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Regular molar filing for a young pig-what are the options?

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furryfriend

furryfriend

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Hi
My 10 month old guinea pig has just has his molars filed under anaesthetic for the first time. The vet says they will need doing again, and we ought to think about having him put down as keep doing his wouldn't be fair to him?
I am really upset at the thought of this, he is so young and has such a big personality and is fit and well otherwise, it doesn't seem right.


What are the options for a guinea pig with these dental problems?

Thanks for any suggestions
 
What an odd thing to say. If he is under anaesthetic, what is so unfair on him. He is not aware of the proceedure. I personally think what your vet says is wrong, and incorrect. He is 10 months old and has a long life ahead of him. I am not sure how frequently the proceedure needs doing but I cannot see it being every month. I would go to another vet for a second opinion as the one you are at seems a little too quick to right off a wonderful, and healthy, creatures life.

I don't know anything about Guinea Dental problems, and I am sure those who do will get back to you very soon!

-Carma
 
Hi I have just read your post.
How do they treat the dental problems without using anaesthetic?
This would be good for my pig who is only 10 months old and has had to have his molars filed under anaesthetic. The vet says it must be genetic.

Thanks
 
furryfriend said:
Hi I have just read your post.
How do they treat the dental problems without using anaesthetic?
This would be good for my pig who is only 10 months old and has had to have his molars filed under anaesthetic. The vet says it must be genetic.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Unfortunately there aren't alot of vets willing to do dental without GA. Now I understand what the Vet is saying and have to agree regular GA's are not fair on the pig.

My pig had to have his teeth done, unfortunately he was to flighty so the Vet was unable to do it without Ga, what he decided to do was sedate my pig, he was given Valium and the work was carried out, he was eating when I picked him up.

There are some vets that are willing to do it without GA and if your pig needs reg dentals, I would try and find one! Good Luck! xx
 
Sorry it's taken me a while to reply to you, but had only been checking forum on phone and wanted to reply properly to you.

I have a number of dental guinea pigs in my care. All these pigs came to me because their previous owner couldn't find a vet who could sort out their dental issues. All that could be suggested, was put to sleep.

Archie and Wilfie both had severe dental issues when they arrived, and although their dental problems can be managed, they need regular dental work. Archie at present is requiring weekly filing of his teeth, and Wilfie needs fortnightly treatment. Brownlow has no top incisors at the moment so needs the bottom incisors burring every fortnight, but hopefully the top incisors will eventually grow back. Bill and Ted, who are lethal piggies and therefore have a number of problems (blind and deaf) are being monitored regularly for developing dental problems, as lethal gene piggies are prone to dental issues.

As you can see, it varies greatly in how regularly guinea pigs with dental problems are likely to need work doing on their teeth.

I am very fortunate in that I have a wonderful vet who can do dental work without GA. It is because I have Simon that I've been able to take in so many dental guinea pigs.

Your piggie may be fortunate enough to not need very regular treatment. What was the actual problem with the teeth? In some cases a couple of treatments can sort out a problem, or maybe just treatment every few months. It can vary so much.

I just wanted to add, all these piggies have a fantastic quality of life, and with just ten minutes of treatment every week or two can live life to the full.
 
Hi

I have a 10 month old pig who has just had his molars filed down under general anaeshtetic.
The vet says he had 'spurs' and it is probably genetic as he is so young. He's always had unlimited hay and veg.

The vet said if he needs his molars filing often we might want to think about putting him to sleep as it wouldn't be fair to him.
I can't face the thought of this, he's so young-only 10 months and is such a lively pig, always popping and running around in the pen.

Does anyone know of any alternative treatment?

I am in Yorkshire and would be prepared to travel.

Thanks for any advice, I'm really worried.
 
I'm going to merge your posts from the other thread to this one.

If you're willing to travel to Northampton, you could see the very best vet for dental work, and he could do it without GA.

I have replied to you properly at Post 6.
 
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Thanks so much for replying, I have only joined the forum today and am still working out what to do.

The vet said it is probably genetic as he is so young.

She said his front molars had 'spurs' and would grow into the tongue. I think we had caught it early as there were no sores or abscesses on his tongue.

We have 2 pigs and they live inside so we see their behaviour all the time and noticed early on he seemed a bit more quiet and seemed to be chewing a bit more slowly, but did still have an appetite. We took him to the vet who could find nothing wrong and suggested looking at his molars. She gave him an anaesthetic and filed them down.



Any advice you can give would be gratefully received.

We live in Yorkshire but are prepared to travel for treatment.

He's only 10 months old, is a really lively character, I can't believe we have to consider having him put to sleep at this age.

(I have started a new thread with this on, someone suggested to do that, after I'd asked you about the treatment).

