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Poor Benji Has Dental/abscess Issues :( ...please Check Your Piggies Teeth Regularly As Standard!

Do you already check your piggies teeth as standard as cutting their nails regularly?

  • Yes

    Votes: 6 60.0%

  • No, I didn't know

    Votes: 4 40.0%

  • Yes, I have a Lethal

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    10
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PiggyOinkOink

PiggyOinkOink

Junior Guinea Pig
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I noticed that one cage had slighly lose stools for months but I thought it was Rebecca and took her to the vet to find it was a UTI. I separated her from her cage mate, Benji, for 3 days to see who was doing the stools but they both seemed normal so I put them back. The loose stools came back and I assumed her UTI came back so intended to take her back to the vet.

Today I took them both as I noticed Benji was not eating properly all week, stopped purring when I stroked him, would scream if I picked him up and had a noticeable lump on his jaw. Rebecca passed her health check but Benji was diagnosed with dental issues likely due to an abscess where due to discomfort, he has been eating on one side only and as their teeth grow a few mm every week, the left teeth have grown a lot (likely causing the lump on the side) and the front 2 teeth now sit diagonally 3/4 up instead of horizontal. I often heard crunching sounds and thought it was him eating pellets but now realise that it was his overgrown back teeth grinding against each other :(. He must be in quite a bit of discomfort of pressure and a twisted mouth :(

They said that they need to do an x-ray to find out the severity and if there is a point in doing surgery. It's likely been going on for months so is mid-adv stage so she said it might be the case where he is on pain meds until his quality of life reduces or have him put him down due to a reduction in quality of life. The x-ray will cost £200 and the surgery up to £600. I am trying to see if the RSPCA hospital can at least do the x-ray for cheaper but they apparently don't do advanced small furry surgeries as they don't tend to have specialists - unlike the small furry specialist unit at the Royal Veterinary College Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital where I currently go to. They said that even if they can heal him, the angle that his teeth are now at, they will never be able to file them down to the natural angle so he will have dental issues his whole life...so will need them filing down every few mths again. I'm not sure I can afford a lifetime of costs for that. I did not get insurance because I have 6 (9 before) piggies and at around £300pa per pig, it's unaffordable.

I never actually knew that I should keep an eye on their teeth. I thought it was something only you had to be wary of with lethals. If I'd known then I would have always checked their teeth every so often as part of their care :( The vet recommended that I keep an eye on all the other's teeth from now as then problems like this would have been caught much earlier.

I want to suggest to everyone to do this if they are not already as I am probably going to lose my 1st, my favourite, most friendliest and loving piggy who has no other problems and is healthy aside from this issue.

20160321_212106.webp
You can see the left side of his face is noticeably bigger

20160321_212122.webp
 
PiggyOinkOink said:
I noticed that one cage had slighly lose stools for months but I thought it was Rebecca and took her to the vet to find it was a UTI. I separated her from her cage mate, Benji, for 3 days to see who was doing the stools but they both seemed normal so I put them back. The loose stools came back and I assumed her UTI came back so intended to take her back to the vet.

Today I took them both as I noticed Benji was not eating properly all week, stopped purring when I stroked him, would scream if I picked him up and had a noticeable lump on his jaw. Rebecca passed her health check but Benji was diagnosed with dental issues likely due to an abscess where due to discomfort, he has been eating on one side only and as their teeth grow a few mm every week, the left teeth have grown a lot (likely causing the lump on the side) and the front 2 teeth now sit diagonally 3/4 up instead of horizontal. I often heard crunching sounds and thought it was him eating pellets but now realise that it was his overgrown back teeth grinding against each other :(. He must be in quite a bit of discomfort of pressure and a twisted mouth :(

They said that they need to do an x-ray to find out the severity and if there is a point in doing surgery. It's likely been going on for months so is mid-adv stage so she said it might be the case where he is on pain meds until his quality of life reduces or have him put him down due to a reduction in quality of life. The x-ray will cost £200 and the surgery up to £600. I am trying to see if the RSPCA hospital can at least do the x-ray for cheaper but they apparently don't do advanced small furry surgeries as they don't tend to have specialists - unlike the small furry specialist unit at the Royal Veterinary College Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital where I currently go to. They said that even if they can heal him, the angle that his teeth are now at, they will never be able to file them down to the natural angle so he will have dental issues his whole life...so will need them filing down every few mths again. I'm not sure I can afford a lifetime of costs for that. I did not get insurance because I have 6 (9 before) piggies and at around £300pa per pig, it's unaffordable.

