Teeth Trimmed - Not Eating Hay Yet

[Sophia Watson]

Hi Guys,

My 5 1/2 year old went in to have his teeth checked as he was loosing weight at an alarming rate, and upon checking if his teeth were ok, I noticed one bottom front tooth had broken close to the gum.

They checked his teeth, and said his back teeth were overgrown and his front teeth needed trimming. But no sign of any infection or disease (so they didn't press for a an xray)

He went through the procedure like a trooper, no problems at all. However, it has been 5 days since the procedure and I'm concerned that he is still not eating hay. He's very picky with his foods, and he's not picking up food with ease. The vets mentioned that he should be eating a lot better by now with his teeth burred down and in addition to Meloxicam.

Any ideas? He improved the other day, and had now dropped in weight again, please see attached records. Am I expecting too much from him? I've owned several piggies but none have had a teeth procedure that was a "straight forward" one. I'm still giving critical care, but have limited the serves because I've been wanting him to eat the hay available. He is having no issues eating / chewing veges, pellets, grass or cc. Or maybe he's just being picky, or still adjusting? He's very eager to eat and is full of life. His poops have been small, but have been improving e.g..size

I only lost one baby a few weeks ok, so my anxiety is through the roof! Any suggestions would be highly appreciated. I want to feed him more veges to get the weight on, but worried his teeth will grow too quickly and we'll be back to the start.

 

[Sophia Watson]

And sorry when I mean veg, I mean very small pieces, or thin slices - carrot strips

 

[Lily & Rose]

I'm sorry I can't help but I will tag @Wiebke and @furryfriends (TEAS) for you.

 

[Bill & Ted]

When the incisors are cut it sometimes takes a while for the teeth to grow down and meet and wear properly as vets tend to cut them too short. Try giving him strands of fresh grass as that’s good for wearing teeth down (molars) or maybe he would eat readygrass?

 

[Sophia Watson]

Thank you for the replies, I'm taking him into the vets this morning as I'm not comfortable with him having lost even more weight and he's eating a little better now, he's at least picking up some hay strands. Something just isn't right.

 

[Merab]

Step in with syringe feeding to help until he’s eating well again
Let us know how things go at the vets

 

[Sophia Watson]

Hi Everyone,

The vets have come back and said that his front top teeth are already overgrown. One back tooth has a small spur.
What they are doing today is doing an x-ray and we will decide the outcome then.

If the x-ray comes back ok, they want to remove the front teeth completely which I've never heard of. Does anyone else have a piggie with no front teeth? She said there's a chance they could grow back.

If the x-ray comes back with signs of dental disease then unfortunately it doesn't look good.

I asked isn't it worth just burring the top teeth until the bottom teeth catch up but they're positive the teeth are not matching up in order to go down naturally by themselves.

What on earth do I do

 

[Sophia Watson]

Update:
Merry's xrays have showed that there is a fracture underneath the broken tooth.
The vet has burred down as much as she can with the remaining front teeth, and removed the fractured tooth to the gum line. She cannot remove the remaining broken tooth due to the fracture underneath which we need to heal.

Unsure of how to move forward.

Any feedback if ANYONE has had this before would be greatly appreciated. It is too expensive for us to complete weekly trims on the teeth, for the procedures today and last week we're now sitting on over $2,000.
I'm feeling completely defeated with this

 

[sport_billy]

@furryfriends (TEAS)

 

[Bill & Ted]

Aw, I’m so sorry for your predicament, that is a huge cost. My piggie Bill broke one of his lower incisors at the gum line last year and has been going to the best piggie dental vet in the UK every 2 months to have this incisors burred, it costs £44 and all done consciously. There is a possibility that the tooth may grow back in time, as they are open rooted and are constantly growing. Can you look for another vet who could undertake this task at a cheaper price? Have a look on Guinea Lynx website for recommended vets. Here’s Bill before and after dental photos. So sorry for your dilemma x

 

[VickiA]

I’m so sorry you are in this predicament.
Firstly Please step in with top up syringe feeding to maintain nutrition and fibre intake during this period. It’s important to keep the guts moving and to maintain weight.
Please give small strips of veggies to enable him to grasp them and chew on his back teeth. You may need to feed them by hand if he has trouble grasping them. Or put them upright in a small eggcup so they are vertical and easier to grasp. Pellet mush is also good to help get nutrition into him.
Sadly the front teeth (incisors) will continually overgrow unless and until they meet their opposing incisor. So you have to be prepared for the fact that there is no quick fix to this.
I have had a piggy born into the rescue with no lower incisors and whose top incisors then continually overgrew. After multiple dentals we did opt for removal of the top incisors but this was a big operation. She did fine afterwards, the teeth never regrew and she has managed beautifully with just her molars. Here is her thread Melody - Forum Sponsor Piggy - The Potteries

 

[Sophia Watson]

Thank you for your advice. Stepping in with the CC - He's only weighing 600 and loosing at the moment. How much and how often would you feed him this to get him back up to an acceptable weight? We've got 2 days at home now to try as much as we can, and then both me and my husband will be at work through the days.

