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Hazels Case Of Extreme Maloclussion

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Ajf6789

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So I have an appointment at the vet in 3 hours for my Guinea pig with malocclusion. Her top incisors are over grown under and behind her bottom ones. I have been hand feeding her pellets soaked in water for the last two days. When I called the vet they said that they might have to extract her teeth. I don't know what to expect.... If anyone has been through the same thing please help me!
 
So I have an appointment at the vet in 3 hours for my Guinea pig with malocclusion. Her top incisors are over grown under and behind her bottom ones. I have been hand feeding her pellets soaked in water for the last two days. When I called the vet they said that they might have to extract her teeth. I don't know what to expect.... If anyone has been through the same thing please help me!
I guess what I'm asking is what is the recovery like
 
I understand how scary this must be, and I am not an expert in piggies with dental issues.
There are several brilliant people on this forum who are, and I am sure one of them will be along soon to give their advice.

What I would say is that I don't think the teeth will need o be extracted unless there are other issues.
If they are overgrown then they can be trimmed back to give your piggie a chance to eat normally again.

Good luck and please let us know how you get on.
 
Are you in the UK?
I can't see why the teeth would have to be taken out as opposed to burring them down? Is this a vet who specialises in exotic animals like guinea pigs?
 
I think most members are aware of the work done by Simon at the Cat&Rabbit clinic in Northampton. He's super on the teeth front.
 
I understand how scary this must be, and I am not an expert in piggies with dental issues.
There are several brilliant people on this forum who are, and I am sure one of them will be along soon to give their advice.

What I would say is that I don't think the teeth will need o be extracted unless there are other issues.
If they are overgrown then they can be trimmed back to give your piggie a chance to eat normally again.

Good luck and please let us know how you get on.
I will let you know how it goes.... Thank you for all of the reassurance!
 
Hi, could you add your location? There may be a recommended vet in your area.

The reason i am asking as i think we are a little concerned about the vet wanting to remove teeth- this shouldnt be a first port of call, hence why we are questioning how knowledgable the vet is with guinea pigs and their teeth.

Please dont allow the vet to extract teeth- this will make your guinea pig unable to pick up food, causing the back teeth to overgrow and making the situation a whole lot worse.

The teeth should be burred (filed) down and not extracted
 
Please don't let the vet take the teeth out. How experienced is the vet with regard to guinea pig dental issues?
Hello... We just got her seen by the vet and he clipped the incisors... He looked at the molars and said they where overgrown and curved in.... We are going to see a different vet an hour away that has more experience with this type of thing... I honestly don't know what to do...
 
Hi, could you add your location? There may be a recommended vet in your area.

The reason i am asking as i think we are a little concerned about the vet wanting to remove teeth- this shouldnt be a first port of call, hence why we are questioning how knowledgable the vet is with guinea pigs and their teeth.

Please dont allow the vet to extract teeth- this will make your guinea pig unable to pick up food, causing the back teeth to overgrow and making the situation a whole lot worse.

The teeth should be burred (filed) down and not extracted
I am in Eugene, Oregon in the USA.... He clipped the incisors and said the molars are already overgrown.... He is sending us to a more qualified vet on the subject...
 
I am in Eugene, Oregon in the USA.... He clipped the incisors and said the molars are already overgrown.... He is sending us to a more qualified vet on the subject...

How is he in himself now? I'm glad the front teeth wherent extracted at least. Guinea pig molars should direct inwards but obviously not overgrown or jagging the tongue.

Have you been weighing your piggie to check he is eating enough food? If his teeth are bad, i doubt he will be. Here is some info on syringe feeding, which is absolutely vital to keep the guts moving in a piggy with reduced/low appetite:

Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

I hope the specialist can help you both.

All the best
 
we took my 2 year old female Guinea pig to the vet today and the vet clipped her top incisors. He then examined her molars and said they where overgrown and slanted in. She can't close her mouth properly. I have been feeding her by hand for the last two days after descovering her issue. I was on a vacation for 3 weeks. Could this possibly have happened in that time? The vet also said that it had to do with her breed, and how she is more prone to conjenital issues. We are in the car going to a small animal specialist.

If anyone has experience in this subject, has been through it, or if anyone has any advice please share!

This is my second thread on this subject, but this one is more ipdated
 
How is he in himself now? I'm glad the front teeth wherent extracted at least. Guinea pig molars should direct inwards but obviously not overgrown or jagging the tongue.

Have you been weighing your piggie to check he is eating enough food? If his teeth are bad, i doubt he will be. Here is some info on syringe feeding, which is absolutely vital to keep the guts moving in a piggy with reduced/low appetite:

Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

I hope the specialist can help you both.