I never actually knew that I should keep an eye on their teeth. I thought it was something only you had to be wary of with lethals. If I'd known then I would have always checked their teeth every so often as part of their care :( The vet recommended that I keep an eye on all the other's teeth from now as then problems like this would have been caught much earlier.

I want to suggest to everyone to do this if they are not already as I am probably going to lose my 1st, my favourite, most friendliest and loving piggy who has no other problems and is healthy aside from this issue.

View attachment 44507
You can see the left side of his face is noticeably bigger

View attachment 44508
Click to expand...

If you can get to Northampton by car or train in any way, please contact Simon and Kim Maddock at the Cat&Rabbit Care Clinic in Northampton! He is the best vet you can see - and he can save your boy at a fraction of the cost. He sees guinea pigs with dental problems from all around the country on a near daily basis and saved a fair number of them that other vets have given up.
The Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic - Home

My 6 year old Hywel developed a dental abscess last October; thanks to Simon, he got over it as smoothly as could be and he's still going strong as ever despite having only 3 front teeth now!
 
Wiebke said:
If you can get to Northampton by car or train in any way, please contact Simon and Kim Maddock at the Cat&Rabbit Care Clinic in Northampton! He is the best vet you can see - and he can save your boy at a fraction of the cost. He sees guinea pigs with dental problems from all around the country on a near daily basis and saved a fair number of them that other vets have given up.
The Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic - Home

My 6 year old Hywel developed a dental abscess last October; thanks to Simon, he got over it as smoothly as could be and he's still going strong as ever despite having only 3 front teeth now!
Click to expand...

Oh great! I'm in London but it's not really that far. I will try to see if I can get someone with a car to take me there or even go myself by train. Benji lost 200g since 6mths (I have been lazy in weighing them recently) but Rebecca is around the same weight so it's likely that it just happened in the past 2 weeks when I noticed he was just nibbling at food and not eating much. It's a bummer that it's Easter Bank Holiday as everything will be shut!

Would know on average how much treatment is there? I'm guessing much less than the £800 quoted lol

helen105281 said:
We have travelled to Simon by train from London. I can ask the OH what bus he usually gets from the station to the vets if needed.
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That would be super helpful! I will ring him tomorrow but unfortunately, I know I won't be able to see him until at least Tuesday because of the Bank Hol!
 
Yes definitely get him to Simon! I was part of a piggy train that took a poorly piggy with a huge abscess bigger than your boys to see Simon about a year or so ago. The same piggy no longer has any dental problems as far as I am aware & is living a healthy normal life now :)
 
Yes :) Does that not link to the thread? I was sure I got the right link? xx It's the thread that Snowy's owner wrote on, that's what I meant :) xx
 
Piggyoinkoink i can vouch that simon is wonderful.Jerry my two year old pig,i noticed he was not eating his food and losing weight,i syringe fed him promptly.i had taken him to a local vet whom suggested Jerry be put to sleep [pts] on oral analgesia and antibiotics,filed teeth without anaesethetic,Jerry visited again two weeks ago to continue oral antibiotics,he is now as from today taking food,pellets on his own.I'm syringe feeding once aday just to ensure he maintains his weight.he is due to go back to simon next tuesday.in total since seeing simon the bill has been approx £150.00 .yes he is the best,if he cannot fix it,there is not anyone else who will be able to.Simon will be truthful with you.Jerry is one of my favorite cavies,i cannot thank Simon enough for getting him well again,it is priceless love!
 
Well I made the trip yesterday and dropped him off for 2 days. I met Kim and she was very lovely and informative regarding what happened and possible outcomes. It seems 2 of the back teeth on the bottom are significantly at an angle but the rest are ok and she was surprised how perky he was considering. They did a marsupial backward-opening pouch(?) where they drained the abscess and left a hole which needs (aggressively) to be flushed out every day for a while. They said it might be likely that he needs to come in to get his teeth filed regularly, but hopefully not too often...

