Dental Teeth trimming under sedation?

[Piggydreams]

So one of my guinea pigs had often been making sounds while eating. We took him to the vet who said his lower incisors have gotten long and need trimming, for which he'll have to be sedated. I've heard that anesthesia has significant risks when used on guinea pigs so I'm really trying to avoid putting him through that. We consulted another vet who also doesn't trim teeth without sedating. So basically we don't have any vet in my town who would do this normally.

Fortunately till now my guinea pig has been eating everything (no inclination towards softer foods) and he finishes all his food. One of the vets said that giving them more hay and cardboard to chew on might help reduce the length of his teeth if it's not too already too long and uncomfortable yet. Is this possible? Can chewing on cardboard help trim it down naturally? We provide him with hay daily and he is given diy cardboard toys often as well.

I really don't want to put him through anesthesia because it's a scary process for GPs. If you have any kind of suggestions regarding this please do share! Thank you in advance.

 

[Swissgreys]

Vet's who do this procedure without anaesthesia are very few and far between.
There are also many experienced guinea pig vets who don't agree with the process, so finding one in India is probably going to be tricky!

Ruby is my current dental piggy and she has teeth trims at least 2 - 4 times a year with our very experienced guinea pig vet.
Ruby will be 6 years old next month.
Our vet always uses a light gas anaesthesia.
Ruby copes with this beautifully and the sedation wears off very quickly.
Personally I feel that due to her personality Ruby would find the whole process far more stressful without anaesthesia and this is something I personally would never choose for my own piggy.

Once teeth are out of alignment chewing cardboard etc will not solve the problem.
This is just my own experience, and of course all treatment does come with some degree of risk, but if your vet is experienced I would say anaesthesia for dental treatment is not something to be overly concerned about.

 

[Piggydreams]

Thank you so much for your insight! When it's really quiet I can hear him making sounds because of the pain lately. I think I should go ahead with the procedure very soon.

Few more questions regarding anesthesia- how long should I stop giving him food before the procedure? Also, is there a risk of bloating/gas because of this time gap in meals before the procedure? Our vet recommended not giving him food after 12 AM (the procedure is to be done in the morning around 10-11 AM). I genuinely don't know how experienced vets are with GP here because they're not that common pets in India. So I really want to make sure I'm doing everything right on my part.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you so much for your insight! When it's really quiet I can hear him making sounds because of the pain lately. I think I should go ahead with the procedure very soon.

Few more questions regarding anesthesia- how long should I stop giving him food before the procedure? Also, is there a risk of bloating/gas because of this time gap in meals before the procedure? Our vet recommended not giving him food after 12 AM (the procedure is to be done in the morning around 10-11 AM). I genuinely don't know how experienced vets are with GP here because they're not that common pets in India. So I really want to make sure I'm doing everything right on my part.

It’s very difficult when you don’t have access to vet care, but I am afraid the vet has given you inaccurate advice. You don’t ever withhold food from guinea pigs before surgery. You must continue to feed your piggy as normal right up until the moment they go in for the anaesthetic . Guinea pigs are very different to dogs and cats when it comes to surgery - you do not withhold food from piggies, but you do withhold it from dogs and cats etc. Guinea pigs cannot be sick so you don’t need to withhold food, plus they need fibre constantly going through their gut (a piggy who is not eating for long periods will become very poorly).
It’s essential your piggy is eating fairly soon after coming round the anaesthetic as well.

 

[Piggydreams]

It’s very difficult when you don’t have access to vet care, but I am afraid the vet has given you inaccurate advice. You don’t ever withhold food from guinea pigs before surgery. You must continue to feed your piggy as normal right up until the moment they go in for the anaesthetic . Guinea pigs are very different to dogs and cats when it comes to surgery - you do not withhold food from piggies, but you do withhold it from dogs and cats etc. Guinea pigs cannot be sick so you don’t need to withhold food, plus they need fibre constantly going through their gut (a piggy who is not eating for long periods will become very poorly).
It’s essential your piggy is eating fairly soon after coming round the anaesthetic as well.

Thank you so much for that info! Keeping him away from food for hours didn't sit right with me either, since guinea pigs need constant supply of food for their digestive to work healthily. Is there anything else I should keep in mind before/after the whole anesthesia procedure?

