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Rufus' teeth (photo included)

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happycath

happycath

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Hi all

I noticed this evening that Rufus' front teeth meet at a bit of an angle. I haven't noticed it before so I believe this might be a recent development - I quite often check his front teeth.
Would it be a good idea to get my vet to take a look in his mouth, or should I give it a few days to see if they wear down to be even?

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You'll have to forgive the awkward photo I'm afraid, sometimes even four hands aren't enough!
Thanks :)
 
One of my piggies broke both his front and bottom teeth last year. I was carrying him in the cage and my ankle went and I dropped his cage. His teeth grea back quickly but his top teeth are at a slight angle. He has never had any problems eating. Best to keep any eye on Rufus for any difficulties eating. He may have chipped one of the teeth in which case they should even out. Best of luck and keep us update. If you are worried then a visit to the vets may be the best idea.
 
He's still eating well (he's a real greedy guts!) - he actually scoffed down some romaine lettuce leaf and a baby corn which we gave him after this pic to say sorry for the inconvenience!
I will definitely keep an eye on his weight. The more I think about it, the more I think it has happened suddenly because he is always trying to taste my fingers so I quite often see his teeth and would have noticed.
I'm glad your piggie was happy and healthy despite slanted teeth :)
 
happycath said:
He's still eating well (he's a real greedy guts!) - he actually scoffed down some romaine lettuce leaf and a baby corn which we gave him after this pic to say sorry for the inconvenience!
I will definitely keep an eye on his weight. The more I think about it, the more I think it has happened suddenly because he is always trying to taste my fingers so I quite often see his teeth and would have noticed.
I'm glad your piggie was happy and healthy despite slanted teeth :)
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Thats good Rufus is eating normally. If his weight stays the same then its possible that the eneven teeth shouldnt be causing him any problems. When my Mimsi broke his teeth last year he was left with stumps. One of the teeth was embedded within his cheek. I noticed bleeding and had to put my hand in his mouth to pull the broken tooth out of the cheeck. I got a disgruntled nip but apart from that Mimsi was very well behaved. Oooh, we worry so about out hairy babies!:))
 
It's good he is eating normally. Slanted incisors can sometimes be a sign of molar trouble, so worth keeping a very close eye on him.

If you do decide to visit the vet or a rodentologist, the molars should be checked as well, just to ensure there's nothing up with the back teeth causing the slant in the front ones. The incisors don't want shortening, just levelling. :)
 
slanted teeth

In my experience slanted teeth are nearly always that way because of a problem with the back teeth. Your photo does not seem to indicate that the front teeth are broken in any way - they dont appear to be rough or jagged which might indicate this. The pig will probably happily eat for a time, until the back teeth become so irregularily overgrowm that eating becomes a problem.Dont for goodness sake cut the front ones down until you have had the back ones sorted, and don't leave it too long.I think there is an expert who comes on here who can deal with teeth very efficiently. Check some of the threads to find him or maybe some of the other members may know who it is Good luck.
 
Well he was certainly tucking into breakfast with his usual vigour when I left for work this morning!
I will weigh him this evening, I have a note on the calendar at home of his weight last time we checked so I'll use that as a point of reference. How much can the weight of a healthy piggie go up and down in a day or so without being a concern? I mean a full tummy and bladder might weigh ....? I understand I'm keeping a watch out for trends of weightloss rather than up-and-down weight anyway, but I'd like to know what to expect to see for a normal healthy piggie.
Thanks for the note about the incisors would need levelling rather than shortening :) I'll ensure the molars are checked if a vet visit is necessary.
I'll post again after the weigh-in
Thanks all for putting my mind at rest for the time being x

Polly - Thanks for your post. If it was an underlying issue with his back teeth and not an unfortunate sudden break of his teeth then that doesn't seem to fit with the uneven lengths appearing suddenly. Perhaps taking Rufus to the vet wouldn't do any harm.... Oh dear, worried now :S
 
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If he is eating well I honestly wouldn't mess about with them ,you never know what you may start if you touch teeth that are ok. The front teeth should have a little step in them as well which most vets wouldn't know how to do[no surprise there].
 
slanted teeth

As the teeth grow continually , both back and front, there is certainly no reason why the slant should not appear overnight, perhaps almost imperceptibly, but by the evening or by the next morning you may well become more aware of it.As I said before the pig may well continue to eat fairly normally for a while, but you cannot ignore the fact that slanted teeth are NOT normal. There is a cause , and if they are not broken then the back teeth are almost certainly to blame. As for weighing him tonight , if he is eating normally at present, then you probably wont notice a significant change in his weight over that short space of time. As you say look for a significant weight loss over a numbetr of days. But..... get the back teeth sorted and get it done by some one who DOES know what they are doing , which sadly may not necessarily be your normal non specialised vet.The back teeth can be sorted easily without anaesthetic, if the vet suggests it can't ,then remove the pig from his/her care pdq. You have come on this site for advice PLEASE look for the guy on here that can help you and don't mess about.
 