I don't know how much the surgery cost but they said it should be half of what I was quoted at the RVC (about £3-400 I'm guessing). Follow-ups for teeth filing are £45 a time, on top of travel costs (~£20). I am prepared to do this with the hope that he might not need to go there often, otherwise, I will have no choice but to try and get him rehomed with a rescue that takes dental piggies...or euthanise :( as I can't afford to keep that up for very long. If that turns out to be the case then I've decided I will give all my remaining 5 piggies to rescues and that will be the end of pet ownership for me.
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
The one you've linked to is the owner that preferred to do her own dental work. :-(
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I am sorry can you remove the link for me? :( Or @sport_billy maybe can remove it? It showed Snowy's owner's post when I clicked here :( Anyway Piggyoinkoink glad you got to see Kim, fingers crossed you won't need many trips in the future x
 
piggyoinkoink,i hope Benji gets well soon.take each day as it comes.vet fees for piggies is very hit and miss,some never need a vet and some do.could you maybe put some money aside each month?pdsa help out as well.some vets allow you to pay so much each month,there is one company that does cavy insurance.another way is to longterm foster for a rescue.please dont despair.simon and kim will do there upmost to ensure Bengi pulls through this.hugs to you.xx
 
Simon and Kim work wonders with the piggies here at TEAS and most of them only need need the occasional dental., Many who came here with dreadful dental disease have completely cured or only need a six monthly check up. Don't worry if he needs more frequent dentals in the early days, as the time between treatments quickly expands as the piggy starts to eat and more and more for themselves.
 
eileen said:
piggyoinkoink,i hope Benji gets well soon.take each day as it comes.vet fees for piggies is very hit and miss,some never need a vet and some do.could you maybe put some money aside each month?pdsa help out as well.some vets allow you to pay so much each month,there is one company that does cavy insurance.another way is to longterm foster for a rescue.please dont despair.simon and kim will do there upmost to ensure Bengi pulls through this.hugs to you.xx
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Thanks. I'm sure Kim and Simon will do their best for the best possible outcome. I am not working atm but have just gotten my final student loan payment so I can manage for a while on that. Hopefully, he will just need to see them every few months as I think he has luck on his side because he nearly died before 30m after taking him as an emergency to the RSPCA for gut stasis and he pulled through and was right as rain 4 days later. He's also had a castration which had no issues and Kim was surprised how active he was and also grooming himself despite the abscess so he's a fighter for sure!

Kim told me that most companies that insure cavvies (I think there are only 2 last time I checked...exotic pets and another) do not insure for dental issues as they are aware there is a high enough incidence in piggies which usually is chronic too, so they don't want to keep paying out. In any case, a pig with dental issues already they won't cover anyways she said.

furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Simon and Kim work wonders with the piggies here at TEAS and most of them only need need the occasional dental., Many who came here with dreadful dental disease have completely cured or only need a six monthly check up. Don't worry if he needs more frequent dentals in the early days, as the time between treatments quickly expands as the piggy starts to eat and more and more for themselves.
Click to expand...

That sounds positive :) ...and I'm sure there have been ones that are really bad. Kim said it's not the worst one she's seen, plus he did not stop eating but would try his best to nibble even a little and in the end I was just giving him romaine/spinach as he didn't need much force to bite and eat them. I think even monthly would be doable but anything more would be difficult so here's hoping for the best outcome!
 
This Sat morning just before they close for Easter. I thought it was better they keep flush his abscess for the first few days as I thought it's important it's done properly. They are going to show me tomorrow how to do it and how often etc.

BTW is that Simon in your avatar as the room looks very familiar!
 
PiggyOinkOink said:
This Sat morning just before they close for Easter. I thought it was better they keep flush his abscess for the first few days as I thought it's important it's done properly. They are going to show me tomorrow how to do it and how often etc.

BTW is that Simon in your avatar as the room looks very familiar!
Click to expand...
Yes that's Simon although I'm sure you've met him now. How's your little guy? X
 
Ah yes, I saw him there today but haven't met him, thou spoke on the phone after the op. Benji is doing very well. He's eating the things he was ignoring before like peppers but I think he still thinks he needs to eat on one side as he turns his head when biting.

One question. I'm not sure how to do the flushing properly. Kim told me I need to be 'aggressive' with it the other day but she wasn't here this time only Kelly. She told me I should do it 2 x a day and she did not have time to elaborate as it was quite busy there and I did not ask further.

I have flushed 50ml (from a mixture of 1tsp lo salt in 1/2ltr water) with a 6ml syringe a few times. Until the last time it seemed fine but I notice that there was red/blood (maybe even pus?) after the last squirt. I am aware I need to keep the drainage hole open so is this blood coming out normal? It stained his fur but was light in colour not dark. He seemed to find the last squirt uncomfortable, thou I did give him Loxicom before I did it in case the morning dose was wearing off.

