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Repeated molar trims

Andy33335

Andy33335

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Jun 5, 2019
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Location
Romania
Hi everyone. I have a boy taken from a previous owner who did not feed or fed very little hay. I figured it out he was having problems eating and breathing. After vet visit we discovered a very nasty pneumonia (we already had a month on oral doxicycline, 3 weeks of enroflocacin, 3 weeks on oral sulfamethoxazole and numerous weeks in the nebulizer) but we didn't get rid of the pneumonia even though the bacteria showed as being weak to these antibiotics. However his condition is better, no more nose discharge or heavy breathing. BUT he isn't eating as much hay as my other pigs and when he eats it, he is very picky. Because of this his molars keep growing and we are already at the 4th anaesthesia in the last 6 months to get them trimmed. I know how dangerous is anaesthesia for them and i'm very afraid for him but since he isn't eating enough hay, i have to do this with him every month, month and a half :( . I tried different types of hay but it's not working. The anaesthesia he gets is injection not gas, as the vet said she needs the pig to be completely relaxed or she might cause damage to the jaw bones. I know there are members here with experience when it comes to dentals, did you have such cases that needed every month trimming? How can i make this better? I am afraid for him, he is just 1,6 years old
 
There is one member here, @Bill & Ted who’s piggy Ted travels to the vet regularly for dental maintenance. The only difference is that this vet doesn’t put them under GA for the procedure. But he can offer you some advice. I’ll also tag @VickiA and @Wiebke
@Piggies&buns

Is it just issues with his teeth or is there something else underlying? How was he after the first dental?
 
It's just his teeth, we had 2 x-rays and nothing showed up. After the trimming he is eating better but in time he starts eating less hay and molars start growing again.
 
I am very sorry; it is impossible for us to say whether the pickiness in eating hay is actually not the cause but a reaction to the molars overgrowing and that there is another cause why your boy is not chewing/eating properly in the first place. :(

The most piggy dental savvy vet is trimming the molars without a general anaesthesia every 2-3 weeks at first with gradually widening intervals as soon as overgrowth is starting to happen (i.e. as soon as you notice your boy becoming picky again) so there is only a little quick correction to do and the dental system can gradually rebalance. It is unfortunately considered a bit No No to do dentals with without GA amongst vets when conscious dentals in quick succession are actually key to stabilising the dental system again.
We have seen many a piggy that had been given up on by their local vety only needing a yearly check after a few rounds of conscious dentals; piggies seen by the vet are generally able to eat normally again immediately after treatment.

If your vet is waiting until overgrowth has happened, then he is always starting back at the same point again but is not making any headway. :(
 
He is picky even after the trimming, seems this is his nature. I am afraid to take him to the vet 2-3 weeks because she will say they are grown but not too much and it doesn't bother him. Plus she ia doing the ttimming only under GA, so doinh trimming under GA every two weeks is just too much. I tried to talk to her to use just gas to knock him out a little but she said that if he is not fully sedated his jaw muscles are stiff. Unfortunately i live in Romania and savy cavy vets are extremely extremely rare. There is one small clinic with 2 vets that know about rodents and besides the dentals, they are pretty good with guineas.
 
Andy33335 said:
He is picky even after the trimming, seems this is his nature. I am afraid to take him to the vet 2-3 weeks because she will say they are grown but not too much and it doesn't bother him. Plus she ia doing the ttimming only under GA, so doinh trimming under GA every two weeks is just too much. I tried to talk to her to use just gas to knock him out a little but she said that if he is not fully sedated his jaw muscles are stiff. Unfortunately i live in Romania and savy cavy vets are extremely extremely rare. There is one small clinic with 2 vets that know about rodents and besides the dentals, they are pretty good with guineas.
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The pickiness is not natural; it is more likely the result of the trimming not being perfectly done.

It is a real fight to get vets to understand that they can only correct overgrowth sustainably for the long term by stepping in before the next overgrowth happens. We have the same problem with UK vets. Constantly growing rodent teeth are NOT like cat or dog teeth... :mal::mal::mal:

It is a very frustrating and unsatisfactory situation all over the world with only a very few vets being able to deal with guinea pig teeth properly. Unfortunately cavy dentals do not feature on any vet's curriculum, not even an exotic vet's one..
 
I really feel for you. It is a vicious circle of poor hay eating, then a dental, then recovering again after the dental and then needing a dental again. If you could find a good savvy guinea pig vet that can do conscious dentals that ultimately would be the best solution, but it’s almost impossible to find one, that’s why we travel 300 miles each way to get our Ted conscious dentals every couple of weeks (We do share the drive with an owner who has two dental piggies now so that helps) Ted could go 3 weeks now between dentals but for now we are keeping to fortnightly.
Are there any rescues that might use a piggie savvy vet? Or guinea society that know of any? Will he eat grass as a part substitute for hay? Grass has got a lot of silica on the leaves which wear down the teeth quite well
 
Yes, he likes grass but we live in a crowded city and grass is all dusty. This clinic is the best in town for piggos and these 2 dr definitely know with piggies but as you can see not with dentals. Your piggie is full conscious when trimming? Not even dizzy with some gas? Does he stay put so the dr can work?
 
He had GA yesterday and he came home and started to eat. I also gave him some critical and he ate it like crazy. Today he refused the food, refuse the syringe. The only poop he did were some stuck together poops, shapeless, consistency and colour as the critical care that i'm feeding him but i know it't poop cuz it smells. Why ia hia poop so aoft and shapeless? What can i do to make him eat?
 
Aw, I’m so sorry your boy is having difficulty eating and refusing the syringe food. Can you ask the vets to prescribe him Emeprid it gets their tummy working and makes them hungry, ask for painkillers as well. In the meantime you must get some syringe food into him to keep his gut bacteria alive.
Yes Simon Maddock our vet does completely conscious dentals using specialist mouth gag and cheek forceps, he uses tiny files to file the teeth so all tooth surfaces are smooth, files back any spurs, so the chewing action moves properly. A trained veterinary nurse holds the piggie still while the piggie stands in a normal position on all four feet, no gas or any form of anaesthetic needed. We are very lucky to have him in the UK, he and his wife Kim are amazing vets.
Hope your little piggie recovers alright x
Dental piggies often have soft wet poop because they can’t eat enough hay and fibre and tend to go for softer foods and vegetables.
 
My boy is very well now 😊 we went for like 4 of 5 trims of his mollars under full anaesthesia and he came back every time. I no longer trouble my mind with his molars as he is very fine now. Eating hay, veggies and pellets without problem for over an year. I hope your baby will be well in the end, if you go for repeated trims brace yourself, will be a hard time after each one and you need to assist your baby with a syringe everytime after because he will not be able to eat himself
 
Andy33335 said:
My boy is very well now 😊 we went for like 4 of 5 trims of his mollars under full anaesthesia and he came back every time. I no longer trouble my mind with his molars as he is very fine now. Eating hay, veggies and pellets without problem for over an year. I hope your baby will be well in the end, if you go for repeated trims brace yourself, will be a hard time after each one and you need to assist your baby with a syringe everytime after because he will not be able to eat himself
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Great news 😁 Do glad the molars are sorted!
 
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