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Well, we took Midge to the vet about her teeth

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threelittlepiggies

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and she trimmed her molars without sedation. I think I'm pleased but am now wondering if she did what she said she did!

I have been worried about her eating (great appetite but weight loss and reduced speed of munching) and convinced her molars are not right.

I said as much to the vet who came back having 'wrapped' her and removed a slight curve over her tongue which she feels might explain the ginger chewing.

Her inscisors are fine. Can this be so?

Arghh - why do I trust nobody now?
 
well be glad they did not demand a GA! Yes the back teeth can be bad and the front teeth fine. When do you have to go back to have them rechecked?
 
lovelygirl said:
well be glad they did not demand a GA! Yes the back teeth can be bad and the front teeth fine. When do you have to go back to have them rechecked?
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Ah, I knew there was something missing! Not been told! A different vet said they were fine a few weeks ago. I wasn't happy so these are different vets and they used half of a rabbit buccal pad separator :{

Have I been conned?
 
alcesterpigs said:
I don't know of anyone near to you who could be of help.
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Does it sound as though I might have found a vet who knows what they are doing? She seemed pretty confident about the work whereas other vets have only considered anaesthetising her to do her molars. She is eating happily and appears non the worse for the dentistry.
 
If piggie is not eating well the teeth will grow at an alarming rate. Elvis went 10 days between his last trim and the back ones were over his tongue and into his gums already:( he now needs them doing every week.
Thankfully He is now being done by someone who knows what they are doing:).
 
Threelittlepiggies.

It is possible that you have a decent vet! It is excellent that she used neither sedation nor a GA in order to carry out any treatment.
 
Ruth said:
If piggie is not eating well the teeth will grow at an alarming rate. Elvis went 10 days between his last trim and the back ones were over his tongue and into his gums already:( he now needs them doing every week.
Thankfully He is now being done by someone who knows what they are doing:).
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She is bright and eating BUT since the dentistry, is doing the ear waggling thing as she eats. I am now chopping her food into teeny bits and hoping it is because she is a bit sore in there.

On the plus side, no runny poos, although there has never been any dirtiness around her bottom ?/
 
alcesterpigs said:
Threelittlepiggies.

It is possible that you have a decent vet! It is excellent that she used neither sedation nor a GA in order to carry out any treatment.
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Yes, but it did concern me slightly, when I asked to see the equipment she used, that she showed me a rabbit buccal pad gadget and said she used half of it. Along with some long handled snippers and a torch thing with a long flat light and I think some sort of magnifying part. She wouldn't let us watch, either, as she took the pair of them through to the back. The vet did say Midge was a bit 'hot' as I don't think she appreciated being wrapped for the treatment! Do you think she'll be a tad tender in there for a day of so? She set about some grass this morning and is eating hard food and her vit C tablets.

I'll be in and out but keep popping back to look at any replies. And obv. straight back to the vet who did her if she is no better by Monday. I'll be a bit fed up as it was £50 and I can't stand that every time if I'm not convinced she's getting proper treatment.
 
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In Garry's case, he is going back to the vets every two weeks for a check up and for any small bits of work that might need carrying out. That way, the vet can work out how quickly his teeth are growing and can work out a treatment timetable. Make another appointment with your vet if you aren't happy and see if you can get something similar sorted out. Good luck!:)
 
MintyAndGarry

What equipment do they use? I'm considering ordering the kit from the CCT and lending it to my vet. I can't believe they don't even have GP sized instruments. And that worries me. She is def eating worse since she saw the vet and is doing a lot of repositioning of food in her mouth, whereas she didn't do that before. Her appetite is good. Am off shopping to buy mushables and am not feeling too happy with the vet right now.
 
threelittlepiggies said:
MintyAndGarry

What equipment do they use? I'm considering ordering the kit from the CCT and lending it to my vet. I can't believe they don't even have GP sized instruments. And that worries me. She is def eating worse since she saw the vet and is doing a lot of repositioning of food in her mouth, whereas she didn't do that before. Her appetite is good. Am off shopping to buy mushables and am not feeling too happy with the vet right now.
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Will PM you.:)
 
Hi

For dental work on Guineas the bask kit you need is

2 sets of Bucal pad spreaders, 1 to spread the pads and slightly stronger set to hold the mouth open.

1 set of Small of Rongeurs these are the clippers that are used to clip the teeth, they are designed to hold the bit of cut off tooth so that it dosen't drop into the GP's mouth.

And finally

A fine diamond rasp, this is used to file the teeth.

I got all my tools from the CCT when I done my dental course except the rongeurs, as the ones recomended were nearly £100 with VAT and postage, I got mine from a USA Seller on eBay, they were about £25 inc postage.

It does sound like your Vet knows what they are doing regarding teeth.

You can check the teeth yourself without any special tools, you can slip your little finger into the GP's mouth (avoiding the incisors) and gently feel the tops of the molars for any over growth, the most common being the first 2 molars growing horns and trapping the tongue and thats quite easy to feel.

Paul & Jeanette
 
Paul-H

I wish you or somebody was nearer that I could trust to tell me what's what. Instead of getting better at chewing, she is worse that at this time yesterday, just after the work on her teeth. Before, she wasn't yawing and waggling her ears and spitting food out - what the hell has the vet done? I am going to syring feed some pellet slurry down her and try a call in the morning. I'm blowed if I'm paying for them to sort out a botched job. My poor piggie.

I may have a go at feeling but won't I get chewed?
 