Right so now I really don't know what to do for the best. I was relieved to have a general concensus of opinion - to keep an eye on his eating ability and his weight. But now your point of view, Polly, that slanted teeth are not normal and may seem to appear overnight has thrown me off and I just don't know what the best thing to do is.
I of course want to do the best for Rufus. So do I leave him be - monitor him for a few days and hope that nothing serious is to blame, or do I rush him to the vet in case there is an underlying serious cause that needs attention?
I am going to weigh him tonight so that I can gauge what he weighs at the moment, I don't expect there to be a weight loss from his last weigh in. He's a chubby one! Knowing exactly what he weighs now will help me over the next few days because then if he starts to lose weight I'll know how much and how quickly.
If he does need any work doing then I will do my best to take him to the best person for the job. But I suspect that might be 'jumping the gun' for now - especially as he is currently eating well and quite happily.

Feel so confused!
 
Ap is not on here any more,although he does still come on to read he can't post:(I think he is going to be more and more missed as time goes on.
 
OMG how come? What have I missed?! AP was the fountain of knowledge for all things guinea! Thats a shame, his advice will certainly be sorely missed.
 
For some reason someone was offended by something he said and reported him.
If you really need to get in touch I have his number because he has been doing Elvis's teeth now for a while.
 
Thanks Ruth, thats very kind. Such a shame he is unable to post and help people out any more :(
If I need to contact AP I will PM you, so then you can check with him that he wouldn't mind having his details given to me. I'm hoping it won't come to that, fingers crossed.
I'm sorry Elvis has been having teeth trouble. I know a great many piggies on here do and that it is managable for the owner and the piggie, just not ideal.
I should have mentioned that Rufus is only just 1 year old, does youth have a bearing on the liklihood of teeth problems?
 
AP always says that a lot of pigs start having health problems once they get to 4 which has been the case with both of mine.
 
Happycath, I have been fortunate to have Alcesterpigs treating my Peggy's teeth - over 200 mile round trip, worth every mile to see someone who cares and knows how to treat guinea pigs with the respect and care they deserve :)
I would not take her to anyone else for her teeth problems :)
He is an extremely kind and patient person with a wealth of expertise in dental problems.
I am very grateful to him for all the time he has given to me and little Peggy.
I cannot stress to you enough about having your piggies teeth looked at by someone who knows exactly what they are doing.
As Polly has stressed to you, the slanting front teeth are an indicator of back teeth problems.
You should have your piggies teeth checked sooner rather than later :)
 
slanted teeth

Somewhere in the Midlands I think, he was the one that I told you about but I didnt have time earlier to go back and check.
But have I been asleep and missed something ? AP has been thrown off the site ? I thought some one said he had gone away , but I didn't realise he's been thrown off. What could he possibly have done to warrant that , and who makes the decisions to do the throwing anyway ? If some one has been offended by common sense they should hang their heads in shame., and just hope that other lovely innocent creatures don't suffer in the future because a clever knowledgeable guy is barred from giving advice.What a ridiculous state of affairs !
 
Polly said:
Somewhere in the Midlands I think, he was the one that I told you about but I didnt have time earlier to go back and check.
But have I been asleep and missed something ? AP has been thrown off the site ? I thought some one said he had gone away , but I didn't realise he's been thrown off. What could he possibly have done to warrant that , and who makes the decisions to do the throwing anyway ? If some one has been offended by common sense they should hang their heads in shame., and just hope that other lovely innocent creatures don't suffer in the future because a clever knowledgeable guy is barred from giving advice.What a ridiculous state of affairs !
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You took the words right out of my mouth :(
It is very sad that he has been misunderstood - to be polite :x
AP had a wicked sense of humour - and that is what it was - a sense of humour, he was straight to the point which is what people need in time of health and illness worries :)
The amount of people on here that miss him is beginning to tell on the health and illness threads :(
I'm just glad he is still prepared to have anything to do with anyones piggies on here - he is a good and kind man :)
 
Maybe we should have a "bring back AP" thread because talk of his ban is mentioned in a great many threads!

I didn't realise he was so close to one of my old haunts, Lower Quinton.
 
Yes, Laura, I think this needs to be aired properly - I think I've read the strand in which AP was deemed to cause offence, and I'm astonished, frankly.

I'm also just down the road from Lower Quinton (lucky me, from the guinea pig health care perspective).
 
If it's a case of discussions over his banning involved in every other medical thread (which is going to direct away from actual medical advice), then I don't see any other way than having some form of thread where feelings are posted over this. I know we only know what happened publicly and not privately, but people need to know.
 
There will...but can we really afford for discussions like this to take over the medical threads? People post looking for advice, if someone thinks the person will benefit from visiting AP then fair enough say that they can put them in touch, but it's not fair on the original posters to have their thread, about their pig, taken over like this, especially new/less frequent posters.

Which is why something has to be done.

And yes, here's me contributing to it all. rolleyes
 
slanted teeth and the AP saga

I am sure no one intends to hijack a thread certainly not I, but perhaps we wouldn't need to do so , or offer our amateur advice , when the person who could sort the problem is prevented from so doing.Its nice to know from some of you that he has helped you and your animals irrespective of the ban, I can't imagine I would be so forgiving if I had been kicked in the teeth!
 
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