Thanks for any help
 
The fact you appear to have caught this early is very positive. Hopefully he will only need occasional treatment, or possibly no further treatment. Unfortunately, in many cases, dental problems become very serious before they have become apparent and these are the ones that can only be managed and not cured.

I have a lot of experience dealing with dental guinea pigs and have got piggies eating again even after they have been fully syringe fed for almost 6 months.

If you wanted to see my vet, I would be happy for you to stay over at mine at anytime you needed to bring him. That offer is open to anyone who wants to bring their piggies to Simon Maddock.
 
Hi that sounds so hopeful, I would definitely like to see your vet, and thanks for your kind offer, but we would not need to stay overnight.

When I asked my vet if we needed a follow up visit after this filing, she said no, just keep an eye on him and go back if he has problems again. She said the teeth usually need doing again between 4 and 16 weeks, depending on the pig.

So I would have had to just wait until he has problems eating again which I feel would be unkind to him.

He is still eating, still not as fast as before, he still seems a bit quiet from the anaesthetic yestaerday.

Thanks for your help, what should I do now?
 
See how he goes over the next few weeks. Keep a close eye on him, and if he's eating a little slowly, take him away from his cagemate when he's eating. You can give him extra on his own, and then put food in for both of them to eat if you prefer.

Maybe in a few weeks time it would be worth getting my vet to take a look at him. Simon is away on holiday half term week and at a veterinary conference in the middle of June, but should be available at all other times.

His contact details are:

Simon Maddock
Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic
1 Limehurst Square,
Duston,
Northampton.

Telephone 01604 478888

In the meantime, if I can be of any help feel free to get in touch with me.

Debbie xx
 
Hi,
I just thought I would tell you about my experience with teeth in case it is of help to you.
I adopted one of my piggys (Toffee) last October with 2 other piggys. The other 2 grew and she stayed the same weight. In December I took her to my vet as her front teeth looked long. The vet snipped the front teeth and said her back teeth were growing across and once they trapped her tongue she would be unable to eat. He said to watch her weight and when it dropped get an appt with him and he would do her teeth under GA.
Meanwhile I thought it was wrong to wait until she was losing weight (she was already under 500g) before doing something and took her to a recommended cavy savy vet for a 2nd opinion.
The day the new vet saw her he filed her back teeth without GA as she sat so good for him - he agreed it was best not to wait until she was deteriorating (problems "may" have been due to previous diet and not genetics as originally thought ?). Now its possible that her teeth will be okay or at least only need done every few (possibly 3) months.
Its still early days for Toffee but what I would say is initially the outlook for her was very very bleak and now its not.... and there's no reason that that couldnt be the case for you too.
Sorry for wittering on.
xx
 
That is so helpful, thankyou, I have been upset since yesterday but feel more positive now.

I will give Simon a ring in a few weeks as you suggested to get him to look at Norman. (He's in the photo).

Thanks again so much, especially for such a quick response.

Angela

ps. I set up my username before looking at any posts, didn't intend to copy you!
It's what my daughter calls Norman.
 
Thanks for your post, it is really helpful to hear positive stories and be given some hope.

I agree, I don't think it's a good idea to wait until they've deteriorated to seek help, wouldn't it be more difficult for them to recover if they were unwell to start with?

I think if I can give him a longer life, without him needing to suffer, then I will do everything I can for him. He's too young to give up on, only 10 months and is such a pleasure to have around.

Good luck with toffee too x
 
furryfriend said:
That is so helpful, thankyou, I have been upset since yesterday but feel more positive now.

I will give Simon a ring in a few weeks as you suggested to get him to look at Norman. (He's in the photo).

Thanks again so much, especially for such a quick response.

Angela

ps. I set up my username before looking at any posts, didn't intend to copy you!
It's what my daughter calls Norman.
Click to expand...

Aww Norman is gorgeous. Try not to worry about him now. Hopefully he won't need treatment too often, and if and when he does, if you don't mind the trip, then Simon should be able to sort him out easily and without the need for a GA.

I am just having a bit of giggle to myself here thinking about the names of some of the dental piggies that go to Simon. I have Archie and Wilfie and there is another piggie called Alfie and now there could be a Norman. Archibald, Wilfred, Alfred and Norman (they sound like a group of old men) :)) No offence to anyone who has any of those names by the way!
 
None taken!
We did have a Dennis too.

I'm off now to have a better night's sleep.

Thanks

Bye
 
CandyFloss said:
The day the new vet saw her he filed her back teeth without GA as she sat so good for him - he agreed it was best not to wait until she was deteriorating (problems "may" have been due to previous diet and not genetics as originally thought ?). Now its possible that her teeth will be okay or at least only need done every few (possibly 3) months.
Its still early days for Toffee but what I would say is initially the outlook for her was very very bleak and now its not.... and there's no reason that that couldnt be the case for you too.
Sorry for wittering on.
xx
Click to expand...