Paul-H

I had a go and didin't get chewed (too badly) but couldn't ascertain anything of use. She is very touchy under her chin so I reckon she's sore there. Anyway, I made some oat, veg and pellet slurry and am syringe feeding. For the consistency of the food, she is doing an inordinate amount of chewing and making exaggerated mouth movements if she is eating for herself. If being the operative word as this morning, she isn't very interested in anything. Not even the grass I have just picked for her. Her poos are almost invisible they are that small - yet she still seems alert and full of fight - even when I am not watching. And, her breathing is much better than it was before all this nonsense began.

The vets may well get a call this morning
 
Hi

It sounds like something is still not quite right and some vets don't appreciate just how fast piggies teeth do grow and how often they need trimming until they are growing in the correct direction. They often need looking at every few days until they are corrected and growing normally on their own. If they have not over corrected and left the teeth growing in the opposite direction and now they are digging into the cheeks.

If I was you I would give the CCT a ring to see if they have anyone dental trained in your area.

Hope you get this sorted.

Paul & Jeanette
 
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It's possible that her mouth is still sore. If the teeth were rubbing on/cutting into any flesh - either the tongue or cheeks - it takes time for that soreness to ease. Two things to try:

Daktarin Oral Gel - good for soothing soreness and dealing with any oral fungal infection which may be part of her problem. Dose is 0.5ml twice daily.

or

Calgel - a pea-size blob spread around the mouth after the mouth has been cleared of food (i.e. the pig's been given a drink which flushes the mouth out). Calgel contains a local anaesthetic and will tackle any soreness in the mouh caused by dental overgrowth...and it tends to go down beterr (i.e. taste nicer) than Bonjela. :) Aim to get the gel spread all around the mouth, but especially on the tongue/cheeks where the most soreness will have occurred.

And well done for feeling the molars - it can be tricky learning how to hold the mouth open and feel the teeth with no tools! I get bitten on average once a month...not bad out of fourteen pigs checked every couple of weeks but it still hurts. :))
 
Laura-CCC4 said:
It's possible that her mouth is still sore. If the teeth were rubbing on/cutting into any flesh - either the tongue or cheeks - it takes time for that soreness to ease. Two things to try:

Daktarin Oral Gel - good for soothing soreness and dealing with any oral fungal infection which may be part of her problem. Dose is 0.5ml twice daily.

or

Calgel - a pea-size blob spread around the mouth after the mouth has been cleared of food (i.e. the pig's been given a drink which flushes the mouth out). Calgel contains a local anaesthetic and will tackle any soreness in the mouh caused by dental overgrowth...and it tends to go down beterr (i.e. taste nicer) than Bonjela. :) Aim to get the gel spread all around the mouth, but especially on the tongue/cheeks where the most soreness will have occurred.

And well done for feeling the molars - it can be tricky learning how to hold the mouth open and feel the teeth with no tools! I get bitten on average once a month...not bad out of fourteen pigs checked every couple of weeks but it still hurts. :))
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Funnily enough, that's what my son said - she could be sore. The syringe is not being appreciated, even though my Braun whizzer has made the food smooth and I warm it to blood temp.

I am frantic, having lost Pip so suddenly two weeks ago and Midge being a small pig anyway. I'll sort out some Daktarin asap and have another go at feeling the molars. It's tricky to find an image so I can at least get an idea what I am feeling for.

I really am grateful for the help I am getting on here and will try anything and everything suggested. There is a member on here, christine who is very near me and I have left her a post which I hope she sees. I can't send/receive PM's yet, as I am too new. I would love to know which vet she uses. It is possible she uses the Lane Vets practice which has a branch in Garstang! Then at least I'd know if I got some proper treatment and not fobbed off.

If there's anything else I could try, please don't hesitate to post
c017.gif
 
If you post a link for me to the message you left for Christine, I'll PM the link to ensure she sees it.

Glad you find the pics useful, Frankie was a very good pig bless him. :))
 
Laura-CCC4 said:
If you post a link for me to the message you left for Christine, I'll PM the link to ensure she sees it.

Glad you find the pics useful, Frankie was a very good pig bless him. :))
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I will need to look at them many times to establish a proper understanding - show me a horse and I'm fully up to speed with all things dental. Are piggies the same with molar alignment do you know? I am going to look for more pics in a moment.

And I found christine on this thread and left my message there on the end.
 
Laura-CCC4 said:
I'll PM Christine now and direct her to your message.

I've no idea of the comparisons between horse and guinea pig molar alignment, but I'm sure this picture will give you a basic idea:
http://www.guinealynx.info/malocclusion.html#top
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Horse molars are supposed to have a more or less flat grinding surface - no angle.

Having read and inwardly digested the information, I believe that we may well have a case of elongated roots. Her eyes do seem to bulge periodically (from being a pup) and the snuffling might well have been sinus issues.

Oh Lord, what to do now... except that the noisy breathing has subsided since the vet-visit on Friday and she is eating small amounts. Definitely will call the vet tomorrow.

I think I need to learn how to trim and file teeth asap. Your continued support is wonderful, thank you.
 
The CCT does do workshops on teeth not sure when the next one is though...
 
Its worth every mile though, if you are only going to ever do one workshop the dental one is the one to do.

I think it is so imortant everyone should think about doing it.
 
This is a link to a USA supplier of Rodent Dental Equipment that does ship to the UK

I got some of their Bucal Pad seperators from them.

https://www.drshipp.com/testing/rabbit_rodent.pdf

Don't bother with the mouth Gags unless you have big Bunnies.

2 Bucal Pad seperators, Small Bone rongeurs and Diamd rasp is all you need, plus training

Paul & Jeanette
 
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