 

[VickiA]

Hi there
Here is a link to the syringe feeding guide Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
If you are using CC you need to aim for about 40 - 60 mls per day but less if he’s eating some for himself. Please leave pellets mash available as well for him.
If he’s not fond of CC then try mixing in a bit of veg or fruit purée from one of those pouches for babies and toddlers (like Ella’s kitchen) - just make sure it contains only stuff piggies can eat.
Good luck

 

[Sophia Watson]

Just curious on opinion here - we've smudged strawberry over this parsley bowl we bought today. He's been nipping at it, would this motion of him nipping be helping with the front teeth? He's very picky, he doesn't want any hay at the moment. Will be assist feeding over the next week though until we're back in for a progress exam.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Yes nipping at veggies is a sign the teeth are gradually growing up to meet each other and wear against each other but you must try and build him up with as much food as possible if he is to have another dental soon. Is it conscious or under anaesthetic? The vet needs to angle the burring so that the teeth wear against each other as much as possible and not cut them too short so as not to be able to pick food up x

 

[Sophia Watson]

It feels so catch 22 at the moment

What the vets would like to do is remove all 4 front teeth to allow him to eat.
BUT the xrays showed that under his broken bottom tooth, there is a fracture in the bone. They cannot remove the bad tooth and roots until this has healed. So they've again burred down as much as they can to give him time to heal. But they need him to eat, but he can't well due to his teeth being trimmed down.

Theyve told me that over the next week, it needs to be hay, hay, hay. Limited veges and softer material. And critical care in the morning and evening, 10-15ml each serving. They have said that by limiting the serving off cc, it will entice him to eat more hay.
This is where I'm growing really uncomfortable, because he's down to 560 which is so underweight.
They advised that any procedure they do for a small animal is under GA.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Phew, it is a catch 22 situation, they can’t eat hay so their teeth grow longer, the longer the teeth grow the more they can’t eat! I do feel for you, I know I am lucky even though it involves 600 mile round trip and an over night stay!
If he can’t eat hay, then grass is the next best thing? Try hand feeding him that. You really need to build him up for the op though so I personally wouldn’t cut back on the Critical Care too much or anything he will eat, he doesn’t want to loose anymore weight if he is to have another anaesthetic. It’s a big operation removing their incisors, my vet says it’s a last resort and only done if there is infection. Piggies can manage very well without incisors, if they get through the op.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Porridge oats and beetroot strips out of salad bags are very good for putting on weight, plenty of calories there. Has he eaten any other types of hay, you could try experimenting by cutting it up into different lengths for him? Long course grass around the edges of meadows might help too, it’s quite coarse but not a coarse as hay?

 

[Sophia Watson]

I know it's very hard at the moment finding a balance! He's dropped another 40 grams overnight so I don't think he's eating the hay. But he's had 20ml of cc this morning and is chewing like a champ, no problem there. And I sliced up sweet potato and he ate that no problem. He just doesn't want his hay the picky little thing haha. I will give him the oats and grass this afternoon for a treat, thank you! I very much appreciate the support.

 

[Sophia Watson]

Hi Everyone, just an update :

Merry has started to eat his hay, with his top and bottom teeth having grown a little, this has helped. His top teeth are currently sitting at just over 1cm.

He is still on Meloxicam and I was hoping to grab some feedback from members on 2 questions I have if anyone can help :

1. Does Meloxicam cause crackly breathing? Merry has been on Meloxicam before and he ONLY ever gets this odd breathing when he's on it. Is this a common side effect? There's no other cause of concern e.g. runny nose, sneezing etc. I could take him off it tomorrow and the bizarre breathing would go away. And his recent xrays show no sign of anything suspcious (ignoring the teeth fracture).

2. What happens with teeth "clipping"?
I've been told by my exotic vet here that clipping teeth isn't an option for guinea pigs, they must be trimmed down under GA.

Thank you,
Sophia

 

[Bill & Ted]

I have never experienced any breathing noises while piggies using Meloxicam at all, you could ask he vet if this is an adverse effect.
Teeth clipping is not considered a good idea as the incisors can shatter. Simon Maddock our vet, places his finger nail behind the incisors and uses a dentist burr to trim them. This way he is protecting the gums and tongue and he can feel when to stop, all done in around 5-10 minutes and no GA.
So glad your little one is eating hay again, hope you can get to the bottom of the breathing issues?
Unfortunately there are very few vets experienced in conscious dentals even in the UK,