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Teeth issues

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Nikkiannec

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Hi, I'm after some advice on what to do for my guinea pig.

Around 7 weeks ago I noticed that my piggie, Rocky was struggling to eat and had lost weight. I looked in his mouth and saw he had lost a bottom front tooth and chipped a top front tooth, as well as the ones left being very long. I took him to the vet for trimming & was also told he needed the back ones doing under GA. I was informed at this stage that he would need this done every 3 months.

He had that done and several days later he was still not able to eat. Took him back to the vet and he gave him a pain killer injection. Still after 2 weeks he was not able to eat food, despite really trying. I noticed his front teeth no longer met so took him back & was told to keep on with the wet food and syringe feeding and it would soon sort itself out.

It hasn't and 7 weeks later his teeth are very long again. Took him to a different vet that was recommended for small animals and she checked and said both front and back would need doing but she could only do the front today & I'd need to go back next week for back to be done. she also said that it would be an ongoing issue and that he will need his teeth done every month, being put under every time. She says this is because his teeth will never meet again & he will never be able to eat hard food (or any food he needs to
chew, including hay!) she said that the best option might be to put him to sleep 😢
she wanted to gas him to do the front teeth but I decided to take him to my original very tomorrow.

Has anyone else had this problem & if so how do your piggies manage being put under every month? And with not being able to eat like before?
I work most days so am not able to syringe feed frequently.
Is putting him to sleep really the best thing for him like the vet suggested?

Thank you in advance x
 
Where about do you live? The very best vet in the UK for dental issues is Simon Maddock at Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton. People travel the length and breadth of the country, to see him with their dental piggies. Most guinea pigs are able to eat as soon as they leave the practice, after Simon has filed the teeth. Simon does the dental work without the need for GA, so the guinea pig doesn't have to recover from an anaesthetic. Most vets haven't got a clue about guinea pig teeth and unless they get them absolutely right the guinea pig will not eat. We run a sanctuary for guinea pigs with dental issues and all our guinea pigs are able to eat perfectly well and don't need syringe feeding, but some need a quick tidy up of the teeth every so often.
 
Firstly welcome to the forum.
Secondly, no you don't need to put your piggy to sleep.
if you would add your location it really helps but in the meantime I am going to assume you are in the UK.
We (the forum) recommends you visit simon Maddox at The Cat & Rabbit clinic in Northampton, they perform Dentals without GA and successfully.
There success rate has been great and I have personally also visited them with other pigs and they do very well following the visit.
 
Just to give you some hope... my beloved Sam who is 5 years old has had teeth issues for 18 months and he does just fine. Every now and then we go back to my vet who burrs his front teeth with no aesthetic needed and he manages fine. I just need to keep a close on eye on him and check his teeth frequently. It sounds like you need to see a much more specialised vet.
 
I can highly recommend Simon Maddox, my Ted had problem with overgrown molars, which my local vet made far worse by cutting his incisors far too short which resulted in him not being able to eat and on syring food for over a month. Took him to Simon, a long 6 hour plus journey and over 300 miles and he sorted his teeth out straight away with a little filing, and no Anesthetic. Ted has been fine since and continues to put on lots of weight. It's really worth the effort!
 
Thank you for the replies everyone! Unfortunately I live in Kent, so that would be too far for me to travel. The main issue my piggie has it that after having his teeth done the front ones no longer meet. The vet I saw yesterday told me that they never will meet again now and that he will never be able to eat hard food. She also wanted to gas him just to do the front teeth! Which I didn't alow. I have been recommended another vet in Maidstone called Trinity vets, and a lovely work colleague is going to take him there for me today as I have to work.
 
Nikkiannec said:
Thank you for the replies everyone! Unfortunately I live in Kent, so that would be too far for me to travel. The main issue my piggie has it that after having his teeth done the front ones no longer meet. The vet I saw yesterday told me that they never will meet again now and that he will never be able to eat hard food. She also wanted to gas him just to do the front teeth! Which I didn't alow. I have been recommended another vet in Maidstone called Trinity vets, and a lovely work colleague is going to take him there for me today as I have to work.
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I think trinity vets are a recommended practice on this forum but I don’t know if they are experienced with teeth.Let is know how you get on.
 
@Nikkiannec Guinea pig teeth constantly grow so they should grow to a length where they meet. If they are not aligned then they may not line up correctly but they will meet eventually.

If you're not able to visit Simon Maddock, then please ask your vet to contact him if there are any issues. He goes away on holiday after today so if they wish to contact him then it will need to be today, or 3rd September.
 
Nikkiannec said:
Thank you for the replies everyone! Unfortunately I live in Kent, so that would be too far for me to travel. The main issue my piggie has it that after having his teeth done the front ones no longer meet. The vet I saw yesterday told me that they never will meet again now and that he will never be able to eat hard food. She also wanted to gas him just to do the front teeth! Which I didn't alow. I have been recommended another vet in Maidstone called Trinity vets, and a lovely work colleague is going to take him there for me today as I have to work.
Click to expand...
Oh dear but you really need a different vet. My sam had no bottom teeth for over a year and as long as we kept the top ones at the correct length, he can still pick up and eat hard food like carrots. However I always cut up his food now into strips for him to make it easier.
As Jaycee said, the teeth are always growing and even if one is missing totally there is the chance it can cone back. Don’t give up hope, just find a better vet with more experience on piggie teeth. Good luck.
 
If all the teeth are filed correctly, the teeth will meet. This is an issue that many piggies arrive at TEAS with. Owners are told that the teeth will never meet and the piggy will never be able to eat properly. In every case, Simon has filed the teeth and the guinea pig had been able to eat normally again.
 
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