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guinea pig missing teeth, cuttlefish bone?

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Kenzo

Kenzo

Teenage Guinea Pig
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I got a new guinea pig about 2 weeks ago and when I brought him to the vets for check up, she said he's missing one of his top teeth. She said he should have a cuttlefish bone in his cage all the time. Is that ok to give to him? Can't find anything about it online.
 
I've never come across that before...it is recommended that piggies have a good hay as it is vital to keep their teeth in good condition and prevents overgrowing.
Willow sticks are also great for them to gnaw on, ours have a nibble on the wooden bendy hidey's and I have never had a dental piggy to date yet.
A course, stalky hay is the simple solution, our piggies have a mix of Meadow and Timothy :))
 
Cuttlefish bone = calcium = bad for pigs!

I'd strongly advise getting a new vet. If you give us your location, someone may be able to advise a vet who they have used and can recommend.

Did the vet say which tooth was missing?
 
I just use meadow hay from the supermarket or wilkinsons at the moment, is that the same sort of thing? He won't touch anything else I put in like gnawing sticks or wooden toys so I just keep giving him plenty of hay. And burgess excel for his dry food.
 
Yeah I thought that it was a weird thing to give him because of the calcium. I keep snails so I have plenty of cuttlefish but I didn't want to give him any till I checked. I'm in Margate, kent.

Its one of his top teeth at the front, the left I think. I was worried because she said she had never used the clipper things before when she went to cut his teeth. The info she gave me about guinea pigs, she had to get a leaflet from reception and she basically just read the leaflet to me! Maybe she dosen't see a lot of guinea pigs...I am thinking about a different vet.
 
This may be of help for you:

http://www.guinealynx.info/teeth_broken.html

As long as your piggy is eating well, think he will be fine. Look for signs of loss of appetite though and maybe keep an eye on weight.
Meadow hay is probably the most popular variety and mine have Wilko's brand occassionally, their Timothy hay is ok too as it is course.
Don't worry about him not chewing the wooden toys - try a inner tube from toilet or kitchen rolls, piggies love to investigate things and have a little nibble on stuff.
Hope all stays well x>>
 
Kenzo said:
I got a new guinea pig about 2 weeks ago and when I brought him to the vets for check up, she said he's missing one of his top teeth. She said he should have a cuttlefish bone in his cage all the time. Is that ok to give to him? Can't find anything about it online.
Click to expand...

If the tooth (incisor) is missing , it is possible that it could be a birth defect ?
if this is the case then it is unlightly to grow , but should be monitored regularly as adjacent tooth and lower/upper incisors could miss-form !

It is more lightly that the tooth has simply broken , in which case it will regrow quickly , without the need for any calcium additives

should have a cuttlefish bone in his cage all the time how much did you pay this vet ?
 
There is also the possibility of infection , l had a pig that lost a incisor due to a condition called osteomyelitis, (infection of the bone caused by bacteria)

might be worth checking the gum for lumps or bumps
 
It's broken, not missing I think. She said that his bottom teeth were quite long so she clipped them back a little and said I didn't need to come back for a few months. . I booked the next appointment for october though because I'm so worried about them causing him problems. - as for the price of the visit, I was told because he is "exotic", the charge would start at 38 and increase with anything else given, ie nail clipping. Fortunately she said there would be no charge when I asked, I don't know why but I'm glad I didn't have to pay for it! Since I researched what she told me, ie cuttlefish for health, liquid vitamin c in his water, alfalfa based food needed...none of it was right.
 
Errrr, my old vet had an exotics clinic and they never charged extra for a normal consultation.

As you say, seems all wrong to me...
cuttlefish for health, (never heard of it) liquid vitamin c in his water, (widely regarded as useless, if not dangerous) alfalfa based food needed (sometimes suggested for young pigs but not necessary, and sometimes considered downright bad for adult pigs)...

I'm also sure I've read that vets SHOULD NOT clip a guinea pig's teeth as a matter of course... Definitely need somewhere new I think. :(
 
Clipping teeth is potentially dangerous as they can splinter and infection get in. If teeth need any attention they should be filed or burred. Guinea pig lower incisors are meant to be long and it really annoys me how many vets think they are too long and cut them!" Dental issues are bad enough, but I have seen so many that have been caused by a vets lack of knowledge.
 