Sorry just realised some of my post was cropped due to an accident on my part .....

anyway when the new vet saw her initially and filed her teeth (they should never have been 'snipped') he thought initially she had bad teeth genetically and didnt stand much of a chance long term.......but now...a few months on .....the teeth may actually right themselves. Initially we thought her teeth would need done every few weeks. They were done 6 weeks ago and we are not due another appt for another 6 wks. In fact Ive been left to keep an eye on them rather than the regular checks Ive been having since January.

So in summary stay positive...a good vet makes ALL the difference

x
 
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Where in Yorkshire are you? There is a good rodent and rabbit vet in Harrogate that my sister goes to. They do dentals on her degus and are the only ones around that will. She goes from Beverley every month or so.
 
HI Angela and Norman welcome to the forum :)
I'm really sorry to hear about little Norman and his toofie issues :(
I had a boy Duke, who had toofie treatment for over 2 years, unfortunately here in OZ they use gas, my vet did however manage to do it withing 10mins, Duke taught him a lot on piggie dental work!
I was so glad to see that Debbie aka furryfriends (LOL i was taken back at first thinking Debbie had changed her avatar ..... cute that your daughter calls Norman this) replied to you, as you can see she's VERY experienced in piggies with dental issues.

All the best for little Norman, to be honest after going thru what i did i would tend to err on the safe side and call Simon and make an appointment for a visit before you think that Norman maynot be eating :) This is just from my experience.

Glynis, Velvet and Onyx x
 
Hello,

I too had a piggy who needed dental treatment. My original vet had said the same to me as yours - that it wasn't fair to keep having to give the pig GA and it would be worth thinking about having him put to sleep!

I first saw Simon with G and he also diagnosed that he had arthritis (something else the other vets had overlooked) so that would also be a factor in how well he would do.

G used to have to go weekly/every 10 days to have his teeth filed. It took literally 5 minutes to do and didn't cause distress as Simon has such a way with the pigs.

Personally (and I understand you aren't close by), I would have Simon look at Norman sooner rather than later. It sounds to me that your vet isn't too guinea savvy and I would prefer to have their work checked rather than assume Norman will be alright for the foreseeable. :)
 
Hi, South Yorkshire-Doncaster.

I'm intending going to the Northampton vet in a few weeks, but if you could forward me the Harrogate vets details anyway, that would be great aswell, thanks.
 
furryfriends said:
See how he goes over the next few weeks. Keep a close eye on him, and if he's eating a little slowly, take him away from his cagemate when he's eating. You can give him extra on his own, and then put food in for both of them to eat if you prefer.

Maybe in a few weeks time it would be worth getting my vet to take a look at him. Simon is away on holiday half term week and at a veterinary conference in the middle of June, but should be available at all other times.

His contact details are:

Simon Maddock
Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic
1 Limehurst Square,
Duston,
Northampton.

Telephone 01604 478888

In the meantime, if I can be of any help feel free to get in touch with me.

Debbie xx
Click to expand...

Hi Debbie,

Just to give you an update on Norman.

I went to see Simon today.
He thinks Norman never did have a tooth problem and that our vet may have thought guinea pigs teeth should be like rabbits and straight, when really the teeth grow at an angle and this is normal. (Have I said this right? I was given lots of info and was trying to keep up with it all!)

He thinks maybe Norman just had a sore mouth/something else which was stopping him eating properly. Said he does have a bit of ulceration on gum, could have been that, or that could this could have been done by the filing on his teeth.

So we just have to make sure he eats plenty of grass, and keeps eating and he should be fine.

Great news!

Thanks for letting us know about Simon, he told us loads of info about guinea pig teeth and food they should eat. Was very interesting, they are amazing little animals.

So thanks a million, it was worth the trip.

Angela

ps. I also saw Sue from cavy corner in Doncaster, who was Archie's 'mum'.
It's a small world!
 
Great news, I'm absoultuely delighted for you. I'd only just caught this thread and was hoping for a happy ending to it.

Give Norman a chin rub for me!
 
That's great news! I'm so glad you found Simon so helpful. I knew you would though as he's so knowledgeable, and a lovely man too.

It's very worrying just how many vets think guinea pig teeth are the same as rabbit teeth though. It does happen quite frequently.

Was Sue from Cavy Corner at the vets too?
 
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BRILLIANT NEWS !!!

awwwwwwwwwwww Norman whee are so happy that it wont be regular toofie trims! (yup they grow on an angle)
Give Norman some friendly brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr's and wheeeeeky loves from the girls xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
So pleased for you and Norman - Yay for Simon and Boooo for your idiot vet.

Suzy x
 
Fab news for Norman! Bet you're really happy :)) x

I'd be interested in the vets in Harrogate if the poster could give details? x
 
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