over grown teeth

[holliesky12]

hi everyone i have just notice that my guinea pig teeth is a bit curved and overgrown and with the vets shut i dont know what to do .i have been taking her out and given her hard vegetable such as carrot and celery she tries for a couple of bites but never finishes a slice she finds it hard to grip on to it. with the vets shut is it best to just keep taking her out and giving her hard vegetables 2 to 3 times a day she also has a couple of gnaw toys but i dont know if she that interested in them. i am extremely worried that she in pain. she does eat hay and soft vegetable she is slowly losing a bit of wait but nothing drastic yet. please if you have any advice that would be great

 

[Piggies&buns]

It’s hay that piggies need to eat to wear their teeth down. If the front teeth look uneven, then it can be caused by an issue with the back teeth. However where there are teeth issues are suspected, a vet visit is required - the less a piggy eats hay, the more the teeth will overgrow and then the less the piggy will eat - a cycle forms.

Where are you located? If you are in the uk, the all vets provide an out of hours service so somewhere will be open.

 

[Wiebke]

hi everyone i have just notice that my guinea pig teeth is a bit curved and overgrown and with the vets shut i dont know what to do .i have been taking her out and given her hard vegetable such as carrot and celery she tries for a couple of bites but never finishes a slice she finds it hard to grip on to it. with the vets shut is it best to just keep taking her out and giving her hard vegetables 2 to 3 times a day she also has a couple of gnaw toys but i dont know if she that interested in them. i am extremely worried that she in pain. she does eat hay and soft vegetable she is slowly losing a bit of wait but nothing drastic yet. please if you have any advice that would be great

Hi!

Please keep an eye on her weight and step in with feeding top up by mushing up pellets and cutting any soft veg into thin slices. If necessary top up with syringe feed (either made with formula, mushed pellets or a mix of the two).
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide (Contains a chapter with tips for dental piggies)

We may be able to help you more depending which country you are in. We get enquiries from literally all over the world.

Contact your vets as soon as possible.

 

[holliesky12]

Hi!

Please keep an eye on her weight and step in with feeding top up by mushing up pellets and cutting any soft veg into thin slices. If necessary top up with syringe feed (either made with formula, mushed pellets or a mix of the two).
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide (Contains a chapter with tips for dental piggies)

We may be able to help you more depending which country you are in. We get enquiries from literally all over the world.

Contact your vets as soon as possible.

Hi I am in the uk in the Bristol area I was gonna monitor her weight often and keep to vegetables and the gnaw side of thing I only saw this yesterday so if she loses weight from now until next week I was going to contact the vet then if she has kept loosing weight. Would you recommend that or not ?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Hi I am in the uk in the Bristol area I was gonna monitor her weight often and keep to vegetables and the gnaw side of thing I only saw this yesterday so if she loses weight from now until next week I was going to contact the vet then if she has kept loosing weight. Would you recommend that or not ?

It’s hay which will wear the teeth down (and needs to be the bulk of the diet), not vegetables. If your piggy isn’t eating enough hay to wear the teeth equally, then there is already a problem starting which will only get worse if the cause isn’t dealt with

 

[Bill & Ted]

Simon Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit Clinic is a very experienced dental piggie vet. He can do conscious dentals and tell you exactly what’s wrong. People travel from all ends of the country, if you can get there then I would highly recommend you give them a ring and get an Appoinment. Dental trouble is classed as an emergency.
Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic | Northlands Vets good luck with your piggie hope you can get her sorted x

 

[Wiebke]

Hi I am in the uk in the Bristol area I was gonna monitor her weight often and keep to vegetables and the gnaw side of thing I only saw this yesterday so if she loses weight from now until next week I was going to contact the vet then if she has kept loosing weight. Would you recommend that or not ?

If you can, please see whether you can get an appointment at the Cat&Rabbit Care Clinic in Northampton next week. They are the best vets for guinea pig dentals and see piggies from as far as Cornwall to Edinburgh; their advantage is that they do conscious dentals so your piggy will be able to eat on their own straight away. They do about 25 piggy dentals in a week - which is more than most vets see in their whole career.
An appointment with a specialist vet counts as essential travel.
Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic | Northlands Vets

PLEASE step in with fibre feeding - hay is absolutely vital and makes 80% of the daily food intake. About 50g of mixed veg only makes about 15% and 1 tablespoon of pellets 5%. Guinea pig teeth have specifically evolved against grinding down the very abrasive silica in grass and hay and have some of the fastest growing teeth. Hay/grass fibre is also crucial in keeping the gut balanced.

If you have access to untreated dog pee free grass, then you can feed that but you need to make sure that you also feed dry food or you will end up with diarrhea or bloat; especially if you feed too much grass to an unprepared gut.

 

[holliesky12]

This is her teeth she has always had fresh hay Daily if I try a week of monitor weight and giving her harder vegetables and gnaw toys have I caught in time so will the vegetables have a impact on her teeth or is it the vets job .

 

[Piggies&buns]

This is her teeth she has always had fresh hay Daily if I try a week of monitor weight and giving her harder vegetables and gnaw toys have I caught in time so will the vegetables have a impact on her teeth or is it the vets job .

Hard vegetables won’t wear her teeth down, only hay and grass will do that being chewed on the back teeth.
Only a vet can say if there is a problem occurring back there

 

[Bill & Ted]

This is her teeth she has always had fresh hay Daily if I try a week of monitor weight and giving her harder vegetables and gnaw toys have I caught in time so will the vegetables have a impact on her teeth or is it the vets job .

I would definely get her checked at the Cat and Rabbit Clinic if you can get there. Beware of Vets with inexperience because they can make matters far worse when it comes to guinea pig dentals

 

[Freela]

Generally when you see a problem with the front teeth, it is because there is a bigger problem with the back teeth. Guinea pig dental problems tend to start at the back and move forward. Giving her hard vegetables or things to chew are not going to be able to fix a developing dental problem. Your best bet is to seek a visit with a vet who has experience with guinea pig dentistry (although things are far from normal now, many vets are still seeing patients on an urgent basis in a socially distanced fashion.) Best wishes!

 

[Siikibam]

As mentioned above, weigh her daily and ring the Cat & Rabbit clinic tomorrow morning. Hopefully you’ll be able to get her seen soon as next week.