her booked in mid last week and the appointment was this morning. I was a bit worried about whether or not she would go downhill between then and now but luckily she kept munching nuggets, red pepper and tried a tiny bit of grass but seemed to regret that (looked a bit painful).

Set off dark and early to Northampton with her, front teeth seemed better (worn at less of an angle) and less ulceration at the back so a definite improvement. Shes booked in again four weeks from now so fingers crossed shes get back on the grass or hay soon.
She's got meadow hay, two types of timothy and a variety of nuggets in there so plenty to choose from at the minute.

I asked about trying to keep her drier/cleaner with her tending to sit still most of the day and Simon suggested Vetbed matting which I'd never heard of. We've been using puppy pads underneath fleece for probably a year now so moving to something more absorbant that can be washed will hopefully be better for her and our bank balance.

If anyone's got any ideas for encouraging them to eat hay let me know!
Click to expand...


Great that things are on the up!

You can find vetbed online; there is a lot of it around for dogs and cats! Just cut it into ideal sized pads! ;)
This guide here also applies to any piggies sitting in one spot: Looking after guinea pigs with limited or no mobility
 
What we (hubby and I) do whenever we have dental piggies that need to get back to eating solid food:

During syringe feeding times, we have varieties of food like hay, grass, veggies and pellets that we alternate to give as well as with CC. We put the solid food in the mouth (of course not at the back of the mouth) and tempt them to eat it. The piggy would spit it out if he/she doesn't want it. We do this every feeding time. I know it can take longer time to feed but this helps them to not forget they can eat solid food. One of the best thing to tempt them to get back to normal eating is grass. If you can get fresh grass then that's great. Also, try cutting the veggies into strips if you can.
 
Having spent many years, rehabilitating guinea pigs with dental disease, there really is no, one method, that works for all! Some piggies soon get the hang of eating grass and veggies cut into thin strips, whereas others prefer something like a large carrot or broccoli stalk, that doesn't move easily, to gnaw on to. Getting back to eating hay isn't an instant thing and isn't something to get too hung up about. Find out what works for your piggy and offer it to them regularly! I have all sorts in the cage, to tempt them. I call it their 'all you can eat buffet'. Porridge oats are perfect for keeping weight up and most love them and can manage them easily. I also put softened nuggets into the cage, in addition to normal nuggets. I make nugget castles (a bit like sandcastles) and the piggies love them!

nugget castles.webp
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. She's seems keen for grass again so that's good. Those nugget puddings look great haha!

First impressions of Vetbed are brilliant. I cut one of these into 8 pieces and have put four in the usual places that get wet. One she'd been on in the night had a slightly damp patch so I swapped it to a less popular position. Will see if any need taking out later.
 
Wow, times flies!

We still have our little Biscuit, she's had numerous dental visits down to the Cat & Rabbit care clinic now. She's onto 8 weeks between appointments.

Last time her front teeth had a weak point so Kim had to take off a little more than usual, she also had a tiny ulcer starting to appear so the cause was dealt with as well.

She does lose some weight (about 100g) after the long trip/dental which worries me but seems to gain it back within a week or two.

Biscuit is on Metacam twice daily to ease the pain on her old fused joints, this keeps her mobile and as far as I can tell quite content!

Thanks so much to everyone that replied to this thread. If she'd had had the same amount of dentals under anaesthetic I'm certain she wouldn't be with us anymore. Let's hope this method becomes more widespread and accessible in the future!
 
Jonnio said:
Wow, times flies!

We still have our little Biscuit, she's had numerous dental visits down to the Cat & Rabbit care clinic now. She's onto 8 weeks between appointments.

Last time her front teeth had a weak point so Kim had to take off a little more than usual, she also had a tiny ulcer starting to appear so the cause was dealt with as well.

She does lose some weight (about 100g) after the long trip/dental which worries me but seems to gain it back within a week or two.

Biscuit is on Metacam twice daily to ease the pain on her old fused joints, this keeps her mobile and as far as I can tell quite content!

Thanks so much to everyone that replied to this thread. If she'd had had the same amount of dentals under anaesthetic I'm certain she wouldn't be with us anymore. Let's hope this method becomes more widespread and accessible in the future!
Click to expand...
Simon and Kim are amazing and have transformed the lives of so many piggies with dental issues!
 
Aw so good to hear your little lady is still going strong. Ted is still visiting Simon too, although he is every 2 weeks now but doing really well X
 
So the last visit to Kim was on the 17th. She wasn't too happy with Biscuit's breathing to go into the dental right away so put her in the oxygen tent until she was ready. Luckily she only needed a quick going over to get everything in shape and we were on our way!

Sadly she started limping on her back right leg last Saturday night and was unable to walk properly come Sunday morning. A vet trip on Monday didn't seem too hopeful and we got some additional pain medication on top of her usual Loxicom/Metacam to see if anything improved. Unfortunately she only seemed to get worse so was put to sleep on Thursday morning :(. Despite the leg she was still eating so no problems in that department!

So a pretty tough week but I'm happy that she got another summer to munch in the garden - being furloughed I got a lot of extra time to spend with her as well!
 
Just found your thread and I’m so sorry to hear your news. But it’s so lovely she got to have that time with you over the summer. Sleep tight little one.
 
So sorry to read this sad news. Biscuit really did have a wonderful life with you. Sending big hugs.

Popcorn free across the rainbow bridge little one.💕🌈🐾
 
Sad to hear you’ve lost Biscuit - as you said it was good to have lots of time with her over the Summer. Take care and have fun at Rainbow bridge Biscuit 🥰
 
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