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So I Just When I Thought We Were Safe...new Problems

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LydiaMinx

LydiaMinx

Teenage Guinea Pig
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I've been posting a lot on here, speculating that my boys were both ill and then posting that it was me being daft...I was daft, but now I've discovered something that is a genuine problem :(

Badger has a lump right under his jaw, which I'm assuming is an abscess in the root of his tooth (as it is not moving). He had overgrown molars in Feb and since had no problems, but last week I noticed he was losing some weight and gaping so took him for a check up, vet couldn't find anything wrong with his teeth at that time but I still didn't feel entirely happy about it.

In the past 4 days his incisors have become slanted, increasingly more noticeable by the day. Had a feel around his mouth and there's a pea sized lump on the right side, surprisingly firm and attached to the bone. It's the same side as the longer incisor so I do assume it's an abscess.

What kind of treatment do they do for a root/jaw/tooth abscess? Will it just be lanced there or will he need a small procedure?

Thank you guys
 
Ok so just came out of the vets...absolutely useless and I'm now scared it was worse than I thought originally.

Vet said it could be an abscess within the root, trapped in the jaw bone, or an elongated root that has formed a lump.

He has given me Baytril (which I'm fuming about as I've read that this isn't the best for abscesses) and said he couldn't drain it, nothing could be done apart from waiting and seeing if the antibiotics help.

He said if it's a root problem the prognosis isn't good. So I'm now terrified. My poor baby :(
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Please try and get to Simon Maddock. Most vets don't even want to try. I know it's a long way but it's his best chance. X
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I would love to be able to, but the travel costs are half of what I can afford in vet bills until pay day :( there's a vet recommended on here not too far from me and I'm going to give it a go, not giving up on my little dude! If he's still having problems this pay day I'll throw all financial caution to the wind and try to get to Simon x
 
Definitely see another vet, as guinea pig abscesses are not going to clear with antibiotics alone. They really do need to be lanced and drained or removed surgically, depending on location and size. I've had two pigs develop tooth root abscesses... one sadly passed away (retrospectively I now know that the vet seriously under-treated the infection as far as choice of meds and dosage and probably did a bad job trimming her teeth too, which led to her never really resuming to eat after the op.) My other pig, Sundae, had a huge abscess lanced and drained and an extensive course of antibiotics and I did a lot of aftercare as far as cleaning/draining the wound, and she made a full recovery and never had the abscess recur.
 
You could always call the vet ahead of time and explain what you think is going on and ask how comfortable this vet is with dental stuff for piggies before spending money that you may end up needing for another possible vet
 
I'm trying some vets close to me who specialise in exotics, will try to get a second opinion there

Freela, where abouts did the abscess present itself in your piggies cases? Badgers lump is under his tongue, and can be felt through the skin. Feels very firm like bone, so the vet also said could be very elongated root (although I don't believe this as much as it wasn't there a number of days ago as far as I'm aware).

I think the vet believes the abscess is encapsulated in the bone itself so draining would mean tooth removal...is this possible for pigs?
 
The vet you are going to see may be able to ring Simon Maddox to talk things through and maybe bounce ideas off each other.Worth a try I think.Everything crossed here for you
 
Thank you for the replies guys, spoke to the vet that all exotics get referred to around here (and the closest recommended vet on the tool here) and even just over the phone they seem to be the most knowledgeable vets I've ever spoken to for pigs. They don't believe this is a death sentence (whether it is elongated roots or an abscess) as the other vet told me (his words were the prognosis is very poor), and they treat both problems in pigs and rabbits regularly.

I'm ecstatic that there's a vet within realistic travelling distance for me that seems to actually care, so I'm giving the baytril a few days to kick in (if it does) and making an appointment. Badger is in good spirits, is still eating and has maintained weight. Poo's are mostly the right size. Hopefully this is just an abscess that hasn't yet ripened
 
New development, Badgers bottom right incisor is starting to lean inward, so his bottom teeth are now misaligned :(

What does this mean? Anyone :(
 
The abscess is now damaging the conformation of the teeth. This is why it needs to be dealt with quickly, by a vet who is not only experienced with abscesses but also has excellent knowledge of dental disease. The longer this is left, the more damage will be done, leaving Bsdger needing regular dental work.
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
The abscess is now damaging the confirmation of the teeth. This is why it needs to be dealt with quickly, by a vet who is not only experienced with abscesses but also has excellent knowledge of dental disease. The longer this is left, the more damage will be done, leaving Bsdger needing regular dental work.
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He has an appointment with a specialist on Friday, that's the earliest he could be seen :( I'm calling back and seeing if he can be seen Thursday first thing.
 
He has been seen, vets are keeping him in for the day for GA, X-Rays and op. Vet is confident it's an infection in the jaw, so Badger will probably need teeth out, my poor little guy!

But this vet seemed so on it compared to others I've seen with my boys. Really happy and just have to wait until 3:30 to ring and see what they've found so far.
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Hope all goes well for Badger xx
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Thank you, he's on the way home with me now, sleepy but otherwise fine! It wasn't as bad as originally anticipated, X-Rays revealed infection in his lower right incisor only, from a trauma of some sort.

So the vet has removed the incisor and flushed out that area, he said the infection should start to diminish now it's gone, along with the antibiotics he has. He also cleared Badger of that inconclusive elongated roots diagnosis, his roots are healthy.

So it was all much better than anticipated! Tooth should regrow, hopefully without infection :)

Thank you for your help TEAS, means a lot to have someone giving him well wishes :)
 
Thanks for the update, sending lots of love to Badger x x
 
I've been giving him his medication this morning and the doses seen absolutely massive - 1.5mls of Baytril 2.5% every day, 0.75mls of Flagyl every day and 1ml of Metacam...am I way off base thinking this is much more then usual?
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
They sound very large doses. Are they being given as two doses or in one go? Is it dog or cat metacam?
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I've split the Baytrl as I feel that is much too high, I only gave him 0.75mls and I've rung the vet to ring me back to double check. The metacam is dog metacam and I gave him 0.5mls this morning, will probably give the second dose tonight x
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
My vet doesn't use baytril but the highest dose I've ever given has been 0.8 ml per day We give 0.3 mls metacam twice a day as the highest dose. I can't remember what I've given of flagyl but will check when I'm home. X
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Thank you, I think I'll leave the Baytril to what he's already had today, it gives him a bad belly on a lower does so I'm not going to risk a higher one I don't think. Hopefully with both that and the Flagyl it will destroy any infection left. He's looking very sorry for himself indeed :(
 
He seems to be dripping strong smelling urine constantly...is this a reaction to the anaesthetic or a UTI he's picked up somehow? Poor guy cannot catch a break!
 
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