All the best
Thank you!
 
It's good that you're seeing a vet with more experience with guinea pig teeth. Inexperienced vets can sometimes make the problem worse. I'm in North America too (Canada in my case) and it can be really hard to find vets with good guinea pig experience. I also drive an hour or so to my vet, but he's been indispensable in treating my girl Sundae, who has also had dental issues over the years with a root abscess and overgrown molars as a result. Lots of luck at your appointment. Is your pig eating after having the incisors clipped? It's vital to guinea pigs that they continue to eat... if he's not eating, you will have syringe-feed, as per the guide above. My other recommendation is to run your fingers along the jawline a couple of times a day feeling for any lumps, as sometimes malocclusion can be a symptoms of an abscess brewing that will need to be treated, and feeling regularly along the jawline will help you to determine if there are any bumps that need to be looked at (it can sometimes be hard to see lumps visually, depending on the fur on your pig!) Hope this helps a bit!
 
Teeth can overgrow fairly quickly if a pig is not eating/chewing normally to wear them down. Dental issues can be due to a congenital issues, but can also be due to other factors (i.e. tooth abscesses causing uneven wearing of the teeth, food that isn't sufficiently coarse to allow normal wear, etc.) I've never heard of any particular breed being more prone to malocclusion, though it may run in individual family lines if teeth do not line up properly. However, with a problem developing at 2 years, I would not guess it's a congenital problem present at birth, as that would have showed symptoms a lot sooner. I've had two pigs with malocclusion issues, two different breeds (one aby and one short-haired.) In both of my cases, the malocclusion was secondary to abscesses in the jawline, so be sure the new vet assessed for masses that could represent infection along the jawline. However, it is possible for malocclusion to exist without an abscess. In North America, your piggie's molars will most likely be filed under a general anesthesia, as most vets here do not do dentals without anesthesia. She may be groggy after surgery and may have to stay at the vet for several hours until she is more awake. Some pigs will resume eating after a dental on their own, others don't and will need syringe-feeding. Hope this helps a bit... lots of luck!
 
Teeth can overgrow fairly quickly if a pig is not eating/chewing normally to wear them down. Dental issues can be due to a congenital issues, but can also be due to other factors (i.e. tooth abscesses causing uneven wearing of the teeth, food that isn't sufficiently coarse to allow normal wear, etc.) I've never heard of any particular breed being more prone to malocclusion, though it may run in individual family lines if teeth do not line up properly. However, with a problem developing at 2 years, I would not guess it's a congenital problem present at birth, as that would have showed symptoms a lot sooner. I've had two pigs with malocclusion issues, two different breeds (one aby and one short-haired.) In both of my cases, the malocclusion was secondary to abscesses in the jawline, so be sure the new vet assessed for masses that could represent infection along the jawline. However, it is possible for malocclusion to exist without an abscess. In North America, your piggie's molars will most likely be filed under a general anesthesia, as most vets here do not do dentals without anesthesia. She may be groggy after surgery and may have to stay at the vet for several hours until she is more awake. Some pigs will resume eating after a dental on their own, others don't and will need syringe-feeding. Hope this helps a bit... lots of luck!
Thank you so much! The vet said that we had three options: 1: filing down the teeth all the way to slow them to re align on their own... 2 bring them down enough to be realigned....3 or euthanasia which she said is always an option because the anesthesia can be risky.
Do you have any suggestions of which option I should pick?
 
It's good that you're seeing a vet with more experience with guinea pig teeth. Inexperienced vets can sometimes make the problem worse. I'm in North America too (Canada in my case) and it can be really hard to find vets with good guinea pig experience. I also drive an hour or so to my vet, but he's been indispensable in treating my girl Sundae, who has also had dental issues over the years with a root abscess and overgrown molars as a result. Lots of luck at your appointment. Is your pig eating after having the incisors clipped? It's vital to guinea pigs that they continue to eat... if he's not eating, you will have syringe-feed, as per the guide above. My other recommendation is to run your fingers along the jawline a couple of times a day feeling for any lumps, as sometimes malocclusion can be a symptoms of an abscess brewing that will need to be treated, and feeling regularly along the jawline will help you to determine if there are any bumps that need to be looked at (it can sometimes be hard to see lumps visually, depending on the fur on your pig!) Hope this helps a bit!
Do I need to have my finger inside her mouth to feel for the bumps.... Or could I be able to feel them on the skin/fur
 
With the 3 options the vet said the longest she could be able to live is 14 months
 
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