Dental
Hi ive just joined as I have been reading the posts wondered if anyone had any advice, needing a miracle. George my 2 year old piggy, has been having dental problems for about 6 weeks. Started with him not eating, took to vets and they did dental, said there were spurs. 2 weeks later he went down Jill again, took him to exotic vets with Verwood reputation, he had x rays , back teeth very overgrown and elongated roots, jaw problems, couldn't shit mouth properly, anyway he did pick up and then down hill , 2 weeks again ( he never really ate alot know his own in between but we were syringing well) another dental said his teeth were really overgrown again , now they have said they don't think he can chew properly at all as he had lots of food accumulated, so I presume that's his jaw read about chin sling? He's on gabapentin, metacam and paracetamol. The vets says put to sleep but I really don't want to give e up and I don't think George does either, any suggestions/ help would be greatly appreciated, or any similar stories eith a positive outcome?? Thanks
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- And got the T-shirt
Sadly, there aren't many good outcomes for pigs with elongated roots. The only effective treatment that I know of is regular planing of the teeth. That's hard on both the pig and your pocketbook -- the pig because of the need for repeated anesthesia, and you because you're having to pay for all those repeated vet visits. If his teeth are growing so quickly that he needs the planings every two weeks, I'm not sure how long that treatment would even be possible.
The chin sling is really designed for jaw joint problems, I believe. Someone else can weigh in here if that's not the case.
IMO, the kindest thing to do would be to have him euthanized. Otherwise, he's going to be in pretty constant pain. I'm sorry he's having these problems.
The chin sling is really designed for jaw joint problems, I believe. Someone else can weigh in here if that's not the case.
IMO, the kindest thing to do would be to have him euthanized. Otherwise, he's going to be in pretty constant pain. I'm sorry he's having these problems.
- Lynx
- Resist!!!
I am so sorry George is having these problems. It is indeed difficult to successfully treat some dental issues.
It is my understanding that with the chin sling, it may be possible to maintain elongated teeth if caught early enough:
https://www.guinealynx.info/elongated_roots.html
It is my understanding that with the chin sling, it may be possible to maintain elongated teeth if caught early enough:
https://www.guinealynx.info/elongated_roots.html
It's unfortunate that your little one is having dental issues. As others have stated, there just isn't many options. You could ask about removing his molars. It's not unprecedented to have a guinea pig with no molars, but I would caution you that the after care is extensive, long term and daunting. You will have to syringe feed him for the rest of his life. That's if he survives the surgery to remove them. Since guinea pigs eat almost constantly, it's extremely involved. You have to take his current health into consideration. If he is already weak from these issues or if he's lost too much weight, it might be more humane to end his suffering. I'm sorry there isn't anything more or better we can offer.
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- You can quote me
We had one that needed planing every 2 to 3 weeks. Our vet got it down to a system; took maybe 30-45 minutes each time, and she was kind enough to give us a quantity discount (!!).
That said, he was a tough, strong pig, and the most overtly intelligent one we ever had. My husband would give him multiple 25 cc syringes of Critical Care which he just sucked down, while he read a comic book. :-)
If you have the time and money, and maybe most importantly if the pig is up to it, repeated, regular planings are doable. But they don't really "fix" anything; the elongated roots, and teeth, continue to overgrow. We tried a Chin-Sling; he would not tolerate it.
Our pig eventually developed a dental abscess. Elongated roots, bluntly, suck. My advice would be to consider his quality of life, as best you can judge it. Our pig's QoL was good, until it wasn't.
Good luck and blessings to George and to you.
That said, he was a tough, strong pig, and the most overtly intelligent one we ever had. My husband would give him multiple 25 cc syringes of Critical Care which he just sucked down, while he read a comic book. :-)
If you have the time and money, and maybe most importantly if the pig is up to it, repeated, regular planings are doable. But they don't really "fix" anything; the elongated roots, and teeth, continue to overgrow. We tried a Chin-Sling; he would not tolerate it.
Our pig eventually developed a dental abscess. Elongated roots, bluntly, suck. My advice would be to consider his quality of life, as best you can judge it. Our pig's QoL was good, until it wasn't.
Good luck and blessings to George and to you.