Kenzo said:
It's broken, not missing I think. She said that his bottom teeth were quite long so she clipped them back a little and said I didn't need to come back for a few months. . I booked the next appointment for october though because I'm so worried about them causing him problems. - as for the price of the visit, I was told because he is "exotic", the charge would start at 38 and increase with anything else given, ie nail clipping. Fortunately she said there would be no charge when I asked, I don't know why but I'm glad I didn't have to pay for it! Since I researched what she told me, ie cuttlefish for health, liquid vitamin c in his water, alfalfa based food needed...none of it was right.
Click to expand...

I am glad she did not charge , and as for clipping back the bottom teeth !

It is not advisable to clip "healthy" incisors, they should not be clipped down unless they are causing a defined problem,

Unnecessary clipping it can create its own set of problems !

This vet thought it was right to give a GP cuttlefish , l doubt she would be be piggy savy enough to judge whether there was a real reason to do it .

Just keep an eye on how your pig eats carrots and the like , it may take a wile for the now "bluntend" profile to sharpen.

If you post in this thread the town where you live we will see if there are piggy savey vets in your aria, for any future visits you need, as this Exotic vet may not be best for your pig, or your bank balance
 
I'm in south east of Kent (margate), I don't drive but I can get a train or bus - say as far as birchington/westgate or dover/canterbury. If anybody knows a good vet round here, that would be great.
 
I can't find anything on the 'Recommended Vets' thread nearer to you than Ashford. Which is not near, according to The Google!

I did, however, turn up a recommendation of Allan at
Plunkett's Vets in Margate on another well-known forum, can't vouch for him personally but maybe worth a try?
 
Plunketts is where I went, maybe I should ask to see him next time (: yeah ashford is at least an hour on the train because there's no service direct so we would have to change at canterbury, think it would be a bit of a long journey for kenny stuck in his carrier. There is Thanet animal hospital down the road from me but I've never been there so don't know if its any good for guinea pigs.
 
Thanet came up when I searched obviously, but I couldn't find any specific recommendations for them.

Plunketts may be hit-and-miss; the forum discussing it mentioned that the vet they saw in the other branch was quite poor. Maybe only Allan is any good.
 
Yes, I will ask if I can have his next appointment at the margate branch and see how it goes.
 
SpinningNickel said:
Thanet came up when I searched obviously, but I couldn't find any specific recommendations for them.

Plunketts may be hit-and-miss; the forum discussing it mentioned that the vet they saw in the other branch was quite poor. Maybe only Allan is any good.
Click to expand...

I think Thanet is owned by the same guy who owns the surgery I work at. Can vouch for them though I'm afraid!
 
Thanet Animal Hospital
College Rd
Margate
Kent
CT9 5TP
01843 226678
http://www.any-uk-vet.co.uk/vet-college-rd/index.htm

£22 consultation , All there vets see GP's but none cold be recommended as experts , if its close , might be worth trying

Alternatively , Rescue's usually have good vets hear is one in your aria you could phone and ask if they could recommend a GP savy vet http://gbhrescue.webs.com/


Anyone else ! good Vet needed in Margate, Kent !
 
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I checked his mouth this morning and it looks much better, he has the unbroken tooth on the right and half a tooth on the left now. He's eating fine as well. Anyway, he's going for the second appointment later in the month and hopefully this vet will look properly to see that its ok.
 
April Lodge guinea pig rescue is in your area, would be worth contacted them to find out which vet they use :)
 
We went to Margate Plunketts today and although I think they're expensive (47 for consultation and then fees for medicines, came to about 65 for 5 min exam), she did seem to know a bit more. She prescribed baytril for Charlie, looked at his back teeth, asked questions about his diet, his cage etc. I'm happy to go back there. April lodge actually have their own clinic which you give a donation for using but it's an hours walk from the station. I would like to have gone there for Charlies check up really but it's just too far.
 
I was also looking at going to Lord Whiskey at Herne Bay as they offer a £5 consultation but again, hour and a half walk from the station! I don't mind walking but it's not fair on the pigs stuck in their carrier all that time.
 
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