Dental Teeth Issues

[Abbie Brooks]

A month and a half ago my piggie went to the vets since she was not eating and had soft poo. The vet said her back tooth was very overgrown and pressing against her tongue so she had a operation which went fine. They gave her back saying she should be fine to eat right away. Well, she still wasn't eating after a couple of days so they gave us more pain meds and antibiotics to make sure there was no infection or issue that they couldn't see.

It went fine. She took the medicine and was eating pellets that were softened with water. She's occasionally eat some grated carrot or grated paper and cucumber but was relying on the pellets. Up until now she has still been eating the pellets (softened with water), grass, some dandelions and a very limited amount of vegetables. She still hadn't eaten any hay which was beginning to stress me out. But she had been gaining weight steadily. Yesterday she stopped eating the pellets and when I weighed her this morning she had lost one hundred grams in four/five days.

She had some recovery feed but we have run out of that now. She is chirpy and lively as normal except she had been running around less the last couple of days.
We are fine with taking her back to the vets and are more than likely going to do so since it's quite concerning. But we are due to go away on Saturday and she was due to stay with a family member who will now be burdened with whatever extra care she needs.
After nursing her back to a healthy weight and hand feeding two/three times a day for over a month i am devastated that it feels like we are back to square one again. I could really do with any advice if anyone has it.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear she is having problems.
Unless she is eating enough hay or grass then the teeth can overgrow again. If she isn’t eating hay at all, then she needs to be fed every few hours, aiming for 60ml of feed in a 24 hour period. You will need to mush up her pellets in the absence of recovery food and feed her with a syringe. She has lost a lot of weight in a short space of time so hasn’t been eating enough and needs help and does need to see a vet.

It would be a good idea if you could try to get to Simon at Cat and Rabbit clinic in Northampton. He is the best vet for dealing with piggy teeth.

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[Abbie Brooks]

I’m sorry to hear she is having problems.
Unless she is eating enough hay or grass then the teeth can overgrow again. If she isn’t eating hay at all, then she needs to be fed every few hours, aiming for 60ml of feed in a 24 hour period. You will need to mush up her pellets in the absence of recovery food and feed her with a syringe. She has lost a lot of weight in a short space of time so hasn’t been eating enough and needs help and does need to see a vet.

It would be a good idea if you could try to get to Simon at Cat and Rabbit clinic in Northampton. He is the best vet for dealing with piggy teeth.

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

Thank you for your response, I had been concerned that they would overgrow again but I didn't know it could happen that quickly. Yes, I've been trying to mush up the pellets enough for her to take them. I will try to get her to a vet - unfortunately I think Northampton is too far away since we are south of London.

 

[Piggies&buns]

their teeth do grow quickly and need the abrasive action of lots of hay or grass to keep them wearing down. It may not be what has happened here but it would certainly be what I would be thinking given she has only been eating softened pellets and no hay. Sometimes piggies need several dentals to get things right again and it can in some cases take some time.
Have a think about Northampton. Members travel from every corner of the country, Cornwall, wales etc, to get to him as he really knows his stuff, does conscious dentals and most piggies start eating again the same day.

 

[Abbie Brooks]

their teeth do grow quickly and need the abrasive action of lots of hay or grass to keep them wearing down. It may not be what has happened here but it would certainly be what I would be thinking given she has only been eating softened pellets and no hay. Sometimes piggies need several dentals to get things right again and it can in some cases take some time.
Have a think about Northampton. Members travel from every corner of the country, Cornwall, wales etc, to get to him as he really knows his stuff, does conscious dentals and most piggies start eating again the same day.

Okay thanks, I'll have a look into him and see if it's possible. Thanks for all your advice

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you for your response, I had been concerned that they would overgrow again but I didn't know it could happen that quickly. Yes, I've been trying to mush up the pellets enough for her to take them. I will try to get her to a vet - unfortunately I think Northampton is too far away since we are south of London.

Mush them with water and put it into a 1ml syringe with the tip cut off so it can go through and then offer it to her

 

[Bill & Ted]

Simon and Kim Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit Clinic are fantastic and very experience when it comes to dental issues in guinea pigs, the best in the country. They do around 30 plus conscious dentals a week. I take my Ted there every other week from Cornwall. They are both on holiday for a week next week and back on 17 and 18/8/20 onwards

 

[Abbie Brooks]

Simon and Kim Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit Clinic are fantastic and very experience when it comes to dental issues in guinea pigs, the best in the country. They do around 30 plus conscious dentals a week. I take my Ted there every other week from Cornwall. They are both on holiday for a week next week and back on 17 and 18/8/20 onwards

Yes we gave them a call and they have no appointments until nearly September. I'd love to get my piggie there but for now we have an appointment with our registered vet who plans to check Acorn over and then trim her teeth on site if needed. Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Yes we gave them a call and they have no appointments until nearly September. I'd love to get my piggie there but for now we have an appointment with our registered vet who plans to check Acorn over and then trim her teeth on site if needed. Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.

How you make some progress x

 

[Abbie Brooks]

How you make some progress x

Thanks, she's had about 70ml of recovery food and really mushy pellets. I'm vaguely concerned that if they do have to grind her teeth again, she won't eat hay immediately and we'll end up in the exact same problem

 

[Bill & Ted]

Thanks, she's had about 70ml of recovery food and really mushy pellets. I'm vaguely concerned that if they do have to grind her teeth again, she won't eat hay immediately and we'll end up in the exact same problem

It’s a difficult one! They don’t eat so they have there teeth done, if not done correctly or they are sore then they don’t eat and so it’s a vicious circle. I’ve been there on two separate occasions. Simon Maddock is the only vet I would use now for dentals, had such terrible problems with local vets causing more problems than solving
Good luck, hope you can get her sorted x

 

[Abbie Brooks]

It’s a difficult one! They don’t eat so they have there teeth done, if not done correctly or they are sore then they don’t eat and so it’s a vicious circle. I’ve been there on two separate occasions. Simon Maddock is the only vet I would use now for dentals, had such terrible problems with local vets causing more problems than solving
Good luck, hope you can get her sorted x

Yes it is, if this one doesn't work I will try to get an appointment with him. Thanks again x