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Teeth Slanted incisors

klz1313

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Hi everyone,

My guinea pig, Cookie unfortunately currently has slanted incisors at the moment. Grateful if anyone can tell us what might be the issue and what we might be able to do to help him. Details on Cookie's journey for the past 3 weeks below.

It started with him losing interest in his oaten hay and most vegetables (except herbs) and consequently no stool starting 3 weeks ago. We took him to our vet immediately (recommended by guinea pig rescue centres here) and he was diagnosed with boar butt so it was assumed this was causing him some discomforts. His butt was cleaned out for him but 24 hours later, we realised he was still not interested hay. He continues to only chew vegetables very slowly (kale, mint and corn husk) and would sometimes give up chewing half way. They couldn't find any issues with Cookie's teeth with a physical examination so they took some x-rays (see below in case it helps) and blood test. Subsequently they found his right molar was a bit long so they proceeded with filing it down (they were able to do it without anesthetics). In the process there was a bit of bleeding on the tongue so they couldn't finish and it was scheduled for Cookie to come back in a week for the final touch-up. For that week, he still wasn't interested in our oaten and timothy hay so we went out to get fresh grass for him twice a day and fed him herbs and corn husk (and of course Emeraid). Towards the end of the week, we realised his incisors (front teeth) started slanting. When we visited the vet for the final touch-up, she said the slant is new and concerning but didn't quite know what might be wrong. She recommended we observe the situation for 2 weeks and then come back.

Its been a week since the final touch-up and the slant is still there. In fact there is now a little ulcer on his front lower lip now :(. The good news is that we bought some orchard hay which are softer and, therefore, he is showing some interest in the last 24 hours. Keen to take better care of Cookie ahead of his next vet visit next week and be prepared to ask better questions - so any tips will be really appreciated. Cookie lives in Sydney, Australia.

A few more details:
Age - 4.5 years old

Weight -
he dropped from 1050grams to 900 in the first 48 hours. We then started with Emeraid and kept it around 900. During the past week he has been slowly gaining weight and is around 930 (now off Emeraid, with his main diet being grass, veggie and some hay).

Painkiller - prescribed amount of loxicorn for the first 10 days

Others -
Blood test came back normal. Started giving him vitamin C starting 1 week ago as he was (and is still) not interested in some of his previous beloved veggies

His slanted incisors (with an ulcer on the lower left lip)

IMG_1682.jpg

He still sometimes give up half-way with his corn husks
IMG_1655.jpg

His x-rays 2 weeks ago (Cookie definitely looks more adorable in real life)
cookie0006.jpgcookie0004.jpgcookie0005.jpg.
 

bpatters

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You need a new vet.

Slanted teeth are a classic sign of problems with the molars -- either overgrowth on one side or the other (or both), spurs that poke the tongue or cheek and make it painful to eat, or elongated roots.

I'd find a vet with rodent dental experience and get a good oral exam. ASAP. Tooth problems like this never resolve themselves, and the pig can get really debilitated from lack of food if it goes on too long.
 

klz1313

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Thanks bpatters, really appreciate your suggestion it is most likely the molars. Cookie has actually visited 3 different vets that all came with recommendation on guinea pig dental experience. It really did seem like during the vet sessions, they all were trying to help, experienced (at least from my unqualified perspective) and looked at the molars. So I was hoping to see whether any other guinea pig parents here can offer some valuable advice on what we can do or how we can work with the vet in identifying the issue - on the chance they missed something.

It's okay if this is a tricky one. I'll still make sure to update the post if we can identify the issue. Completely aware this issue will never resolve by itself.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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Thanks bpatters, really appreciate your suggestion it is most likely the molars. Cookie has actually visited 3 different vets that all came with recommendation on guinea pig dental experience. It really did seem like during the vet sessions, they all were trying to help, experienced (at least from my unqualified perspective) and looked at the molars. So I was hoping to see whether any other guinea pig parents here can offer some valuable advice on what we can do or how we can work with the vet in identifying the issue - on the chance they missed something.

It's okay if this is a tricky one. I'll still make sure to update the post if we can identify the issue. Completely aware this issue will never resolve by itself.

I had a boy named Sly who had chronic dental issues. The cause was never identified, and he endured 11 dental procedures over a period of almost two years.

Here is the link to his medical thread. https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/114592-Sly-s-Medical-Thread?highlight=Sly's+medical


I'm hoping maybe you find something in there that helps you. I have a fair bit of experience with dental issues with pigs, and it almost seems like the vet you have has either missed something, or isn't as experienced with dental issues. Either that, or the issue is more complex than currently seen.

I'll be monitoring this thread for developments. I do hope you can find and correct what's happening with your boy.
 

bpatters

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It may be elongated molar roots, which can be hard to diagnose. The only treatment is repeated overplaning of the molars to reduce the pain when the pig is chewing. But a good vet with a good x-ray machine should be able to see that.
 

klz1313

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Thank you Guinea Pig Papa, very happy you noticed this post because your thread was one of the first I read when we first noticed Cookie's condition - very informative and we want to provide the same standard of care for Cookie as you did for Sly.

I take your point on the vet. It does seem to me that having a guinea pig as a pet isn't as popular in Australia vs elsewhere so this "might" be a contributing factor. This is also why we asked guinea pig rescue centres for a few recommendations as I know from reading the various posts here that guinea pig dental issues are impossible to diagnose without experience. But I'm saying this with a lot of hesitancy as the last thing I want to do is discourage vet visits - we could tell that each of them are trying their best and took their time in eliminating the possible causes. It might simply be that Cookie's situation is complicated
 

klz1313

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Thank you so much! I'll do some research on this and will also check with the vet to see whether they are familiar with the condition.
 
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