Possible teeth problem

[Andrea Marici]

Hi everyone, i live in Italy and i ask for your help for my guinea pig. In May she had a problem of bloating but we were able to fix that. After that the vet told us to give her less veggies and more hay. At first she had a lot of soft stools mixed with constipation but we slowly fixed that. Almost a month ago she stopped eating all of a sudden. On sunday she was perfect and Monday she asked us food, we gave it to her, she didn't touch it and kept asking.
After the bloating we had to reduce food. Before that she used to eat 300 grams of veggies everyday and now she only eats 100/120 grams, that's why she never left anything but all of a sudden she didn't want veggies. Then she slowly started eating vegetables again but not everything and almost never touched hay.
Before that she spent 60% of the time searching in the cage for something to eat. Now she lays down 85/90% of the day.
I think I know what happened. I was feeding her a particular food (the Little One Green Valley) that's made of big and very hard pellet. I think it broke one of her teeth and it cut her tongue and mouth so she stopped eating. I have even found a piece of hay with red stains like dried blood. I am attaching a photo of it. The vet says it's not blood and that her teeth are perfect.
We knew this veterinarian in May. I have never trusted her but unfortunately my parents do more than they trust me.
She doesn't listen to what i have to tell her.
Now her front teeth look perfect but they didn't before and they never did for her entire life. One of the top incisors has always been longer than the other but now it's not anymore. I have different photos of her yawning until a month ago and they show that.
I attach a photo that was taken in May and another one that was taken last Friday.
This Friday and the next i will take other pictures and confront them.
If she has problems they will be visible by next week.
But if she does, waiting will only make it worse and even an operation may not fix things.
Her weight is almost stable anyway. She has lost 22 grams in 16 days.
Please tell me if you think it's normal.

 

[Siikibam]

I’m sorry your piggy is unwell. I’m not experienced with dental issues so cannot comment. Unfortunately there are very few vets who are experienced in treating guinea pigs with dental issues. Did the vet check her back teeth or just the incisors?

What i know a little about is their diet. Hay makes up the largest part of their diet (80%) and it’s what helps keep their teeth worn down. 100g of veg is too much. They only need 50g/a cup a day. The more veg she eats, the less hay she will eat.

22g in 16 days isn’t a concern. However, if she is on a downward trend (losing weight every day) then that can be cause for some concern. I would switch to weighing her once daily (preferably morning) and topping her up if she’s losing every day. If she is, that means she’s not eating enough hay. If you don’t have recovery food or critical care, we usually recommend you soak their pellets in warm water. However, the dry food you give her is not suitable for guinea pigs. So I would actually cut that out completely.

I’m sorry to bombard you with so much. I’m really rooting for your girl. I’ll tag @furryfriends (TEAS) @Wiebke @VickiA @PigglePuggle

While you’re waiting, have a read of the guides I’ve linked to below. Wishing you and your girl all the best. I really hope she can be helped.

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

By the way, guinea pigs don’t get constipated. If they are pooing less, it means they haven’t been eating enough. Their poo output is 1-2 days behind.

 

[PigglePuggle]

Hi, the front teeth of a piggy are not as important as what is going on with the back teeth that grind the hay. Inconsistencies with the front teeth may indicate rear tooth issues- but also many piggies snap or damage an incisor and it grows back fine and the rear teeth are unaffected. Many vets are inexperienced with dental issues and place too much focus on the front teeth, including performing bad and unnecessary dental surgery to even up the front teeth which can often mean they are clipped off too short. If you are wanting the teeth checked please see an experienced vet who will look at the back teeth. But the weight loss you mention isnt a cause for concern in itself, though of course piggy should be mostly eating plenty hay, and this is difficult to measure except by monitoring weight. Usually a 50g weight loss in a week is a cause for concern, though this depends of course on piggy's age and usual weight- 50g loss in a 1200g adult is less of a worry than 50g loss in a baby or small adult 800g piggy of course.
If you arent confident in your vet, best find one you do have confidence in, just in case!

 

[Andrea Marici]

I’m sorry your piggy is unwell. I’m not experienced with dental issues so cannot comment. Unfortunately there are very few vets who are experienced in treating guinea pigs with dental issues. Did the vet check her back teeth or just the incisors?

What i know a little about is their diet. Hay makes up the largest part of their diet (80%) and it’s what helps keep their teeth worn down. 100g of veg is too much. They only need 50g/a cup a day. The more veg she eats, the less hay she will eat.

22g in 16 days isn’t a concern. However, if she is on a downward trend (losing weight every day) then that can be cause for some concern. I would switch to weighing her once daily (preferably morning) and topping her up if she’s losing every day. If she is, that means she’s not eating enough hay. If you don’t have recovery food or critical care, we usually recommend you soak their pellets in warm water. However, the dry food you give her is not suitable for guinea pigs. So I would actually cut that out completely.

I’m sorry to bombard you with so much. I’m really rooting for your girl. I’ll tag @furryfriends (TEAS) @Wiebke @VickiA @PigglePuggle

While you’re waiting, have a read of the guides I’ve linked to below. Wishing you and your girl all the best. I really hope she can be helped.

