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Siblings of Lethals?

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HairlessWillow7

HairlessWillow7

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My piggy Smores just had to be put down by the vet a few days ago. His back teeth were badly overgrown, just a few weeks after being trimmed by the vet. He couldn't eat, his mouth kept bleeding, and he was suffering :... so we put him down :... His brother, Wilbur, was a lethal. He had teeth problems too. Could the genes that affected Wilbur also have affected Smores, even though he wasn't a lethal?
 
((HUGS))- I'm so sorry about Smores. Someone with more knowledge of genetics may be able to help, but my impression is that being the sibling of a lethal doesn't contribute to issues with teeth. The lethal gene is the gene for roan colouring... if a pig inherits one roan gene and one normal gene, that pig will be a roan pig. But if the pig inherits two roan genes, that pig will be a lethal because one normal copy of the gene is required for proper development. But from what I've read I don't think a roan pig is at higher risk of problems than a non-roan pig... as long as there is one working copy of the gene they should be okay. I've noticed there is a sticky post on the breeds page about the lethal gene if you want to look there.

It's so hard when these things happen... we lost one of our pigs last summer to dental issues. Her teeth were maloccluded and were overgrown at the back- this led to her getting an abscess down into the roots of her tooth. We tried to treat with surgery and antibiotics but it spread down into her jawbone and the antibiotics just couldn't touch it... she was being syringe fed but the infection spread to her blood and her poor body just shut down from septicemia. The vet said that it was just due to malocclusion... her teeth didn't meet quite right and thus they didn't wear down properly. It's hard to believe that something that sounds so minor could take the life of an otherwise healthy, young animal.
 
Okay, thanks Freela. It's very hard losing a guinea pig. Wilbur and Smores have a sister that I gave to a responsible person down the road from me. I don't want this to be a genetic problem, since Smores and Wilbur's sister already lost both her brothers :... I don't want my friend to go through what I've gone through :...
 
((HUGS))- I know it's hard! Since our pig Frenzy died of tooth related issues I am so paranoid about teeth... I fell their jaws for lumps every day and push their lips back to see as many teeth as I can at least once a week. It's hard not to worry about it!
 
Thank you all :)

I really hope Smores and Wilbur's sister never gets any dental problems. She is very well taken care of though, my friend spoils her! :)) I will tell her though, to watch and make sure her piggy's teeth stay healthy.

Thanks again :)
 
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