I have had an abscess myself so I know (red coloured) things dripping out of it is a good sign and what you want but I hope I didn't cause any trauma with over aggressive squirting!

On a side note, I was talking to a woman next to me with a 5yrs piggy called Salt who hadn't really been eating for 2 days but did start to in the waiting room. She came out later without him and said, 'He's gone' and we all thought she meant he was being kept in but then she had tears in her eyes and immediately left in distress, then we realised what she meant. It was a shock as he looked active and awake just 5mins before.. I wonder what actually happened to the poor guy..I might ask when I go back for the post op on Thurs. She had guinea pigs her whole life and she said this was the last one as she doesn't have space in her new flat for them. Tragic way for it to all end for her :(
 
Thanks! I had to stick my finger in the area to make sure it hadn't scabbed up as it felt like it had. A few hard squirts later and the water turned a little red so I hope I opened it again instead of just causing trauma. Do I stick the syringe right into the hole as I am aware it probably hurts him sometimes as he squeals?

I've noticed he all he is eating is basically hay, doesn't touch the veg other than try to nibble then give up. Pellets he turns his nose up at so I tried making them soft with water but he still turned his nose at that. I am having to syringe feed him from the once a day I was told to 3 x a day at least as I am concerned he is losing too much weight. He has lost 50g from when he went for the op last Thurs but is slowly gaining every day about 10g. Fortunately, I bought some Oxbow Critical Care from them as I only had 1.5 sachets of Recovery Plus left.

Do you have any tricks to try and make him eat pellets again as I think this would have been the most nutritious and dense food source he had? In addition to the Oxbow/Recovery Plus, I am syringe feeding him the mushy pellets too to see if he realises that he is able to eat them.
 
Also, wanted to ask that whilst he is a little active, he spends his time mainly just sitting there and not what looks like a relaxed position. I am wondering if he is likely in pain or whether the 0.25ml loxicom (or other drugs: azythromycin/zantac) are making him like that?
 
I am going to give him 0.38ml of Loxicom only for tonight as that is what the 1st vet prescribed and what I gave him for the days before he got the op to see if it makes a difference.

Cat & Rabbit Clinic prescribed 0.25ml and I was told that 0.38ml is quite a high dosage but I am thinking he may be in pain so that is why he is just standing around still - not even sitting or laying. Haven't actually seen him drinking any water along with only eating hay and I left him on the floor for over an hour and I never saw a wet patch to indicate he peed. Getting a little worried!
 
I very rarely use Critical Care or Recovery food, and just syringe feed mushed nuggets. I find most piggies prefer this. Little and often seems to work best in the early days. I have only ever given 0.25 ml of Metacam but I was talking to Kim this morning and she said she is sure higher doses are okay, but she prefers to give the smallest amount that will control the pain. Try the higher dose and see if it makes a difference. I flush using a syringe with a needle on the end. I don't insert the needle into the wound but hold it a few inches away. It makes it easier to direct as you get a fine spray. As long as you are giving him plenty of syringe food, he will be getting fluid in this. You could try syringing him some extra fluids. When are you back at vets for recheck?
 
When cleaning, I've gone to the point of sticking the syringe right up to the hole or just in the entrance wound (not too far) and flushing it, and then putting pressure around the incision to help express some pus. The syringe I use for abscesses doesn't have a needle tip, but has a tapered tip with a curve (it's actually for humans following dental extractions.) Sundae had a really deep abscess into the jaw muscle, so it would refill for quite some time. It sounds like you've already gotten good advice on syringe feeding. I hope he starts to perk up for you soon.
 
I got Kim to show me how to do it and it was similar to how I did it but I was applying a hell of a lot more force with the water as I was told to do it aggressively. The white abscess sack has come out over 2 days and they said it is looking in excellent condition. His teeth are also wearing well and Kim said he has a strength of character which she feels is why he is recovering so well. Apparently piggies that are wallflowers don't tend to recover very well and are the ones likely to die.

The only issues I have that he is still not eating his dry food. He did attempt to nibble one nugget yesterday when I handed it to him but after that he didn't want anymore, neither any ones I had softened with water. He will eat veg and hay no problem though but he appears to be losing more weight as obviously the dry food is what would keep his weight up.