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

By the way, guinea pigs don’t get constipated. If they are pooing less, it means they haven’t been eating enough. Their poo output is 1-2 days behind.

Yes, she did check the back teeth. I stopped giving her that food. I am giving her the oxbow pellet now. I give her 20 grams a day. She usually eat a out 12 but it's still fine to me. She had never eaten the pellet from other brands we brought.
I know she's not eating enough hay.
It's perfectly normal that she prefers veggies but before this happened she spent most of the day eating vegetables but at night when my mom went to bed at midnight and i stayed up until 2.30 am and she ate so much hay because my mom is the one that always gives her vegetables. I don't. Then suddenly she stopped completely and after a month things haven't gotten better.

 

[Siikibam]

That is still too much in terms of pellets. You need to drop that to a tablespoon a day. Hopefully that will help her eat more hay. Weigh daily and see how she fares. If she is losing every day then you’ll have to step in with syringe feeding.

 

[Andrea Marici]

Hi, the front teeth of a piggy are not as important as what is going on with the back teeth that grind the hay. Inconsistencies with the front teeth may indicate rear tooth issues- but also many piggies snap or damage an incisor and it grows back fine and the rear teeth are unaffected. Many vets are inexperienced with dental issues and place too much focus on the front teeth, including performing bad and unnecessary dental surgery to even up the front teeth which can often mean they are clipped off too short. If you are wanting the teeth checked please see an experienced vet who will look at the back teeth. But the weight loss you mention isnt a cause for concern in itself, though of course piggy should be mostly eating plenty hay, and this is difficult to measure except by monitoring weight. Usually a 50g weight loss in a week is a cause for concern, though this depends of course on piggy's age and usual weight- 50g loss in a 1200g adult is less of a worry than 50g loss in a baby or small adult 800g piggy of course.
If you arent confident in your vet, best find one you do have confidence in, just in case!

Yes but if there is a problem in the back teeth, sooner or later the incisors will show. My other guinea pig died because of malocclusion so i know what it looks like. But the last time it was because he didn't eat hay and his teeth grew too much. This time it's different. Her teeth worked perfectly but that Little One food broke her teeth. The pointy teeth cut her tongue and mouth (that's why I found that piece of hay with the red stains) so she stopped eating for a few days. Then she started eating in another way, trying to avoid that side maybe and that's why she eats most vegetables but not hay. It's just a better of time before her incisors will grow to long and change their shape. Then i will be sure and i will intervene but it will probably be too late because she has learned to chew in the wrong way and even if we fix her teeth she won't go back to normal.

 

[Siikibam]

If you want to encourage her to eat more hay you will have to cut back on the veg. Hay is the main part of their diet and what keeps their teeth worn down - including the incisors. Hopefully she will learn to chew properly. Did the vet find any cuts in her mouth?

 

[Andrea Marici]

If you want to encourage her to eat more hay you will have to cut back on the veg. Hay is the main part of their diet and what keeps their teeth worn down - including the incisors. Hopefully she will learn to chew properly. Did the vet find any cuts in her mouth?

The veggies are not a problem. I used to give her much more vegetables and she ate hay. Now she stopped. The vet said the teeth are alright and didn't say anything about cuts. But it's normal i bought her to the vet 3 weeks after it happened. We did go 3 days after the accident but the vet didn't examine the teeth.
And i don't think that chewing hay will solve the problem because if she is chewing the wrong way, some teeth will be consumed too much and others won't.

 

[Siikibam]

If she isn’t eating much (including losing weight) it needs investigating. It’s difficult though - I don’t know how experienced the vets in your country are. Fingers crossed for you.

 

[Andrea Marici]

If she isn’t eating much (including losing weight) it needs investigating. It’s difficult though - I don’t know how experienced the vets in your country are. Fingers crossed for you.

Vets here are incompetent. But please tell me: do the stains on the piece of hay look like dried blood to you?

 

[Siikibam]

Vets here are incompetent. But please tell me: do the stains on the piece of hay look like dried blood to you?

I really don’t know to be honest.

 

[Andrea Marici]

I really don’t know to be honei'm sorry but i need to ask you another thing. I'm trying to understand if she's eating too slowly

I'm sorry but i need to ask something else. I'm trying to understand if she's eating too slowly. Do you think that 25/30 seconds is too much to eat a single piece of pellet?

 

[Swissgreys]

I'm sorry but i need to ask something else. I'm trying to understand if she's eating too slowly. Do you think that 25/30 seconds is too much to eat a single piece of pellet?

What I would say is that you know your own guinea pig best.
If you think that is slow, or for her it isn't normal then you will be right.
People on a Forum who have never met your guinea pig can't really judge.
Just trust your own gut feeling, as you are the expert when it comes to your own piggies.

It does sounds like a mouth/tooth/jaw issue but could have multiple causes.
I would try and find a vet who is experienced with these issues, which I know is easier said than done.

A good starting point is a university veterinary college or a zoo or farm with guinea pigs - they often use specific vets who will have more experienced than most treating guinea pigs.