Coffeebeans
New Born Pup
I just fed her parsley, but is it an issue that it’s building around her gums like this. Please help or give opinion if very much appreciate it
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Dental Is this a tooth/gum diease forming? - overgrown teeth
- Thread starter Coffeebeans
- Start date
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- Tags
- #dental teeth care
Hi and welcome!
Please have your guinea pig seen a preferably piggy savvy vet, the sooner the better before the whole jaw is trapped and your piggy can't open the mouth anymore. I can't see any upper incisors. Have they broken off?
The front teeth look overgrown, inwards pointed (difficult to tell from your angle though) and are clearly gapping, which should not happen. Either your upper incisors have snapped off and the lower incisors are overgrowing or the back teeth (molars and premolars) are overgrowing and preventing the front teeth from meeting and grinding each other down with a nice, tidy and even edge. The premolars can form spurs that bridge and trap the tongue (and prevent a piggy from swallowing) or less often, they the spurs grow outward and burrow in the flesh of the cheeks.
In a balanced dental system the incisors are neat and tidy. They are not inward curving like in your picture. This means that the premolars and the molars at the back are no longer ground down evenly by the silica from the unlimited hay, which should make over 80% of the daily food intake.
Please switch from weighing once weekly to weighing daily at the same time in order to monitor the food intake. Step in with syringe feeding now in order to prevent digestive problems from lack of food intake. Just watching your piggy nibble and chew is not enough and dangerously deceptive!
Take the time to read this guide on supporting dental guinea pigs at home while until their dental system can be reliagned and fully rebalanced, which may take more than one round of treatment. it has got all the tips and also a chapter on looking after dental piggies.
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Administering Medications And Syringe Feed
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Can you please add your country or UK county to your account details (via clicking on your username on the top bar); it is vital for any advice and any vet recommendations. We have members and enquiries from all over the world.
@furryfriends (TEAS)
Coffeebeans
New Born Pup
I am in the US in NJ
She is my first guinea pig and I want to do everything I can to make her life a good happy one
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Is your guinea pig eating normally? Is her weight stable? If so, I wouldn't rush into doing anything. It will be worth checking around for a good, guinea pig savvy vet and then getting them to check her teeth. The wear of the incisors is unusual, but as long as she's eating well and maintaining weight, this could resolve, without treatment needed. However, if her weight is dropping, then step in with syringe feeding, whilst you find an experienced dental vet.
Thank you for the added pictures. The wear is not quite right, but it is still happening, so you have a few days to look for a vet with experience in guinea pig dentals (not that many vets do, sadly).
I would recommend to switching from the normal weekly health check and weigh-in to weighing daily at the same time in the feeding cycle (like before you feed their dinner veg for instance).
You need to start stepping in with syringe feeding top up and to grating any veg/mushing up up pellets as soon as your piggy has lost more than 50g/2 oz (up to 40g/ 1 1/2 oz is the daily variance between a full/empty bladder/belly). If that happens, you also know that you need to see a vet promptly as the teeth are overgrowing quite quickly from that point. The sooner the dental system can be rebalanced, the less severe any long term secondary problems like a dislocated jaw and the less the pain for your piggy.
Here is a link to recommended guinea pig vets in your state: Veterinarians: New Jersey - Guinea Lynx Records
I don't know where in the state you are in relation to this place here, but Helping All Little Furries rescue and sanctuary is looking after a lot of piggies with health issues, including dental ones, and also may be able to help with a recommendation re. dental savvy vets.
https://www.facebook.com/HALFRescue/
I would recommend to switching from the normal weekly health check and weigh-in to weighing daily at the same time in the feeding cycle (like before you feed their dinner veg for instance).
You need to start stepping in with syringe feeding top up and to grating any veg/mushing up up pellets as soon as your piggy has lost more than 50g/2 oz (up to 40g/ 1 1/2 oz is the daily variance between a full/empty bladder/belly). If that happens, you also know that you need to see a vet promptly as the teeth are overgrowing quite quickly from that point. The sooner the dental system can be rebalanced, the less severe any long term secondary problems like a dislocated jaw and the less the pain for your piggy.
Here is a link to recommended guinea pig vets in your state: Veterinarians: New Jersey - Guinea Lynx Records
I don't know where in the state you are in relation to this place here, but Helping All Little Furries rescue and sanctuary is looking after a lot of piggies with health issues, including dental ones, and also may be able to help with a recommendation re. dental savvy vets.
https://www.facebook.com/HALFRescue/