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Smasher has a teeth crisis !

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scarlett73

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My 11 month old guinea, Smasher seems to be as alert as always, but when I picked her up today she seemed to feel lighter and weighs 1 1/2 pounds ( not sure what she weighed before but her sister weighs 2 1/2 pounds )

Looking in her mouth I was horrified to note that her 2 bottom incisors are just stumps...maybe half the tooth has broken off.The upper 2 look normal.I don't know if this has just happened or they have grown back a bit.

What should I do ? I have watched her feeding and she is having trouble grabbing the food.I have held little bits for her which she has taken into her mouth, chewed and swallowed.Tonight she has had 1 slice of apple, i piece of little gem lettuce and 1 ml of purred carrot. Is that enough ?I have just given her 2 little cubes of cucumber, but she ate 1 and then wanted to go back into her cage.I don't know if she is managing ok with her drinking bottle.She is still active and energetic....I found it hard to catch her in the cage !

Any advice ? Thanks. She also seems to be grinding her teeth a bit.
 
Get her to see a vet tomorrow. Do you have anything to syringe feed her with?

Syringe feeding will be a good way of keeping her weight up. You can mush up pellets or get some Critical Care food http://www.vetuk.co.uk/rabbit-suppl...197/oxbow-critical-care-for-herbivores-p-2426

Tips on syringe feeding can be found in a thread by Laura halfway down the page describing wrapping http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36533

Our piggie took syringe feeding without the need for wrapping. One of us just held her while the other syringed in critical care. She was resistant at first but soon got used to it.

I'm sure someone else will come along with some more in depth knowledge. I hope it goes ok and smasher gets well soon

Lee
x
 
They should soon grow back. In the meantime, make sure you cut all the veggies up small to make it easier for her to pick them up. A trip to the vet could be a good idea, but please make sure the vet is experienced with guinea pig teeth. Instead of syringe feeding it might be an idea to put softened pellets or Critical Care on a plate so she can eat those if she is struggling with hard foods. I would perservere in keeping her eating for herself as once the back teeth start to grow out of control you have a huge problem.
 
NO other advice to give except to concur that it is important you keep you piggie eating.......by small bits of food or syringe....whatever is needed.


I think this is the cavy savvy vet whom other members in Kent go to

http://www.trinityvetcentre.co.uk/




HTH
x
 
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Thanks everyone ! Just back from my vet who I think is what you would term cavy savvy ! she said her teeth look ok and will grow back quickly.although she is light she is still feisty and alert ! I am trying to keep her eating herself rather than syringe feeding...I have been given some critical care and otherwise if I put small pieces in her mouth she can manage ok.It is time consuming !I have seperated her from the others for the moment so I can see what she is eating and passing from the other end.

Will her teeth be painful ?
 
Pleased you have seen the vet, as furryfriends said piggie teeth do grow back quickly. Personally I would weigh her daily to keep an eye on her weight, to make sure she isn't losing too much..

Keep feeding her and hopefully they'll grow back soon enough. I can't answer the question regarding pain, I would only think she is if they are digging into her teeth or tongue.

You sound like you have it under control, best wishes and let us know how smasher does..
 
Thanks Sportbilly ! I have just tried to give her some little pieces of tomato, but she doesn't seem interested.I did syringe feed her about 1 hour ago...so maybe she is full.She has done a wee...but nothing else this morning.Do you think I should be worried about that ? I have left her with little pieces of lettuce and tomato and will check in a bit to see if she has eaten any.How often do they eat anyway?
 
Weeing is good, sometimes Pitch and Putt didn't poo for an hour then there'd be a pile of piggle poo!

Sometime's Pitch wouldn't poo for a while after syringe feeding. What did you use and how much did you give? If she was full after the syringe feed she may not have been hungry, maybe try and feed some veggies before you syringe feed later. Is she eating dry food or Hay?

Try not to worry, you sound like you are doing everything right. If there is food in her the poo should come out - her guts may be a little slow. Is she drinking ok?
 
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I'm not sure how much water she is taking as she seems to be trying to drink via the side of her mouth rather then putting the spout fully into her mouth.i have syringed some water into her.She has just taken a few pieces of banana...so maybe she has a sweet tooth!...and she did take a piece of hay by mistake with it...not sure if she is eating hay anyway as she seems a bit wary and stops what she is doing whenever I come to peek at her ! I have left her with some more banana and mashed up pellets...will just have to see.How long do you think it will take until she starts eating more normally ? She seems ok once the food is in her mouth...its just getting hold of it......why is she grinding her teeth a lot ? or is that keeping the other teeth in check?
 
I don't have any experience (thank goodness) of broken teeth so unsure when she will start eating normally, but I do know piggie teeth grow back quickly. She is eating so that is a good sign and you are there to help her get food into her mouth.

Syringe water if needed but it sounds like smasher is bright enough to find a new way of drinking via side of mouth. I'd give her a little water every now and then just to be safe, she'll also get moisture from mashed up vegs.

It is excellent that she is eating food once its in her mouth - as thats preferable to syringing as it will keep the other teeth in check (as i have found out over the past 3 months they grow so quickly)

As for teeth grinding, Pitch used to do that after her dental work, I think it's a way of them getting used to their mouth as the teeth must feel very strange after work done etc....
 
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Aaah thanks for your prompt replies....I am worried and its horrible seeing them upsept knowing they are relying on you.It is nice that she is sitting with me handfeeding....I feel we have bonded !:)
 
No worries, handfeeding is magical. My wife and I unfortunately had to handfeed and then syringe feed Pitch for a few months until she passed away Saturday :-( It's amazing to have a piggles total trust in you and handfeeding really strenghens the bond between you and piggie.

I hope it all goes well for you and smasher, hopefully things will improve, shes lucky to have you helping her when she needs it... It's great news that she is still eating her veggies with your help, I'm sure things will only get better for you both.

Hopefully there may be people on here later with more experience in broken teeth to offer advice. Good luck and don't forget to weigh daily...
 
Sportbilly....I'm sorry to hear that you lost your guinea on sat.you must feel gutted esp after all the care you gave him.I lost a piggy suddenly before xmas and I still feel upsept when I think of her....they are such sweet little creatures.

Anyway, the good news is Smasher has just fed from a plate of banana and dry food by herself....it was a bit awkward and she took an age, only eating a little...but headbutted my hand out of the way when I tried to help ! I have " finished her off" with some syringed food and water, but she has sprinted about the place so must be feeling brighter.I still haven't spotted any poos...but she has been in her cage for a while and as she is a house guinea it is normal for her not to go when she is out....she doesn't seem bloated, so I'm hoping she has been today.
 
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