Dental Problems - Is There a Way of Avoiding Them?

[Stewybus]

I hear a lot about dental problems on here but touch wood, none of my piggies have had any issues. I want to keep it this way, is there a way to avoid them? My piggies get more than enough hay plus pellets & fresh veg. Are there any Do's & Don't's?

 

[Claire W]

I would be interested to know this too

 

[helen105281]

I am not an expert but the first thing that springs to mind is hay hay and more hay. Am sure there are other things too such as genetics etc. I have been helping a lady who lives locally to me and used to come to the clinics I volunteered at. Over the course of the last year a significant number of her pigs have all had dental problems, some so bad that the pigs had to be PTS as by the time the pigs were brought to clinic or I or the vet was alerted it was a very developed problem. The main issue with these pigs is that they did not have enough hay in the years before she discovered the clinics. The hay rack would be filled up once a week and the rest of the time they would eat museli and veg. Changes have now been put in place, they have unlimited hay and are on decent pellets and going forward things look brighter. However, issues are still cropping up now and then and they are all both dental and systemic fungal related due to the history. She is aware of this and won't mind me posting on here if it helps other pigs.

 

[Stewybus]

Mine have an endless supply of hay as bedding on top of Megazorb. I also give them extra hay every other day. They burrow in it and where ever they are in the run you can see them chomping on hay constantly. When I first got them I just had a hay rack in their cage which they hardly seemed to eat from but then read that hay is about 80% of their diet so now they're never without.

 

[Wiebke]

LOTS of good quality hay and pellets instead of muesli.

A piggy vet, who has researched this issue, has also found a link between lack of direct sunlight and dental problems indoors piggies in later life. She recommends letting your indoors or shed piggies spend regular time outside (not necessarily on the lawn, and certainly not exposed to the blazing summer sun that could cause heat stroke) or to get a UVB lamp for those times it is not possible.

 

[Bekki]

LOTS of good quality hay and pellets instead of muesli.

A piggy vet, who has researched this issue, has also found a link between sunlight and dental problems in later life. She recommends letting your indoors or shed piggies spend regular time outside (not necessarily on the lawn, and certainly not exposed to the blazing summer sun that could cause heat stroke) or to get a UV lamp for those times it is not possible.

That's really interesting, has she written an journals/papers/similar on it that can be shared?

 

[Wiebke]

That's really interesting, has she written an journals/papers/similar on it that can be shared?

I don't know; I heard her on the Potteries forum meet last year, where she mentioned this issue.

 

[Stewybus]

LOTS of good quality hay and pellets instead of muesli.

A piggy vet, who has researched this issue, has also found a link between lack of direct sunlight and dental problems indoors piggies in later life. She recommends letting your indoors or shed piggies spend regular time outside (not necessarily on the lawn, and certainly not exposed to the blazing summer sun that could cause heat stroke) or to get a UVB lamp for those times it is not possible.

My piggies get time outside on the grass (about 3 out 4 days). They live in our conservatory so get plenty of daylight & some sunlight. In the recent hot spell we've had the roof blinds permanently shut but there's still plenty of light getting in through the windows. I deliberately try to leave sunny areas for them to lounge in if they want too. If they don't, then there's lots of shaded areas or they bury themselves under the hay.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

A lot of the dental issues we see here at the Sanctuary are in conjunction with jaw, tooth root or retrobulbar abscesses. However, whether the abscess is caused due to the tooth problem or vice versa isn't always obvious. It could be that pain associated with an abscess causes the guinea pig to eat differently which then results in the teeth growing out of alignment.

 

[Freela]

What I've always heard is to make sure they have unlimited hay to wear their teeth down. Obviously, not being able to wear down teeth is going to have an effect. That being said, I've had three piggies, all with unlimited hay. One is 4.5 years old and has (knock on wood!) never had a dental issue in her life. The other is 3 years old and had a molar spur filed down a few months ago, but has otherwise been fine. The other died at less than 2 years of age due to SEVERE dental problems which developed very quickly, lead to severe malocclusion, an abscess in a molar that went right down into her jawbone and led to her developing septicemia and passing away within about two weeks of the abscess forming. So I'm of the opinion that you can do your best to prevent issues, but unfortunately some piggies are not lucky in the teeth department even with plenty to chew and gnaw on.