P.S: I'm honestly so thankful for this forum and such helpful people like you taking the time to help out fellow GP owners. Not having any GP savvy vets nearby really makes me nervous when there's ever any sort of illness. I'm just so glad I can get some reliable advice here.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you so much for that info! Keeping him away from food for hours didn't sit right with me either, since guinea pigs need constant supply of food for their digestive to work healthily. Is there anything else I should keep in mind before/after the whole anesthesia procedure?

P.S: I'm honestly so thankful for this forum and such helpful people like you taking the time to help out fellow GP owners. Not having any GP savvy vets nearby really makes me nervous when there's ever any sort of illness. I'm just so glad I can get some reliable advice here.

All you need to do is prepare for after the surgery - that is to weigh him every day so you can monitor food intake and prepare to syringe feed him mushed up pellets or a recovery feed.
Ensure he has adequate pain relief for after the surgery also

Tips For Post-operative Care

 

[Freela]

Many (probably most) vets don't do teeth trims without sedation. I've had guinea pigs (and even a hamster) have dental work done under sedation. Although there are always risks with anesthesia, I can say that luckily all of my animals fared quite well, including an elderly ham who needed incisors filed once every month or two.

One thing I will say is that it's important that the vet also check the back molars (it will be near impossible for you to see them.) Usually dental problems start at the back and move forward, so by the time you see uneven wear at the front, the back molars are even more uneven. Just trimming the front incisors won't solve any problems unless the back molars are also corrected.

Giving hay as the main source of food will help to wear down teeth naturally. If you are giving hay daily, though, it's unlikely that just not wearing the teeth enough is the root of the issue. It's possible that the dental issue may recur or that some underlying issue, like a dental abscess, may come to light to explain it, so keep a watch on your piggy's weight and eating habits even post-surgery to catch any further problems early.

It's not necessary to hold back food and water before anesthesia for guinea pigs- this is recommended for dogs and cats (and humans!) because of the risk of vomiting under anesthesia and aspirating the contents. Guinea pigs and other rodents are unable to vomit so this is not a risk for them.

Hope this helps and hope everything goes well!

 

[Piggydreams]

Many (probably most) vets don't do teeth trims without sedation. I've had guinea pigs (and even a hamster) have dental work done under sedation. Although there are always risks with anesthesia, I can say that luckily all of my animals fared quite well, including an elderly ham who needed incisors filed once every month or two.

One thing I will say is that it's important that the vet also check the back molars (it will be near impossible for you to see them.) Usually dental problems start at the back and move forward, so by the time you see uneven wear at the front, the back molars are even more uneven. Just trimming the front incisors won't solve any problems unless the back molars are also corrected.

Giving hay as the main source of food will help to wear down teeth naturally. If you are giving hay daily, though, it's unlikely that just not wearing the teeth enough is the root of the issue. It's possible that the dental issue may recur or that some underlying issue, like a dental abscess, may come to light to explain it, so keep a watch on your piggy's weight and eating habits even post-surgery to catch any further problems early.

It's not necessary to hold back food and water before anesthesia for guinea pigs- this is recommended for dogs and cats (and humans!) because of the risk of vomiting under anesthesia and aspirating the contents. Guinea pigs and other rodents are unable to vomit so this is not a risk for them.

Hope this helps and hope everything goes well!

Thank you so much for your insight!

We went ahead with it today and the vet trimmed his teeth after injecting the anesthesia. My GP is experiencing some issues post surgery and I want to make sure if these things are to be expected:

He hasn't pooped since he was given anesthesia. he was given anesthesia at around 11AM, and didn't eat until 3 PM. Is a 4-5 hour time gap enough to create any serious gas issues? He's been eating fine since then, though slowly and in lesser quantity because he's still under the effect of anesthesia (quite drowsy and still not able to move around much). How long before he's feeling active and himself again? Is there anything I can do to make sure he poops? He's also drooling a bit and making painful noises (similar to pre surgery but less than before) but the vet said that its nothing serious to worry about as it will take him a bit time to adjust to the changes in his mouth.

