Dental Worried about Snowy!

[Akanksha 1691]

Hi all,

I am a new member here from India. I know this is a forum for UK members but I feel this is the best platform I can post on. Sorry for the long post but I am really worried and I guess people here can help me.

So my love Snowy (1.2 years old) is not doing well since 8 days. He is a very hyperactive and chirpy pig who loves running and eating! Ofcourse. I went out for 3 days last Friday and as per my mother he was nibbling on basil leaves when he hiccuped and I guess the issue started then. He started having difficulty chewing so he moved towards softer foods like banana and watermelon. My mom thought as I was out so he was missing me hence he ate less ( I love and pamper him a lot) but that was not the case. He is showing interest in eating but is unable to chew. His poos were also soft and he was passing less urine.

We have already gone to two different vets since last week 3 times. One of them thought there are worms in his tummy so gave him a deworming injection and one to increase the appetite. Unfortunately, it didn't work as he was still not eating very happy well so we went back to the same vet and he gave him another shot of deworming ( I don't know why) as I wasn't there. He still wasn't able to chew properly but had some grated carrots, cucumbers and some watermelon so we thought it's a good sign. He still wasn't interested in eating grass anyway.

Next morning ( Thursday ) while I was getting ready for office, I saw him tilting his head and drooling and I got scared. I took a leave and went to another popular vet for small animals who inspected him and said that theres nothing visibly wrong with him. Unfortunately in my city there are no special vets for exotic animals so I can't do much . He prescribed him some Metaflam, Vimeral and one chewable tablet (1/4th part) and said he should be eating by evening else he will be on a drip

We started syringe feeding him and we are since Thursday. We gave him meds as well and that is somehow effective as his poos are coming in small pelletes now. Thankfully He hasnt lost any weight so that's a plus. He tries to eat food but then drops them. Looks like its the issue with his molars but I am not sure. He does that weird mouth adjusting thing twice a day but with no drooling now. His eyes are fine. But he is less active now and that is obvious.

We have made an appointment with another vet tomorrow who will have a look at his molars and then will decide the next course of action. Kindly pray for Snowy to get well soon attaching a picture of my fluff ball.

 

[Bogwoppit75]

What a cutie! Sending lots of love to snowy. So hope you get to bottom of problem.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi all,

I am a new member here from India. I know this is a forum for UK members but I feel this is the best platform I can post on. Sorry for the long post but I am really worried and I guess people here can help me.

So my love Snowy (1.2 years old) is not doing well since 8 days. He is a very hyperactive and chirpy pig who loves running and eating! Ofcourse. I went out for 3 days last Friday and as per my mother he was nibbling on basil leaves when he hiccuped and I guess the issue started then. He started having difficulty chewing so he moved towards softer foods like banana and watermelon. My mom thought as I was out so he was missing me hence he ate less ( I love and pamper him a lot) but that was not the case. He is showing interest in eating but is unable to chew. His poos were also soft and he was passing less urine.

We have already gone to two different vets since last week 3 times. One of them thought there are worms in his tummy so gave him a deworming injection and one to increase the appetite. Unfortunately, it didn't work as he was still not eating very happy well so we went back to the same vet and he gave him another shot of deworming ( I don't know why) as I wasn't there. He still wasn't able to chew properly but had some grated carrots, cucumbers and some watermelon so we thought it's a good sign. He still wasn't interested in eating grass anyway.

Next morning ( Thursday ) while I was getting ready for office, I saw him tilting his head and drooling and I got scared. I took a leave and went to another popular vet for small animals who inspected him and said that theres nothing visibly wrong with him. Unfortunately in my city there are no special vets for exotic animals so I can't do much . He prescribed him some Metaflam, Vimeral and one chewable tablet (1/4th part) and said he should be eating by evening else he will be on a drip

We started syringe feeding him and we are since Thursday. We gave him meds as well and that is somehow effective as his poos are coming in small pelletes now. Thankfully He hasnt lost any weight so that's a plus. He tries to eat food but then drops them. Looks like its the issue with his molars but I am not sure. He does that weird mouth adjusting thing twice a day but with no drooling now. His eyes are fine. But he is less active now and that is obvious.

We have made an appointment with another vet tomorrow who will have a look at his molars and then will decide the next course of action. Kindly pray for Snowy to get well soon attaching a picture of my fluff ball.

Hi and welcome!

The symptoms are typical for dental overgrowth of the premolars and molars at the back of the mouth (which are not easily visible).
Have the vets checked the back teeth, especially for any premolar spurs that form a bridge over the tongue and trap it?
Guinea pigs have some of the fastest growing rodent teeth as they have evolved against being ground down by the very abrasive silica in hay (which should make over 80% of the daily food intake for that reason).

Alternatively, your boy could be suffering from oral thrush (fungal mouth infection) or something could be embedded between the teeth that makes chewing very difficult. A dental root abscess can also be a reason for overgrowth.
Not eating enough can then impact on the digestive tract, so painkillers and gut stimulants are a good.

Please do a quick home check of the front teeth: if they are even and neat, then the back teeth are OK. If they are jagged or slanted or are inward growing and no longer self-sharpening, then that is usually a good indicator of overgrown back teeth.

