• PLEASE NOTE - the TEAS facebook page has been hacked, take extreme care when visiting the page, for further information visit here
  • Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Dental Guinea Pig Dental - Recommendation Needed

Madtovsie

New Born Pup
Joined
Sep 26, 2020
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
20
Location
Fareham
Hi everyone,

My guinea pig is 5 years old and appears to have dental issues as described in previous threads on here, with some classic telltale crunching, slow eating and uneven wearing of the teeth. I took my pig to the vet to see what they thought but he didn't seem concerned, prescribed some metacam and said come back in a couple of weeks if it wasn't better.

He said he couldn't see anything much wrong with the teeth but maybe a tiny spur after looking in his mouth (although he wouldn't sit still, the guinea pig that is). I was surprised because as above other vets on here suggest that especially the uneven front teeth wearing is a big clue. My pig is otherwise ok, happy in himself just eating very slowly. I've got some syringe food for him off Amazon (Oxbow critical care).

I think I need to put him through the dental operation but I wondered if anyone had a vet to recommend in the South Hampshire area and am I right to assume my vet doesn't especially know what he's doing or is that harsh?

Thanks very much.
 
You are very justified in your search for a vet with experience of successfully performing guinea pig dentals, as a poor dental can actually make matters far worse than the original dental problem. The most experienced vet in the country is Simon Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton who does around 30 conscious dentals per week. He has a vast knowledge of GP illnesses both dental and other, is very skilled and will certainly tell you if your piggie has a dental issue and do a dental at that appointment. It’s very reasonably priced because there’s no anaesthetic used. No referrals needed. owners travel from all over the country, me included x
 
:agr:

I know that is a long trip, but it is one that every owner has found worth it, whether they have come from Edinburgh or Cornwall...
Sadly guinea pig dentals are not an area that features on a vet's curriculum but it needs practice and expertise.

Please be aware that there are other issues that can cause similar symptoms, like oral thrush (fungal candida infection in the mouth) or - as I know myself from repeated experience, the last time over the Christmas holiday with my Dylan - a developing abscess that is making itself felt but is not yet showing and therefore cannot be located yet.

Simon and Kim Maddock do about 25 guinea pig dentals every week - that is about as much as an exotics vet may do in a year and more than a general usually does in their whole career. They have successfully dealt with a fair number of piggies whose vets had given them up.
Here are the contacts: Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic | Northlands Vets
 
Back
Top