Dental piggies and their supportive care

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furryfriends (TEAS)

furryfriends (TEAS)

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Before I start this I need to say something. I am not going to lie to you! There is no simple or easy way to deal with a guinea pig with dental issues, other than to put to sleep! Dealing with a dental piggie requires total dedication from the owner/carer, a piggie with a will to live and a fantastic vet.

Caring for a piggie with serious dental issues is exhausting both physically and emotionally and it isn't going to be a quick fix. You don't get days off, you don't get holidays (unless you can find someone you trust to care for your piggie). Your whole life is governed by syringe feeding, preparing food in a way to make it easier to eat, administering medications and vet visits. All this, and in addition a big helping of worry and stress!

Although dental issues can be cured in some cases, generally it is likely to be ongoing and will need monitoring and veterinary care for the rest of the animals life. It isn't always quite so full on, but it can be rather a rollercoaster. You can get to the point where the piggie is able to eat for themselves, but there is no guarantee that you won't be back to syringe feeding at some point. All these things will be highlighted in the diary entries I will be making as this thread progresses.

Is it worth doing? If you are willing to put in the hard work then a very big YES! Piggies with dental problems can still have great lives, and that's what my Sanctuary is all about. Enabling these little guys with extra needs to have an excellent time, but if at any point life is no longer good then it's time to say goodbye, because what I do is about extending life and not prolonging death!

I will be including in this thread tips on syringe feeding, dental work with and without GA (yes, sometimes a GA can be needed), teaching your piggie to eat for themselves again and closely monitoring their progress.

This thread will be made over a number of days, but I will post as I write. I am going to start another thread where you can ask questions, and tell me what things you want including, so all the information can be kept here in one place, but you can still have an input into what we cover.

I have dealt with many dental piggies and each and every one of them is unique. I will cover diary entries for them all, including those who are now at Rainbow Bridge, as each of them has a part to play in adding to the knowledge that is now helping so many more.

This thread is dedicated to Poppet - a piggie with a purpose!
 
The first signs:

Realising there is something wrong can be noted in various ways.

1. Loss of weight
2. Awkward way of eating
3. Favouring certain foods
4. Not eating
5. Wet under chin
6. Swelling in the jaw area
7. Uneven or sloping incisors


Some of these can be very subtle and not picked up on immediately. Unless you weigh your piggies regularly you won't immediately notice a downward trend in weight. If your piggie is part of a big group, or even just has one cagemate, it isn't always obvious that he/she isn't eating, as the food will still be disappearing. Being vigilent is very important as the quicker the issues are picked up then the easier it can be to correct them.

Of course, not eating isn't always the sign of dental problems. So many illnesses in guinea pigs present with the same symptoms. That is why it is so important to see a guinea pig savvy vet as soon as you notice anything is wrong. It is impossible to diagnose illness or dental issues over a forum, and although gathering as much information as possible is always useful, it is still essential to see a good vet.
 
Checking guinea pigs teeth

Most vets seem to check guinea pig teeth using a scope. It is very difficult to see the teeth properly in this way. Also guinea pigs have rather dirty mouths with lots of food present, even when they haven't been eating properly for days! This makes it even more difficult to see the teeth properly. The ideal way to view the back teeth is to use buccal pad separators. However, most vets don't have this equipment and have to rely on a scope. Also very worrying is the fact that many vets don't know what guinea pig teeth should look like and expect them to be the same as rabbit teeth, which can result in them saying there is a problem when really there isn't.

Before examining the teeth the mouth should be washed out using a syringe of water.

Without buccal pad separators it isn't possible to file the teeth with the guinea pig conscious.
 
Conscious dentals versus GA

Ideally the teeth should be filed with the guinea pig conscious. However, in some cases the teeth can be so overgrown that it is impossible to get the file to the back of the mouth. In situations like this a GA is needed to enable the teeth to be filed properly. The teeth will be filed using a dental burr. Follow up treatments can be done with the guinea pig conscious.

There is no doubt that using the dental burr can do a better job, but this can only be used when the piggie is under GA. In the detailed diary entries you will see of situations when the Sanctuary piggies have had dental work under GA. It is very rare but not unknown.

Therefore with regard to GA, never say never!
 
Syringe feeding

If your piggie isn't eating or only managing a small amount of food you must syringe feed them. It's important to keep food going through them and they will go downhill very quickly if they aren't getting enough food.

I often get asked how long it takes after dental work before a guinea pig starts to eat for themselves. There is no typical time. It can be straight away, after a few days, a few weeks or even a few months. A guinea pig who isn't eating anything or very little for themselves needs approximately 120 mls of syringe food per 24 hours. Some piggies are happy to take 30 to 35 mls per sitting, and others prefer little and often. You need to be guided by your piggie. Syringe feeding for any length of time needs total commitment and dedication. If you can get enough in during the day you don't have to get up in the night. Well that is unless your piggie demands food. My special little girl, Poppet, used to wake me every night for feeding. She would wheek loudly until I came.

I use a 1 ml syringe, with the end cut off for feeding. You can syringe a full 1 ml in at a time. I find that I can syringe 1 ml in every 30 seconds or so.

You will need to find the way that works best for you when syringe feeding. I sit the piggie on a towel on my lap, facing towards my right side as I am right handed. I hold the head firmly with my left hand and guide the syringe into the side of the mouth. The full contents of the syringe are syringed in at a time. Some piggies take a while to get used to syringe feeding, but generally after about 5 or 6 mls they realise their tummy is starting to fill and they are happy to co-operate.

Whatever I choose to use as syringe food I add probiotic and a Vitamin C tablet to it.

Suzygpr's post on this thread gives great information about the different types of syringe food you can use

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=83055
 
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