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Dental Baby pig possible teeth problems.

B

BCO

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi all. New here as I’m a very new piggy mommy.
We have a 6 week old sow and she’s extremely lively, popcorns and runs around and loves food so we have no major concerns. However we have noticed that she seems to struggle eating harder foods. We are feeding pellets which she eats fine but we were given a bag of mix so we are giving them a small amount as more of a treat than anything and she goes straight for it however she picks up big bits and can’t actually eat them. She’s eating veg, pellets and hay fine it’s just these and bigger bits of pepper she can’t seem to eat. Is it because she’s still young or is it likey to be problems and a vet visit is required. Will look at how to add a video and show you what I mean. Many thanks x
 
Staffordshire. I’m guessing dental problems at this age are a bad sign? Really worried 😟
 
BCO said:
Staffordshire. I’m guessing dental problems at Thai age are a bad sign? Really worried 😟
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Not necessarily! I run a sanctuary for guinea pigs with dental issues and we have had some very young ones completely cure. Is there any way you could get down to see Simon Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic in Northampton. Simon has worked wonders with so many of our dental piggies and would definitely be the best vet to see, especially with such a young guinea pig.
 
It would be a possibility but I’d be really worried about the 3 hour round drive for such a little piggy. I’d worry it was a lot of stress to go through when she’s obviously only just settling in here. What sort of price would I be looking at. Obviously she’s more important than cost but it would be nice to know a rough cost of a dental check up x
 
BCO said:
It would be a possibility but I’d be really worried about the 3 hour round drive for such a little piggy. I’d worry it was a lot of stress to go through when she’s obviously only just settling in here. What sort of price would I be looking at. Obviously she’s more important than cost but it would be nice to know a rough cost of a dental check up x
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It is a long journey, but there are members of this forum who make longer to see Simon.
As long as she has some hay and some veg in the carrier, and take her friend along with her, then they generally travel very well.
 
The first appointment is the most expensive as it consists of the consult price and the dental, but any subsequent dentals are just the dental price on it's own. The dental is just over £50. If you give the practice a ring, they can give you a better indication of price. The sooner she's seen, the better the chance of a complete cure. It may just be a simple problem. Have you checked to see if she has all four incisors?
 
Thank you. No not as yet. We only really noticed the issue today and we tried to have a quick look earlier but she’s so small I was worried about hurting her. Thought I’d do a little research first so I know what I’m looking for so will have another go x
 
BCO said:
Thank you. No not as yet. We only really noticed the issue today and we tried to have a quick look earlier but she’s so small I was worried about hurting her. Thought I’d do a little research first so I know what I’m looking for so will have another go x
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Bless her! Around 5 years ago we had a tiny piggy arrive here, weighing 124g, even though she was 3 months old. I had some one week old babies that weighed more. Her teeth were dreadful! Immediately after the first dental she was able to eat normally and although she needed a quick tidy up of her teeth a few more times, she then completely cured and returned home. She came back to TEAS about 18 months ago. Not because her teeth had gone wrong again, but because her little friend had dental issues. Hazel is now 5 1/2 and has never had a dental issue since, so try not to worry! This could be sorted relatively easily.
 
BCO said:
It would be a possibility but I’d be really worried about the 3 hour round drive for such a little piggy. I’d worry it was a lot of stress to go through when she’s obviously only just settling in here. What sort of price would I be looking at. Obviously she’s more important than cost but it would be nice to know a rough cost of a dental check up x
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Where are you located?
 
I would definitely recommend Simon Maddock, we travel from Cornwall with our two boys to see him. He is an amazing vet and his experience of piggie dentistry is second to none. Don’t worry about the journey, guinea pigs travel better than most pets. Simon is far less costly than most vets because he generally does not need to use a General Aesthetic which is usually the most expensive part of the bill! Conscious dentals are the safest procedure and our piggies are eating straight away after the procedure. Beware of inexperienced dental piggie vets as they can do more harm than good. Good luck with your little lady x
 
Thank you for the replies. They do like to worry us don’t they 😍 Will get something sorted for her and get her checked over. Hopefully it’s nothing serious.
 
A little update. We took her to see Simon. She is the smallest piggy he’s ever had at the practice for dental work apparently 😍 not great news unfortunately. Her back teeth are in a bad way and her front are tiny. She also has a large ulceration on one cheek which Simon didn’t know a cause for as her teeth went inwards not into her cheek. He has filed her back teeth down so that her jaw is now in line (her jaws were out of shape due to the severity of the issue) and taken a bit off her front, he’s said there is a chance that her problems are too much and she may need seeing every 2 weeks which he said isn’t fair or viable for such a young pig. We both agreed we give her a chance so we are back in 2 weeks to see signs of improvement or deterioration.
I took her to my local vet 2 weeks ago and he said pretty much the same as Simon but I knew I had to give her a better chance so we went to see Simon today as per your advice on here. I’m not hopeful but I can at least say we gave her a chance.
 
