Dental Guinea pig grinding teeth post dental treatment

[MybabyAction]

Hey,

My piggy has his back teeth filed down because they'd overgrown. He is now appearing to grind his teeth. Is this because he is getting used to his teeth?
Probably worried about nothing.. I'm a worrier! He was also diagnosed with a heart murmur and he has water rentention and he won't lie down to sleep as it must be uncomfortable for him. I feel so bad I won't him to be really comfy but he just stands up to sleep all hunched over. He is having meds for hair water rentention ( which he has has for two days now) and meds for his heart murmur. I just want him to be happy. But he can't lie down, he is grinding his teeth and he struggles to eat much food as it's hard for him to breathe and eat.
Any advice from anyone who has gone through anything similar, any advice would be appreciated from my and Teddy x
Thank you

 

[Gem789]

Hey,

My piggy has his back teeth filed down because they'd overgrown. He is now appearing to grind his teeth. Is this because he is getting used to his teeth?
Probably worried about nothing.. I'm a worrier! He was also diagnosed with a heart murmur and he has water rentention and he won't lie down to sleep as it must be uncomfortable for him. I feel so bad I won't him to be really comfy but he just stands up to sleep all hunched over. He is having meds for hair water rentention ( which he has has for two days now) and meds for his heart murmur. I just want him to be happy. But he can't lie down, he is grinding his teeth and he struggles to eat much food as it's hard for him to breathe and eat.
Any advice from anyone who has gone through anything similar, any advice would be appreciated from my and Teddy x
Thank you

Grinding teeth can be a sign of pain.Is he on any painkillers?

 

[VickiA]

I’ve flagged your post as dental. I don’t have much experience of dental issues.
Tooth grinding is a sign of pain and discomfort. Is he on pain relief from the vet?
Are you syringe feeding?

 

[MybabyAction]

I’ve flagged your post as dental. I don’t have much experience of dental issues.
Tooth grinding is a sign of pain and discomfort. Is he on pain relief from the vet?
Are you syringe feeding?

As far as I'm aware none of the medication he is on is for pain relief. He has one thing for the water retention and one med for the heart murmur.

Would you recommend I call the vet tomorrow and get some pain medication for him?
I hate the idea he is in pain

Thanks for your reply!

J

 

[VickiA]

As far as I'm aware none of the medication he is on is for pain relief. He has one thing for the water retention and one med for the heart murmur.

Would you recommend I call the vet tomorrow and get some pain medication for him?
I hate the idea he is in pain

Thanks for your reply!

J

Do you have any metacam for him? That is a pain relief medication and anti inflammatory. Piggies often need pain relief and need feeding support after dental treatment. Here is a link to our guide about supporting piggies Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

 

[VickiA]

I would call the vets in the morning to ask for help and advice. The vet nurses can help answer your questions for you

 

[Wiebke]

Hey,

My piggy has his back teeth filed down because they'd overgrown. He is now appearing to grind his teeth. Is this because he is getting used to his teeth?
Probably worried about nothing.. I'm a worrier! He was also diagnosed with a heart murmur and he has water rentention and he won't lie down to sleep as it must be uncomfortable for him. I feel so bad I won't him to be really comfy but he just stands up to sleep all hunched over. He is having meds for hair water rentention ( which he has has for two days now) and meds for his heart murmur. I just want him to be happy. But he can't lie down, he is grinding his teeth and he struggles to eat much food as it's hard for him to breathe and eat.
Any advice from anyone who has gone through anything similar, any advice would be appreciated from my and Teddy x
Thank you

Hi!
Hunching over and teeth grinding are both signs of major pain. Please see a vet as soon as you can!
Hunching over means that he has a major pain somewhere inside his body, likely in the kidney area in my own experience. If he refuses to lie down, then it is severe.

Please discuss with your vet Teddy's quality of life and his prospects for the near future. While we want our pets to live as long as possible, we do not want them to suffer unnecessarily, either. They are physically so much smaller and frailer than their big personalities and the love they engender that we often forget just how small they really are!

When treatments and health issues are piling up, there comes the point when they can take only so much. It is a very devastating realisation, but it feels to me that you are in that grey zone where you need to question yourself about how much Teddy can take and how you want to put him through. If you ask them for an open discussion, a vet will take you through the pros and cons to help you make an informed decision as to whether you want to go on and give Teddy one last chance or you'd rather call it a day. The decision is always yours, and yours alone. As long as Teddy welfare comes before your own apprehensions, you cannot gow wrong, whichever way you decide.

HUGS

 

[MybabyAction]

Hi!
Hunching over and teeth grinding are both signs of major pain. Please see a vet as soon as you can!
Hunching over means that he has a major pain somewhere inside his body, likely in the kidney area in my own experience. If he refuses to lie down, then it is severe.

Please discuss with your vet Teddy's quality of life and his prospects for the near future. While we want our pets to live as long as possible, we do not want them to suffer unnecessarily, either. They are physically so much smaller and frailer than their big personalities and the love they engender that we often forget just how small they really are!

When treatments and health issues are piling up, there comes the point when they can take only so much. It is a very devastating realisation, but it feels to me that you are in that grey zone where you need to question yourself about how much Teddy can take and how you want to put him through. If you ask them for an open discussion, a vet will take you through the pros and cons to help you make an informed decision as to whether you want to go on and give Teddy one last chance or you'd rather call it a day. The decision is always yours, and yours alone. As long as Teddy welfare comes before your own apprehensions, you cannot gow wrong, whichever way you decide.

HUGS

Thank you for your reply. This has only been very recent in the last 2/3 days that all this came about. The vet never mentioned to me about pain meds or said anything about it being kinder for him to be put to sleep. I even asked as I didn't want to put him through any pain if I didn't need to.
Today is the 2nd day of meds and I have to say this evening he has really picked up. I have never once seen him lie down though in all the time I have had him I've never seen him lay down or sit down. Do some pigs just not do this?
I will call the vet asap.

J x

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for your reply. This has only been very recent in the last 2/3 days that all this came about. The vet never mentioned to me about pain meds or said anything about it being kinder for him to be put to sleep. I even asked as I didn't want to put him through any pain if I didn't need to.
Today is the 2nd day of meds and I have to say this evening he has really picked up. I have never once seen him lie down though in all the time I have had him I've never seen him lay down or sit down. Do some pigs just not do this?
I will call the vet asap.

J x

If not lying down is normal for him in all the time you have had him and the position is the same, then I would not worry about it; normally it is a sign of pain in my experience if a guinea pig is noticeably hunched up. That for me was the main point why I have given you the advice because most guinea pig either flop on their belly or curl up sideways when they rest. They can sleep sitting, but those of piggies of mine who have switched to it have generally ended up with various issues in the general area of the kidneys and other internal organs, which are all stacked up against each other once the sitting up turned into a distinctive being hunched up.

But it is good that your boy has started to perk up, so he must be feeling better after his procedure, so I would not panic yet! It is obviously not as bad as your first post suggested, which did ring a few alarm bells for me!

See how he is tomorrow and take it from there. It can take 2-3 days after a longer operation for a piggy to come round.

Are you monitoring his weight daily and topping him up with support feed if necessary? Our syringe feeding guide has got a section on dental guinea pigs.
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

All the best!