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Teeth trouble 5 year old sow

They really are the best and it would save you a lot of heart searching and worry. They’ll be able to give you a proper assessment of what’s wrong and tweak the teeth without any GA, takes about 5-10 minutes. My Ted was eating hay before we left the vets after his first visit
 
Pigmeister said:
I assume you mean with George you give 1ml then a leaf and repeat rather than you just get 1 ml into him?
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Yes - sorry if that wasn't clear! George will take between 10-15 mls in his 4 o'clock feed. As he is eating for himself this is his main top-up. He gets 4 or 5 in the morning too but that's mainly to re-seed his gut bacteria for the antibiotic and he doesn't want it... he thinks he's doing fine in the mornings now! He is still losing weight and we're going to start fitting in an extra one somewhere in the day.

I just use a tiny bit of leaf each time - like an inch square or something. Just a mouthful. Partly as a bribe because at first when he felt rough and didn't want syringe food he realised pretty quick that eating his ml was the way to get veg. But it was also a useful indicator to me because I'm sitting ready with the next ml while he's eyeballing me and pretending his mouth is still full but when he goes for that bit of leaf I know there's a bit of room in there!
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
It sounds like he could just do with his teeth tweaking slightly. Is there any way you could get him seen by Simon or Kim Maddock, at the Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic in Northampton?
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If only I could. We live in Yorkshire. I have a visual impairment so can't drive and my partner thinks it's just too far to do it. I did actually look at how long it would be on the train. Are they in the centre of Northampton?
 
I maybe should add he is making a clacking noise with what seems like his back teeth so maybe it's not just his front teeth.
I was surprised that the vet said he didn't want to do anything else on the teeth.
 
I honestly wouldn’t waste money going elsewhere. You’ll definitely find out what the issue is, if you see Simon or Kim.

I offer boarding, through my pet care business, for long distance clients, so if he needed a couple of appointments, I’d be happy to board him for a while. I charge £30 a week, which includes any supportive care needed, medicating, transport to vet appointments and daily fresh veg and unlimited hay x
 
Update:
Petri was not very happy with syringe feeding yesterday and would only take 1 or 2 ml a try. In the afternoon he also refused metacam which he had been fine with and voluntarily taking before. This also happened with vit C which he always loved and couldn't get enough of.

So I decided to book him in for pts this morning. We were saying our goodbyes, getting him ready and p[ut him back in the pen to be with the other pig for a bit. He ended up going by himself to eat some pellets and drink a little water. We then got him some grass and he ate some of that. He didn't want the metacam again.

So we cancelled the appointment.
We thought we'd let him be for today and see what he can eat for himself or if he gets fed up, but not torture him with any syringes. He won't eat any mushy stuff so no point in offering him anything like that but he has pellets so we're giving him the choice. At the very least we;re giving him some time without all the fuss and poking and prodding.

Does this seem like an ok approach in terms of leaving him to see what he wants to eat for himself, and not giving him painkiller when he doesn't want that himself either?

In terms of the Northampton vet I ended up thinking he'd need regular work done there and even if I could do a one off, I definitely can't do regular trips. I suspect his teeth are too far gone nwo anyway as they seemt o be getting worse for him. He's struggling even with soft leafy veg now. He had some rocket yesterday and this morning but mostly ate banana and strawberry. I'm just giving him whatever he wants to eat now.
 
If he needed ongoing dentals, we would be able to take him as a permanent resident That’s how all our piggies come to us. We’ve had so many, who were destined to be put to sleep, who have lived a really good life, eating normally, with regular tidy up of the teeth.
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
If he needed ongoing dentals, we would be able to take him as a permanent resident That’s how all our piggies come to us. We’ve had so many, who were destined to be put to sleep, who have lived a really good life, eating normally, with regular tidy up of the teeth.
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I don't think it's a case of tidying the teeth up any more though but have asked the vet to call me today though.
Thanks
 
