Thanks for your reply Wiekbe. Initially I did just think he was getting thinner with age (like old people get frail) as otherwise he seems ok and still runs round the house and patrols up and down outside the girls cage. I only noticed his teeth tonight when he yawned during cuddle time and it just got me thinking. He's never really been a 'big eater' and as my daughters sometimes top up their food I hadn't noticed he wasn't eating it as he does wolf down veggies. I'll phone the vets tomorrow and hopefully they can fit me in quickly. Out of interest, whats the oldest guinea you know of. Is 7 really old?
7 years is at the upper limit of the average life span. I have had a few piggies live to 8 or 9 years until shortly before their 10 birthday, but that is fairly rare. It is balanced out by losing several piggies at a young age to heart failure or neurological problems.
I currently have got a piggy within 3 months of her 9th birthday, two 7 year olds and five more that are going to hopefully celebrate their 7th birthday this year.
It is always important to make sure that any loss of weight and 'tone' is not due to an underlying problem.
This is often from one of the organs no longer working at full speed (very often there is not too much you can do about that apart from the heart), internal tumours or growths, bloat in the stomach (but not in the guts), large ovarian cysts in sows etc.
When seeing a vet with an older or very frail piggy, make sure that you and they have an understanding as to how far you want to take any treatment, whether that is prolonging life at all cost or whether prioritising wellbeing/comfort during what is their natural life span. Your vet will then give you your options accordingly and within your financial means, which is an important aspect as you and your piggy can get quickly caught up in a spiral of increasingly expensive treatments which is very difficult to get out of. I always weigh up any pros and cons of operations and intensive treatments with my vets before making my decisions, especially where the risks are larger and the benefits comparatively small compared to what I am putting a piggy of mine through - but that is an area where we feel all very individually, so there is no right or wrong.
The important point is that you see a vet and then make an informed decision. At the best, your vet will give your boy a clean bill of health for his age.
PS: When looking at teeth, it is usually the back teeth that are the problem if the chewing is not even. You should notice that the self-sharpening front teeth are slanted or uneven as a result or are starting to grow inwards as they no longer meet to abrade against each. If one of them is becoming discoloured, this is usually from a root abscess in an incisor.
Looking at the incisors as part of the weekly health check and weigh-in is a good way of noticing protential dental problems early on. If the front teeth are looking normal and nicely sharp and even, then you can pretty safely assume that nothing is wrong with the back teeth.
Very slow and deliberate chewing, picking up pieces of veg but dropping them, gradual loss of weight and a wet chin as the tongue is starting to be trapped by overgrowing premolar spurs (they makes swallowing very difficult when they start bridging the tongue or are more rarely growing into the cheek) are the other symptoms of dental problems in ascending order. You have mentioned none of the signs that would point towards a dental issue.
