Advanced dental disease

[Kate0]

2.5 year old sow has been between 1.26 and 1.32 for the last year. She's weighed weekly and 3 weeks ago noticed a slight decline, so monitored daily. Other than a lot of mounting, behaviour was otherwise normal, appeared to be eating everything, popcorning round new cage, usual happy self.

A week ago, weight still declining, so took to vet who said all was fine - no lumps, teeth and lungs fine.

I wasn't filled with confidence from vet tbh but another story, so kept a close eye on her and noticed she wasn't eating hay.

So back to vets, exotic specialist this time. One look in mouth and she could see her tongue was trapped so booked in for dental the next day.
Now 1.12 so lost about 200g at this point.

After procedure, spoke to vet who advised she had advanced dental disease. Gaps, all overgrown, twisted, apparently dead teeth and loads of muck that had to be removed. Prognosis poor.

She's back home now and recovering, but last 24hrs have been v worrying as she was drooling, damp bottoms, looking v sad and in a bad way. Looking better this eve thankfully.

My question is how has this sprung up on me! Everything I read about dental disease is weight loss, drooling, food falling out of mouth, smells - she had none of this. Weight loss was in last 3 weeks only and given state of her mouth, the disease was well established. Diet is mainly hay, plus pellets and veg, some occasional fruit. Indoors but on grass in summer. She's my 15th guinea pig and first to have any dental issues, (that I'm aware of). Just feel so sad for her and how uncomfortable she must have been.

 

[Lorcan]

I'm no medic, so I only speak from personal experience here, but with both Comet and now Bann, I had no real warning signs either. For Comet I caught him hunched up for half a second, no other signs. He was still eating, drinking, no drooling, everything normal, except his back teeth were overgrown.

And then Bann last week. He has an abscess somewhere better his upper jaw and eye, and his back teeth are loose because of it. There was nothing odd with him at all til I found him with blood on his face from the abscess.

Guinea pigs are masters at hiding these things. Signs of dental issues are just that - signs. But they don't happen in every case. Sometimes we don't know til something goes really badly, and it's to your credit that you didn't let it go. You didn't have the signs, but you knew something was off. And sometimes that's all we get.