Gigi and Quinn
Junior Guinea Pig
My sow, Rosie, had her teeth trimmed at the vet on Friday and i’m very concerned with the outcome...
At the beginning of the week I noticed her stools had become rather soft and in some cases flat and she wasn’t herself - a bit fluffed up so obviously in some discomfort. She hadn’t improved by the next morning so I booked her in with the vet. Rosie was taking longer to eat though she wasn’t drooling or moving her mouth in an exaggerated way. Her stools were healthy in texture and smelled normal, her bottom was clean and I couldn’t find any lumps or sore spots on her body. Her front teeth were straight and even length top and bottom and she used them without visible pain but chewing took a long time, which isn’t like her, she loves her food and eats at a hundred miles an hour like most pigs normally. I wasn’t seeing her at the hay rack so I started her on liquid recovery food (I use the light blue Selective sachets).
Took her to the vet on Wednesday. Rosie was examined by a vet I haven’t seen before but I did specifically ask for them to look at her molars/cheek teeth. When the vet came back out they gave me cat loxicom (dosage 0.15 daily) and told me her back teeth were spurred and to phone and book in for some dental work, which I did as soon as I got home and had them book her in for Friday (two days time). They had wanted to put it off for a couple of weeks but I could tell her gut was already slowing down so that would be no good.
When I got her back on Friday after the dental procedure she was drowsy from the anathestic and had loose stools. The vets assured me everything had gone as planned and to keep them updated with her progress. I let her settle in the cage for a bit when we got back then took her out for a feeding as she wasn’t eating on her own. I’ve had pigs for a long time and I’m experienced with syringe feeding (I’ve also read your lovely guide) and I was shocked when the syringe slipped into her mouth from the front, usually you go from the side to bypass the incisors... I assumed I’d missed her mouth but actually it turns out her bottom incisors are gone. They’d been cut to the root. I was shocked and horrified to see this and feared what state the rest of her teeth may be in and was also concerned about a possibility of an abscess. I took her back to the vet the next day (Saturday), they examined her and agreed her incisors had been over trimmed and that she had ulceration in the mouth from where the molars had been causing trouble but that the molars were fine and properly cut. I was told to keep up with the liquid food and loxicom and to contact them again after the weekend.
It’s Monday today and she is still unable to eat properly. Rosie will attempt veggies and watered down kibble cut into very small pieces but takes a long time to eat small quantities. I’m feeding her the recovery food every couple of hours. Her stools are better but still misshapen and small. She cannot eat hay or use her front teeth to bite into food. She takes a long time to chew, which makes me think the molars/ulceration is still an issue and her weight is averaging between 715-750g (I weigh her morning and evening at the same time each day) her norm is around 960g. I spoke to a vet this morning about her lack of progress and plan to have her seen again hopefully tomorrow to see what’s happening in her mouth. I smell her mouth for signs of infection but seems normal but very tender. I avoid touching her face but have checked/can’t feel any lumps or spots that are more tender than anywhere else. She’s clearly hungry and interested in food but can’t eat it!
Any advice from the community would be greatly appreciated! I’ve read so many teeth related threads on here and see that there is an expert up country but at the moment I wouldn’t be able to take her there. I’ve checked with the vets that they knew the teeth need to be trimmed a certain way (did my reading on Guinealynx and various articles) and they say they were cut correctly. I feel it’s likely her teeth need to regrow and be trimmed again more accurately. The bottom incisors are so short it’s where the teeth widen and is cut rough and lumpy, the top are longer so will be uneven when they grow in. My vets isn’t an exotic specialist but have treated various pigs of mine for years and done a good job. I always do my research before a visit so I know what I’m expecting from them and in the past they have referred me if was needed so I trusted they would do the same in this case. What else can I do?
At the beginning of the week I noticed her stools had become rather soft and in some cases flat and she wasn’t herself - a bit fluffed up so obviously in some discomfort. She hadn’t improved by the next morning so I booked her in with the vet. Rosie was taking longer to eat though she wasn’t drooling or moving her mouth in an exaggerated way. Her stools were healthy in texture and smelled normal, her bottom was clean and I couldn’t find any lumps or sore spots on her body. Her front teeth were straight and even length top and bottom and she used them without visible pain but chewing took a long time, which isn’t like her, she loves her food and eats at a hundred miles an hour like most pigs normally. I wasn’t seeing her at the hay rack so I started her on liquid recovery food (I use the light blue Selective sachets).
Took her to the vet on Wednesday. Rosie was examined by a vet I haven’t seen before but I did specifically ask for them to look at her molars/cheek teeth. When the vet came back out they gave me cat loxicom (dosage 0.15 daily) and told me her back teeth were spurred and to phone and book in for some dental work, which I did as soon as I got home and had them book her in for Friday (two days time). They had wanted to put it off for a couple of weeks but I could tell her gut was already slowing down so that would be no good.
When I got her back on Friday after the dental procedure she was drowsy from the anathestic and had loose stools. The vets assured me everything had gone as planned and to keep them updated with her progress. I let her settle in the cage for a bit when we got back then took her out for a feeding as she wasn’t eating on her own. I’ve had pigs for a long time and I’m experienced with syringe feeding (I’ve also read your lovely guide) and I was shocked when the syringe slipped into her mouth from the front, usually you go from the side to bypass the incisors... I assumed I’d missed her mouth but actually it turns out her bottom incisors are gone. They’d been cut to the root. I was shocked and horrified to see this and feared what state the rest of her teeth may be in and was also concerned about a possibility of an abscess. I took her back to the vet the next day (Saturday), they examined her and agreed her incisors had been over trimmed and that she had ulceration in the mouth from where the molars had been causing trouble but that the molars were fine and properly cut. I was told to keep up with the liquid food and loxicom and to contact them again after the weekend.
It’s Monday today and she is still unable to eat properly. Rosie will attempt veggies and watered down kibble cut into very small pieces but takes a long time to eat small quantities. I’m feeding her the recovery food every couple of hours. Her stools are better but still misshapen and small. She cannot eat hay or use her front teeth to bite into food. She takes a long time to chew, which makes me think the molars/ulceration is still an issue and her weight is averaging between 715-750g (I weigh her morning and evening at the same time each day) her norm is around 960g. I spoke to a vet this morning about her lack of progress and plan to have her seen again hopefully tomorrow to see what’s happening in her mouth. I smell her mouth for signs of infection but seems normal but very tender. I avoid touching her face but have checked/can’t feel any lumps or spots that are more tender than anywhere else. She’s clearly hungry and interested in food but can’t eat it!
Any advice from the community would be greatly appreciated! I’ve read so many teeth related threads on here and see that there is an expert up country but at the moment I wouldn’t be able to take her there. I’ve checked with the vets that they knew the teeth need to be trimmed a certain way (did my reading on Guinealynx and various articles) and they say they were cut correctly. I feel it’s likely her teeth need to regrow and be trimmed again more accurately. The bottom incisors are so short it’s where the teeth widen and is cut rough and lumpy, the top are longer so will be uneven when they grow in. My vets isn’t an exotic specialist but have treated various pigs of mine for years and done a good job. I always do my research before a visit so I know what I’m expecting from them and in the past they have referred me if was needed so I trusted they would do the same in this case. What else can I do?
