mallcousion

[My Baby Mu]

If you ever went to the vet and had your pigs teeth trimed how much did it cost?

 

[loves2travel]

i'd like to know too...is this process very neccessary? If so, how often should it be performed, and what is the average cost?

 

[mncavylover]

This is not neccesary unless your piggies have some sort of disorder. Check the teeth regularly to make sure they are worn down and even, and this shouldn't be a problem. If you need to take it into the vet's, there really isn't an "average" cost because we all live in different places. I hope your piggies are doing well!

 

[loves2travel]

what kind of disorders?

 

[MetallichicA]

When I took Poppy in a while back, the vet charged I think about $15 for clipping the nails and trimming the teeth. I'm not too happy about her doing it, either - Poppy's teeth seemed to be fine, she DEFINITELY had no problems eating, but the vet just whipped out this dremel-looking tool and started grinding away. But anyway, it wasn't expensive.

 

[Treen]

Have a look at this page for more information on teeth and signs that your pig may have malocclusion https://www.guinealynx.info/teeth.html.

The front teeth alone should never need trimming - when something is wrong with them (overgrowing, wearing at an angle etc) it's almost always an indication that something is wrong with the back teeth and that needs to be checked out properly and treated or it will eventually lead to death as they won't be able to eat. Most vets will only trim the back teeth using an anaesthetic, and the safer ones are the most expensive, so this alone contributes to much of the cost.

I paid about £50 (about $90 I think) when one of my pigs needed dental treatment, but like mncavylover said, it varies so much from vet to vet and also on how much treatment they actually need (many vets charge for the time it takes them, rather than a flat fee) that it's hard to come up with an average fee.

Ziggy only ever needed dental treatment once but some pigs need regular treatment for the rest of their lives (often these problems are due to inbreeding).

 

[Denise]

I read in a book that you can trim your piggies teeth with large nail clippers because they have no nerve endings (kind of like hair), but you will NEVER catch me doing this in a million years!!!!!!!!! I could not even imagine that!

 

[Piglet]

Denise, thats awful! But imagine, some people do read that book and follow it. Poor piggies...

 

[My Baby Mu]

I saw that in a book I have too. In the same book it said 5 pigs can have a 2 1/2 feet by 2 1/2 feet cage!!

 

[Piglet]

Oh my. Thank god there are websites like these around.

 

[loves2travel]

I saw that in a book I have too. In the same book it said 5 pigs can have a 2 1/2 feet by 2 1/2 feet cage!!

thats awful!

 

[LiciaMommycott]

I read in a book that you can trim your piggies teeth with large nail clippers because they have no nerve endings (kind of like hair), but you will NEVER catch me doing this in a million years!!!!!!!!! I could not even imagine that!

HHHHHHHHHHHHhhAAAAAAAAAAA HA HA! That's the sound of me rolling on the ground laughing hysterically! I don't know about your pigs but there's no way in H-E-Double Hockey sticks that my pigs would sit still and let me pry their mouths open long enough for me to clip their teeth.

(That's if I was foolish enough to attempt it in the first place - it sounds like a good way to lose a finger!)

I think that even if people believed the book, there's no way this could be accomplished by the average pig owner.

 

[NoVeil]

On one of my guinea pig email lists, there are several owners in Australia that routinely DO trim their pigs teeth that way. I am not confident enough to even attempt it, myself.

 

[LiciaMommycott]

Note that I qualified my statement as applying to the "average guinea pig owner." If vets can do it, obviously it can be done - BUT NOT BY ME.

I've read in my first aid book that if you get bashed on the finger you can get a needle red hot and drill a hole in your fingernail to let the blood out and relieve the pressure. Same reasoning applies - I AIN'T DOIN' IT!!!! Get me to a professional.
Trimming their nails I can handle - even if you screw up, no major harm done. However, I'm guessing that the risk is worse and if you mess up the teeth you could really screw them over.

 

[mncavylover]

I agree with you 100%, Licia! There's no way I'm going to do that.