Teeth How long to eating after getting teeth filed

[mercurybubbles8]

I’ve had many guinea pigs have to get their front teeth and back teeth filed and within 2 days, they are eating normally again. I had another pig get her back molars filed two days ago and she still won’t eat on her own. She bites down on stuff, but doesn’t seem to go any farther than that. I’m going to call the vet in the morning, but has anyone else had a pig where it took a long time to get them eating again?

Also, she is on metacam and I’m feeding her with critical care.

 

[bpatters]

If they planed her molars so much that she can't grab the food between her teeth, she can't pull it into her mouth. You can cut her food in matchstick slivers and push it back into her mouth to make it easier for her.

It'll also make it easier if the food is thicker than lettuce for example -- slivers of carrot, young squash, bell pepper, tomato, etc.

The teeth should grow back very soon.

The other possibility is that they nicked her gum(s) while they were planing. It's hard to plane a pig's teeth without doing that, because there's just not much room in the mouth. That should clear up in a couple of days also.

 

[mercurybubbles8]

I’ve tried the slivers and she just wants to spit them back out. Between that and the eye squinting, I’m still wondering if something is wrong.

 

[bpatters]

Are you getting the sticks all the way back to the molars?

Did they also trim the front teeth?

 

[mercurybubbles8]

Yes I am. I always feel bad for doing it and am pretty impressed that she’s able to spit it out.

The vet said they didn’t trim the front teeth, which is what I thought was weird.

 

[sallyvh]

Did she have skull and jaw x-rays done? The squinting eye in combination with overgrown molars is extremely concerning. There could be something internal going on like overgrown roots, an abscess or even a mass that would not have been detected with a trim.

 

[bpatters]

It's not unusual not to trim the front teeth. They only need trimming when there's something seriously wrong with the molars. Otherwise, the grinding motion of the molars keep the incisors ground down.

 

[mercurybubbles8]

I took her to the vet and he says all her teeth are fine. She’s gotten to a point where she eats tomatos, lettuce, and peppers but doesn’t seem to want the harder vegetables. Her weight is still down, but since she wants to eat and weight is steady, I’m hoping she’ll be okay