Please let me know if any of this is concerning and what I can do to make him feel more comfortable and recovery easily!

 

[Swissgreys]

Is he on some kind of pain medication for the next couple of days?

It can take a few hours for an anaesthetic to wear off, so make sure he can easily access a large pile of hay and water nearby.
He should hopefully start to perk up soon, and the fact he is already slowly eating is a good sign.

Good luck with everything - you are doing a great job looking after him at a difficult time.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Well I have experienced GA dental treatments and conscious dental treatments and done by the right vet I would opt for conscious every time. My piggie Ted would have died years ago if we had not found Simon Maddock who got him eating well, whereas other vets (one a top exotic vets) have failed miserably. With subsequent gut problems and no improvemen. In the end it doesn’t matter how it’s done but that the vet does it properly and it’s effective. In mild cases it is fine to anaesthetise once every 3 months or so but certainly not every month or less which is another consideration.

 

[Piggydreams]

Is he on some kind of pain medication for the next couple of days?

It can take a few hours for an anaesthetic to wear off, so make sure he can easily access a large pile of hay and water nearby.
He should hopefully start to perk up soon, and the fact he is already slowly eating is a good sign.

Good luck with everything - you are doing a great job looking after him at a difficult time.

The vet didn't prescribe him any painkillers, which I now realize I should have asked him to.. he's almost constantly making painful sounds. I'm going to ask the vet about painkillers in the morning. He's definitely hungry, but avoiding food because of the pain. He also hasn't pooped in the past 12 hours (since the surgery). Is there anything I can do about this? Should I feed him poo soup?

Thank you for your constant support! This forum is genuinely a life saver.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

The fact he is hungry is a good sign, but it does sound like pain is an issue. Ask your vet for some pain relief for him and also ask about gut motility drugs, to get the gut moving again. Start giving some syringe food. You can mush up the normal guinea pig nuggets to make syringe food. I hope he's feeling better soon.

 

[Bill & Ted]

If he is perking up and hungry now is the time to start syringe feeding as if he is in pain he will be put off eating. If you can ring your vet and get some painkiller and anti-inflammatory med like Metacam/Loxicom and also ask for a gut stimulant too, this will help his tummy start moving and make him hungry too.
While he’s been sedated his tummy will have been still so you can get a time gap between poop output, by syringe feeding you are getting that tummy moving again and hopefully food will make its way along through the gut again and everything will start to tick over again.
Hang in there, it’s very stressful, I‘ve been there, sending hugs x

 

[Piggydreams]

Hello everyone, just wanted to let you all know he's doing much better now. It's been about 34 hours since his surgery. I fed him pellets through syringe when he wasn't eating on his own last night, and he was put on painkillers from today morning. The pain has subsided
a lot now and he's running about normally and eating more too. His poops are going back to normal as well.

It's been a rough 2 days as this was my first experience with any of my guinea pigs going through the whole anesthesia/surgery procedure. It would have been a lot tougher without the help of this forum, so I truly appreciate everyone's prompt replies here on my concerns during the whole process.. Thank you so very much!

Wishing you all and your piggies happy holidays ahead

 

[Bill & Ted]

Hello everyone, just wanted to let you all know he's doing much better now. It's been about 34 hours since his surgery. I fed him pellets through syringe when he wasn't eating on his own last night, and he was put on painkillers from today morning. The pain has subsided
a lot now and he's running about normally and eating more too. His poops are going back to normal as well.

It's been a rough 2 days as this was my first experience with any of my guinea pigs going through the whole anesthesia/surgery procedure. It would have been a lot tougher without the help of this forum, so I truly appreciate everyone's prompt replies here on my concerns during the whole process.. Thank you so very much!

Wishing you all and your piggies happy holidays ahead

If you weigh him daily and keep a record of his weight then you will know if he is managing to eat enough food. You could carry on topping him up until he is eating normally but encourage him to eat by hand feeding some of his favourite foods. Plain porridge oats left in a bowl in his cage, grated carrot or sweet potato, small amounts of grass too can be offered. Grass is a good substitute for hay but be a little careful, offer small amounts first and if ok you can increase.
So glad he’s doing well. It’s really hard on you so try to relax and get some sleep x