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Dental Malocclusion diagnosis, what to do next?!

J

Joe Cave

New Born Pup
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Hello, I have just got back from a consultation with my vet. My 2 1/2 year old teddy guinea pig has been diagnosed with malocclusion :( He went to the vets in January and had he’s back teeth trimmed however the vet did not inform me of this condition or warn me that it would return and need trimming again. Theodore’s appetite has decreased recently and I booked him in for a trim again to be called back by the vet who informed me that his teeth are severely bad and that we can only monitor the pain now until he needs to be euthanatised. When I went to pick him up I was shown a picture of how bad they are, they have now trapped his tongue! Should the vet of still trimmed them down? I am very confused and feel like the vets aren’t offering me any support or information, and have just given me painkillers.
I want to get a second opinion, as I am very upset that my healthy piggie has been given up on. I have always fed him a healthy diet and unlimited hay. However I don’t want to see him in pain. Any help or advice would be appreciated
 
I've no idea if malocclusion is something that can be helped with guinea dentistry but I've seen on here a dentist recommended in Northampton, hopefully someone will be along soon with the details.
 
The best vet for dealing with your piggies dental problem is Simon Maddock, Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton. He sees and treats around 30 guinea pigs a week suffering various forms of dental issues including my Ted who goes for conscious dentals twice a month. It’s quite a journey but he is worth the effort, we live in Cornwall. I do believe there is another guinea pig who is currently boarding at TEAS Furryfriends guinea pig sanctuary in Northampton who is also from the IOW.
We share visits with a couple from Devon now, who‘s piggie has similar issues to Ted, their piggie too goes twice a month. Wonder if you could arrange something similar. Don’t even think of PTS until you have seen Simon, he is so Experienced and gets such marvellous results and very reasonably priced at £60 plus a one off registration fee for a standard conscious dental.
All the best, I am going to tag @furryfriends (TEAS) for you
 
Joe Cave said:
Hello, I have just got back from a consultation with my vet. My 2 1/2 year old teddy guinea pig has been diagnosed with malocclusion :( He went to the vets in January and had he’s back teeth trimmed however the vet did not inform me of this condition or warn me that it would return and need trimming again. Theodore’s appetite has decreased recently and I booked him in for a trim again to be called back by the vet who informed me that his teeth are severely bad and that we can only monitor the pain now until he needs to be euthanatised. When I went to pick him up I was shown a picture of how bad they are, they have now trapped his tongue! Should the vet of still trimmed them down? I am very confused and feel like the vets aren’t offering me any support or information, and have just given me painkillers.
I want to get a second opinion, as I am very upset that my healthy piggie has been given up on. I have always fed him a healthy diet and unlimited hay. However I don’t want to see him in pain. Any help or advice would be appreciated
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Hi and welcome

Sadly guinea pig dentals are not on any vet's (general or exotics) curriculum which is why vets really struggle with them.

Please contact @FurryFriends via her sanctuary in Northampton to save your boy's life if dental overgrowth is so bad.
The Excellent Adventure Sanctuary – Providing life-enhancing care for Guinea Pigs with extra needs

Simon Maddock has learned his dental skills initially by having to deal with the sanctuary piggies but by now he is seeing dental piggies from all over the country from as far as Cornwall and Edinburgh and does on average about 25 piggy dentals every week. He has saved many piggies that have been given up by their vets.
Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic | Northlands Vets
 
Dental issues very rarely need to be a death sentence, but you need a knowledgeable vet. I know it's a long way, but Simon and Kim Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic, here in Northampton, would be the best vet to see. Unfortunately, he is due to go on holiday in just over a week, but he will be back in work from week beginning 17th August.

I offer guinea pig boarding, through my petsitting business, for piggies who initially need some regular treatment from Simon. I currently have a piggy here from the IOW, who was making no progress whatsoever, prior to seeing Simon and Kim. He is now eating completely for himself and making excellent progress.

www.catandrabbit.co.uk
 
Thank you, that’s really good to hear that there is another option. I will give them a call asap! Should I be doing anything in the mean time to help him eat?
 
Joe Cave said:
Thank you, that’s really good to hear that there is another option. I will give them a call asap! Should I be doing anything in the mean time to help him eat?
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Is he taking syringe food well? Porridge oats are great for getting some weight onto them and are easy to eat. I think you are going to find it hard to get him eating, for himself, if his teeth are that bad, until the problem has been sorted. Try and get an appointment with Simon or Kim, but in the meantime, just keep as much food going through him as you can. Some piggies are happy to eat softened guinea pig nuggets off a plate. I also use vegetable based baby foods for those who are struggling to eat.
 
I haven’t tried syringing yet because he is eating soaked pellets ok atm, will monitor him tho as try baby food and oats if weight drops. Will can them first thing tomorrow to see what they have available
 
Joe Cave said:
I haven’t tried syringing yet because he is eating soaked pellets ok atm, will monitor him tho as try baby food and oats if weight drops. Will can them first thing tomorrow to see what they have available
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(Hope you can get an appointment this coming week. Have you tried grated sweet potato or beetroot sticks out of Bistro Salad bags?
 
Definitely see Simon. We travel there from Barnsley and have two dental piggies. Simon has quite literally saved one of their lives before.

We’ve just got an emergency appointment for tomorrow as one of our pigs may be having an operation, so are going to release our appointment for next Thursday @ 5.50 at some point tomorrow. Simon rarely has free appointments so you have to book well in advance. If you were strongly considering going to see Simon (and I would highly recommend it) and can’t get an appointment soon, I can let you know when we have released our appointment and you may be able to grab it.
 
Also: when we adopted our pig, Peanut, he also had his tongue completely trapped by his teeth. He saw Simon three times and that problem was completely resolved. He only weighed 800 grams at that point and now is a hefty 1.4kg. It was a very easy fix for us in that sense.
 
Little Ones said:
Definitely see Simon. We travel there from Barnsley and have two dental piggies. Simon has quite literally saved one of their lives before.

We’ve just got an emergency appointment for tomorrow as one of our pigs may be having an operation, so are going to release our appointment for next Thursday @ 5.50 at some point tomorrow. Simon rarely has free appointments so you have to book well in advance. If you were strongly considering going to see Simon (and I would highly recommend it) and can’t get an appointment soon, I can let you know when we have released our appointment and you may be able to grab it.
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Thank you that would be amazing
 
Little Ones said:
Also: when we adopted our pig, Peanut, he also had his tongue completely trapped by his teeth. He saw Simon three times and that problem was completely resolved. He only weighed 800 grams at that point and now is a hefty 1.4kg. It was a very easy fix for us in that sense.
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That’s so good, does your piggie still need to have there teeth trimmed regularly now?
 
Joe Cave said:
That’s so good, does your piggie still need to have there teeth trimmed regularly now?
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He doesn’t, no. He goes back to see Simon every 10 weeks for an unrelated issue. His incisors are very weak so snap off very easily, one of his top incisors has split at the root so he now grows 3 teeth in place of one so has it trimmed. This has nothing to do with his back teeth though, those don’t need any attention at all anymore
 
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