• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Teeth…i'm Curious.

Status
Not open for further replies.
Pinki

Pinki

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Aug 17, 2014
Messages
173
Reaction score
127
Points
305
Location
Bristol
I'm confused …. I'm newish here (and liking it!)…. as I find that so many piggy owners are not trimming teeth and sorting out spurs with mouth expanders and clippers but are going for a full-on operation.

I've never done it any other way than this way and never thought about it as a serious issue. Takes five minutes to sort out any dental problem and the pig is not out for the count. Neither does the guinea get distressed (though I always look the other way!).

Of course you need someone who is capable of doing it this way, it's not possible to do oneself. But it's a no-brainer to me…..done many times without a single issue.

Curious about peoples opinions.
 
Last edited:
You're a rodentologist? I know the CCT do teeth trimming like that, however my own vet has said she would never do teeth that way, it is traumatic for the piggy & can be very dangerous if done incorrectly so I am not sure what I would do if one of mine had teeth issues. Interesting topic though & it will be interesting to see what people think :)
 
No I'm not a rodentologist but I know a few! Like I say you have to know someone who can do it. Then it is not dangerous at all. Is it not more dangerous (and a lot more expensive!) to go GA?
I don't want to raise an argument, I guess it's just important that there is choice and both are effective.
 
Agreed. My Rufus (Rodney's twin) had his teeth done at Tilehurst Vet Surgery with zero anaesthetic as they had the correct equipment to do so. I specifically took him there for that reason plus others as he was unwell at the time & they are amazing with pigs.

It took seconds & he was as chilled going as he was coming back. They have the relevant equipment, it caused no distress to him. Don't think it was clippers seem to remember it being some filing tool but I could be wrong. Much less stressful than being gassed or injected! I would opt for it everytime.

Many vets aren't willing to look outside the box with these things. This is why I now travel.
 
I am the owner of a sanctuary for guinea pigs with extra needs (primarily dental) and all dental work is carried out by Simon or Kim Maddock of the Cat and Rabbit Clinic. They are able to do dental work without the need for GA in most cases. Some of the piggies here at TEAS need regular dental work to enable them to live a good life and the fact that this can be done without anaesthetic means we can keep on top of the problem by doing little and often if required. Most of the piggies who come to TEAS have dreadful dental disease and many have been seeing various vets and/or rodentologists before they come here, and yet in almost every case we are able to either cure or manage their problem.
 
Poppy'sMum said:
You're a rodentologist? I know the CCT do teeth trimming like that, however my own vet has said she would never do teeth that way, it is traumatic for the piggy & can be very dangerous if done incorrectly so I am not sure what I would do if one of mine had teeth issues. Interesting topic though & it will be interesting to see what people think :)
Click to expand...
Having watched Simon file the piggies teeth on many occasions, I am confident they are not traumatised by the procedure, in the way that he does it. If I thought it was too traumatic I wouldn't be putting them through it time after time. However, I worry greatly about the number of people who do a very short course at the CCT and then profess to be able to do conscious dental work. I do not agree with this DIY approach and would only use a qualified vet.
 
furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary said:
Having watched Simon file the piggies teeth on many occasions, I am confident they are not traumatised by the procedure, in the way that he does it. If I thought it was too traumatic I wouldn't be putting them through it time after time. However, I worry greatly about the number of people who do a very short course at the CCT and then profess to be able to do conscious dental work. I do not agree with this DIY approach and would only use a qualified vet.
Click to expand...
Needless to say I would be taking mine to see Simon if they needed regular dental work as I would want someone I trust to know what they were doing as I agree, in the wrong hands, conscious dental work could be more harmful than helpful :)
 
We too are lucky that Rosie our vet performs concious dental's, but for a stress head piggy like Cookie, Rosie will use a whiff of gas rather than a full GA.
 
Having been on the CCT course, I certainly wouldn't feel confident enough to clip molars without a lot more experience and coaching from an experienced vet. That said, I think conscious dentistry if at all possible is the way to go and many vets don't even consider it. For a piggy with long-term dental issues multiple GAs can put a strain on the heart. Worth finding a vet, like Simon, that knows what he's doing.
 
Simon talks to other vets about what he does when he goes on rabbit and rodent dentistry courses, but the general consensus amongst them is, it is wrong to do dental work without GA. He has tried to explain to them what he does and how he does it but they just aren't interested. He has offered for them to come and see how he does the teeth but again, not interested! We desperately need more vets who are willing to show an interest. The piggies at TEAS, who need regular dentals, live completely normal lives at all other times. For the sake of 10 minutes every 3 or 4 weeks they can live out a normal life expectancy.
 
That's really bad Debbie, you would think they would try and embrace something that is better for the pig. I wonder how my vets would react, I know they currently only do dentals under GA but luckily I have not needed one doing on my own pigs. Any future dental issues though and I will be travelling to Simon.
 
We desperately need more vets to do conscious dental work. If anyone's vet is interested, then tell them to get in touch with Simon, as he would be more than happy to arrange for them to visit and see how he does them. Contact details are on their website www.catandrabbit.co.uk
 
I will put some feelers out next time I am there.
 
I think a lot of it may depend on the area where you live. Although I hear of conscious dentals being performed often in the UK, in Canada where I live, it is not the standard of practice and most vets are not trained in how to do it, and thus use a short-acting inhaled gas instead. I have a good exotics vet with a lot of experience with guinea pig and rabbit dental issues, but he simply isn't trained in how to do conscious dentals and I would prefer if he did procedures in the way he has experience and not use my guinea pig as a 'guinea pig!' LOL!

There seems to be a very real discrepancy in the medical treatment of guinea pigs in the UK versus Canada (from what I gather here on the forum.) I've owned rodents and small animals my entire life, and 'rodentologist' does not seem to be a discipline here. The vast majority of vets are only trained in dogs and cats. To get good care for guinea pigs, you must seek out a vet with experience with 'exotics,' which will include rodents, as well as reptiles, birds, less common small animals like hedgehogs, ferrets, sugar gliders, etc. Although guinea pigs are certainly fairly common as pets, they are largely seen as somewhat disposable 'pets for kids' and I would venture to say that the majority of them go their lives without even seeing a vet. The prevailing attitude is, 'Why would you pay for medical care for a guinea pig when you could just buy another guinea pig for twenty dollars?' It's not my attitude (and mine have a good vet and get good care), but it seems to be the common belief here. Thus, I think training for vets here in terms of rodents is more limited, and there are certainly no clinics aimed exclusively at them, probably because they would never stay afloat financially because most owners simply don't think of them as an animal that is on par with a dog or cat that needs veterinary care.
 
We had a guinea pig with chronic teeth problems and had both her molars and her incisors clipped by a rodentologist, without any anaesthetics. The piggy was perfectly fine afterwards and it is our preferred option - provided there is someone qualified who has learnt how to do it.

Sadly, the rodentologist we were in touch with at the time is no longer practising, but if we had a similar case again then I would put a lot of time into searching for someone qualified. Anaesthetics might be okay if it's a one-off, but if it's chronic as with our Margaret, there is no way I would let her be anaesthetised at regular intervals.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top