Teeth situation

[Bruno&Little One<3]

Hello everyone,
I'm looking for some advice. I have a guinea pig with slightly overgrown back molars. As explained by the vet, this causes him to not be able to close his mouth fully (though he's not in pain) and in turn not grind down his front teeth as much as he should be able to. The vet has told us he is able to put Bruno (that's my piggy's name) under anesthesia and trim his molars and that this would solve the problem. (currently, we are having to bring Bruno to the vet every 2 months or so to get his front teeth trimmed.)

The problem with undergoing this procedure is Bruno is about 3 1/2 years old, and I'm concerned about the risks of anesthesia. However, the vet informed me that trimming his back teeth now would prevent this from being a problem in the future.

I'm unsure what to do and grateful for any advice or experience you have on this. I want to make the best decision for my pig

Thanks!

 

[Popcorns & Wheeks]

Hello everyone,
I'm looking for some advice. I have a guinea pig with slightly overgrown back molars. As explained by the vet, this causes him to not be able to close his mouth fully (though he's not in pain) and in turn not grind down his front teeth as much as he should be able to. The vet has told us he is able to put Bruno (that's my piggy's name) under anesthesia and trim his molars and that this would solve the problem. (currently, we are having to bring Bruno to the vet every 2 months or so to get his front teeth trimmed.)

The problem with undergoing this procedure is Bruno is about 3 1/2 years old, and I'm concerned about the risks of anesthesia. However, the vet informed me that trimming his back teeth now would prevent this from being a problem in the future.

I'm unsure what to do and grateful for any advice or experience you have on this. I want to make the best decision for my pig

Thanks!

Hi, I do not have any experience with this issue so cannot give you any advice. However, it does sound to me like the procedure is gonna be beneficial to Bruno but like you already know, there are risks when it comes to anesthesia.

I have had piggies recover well after anesthesia between 2.5 and 4 years of age but unfortunately, I had one piggie that did not and unfortunately passed away.

I would assess the pros and cons of this but if it is affecting Bruno's quality of life then I would probably go ahead. Hopefully someone else on the forum can offer you more advice. Best wishes to you and Bruno.

 

[Bruno&Little One<3]

Hi, I do not have any experience with this issue so cannot give you any advice. However, it does sound to me like the procedure is gonna be beneficial to Bruno but like you already know, there are risks when it comes to anesthesia.

I have had piggies recover well after anesthesia between 2.5 and 4 years of age but unfortunately, I had one piggie that did not and unfortunately passed away.

I would assess the pros and cons of this but if it is affecting Bruno's quality of life then I would probably go ahead. Hopefully someone else on the forum can offer you more advice. Best wishes to you and Bruno.

Hi, thanks for your response. You're right, I'll definitely opt for the procedure if this starts affecting his quality of life.

I'm glad to know you've had good experiences with anesthesia with piggies about his age, I wasn't sure how common that is. Sorry to hear your one piggie didn't make it <3

 

[Piggies&buns]

Anaesthesia always comes with a risk but if he is not able to close his mouth now and consequently will be struggling to chew hay effectively, then this will continue to decline until dealt with.
The teeth can overgrow and the tongue gets trapped and then they cannot chew or swallow.
As long as your vet is experienced then that is all you can ask for.

Issues with incisors are often caused by issues with the molars. (It’s the molars which grind hay, the incisors are used for picking up food)
The incisors are self sharpening and are kept in check by the molars working properly. So when piggies don’t or can’t chew correctly with the molars it can show in the incisors - slanted incisors meaning piggies are chewing more on one side of the molars than the other

Ensure you switch from the lifelong routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh him daily.
This will enable you to monitor his ability to consume enough hay and allow you to adjust syringe feeding accordingly to keep his weight stable each day.

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Is your vet experienced in dental issues, as more problems can be caused by incorrect treatment. Are you based in the UK?

 

[Bill & Ted]

I agree, we see so many problems on here with dental procedures carried out by vets with little experience of guinea pig dentistry which is very specific to get right. Often the problems are made 10 times worse and the go unable to eat at all after the procedure.

If you are UK based then I recommend Simon/Kim Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton

 

[Wheekallweek]

Another vote for Simon and Kim at the Cat and Rabbit Clinic if you're in the UK. They're just the best guinea pig vets in the UK, especially when it comes to dentals.

 

[Bruno&Little One<3]

Anaesthesia always comes with a risk but if he is not able to close his mouth now and consequently will be struggling to chew hay effectively, then this will continue to decline until dealt with.
The teeth can overgrow and the tongue gets trapped and then they cannot chew or swallow.
As long as your vet is experienced then that is all you can ask for.

Issues with incisors are often caused by issues with the molars. (It’s the molars which grind hay, the incisors are used for picking up food)
The incisors are self sharpening and are kept in check by the molars working properly. So when piggies don’t or can’t chew correctly with the molars it can show in the incisors - slanted incisors meaning piggies are chewing more on one side of the molars than the other

Ensure you switch from the lifelong routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh him daily.
This will enable you to monitor his ability to consume enough hay and allow you to adjust syringe feeding accordingly to keep his weight stable each day.

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

Thanks for the info! He eats, drinks, and goes to the bathroom just fine (if that ever changes due to this problem we'll go ahead with the procedure). So far his weight has stayed consistent and healthy, but I'll be sure to monitor it.

 

[Bruno&Little One<3]

Unfortunately, I live in the U.S. My vet appears to be pretty experienced with dental issues though, he's told us about doing this procedure on other piggies multiple times.