Pigmeister said:
I don't think it's a case of tidying the teeth up any more though but have asked the vet to call me today though.
Thanks
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Our vet can sort the problem and then keep on top of it. They all have severe dental disease, but it can be managed. We’ve been running for over 10 years and have saved the lives of so many.
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Our vet can sort the problem and then keep on top of it. They all have severe dental disease, but it can be managed. We’ve been running for over 10 years and have saved the lives of so many.
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Pigmeister said:
I don't think it's a case of tidying the teeth up any more though but have asked the vet to call me today though.
Thanks
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I would really consider this marvellous offer from Debbie. My Ted stayed with Debbie for three months over lock down so he could get dental treatment from Simon Maddock in Northampton. We live 300 miles away so made it impossible for us to travel regular with him. The piggies at the sanctuary have dental problems, some come in totally unable to eat and with one dental they are back eating independently.
They live normal lives with regular dentals, please consider this option, Debbie is so dedicated and experienced
 
It's gotta be worth a try, @furryfriends (TEAS) does fabulous work with dental pigs with regards to getting them any regular work they need and looks after them so well, pigs that otherwise wouldn't have made it.
Please don't give up on him yet if there's a chance Debbie can help!
We're in Staffordshire and it's a long way for us (much longer for you!) but Simon and Kim are like piggy whisperers.
They've saved the life of at least one of the pigs in our rescue, sorted out one of my boys who it turns out had diabetes and had to have his eye removed, and found the issue causing my other boy so much pain and problems that no one else could find and operated immediately.
One rescue intake called Duke only had one visit and he was sorted for life.
Even if you just go once, it would really be worth it to know you really have exhausted all options.
Best of luck to you and your piggy, it's so hard ❤️
 
Hi everyone, I really appreciate the support and help from everyone but I feel like I have to say I'm now feeling very very pressured at a very difficult time, triggering guilt etc with the continued pushing of the TEAS approach. It's been clear in my posts there is an issue with us making this journey.

I want the best for my pet as well as you.
I'm trying to look at vets who are competent with dentals around the forum and all I'm seeing is TEAS over and over again. It's amazing what they're doing, truly amazing, but it would be really helpful if it was possible to discuss other people doing dentals in other locations so that people who can't or don't feel it's right to travel across the length of the country can find some options too.

Once again I really, from the bottom of my heart, appreciate all the input and support and suggestions.
 
It'd be great if there were recommended vets for dentals across the country. Yes Simon etc might be the best, but that's not realistic for everyone so other options would be really helpful.
 
Marie at Taylor and Marshall in Shifnal Shropshire is a bit closer to you, she does my rabbit's dentals and is great.

Or could we organise a piggy train to Northampton so you don't have to make the journey yourself? Any ideas anyone? I'm happy to do part of the journey if I'm not working.
 
I certainly intended no pressure on you to make the journey, we've organised many a piggy train to TEAS and I was thinking we could do the same for you. I'm sorry that this came across badly and at a stressful time.
 
poggle said:
I certainly intended no pressure on you to make the journey, we've organised many a piggy train to TEAS and I was thinking we could do the same for you. I'm sorry that this came across badly and at a stressful time.
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Agreed, nobody here would ever want to make you feel pressured or guilty, I'm sorry it came across that way.
 
Wheekallweek said:
Marie at Taylor and Marshall in Shifnal Shropshire is a bit closer to you, she does my rabbit's dentals and is great.

Or could we organise a piggy train to Northampton so you don't have to make the journey yourself? Any ideas anyone? I'm happy to do part of the journey if I'm not working.
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I think Harrogate is nearer to Northampton than Shropshire but will check👍
 
So sorry to cause you any stress, we have been in your situation and we appreciate the stress you feel under and certainly don’t want to make you feel any worse :hug:
The reason why nobody is suggesting any other vets that have many successes is quite simply Guinea pig dentistry is a very niche area and there’s very few vets that have the experience and knowledge when it comes to correcting guinea pigs teeth
 