Our syringe feeding guide contains a chapter on looking after dental guinea pigs: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Porridge oats and grated veg can be fed unless the dental overgrowth is too severe.

Please be aware that dental treatment by a vet not much experienced with guinea pig dentals can be very difficult as the teeth do often not balance out. If you have a healthy companion, then perhaps your vet may want to use him as a reference?
Teeth shouldn't be clipped or filed, but burred in order to not risk damaging the roots
Tips For Post-operative Care

@furryfriends (TEAS)

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Hi and welcome!

The symptoms are typical for dental overgrowth of the premolars and molars at the back of the mouth (which are not easily visible).
Have the vets checked the back teeth, especially for any premolar spurs that form a bridge over the tongue and trap it?
Guinea pigs have some of the fastest growing rodent teeth as they have evolved against being ground down by the very abrasive silica in hay (which should make over 80% of the daily food intake for that reason).

Alternatively, your boy could be suffering from oral thrush (fungal mouth infection) or something could be embedded between the teeth that makes chewing very difficult. A dental root abscess can also be a reason for overgrowth.
Not eating enough can then impact on the digestive tract, so painkillers and gut stimulants are a good.

Please do a quick home check of the front teeth: if they are even and neat, then the back teeth are OK. If they are jagged or slanted or are inward growing and no longer self-sharpening, then that is usually a good indicator of overgrown back teeth.

Our syringe feeding guide contains a chapter on looking after dental guinea pigs: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Porridge oats and grated veg can be fed unless the dental overgrowth is too severe.

Please be aware that dental treatment by a vet not much experienced with guinea pig dentals can be very difficult as the teeth do often not balance out. If you have a healthy companion, then perhaps your vet may want to use him as a reference?
Teeth shouldn't be clipped or filed, but burred in order to not risk damaging the roots
Tips For Post-operative Care

@furryfriends (TEAS)

Although in most cases, when the incisors are even and neat all is good with the back teeth, this isn't always the case. We have a few piggies, here at TEAS, who have perfect incisors but back teeth issues, so it isn't a definitive check. The vet should use the dental bur, if he's doing the dental under anaesthetic, but when conscious dentals are carried out, a file must be used and the dental bur can only be used for the incisors.

 

[Bill & Ted]

My Ted has perfect incisors and a dodgy pre molar which grows wonky
My Bill dodgy incisors due to a broken tooth that now grows thick, prefect molars and pre molars
Both totally unrelated issues, and both need regular conscious dentals, unlucky but we love them to bits
Hope you can find out what’s troubling your beautiful Snowy and get this resolved quickly x

 

[Akanksha 1691]

What a cutie! Sending lots of love to snowy. So hope you get to bottom of problem.

Thank you so much. We are scheduled at a vet @ 6 PM today. Hope we get to the bottom of the issue so that he becomes alright the soonest.

 

[Akanksha 1691]

My Ted has perfect incisors and a dodgy pre molar which grows wonky
My Bill dodgy incisors due to a broken tooth that now grows thick, prefect molars and pre molars
Both totally unrelated issues, and both need regular conscious dentals, unlucky but we love them to bits
Hope you can find out what’s troubling your beautiful Snowy and get this resolved quickly x

Thank you so much. Lots of Love to Ted and Bill as well.

 

[Akanksha 1691]

Although in most cases, when the incisors are even and neat all is good with the back teeth, this isn't always the case. We have a few piggies, here at TEAS, who have perfect incisors but back teeth issues, so it isn't a definitive check. The vet should use the dental bur, if he's doing the dental under anaesthetic, but when conscious dentals are carried out, a file must be used and the dental bur can only be used for the incisors.

Thank you so much for the suggestion. We are scheduled at a vet @6 Pm. Hope we get what the issue is so that it can be addressed ASAP.

 

[Akanksha 1691]

Hi and welcome!

The symptoms are typical for dental overgrowth of the premolars and molars at the back of the mouth (which are not easily visible).
Have the vets checked the back teeth, especially for any premolar spurs that form a bridge over the tongue and trap it?
Guinea pigs have some of the fastest growing rodent teeth as they have evolved against being ground down by the very abrasive silica in hay (which should make over 80% of the daily food intake for that reason).

Alternatively, your boy could be suffering from oral thrush (fungal mouth infection) or something could be embedded between the teeth that makes chewing very difficult. A dental root abscess can also be a reason for overgrowth.
Not eating enough can then impact on the digestive tract, so painkillers and gut stimulants are a good.

Please do a quick home check of the front teeth: if they are even and neat, then the back teeth are OK. If they are jagged or slanted or are inward growing and no longer self-sharpening, then that is usually a good indicator of overgrown back teeth.

Our syringe feeding guide contains a chapter on looking after dental guinea pigs: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Porridge oats and grated veg can be fed unless the dental overgrowth is too severe.

Please be aware that dental treatment by a vet not much experienced with guinea pig dentals can be very difficult as the teeth do often not balance out. If you have a healthy companion, then perhaps your vet may want to use him as a reference?
Teeth shouldn't be clipped or filed, but burred in order to not risk damaging the roots
Tips For Post-operative Care

@furryfriends (TEAS)

Thank you for the insight. We are syringe feeding him mashed pallets, carrot and broccoli and water accordingly.