I am a little concerned with the abscess too. I was not able to flush it for nearly a day as I had a night out and I slept for nearly a day! I flushed it as soon as I woke up and I noticed scabbing and that it was closing up. There was a noticeable output of red but when I did it again about 12hrs later the water was clear, although the hole is still open. I have tried to really spurt it aggressively in case it's closed up inside but it didn't come out red, but I notice it's not pleasant on him.

How long on average do you have to keep flushing the drainage hole or can it sometimes clear in just over a week?

I have also started to notice squeaking noises coming regularly from the cages. I thought it was one of my girls maybe having bladder stone issues but I couldn't figure out who it was. Eventually, I realised it was actually Benji making those sounds and I don't know why he has started all of a sudden. I am giving him 3.5 - 3.8ml loxicom twice a day as I mentioned it to Kim and she said they err on the side of caution and prescribe the bare minimum dose but if it's helping then keep on that dose as it's still safe and even beyond that a little is fine. Therefore, I am not sure if it is him squealing through pain or whether his cagemate is bullying him (as she is a nasty bitch tbh) so I'm going to separate him more now and see if he still makes the squealing.

Otherwise, he is walking and running around fine when I put him on the floor. Poking his nose curiously everywhere so doesn't suggest that he is in much pain to me, although I know they can mask it well.
 
Just keep flushing until it completely heals. Towards the end you may find just giving it a good firm rub with a flat cotton wool pad works best. With regard to the lack of eating nuggets, please don't worry about that. Piggies don't 'need' nuggets as such, and they do nothing for the wearing of the teeth. Hay and grass are the best for teeth wear. I am currently dealing with an abscess piggy too, and I am topping him up with a bit of syringe food, just to keep his weight up, and just this week he has started to eat a few nuggets again. I am also giving Fibreplex three times a day. It sounds like things are progressing really well. When are due back at vets? xx
 
Oh cool. Well it is starting to heal very well and there is just a small hole left. I have an appt in 2wks and was thinking that the hole would need to be open until then but I don't see that happening! I hope that it just doesn't start to fill up again as then I'd just have to put him to sleep as I've spent £500 in a week on him and I can't justify that again.

That's comforting news about the nuggets. He is mainly eating hay or any veg I put in, but mostly prefers leafy stuff to solid stuff like peppers but I guess at least he is eating.

I have also realised the cause of the squealing...his bitch wife is basically bullying him as I had him in my bedroom all night and in the small cage but he only makes the noise when he's with her in the C&C cage. She has always been a dominant one and a bully to the others, and I can't believe she is bullying him when he's down but I know it's within their nature to do that. I am now keeping him in the small cage alone where he seems happier and is lying in a relaxed position on the floor which he doesn't seem to do at the mo in the C&C cage.....Poor Benji!
 
I stopped flushing 2 days ago as nothing would come out and besides, the hole seemed to be already closed to a large extent. I removed a little more of the (white) abscess bag the day before and no red fluid/water had come out for a few days. I tried to remove any scabs but he was really not having it so I'm guessing (hoping) that that was the last of it. I've tried pressing but there's nothing coming out and it's very dry and scabbing over all around.

I've just given 2 piggies to Christine at Animal Lifeline today and have decided that I will help Benji recover and give him away within 2mths. I am hoping that his dental issues are sorted but if not then I would be looking at giving him (and Rebecca) perhaps to TEAS or another rescue run by Debbie that the Cat & Rabbit Clinic told me about if he does still have dental issues; otherwise another rescue. I feel that I have (hopefully) saved his life and he should go and have new adventures elsewhere. When I tell anyone that I have spent £500 on his care they all have a shocked look on their face and tell me it's a lot of money (even Christine!). I think I am not able to put my life on hold for another 4 years to wait until he dies and not be able to go on holidays (already 3yrs I haven't been able) and do other things because I need to think of them and I can't get anyone else to look after them for long. Time gone is not replaceable and I noticed today the 2 piggies I gave away had no problem mingling with the other piggies in Christine's shed, so they are not bonded to us like dogs may be and forgot about me already lol

BTW Christine told me that there is a 'top notch' vet who is experienced with piggies in the Sutton area who also does the conscious dental operations like Kim & Simon. She said she would find out and let me know as it may be cheaper and save me 4hrs of travelling to Northampton as well as taking time off etc.
 
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