I'm sorry if you feel under pressure. Nobody wanted to make you feel like that. The sad fact is, there are so few vets who can successfully deal with guinea pig teeth and people travel from all over the UK to see Simon and Kim Maddock, as they are the only ones who seem to be able to sort most of them out. I was once asked where I hoped TEAS would be in 5 years time. My answer was, not needed! I would really be so happy if no-one needed to send their piggies to us and could get the treatment elsewhere, but I am losing hope that will ever happen. I wish you well in trying to find help for your piggy and if you wanted to discuss what we could offer further, then please message me xx
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
I wonder if "root canal inflammation" could be the same as the "pulpitis" that Kim Maddock diagnosed in my Squeaks in March? She said that an infection gets to the very start of where the teeth grow from - in Squeaks' case his lower incisors - and weakens the growing tooth. They were wearing at a slant and then one broke too.

This is where Simon and Kim Maddock are so good. My vet wanted to sedate and xray to try to see what was going on, but Simon and Kim see guineas with dental issues so much that they can often work out what is happening by feel and sight, avoiding the risk of sedation.
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I was wondering how pulpit was diagnosed?
xray, scanner?
 
Kikko said:
I was wondering how pulpit was diagnosed?
xray, scanner?
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Basically, by visual examination and feel, at 2 appointments a month apart.

Over about 3 months, his lower incisors had broken a couple of times and wore at a slant several times. Each time my usual vet burred them to a nice straight edge, but then it would happen again.

I took him to see Kim, who could see that there were no problems with his molars (molar overgrowth can lead to uneven wear of the incisors). She felt his jaw, neck and head very thoroughly, and said there was no sign of any source of pain such as abscess. A month later she repeated the examination and could still feel nothing wrong. She pointed out however that his lower incisors (or at least the one that kept breaking, I can’t remember) , as well as not growing back 100% normally, were slightly discoloured.

It was the discolouration and breaking, along with the lack of other sources of pain, that lead her to diagnose pulpitis.
 
Mine had a dental scan yesterday and it appears that one of his molars has a cavity inside the tooth. The vet didn't mention pulpitis but suggested that the molar should be extracted.
I think it would be hard to spot pulpitis in molars without X-rays or a scanner.
 
I'm not an expert, so can't comment on whether a cavity in a molar would be related to pulpitis (which I understand is inflammation right at the base of the tooth, in the flesh), or about the best treatment for it. Incisors are obviously rather different from molars.

If you would like more specific advice about your pig's problem from experts, it would be better to start your own thread (perhaps 'Report' your first post and ask the Moderators to move these posts to a new thread.)
 
poggle said:
I certainly intended no pressure on you to make the journey, we've organised many a piggy train to TEAS and I was thinking we could do the same for you. I'm sorry that this came across badly and at a stressful time.
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Can I ask what a piggie train is please. My sweet girl has just been diagnosed with dental disease and we are waiting to hear the proper results of the CT. I’ve done everything to prevent this but it’s still happened. I want to get her the best treatment possible but I have literally only just passed my driving test so I can’t get there myself.
 
Bill & Ted said:
Hello and Welcome to the forum
Can you travel? There is a good guinea pig vet in Derbyshire who deals with dental problems, it would be well worth the visit as she has all the tools to look inside your piggies mouth properly and find out what’s the problem and do the necessary work if needed or prescribe medication she needs to heal any infection
Recommended Guinea Pig Vet | The Guinea Pig Vet | England

In the meantime you should weigh daily at the same time and start syringe feeding. You should aim for 60 ml a day or as near to that if you can. Also keep on hand feeding plenty of small bits of veg and grass

Here is a link for our complete syringe feeding guide, she must eat or her tummy will shut down, please read through the links they will help you bridge before you can get her help
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
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What vet is this please !❤️❤️
 
A piggy train usually transports a pig from their old home to a new home, or sometimes to a place better situated for short-term but ongoing veterinary care. Volunteers take the pig as far as they can in the right direction, handing the pig off to the next volunteer until they've reached their destination.

I think the vet was Ellie in Matlock, should be on the list linked if I'm right!
 
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