Coco's tooth

Marjorie_61 · Post » Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:03 am

Post » Mon Sep 08, 2008 11:37 am

Here is your photo:

Sending good thoughts for Thursday's vet visit.

Marjorie_61 · Post » Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:18 pm

Thanks for the good wishes, and getting my picture up. I'm not good with computers on the best of days, and definitely not when I'm in a rush to get to work. I really appreciate it. I will let you all know how it goes.

Marjorie_61 · Post » Tue Sep 16, 2008 11:22 pm

Well, the vet looked at Coco's teeth, said his gums still looked quite red, looked as well as she could at his premolars with an otoscope and said they appeared to be fine. So she put him on antibiotics for 2 weeks to see if it would help his gums look better and possibly make his tooth start growing in normal. I was quite hesitant to put him on the antibiotics as he normally reacts to it and stops eating and gets diarrhea. He is on novo trimel (Bactrim) and so far, its day 3 and no reaction, he even seems to enjoy taking it. So fingers crossed that this will work. If not she wants to sedate, do radiographs and take a good look at the back of his mouth. I am not quite prepared to do that, as the risks are much higher of a guinea pig dying that way then when a dog or cat goes under anesthetic. She also quickly looked at my other guinea pig Taz, I guess as a comparison and I brought up that he has this white mark on his eye that is growing. Apparently it is a calcium deposit, that can continue to grow and make it difficult for him to see out of that eye....my guinea pigs are not even 3 yet and so many issues. I don't know what else to do, they get unlimited hay, veggies twice a day, Oxbow Cavy Cuisine (measured to 1/4 cup a day - for two piggies). I hope this is just a snag and the live a lot longer.

Post » Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:32 am

I hope the Bactrim helps Coco. It is usually tolerated better than Baytril.

"She also quickly looked at my other guinea pig Taz, I guess as a comparison and I brought up that he has this white mark on his eye that is growing. Apparently it is a calcium deposit, that can continue to grow and make it difficult for him to see out of that eye."

If you're interested, there are other members here that have guinea pigs with similar conditions:

Osseous Choriostoma

White spot in eye... calcium deposit?
Moe, a male, develops a "white fleck" in his eye. Description of Osseous Choriostoma.
Lipid Deposit? In the eye?
Stan, a male, develops a white spot in the upper part of his eye.

Osseous Metaplasia

Link to photos of Osseous Metaplasia
Eye photos of Meg (a female), and Milo (a male), both diagnosed with Osseous Metaplasia. Discussion of Osseous Metaplasia.
Spyturtle008's amazing photo of Baby's eye
Frosting's eye
Josephine's comments on Osseous Choriostoma and Osseous Metaplasia.

Mum · Post » Wed Sep 17, 2008 9:28 am

I am not quite prepared to do that, as the risks are much higher of a guinea pig dying that way then when a dog or cat goes under anesthetic.

The risks are greatly reduced with a good vet. If the pig had an abscess under that root, the tooth may have to be removed.

The only way to properly examine the molars is under light anesthetic. I wouldn't hesitate to do this given what you're dealing with, and as long as you have a good vet.

Post » Wed Sep 17, 2008 10:44 am

An xray can provide very valuable information. I would definitely have one done if you wish to know what is really going on.

Marjorie_61 · Post » Thu Sep 18, 2008 6:27 am

Thanks for the info on the calcium deposit, I'm going to go look at all of it tonight after work. I actually had x-rays done of his mouth, without sedation a couple months ago when he had the abcess under the gums. So you actually just reminded me that I'm going to call that vet today and get her to take pictures of them and email them to my new vet. My new vet does seem to know quite a lot about guinea pigs and exotics in general. She deals with everything from Kangaroo's, lizards, birds, rodents, etc. Coco still is doing well on the Bactrim, no diarrhea and his appetite has not decreased at all. He goes for a recheck once he is finishing the antibiotic and then we will go from there. I'll let you know what happens at the recheck in a week. Thanks again for all of your support and interest.

Marjorie_61 · Post » Sat May 30, 2009 4:16 pm

Please help me again!! Since the last time I wrote Coco's one tooth, the smaller one appeared loose one morning and I brought him to the vet and she took it out, said it was broken below the gum line and that the tooth should grow back. Well the tooth never grew back and his other tooth stayed large and he seemed fine with just the one bottom tooth. I noticed yesterday that he was having a difficult time eating his carrot and this morning again with his veggies. So I just felt his one bottom tooth and it was loose, with only a bit of force it came right out. So now Coco has no bottom teeth, he seems to be able to eat pellets alright without any teeth. I am really starting to think he has a bad abscess under the gums, or some sort of cancer. Has anybody had there guinea pig still be able to eat with only two top teeth?? I weigh him all the time and he hasn't lost any weight, he weighs 2.5 lbs. Any help would be appreciated, Im soo scared that I'm coming to the end with him and it breaks my heart.

oframj · Post » Sat May 30, 2009 4:28 pm

give him a lot of vitamin c, when my little one has the teeth problems (she died on tuesday) my vet told me she is happy that the teeth not appear weak and loose, she said that one of the common problems are that the teeth are weak and loose and the vitamin c keep them strong, go to the vet again, I hope everything will be fine, maybe you should help him a little bit with critical care.

PinkRufus · Post » Sat May 30, 2009 9:34 pm

I've had guinea pigs break incisors before and they were able to eat pellets and hay okay since they chew with their molars. It would be helpful to shred/grate veggies for him because he can't bite pieces off with missing front teeth.

Keep an eye on the top teeth, if they get too long your vet may need to trim them.

Has he had an x-ray?

Post » Sat May 30, 2009 11:01 pm

How long ago did the first tooth break off? Still likely they will grow back. If not, you may need to file the upper incisors slightly to keep from injuring the bottom of the mouth. They do need some length, though, to pull the food into their mouths.

I don't think vitamin C is a cureall but do make sure your guinea pig is getting at least 25mg/day.