BCO said:
A little update. We took her to see Simon. She is the smallest piggy he’s ever had at the practice for dental work apparently 😍 not great news unfortunately. Her back teeth are in a bad way and her front are tiny. She also has a large ulceration on one cheek which Simon didn’t know a cause for as her teeth went inwards not into her cheek. He has filed her back teeth down so that her jaw is now in line (her jaws were out of shape due to the severity of the issue) and taken a bit off her front, he’s said there is a chance that her problems are too much and she may need seeing every 2 weeks which he said isn’t fair or viable for such a young pig. We both agreed we give her a chance so we are back in 2 weeks to see signs of improvement or deterioration.
I took her to my local vet 2 weeks ago and he said pretty much the same as Simon but I knew I had to give her a better chance so we went to see Simon today as per your advice on here. I’m not hopeful but I can at least say we gave her a chance.
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Is she able to eat at all for herself?
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Is she able to eat at all for herself?
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we haven’t seen her eat for 2 weeks. She doesn’t even look at the veg when we feed them. She lost a massive amount of weight when we went on holiday as I’d weighed her knowing she be going to the vets on our return so I wanted to monitor her. When we left for holiday she was eating everything we offered but struggled with big bits, when we got back she was pretty much eating nothing. Since then she has been fed mashed up pellets every few hours and blended veg once a day and has gained about 20% body weight. Simon said hopefully she’ll start eating now so we are going to be trying her with everything we can. I’m hoping the pain relief will be enough to encourage her to try.
 
It sounds like her mouth had become very sore. Hopefully now her teeth have been filed, she will regain her confidence in eating. Some piggies manage better with veggies and salad leaves cut into thin strips or grass. Others prefer larger chunks of veg, such as a broccoli stalk or a whole carrot, so they can bite down onto it, without it moving around. It's a matter of trial and error, to find what works for her. Will she eat porridge oats, as they will help keep her weight up? I've found grass is normally the first thing that dental piggies manage for themselves.
 
Haven’t tried anything yet other than pellets soaked in warm water which she wolfs down and blended veg. I’m happy she’s putting weight on at quite a high rate at the minute but I’ll bare the porridge in mind if she starts to slow down with gaining. I’m going to try grass tomorrow as I thought that may be a good start. Then I’m literally going to try every veg in every variation of cut possible. I’m desperate to see her eat again. I’ll give her the mash and painkiller first thing to get her full up after the night then when the meds have kicked in I’ll try her with some things. Hopefully she’ll be trying to eat soon x
 
BCO said:
Haven’t tried anything yet other than pellets soaked in warm water which she wolfs down and blended veg. I’m happy she’s putting weight on at quite a high rate at the minute but I’ll bare the porridge in mind if she starts to slow down with gaining. I’m going to try grass tomorrow as I thought that may be a good start. Then I’m literally going to try every veg in every variation of cut possible. I’m desperate to see her eat again. I’ll give her the mash and painkiller first thing to get her full up after the night then when the meds have kicked in I’ll try her with some things. Hopefully she’ll be trying to eat soon x
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Sometimes, to get them started, you need to feed the veg into the mouth and then it starts to go in. You can literally see the confidence growing, as they manage more and more. All the dental piggies, here at TEAS, have a bowl of porridge oats, even though they all eat well for themselves. When encouraging piggies to eat for themselves, I put all sorts into the cage. I call it their 'all you can eat buffet'. I wouldn't wait until tomorrow to start offering different foods. I always try and get them eating, as soon as possible, after their dental, as the teeth will start to re-grow again very quickly.
 
She’s just turned her nose up at it and walks away. Probably my fault as I gave her a large serving of mashed pellets so she’s probably filled up on that. Will try again tomorrow
 
Mine are partial to grated sweet potato which also helps boost weight.
When I had a sick piggy ages ago someone on the forum suggested puréed veggies as you would for a baby.
Hope your girl improves- she’s lucky to have such a caring owner
 
Thanks Guys. Will go and grab both your suggestions on my way home and try her. I tried giving her grass this morning and she turned her nose up at it. I tried to persevere but she keep wheeking at me and putting her face into mine looking for her mash, I didn’t have long before leaving for work and I was worried she’d be really hungry after a night so gave in and gave her the pellets, she wolfed them down. I think she’s forgotten how to eat. I’m going keep trying and will start feeding more blended veg and blend it less each time until she’s having to eat little chunks. She’s so awesome, I’m so sad for her 😢 x
 
BCO said:
Thanks Guys. Will go and grab both your suggestions on my way home and try her. I tried giving her grass this morning and she turned her nose up at it. I tried to persevere but she keep wheeking at me and putting her face into mine looking for her mash, I didn’t have long before leaving for work and I was worried she’d be really hungry after a night so gave in and gave her the pellets, she wolfed them down. I think she’s forgotten how to eat. I’m going keep trying and will start feeding more blended veg and blend it less each time until she’s having to eat little chunks. She’s so awesome, I’m so sad for her 😢 x
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Try and change the texture of things, by grating stuff, rather than blending and cutting grass into tiny pieces and adding it to her mash. Have you tried putting any food into her mouth? Sometimes they forget how to pick it up, but once it's in the mouth, they manage to eat it and then want more!
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Try and change the texture of things, by grating stuff, rather than blending and cutting grass into tiny pieces and adding it to her mash. Have you tried putting any food into her mouth? Sometimes they forget how to pick it up, but once it's in the mouth, they manage to eat it and then want more!
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Will do.
No I haven’t. I can give that a try too, thank you. I had to give her her painkiller this morning and she didn’t like that. 😢 she’s such a dot and her mouth is so small I feel like she will break but it’s definitely something I’ll try. Thanks everyone. I’m willing to try anything x
 
BCO said:
Will do.
No I haven’t. I can give that a try too, thank you. I had to give her her painkiller this morning and she didn’t like that. 😢 she’s such a dot and her mouth is so small I feel like she will break but it’s definitely something I’ll try. Thanks everyone. I’m willing to try anything x
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How much does she weigh?
 
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