Malocclusion Experiences and Links To Gp Illnesses

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gizzy

Post   » Sat Jun 27, 2009 11:40 am


Polly was 2years when first appeared, has lost one set of molars ,

has anaesthetic free incisors cut and remaining molars cut and rasped every 12-16 days .

Her father Little pig had one malocclused molar (left bottom pre)
Cut and rasp every 3 weeks .
Died last year, developed small ulcer after one vet visit , don’t know whether that had anything to do with his death , though it did have signs of heart failer (died in my arms , I still weep )

xuehua

Post   » Tue Aug 11, 2009 5:26 am


1) Caramel/American/age...unsure...maybe 2

2) Unsure how old he was, first treated in March 2008.

3) No heart problems, but he did suffer from scurvy (I was a new owner and gave the wrong veg. and fruits). Just as he was getting better I left for music camp, on the second day away my mom called saying he took a turn for the worse. Which was due to the malocclusion.

4) Treatment- Took him in to get his molars trimmed. Ordered the chin-sling but found out about it a tad too late. He passed on two days later.

5) Nope, I believe it helped cause it.

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pigjes
Cavy Comic

Post   » Tue Sep 29, 2009 1:45 am


Druppy

1) Age 22 months

2) Three weeks before we noticed there was a serious problem, she refused one of her treats. We didn't think anything of it. She lost weight, but as they all had caught gastroenteritis from me, I wasn't worried yet, as they all lost some weight.

3) Then, on Friday, she stopped eating. I weighed her and noticed a serious weight loss in one week time. It took some investigation to find out, as she actually pretended to eat, sitting at the bowl, sitting in the pile of hay they get daily, joining the group to eat veggies.

4) I force fed her with syringes of recovery, yet instead of water to mix with it, I made her fresh veggie juices and an occasional fresh fruit juice to keep her interested in it. She loved it a lot! She stopped loosing weight. The vet had scheduled a teeth trim on Thursday. The vet told me if she didn't eat by Wednesday, to return. She nibbled once on food right after the trim, then stopped eating again.

5) Had another tooth trim rescheduled on the next Thursday. I got pain meds, yet they turned her into a zombie. Once weaned off, she seemed to perk up a little. She ate once a nibble after and stopped eating again.

6) A few days after, I noticed her mouth was filled with dried up recovery, so I managed to rince it out. The next days, I checked to see if there wasn't any build up of recovery still. She was eager for her recovery made with fresh juices. The vet had told me to to worry about overgrowing yet, as the teeth were filed even further down, to wait 10 days and see what it would give.

7) Thursday, I noticed that her pink gums and lips were blue. Then, I realized her gums and lips must have been less pink the weeks before, yet not in a way you'd notice, but remember after. The vet looked at her mouth too and often, he didn't notice it either, but I realized this was building up for weeks. She hadn't lost weight till Monday, but lost weight rapidly since that moment and looked very poorly. I feared the worst. I was certain she had heart issues. I also saw her heart having to make an effort to beat. Piggie heart issues are not treated here by vets, so I started to look around on what meds she needed and what I could get on short notice.

8) Friday, I had planned to go back to the vet and convince him to prescribe some heart meds. But, I noticed Druppy couldn't stand on her feet anymore and needed help to fold her legs to sit, as that's all she wanted. Her lips and gums, her tongue and cheeks were blue. I knew it was too late and she was going to die, not even survive a trip to the vet. I had made her 4 different juices to add to the recovery, knowing it was her last day. She could barely eat anymore, yet was eager to have some, as she loved the new taste to the recovery each time a lot.

8) In the afternoon, it was time to offer her a drink. She refused to drink, but as soon as she tasted the fresh fruit juice I made for her, she was happy to have some. I petted her, kissed her, put her back in the cage in sitting position to quickly do something and when I returned, her candle had blown out by the wind.

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kezza

Post   » Thu Dec 10, 2009 4:37 am


1. white & gold sheba
6mths when bought, always slim and never put on weight.
Was 1 year when became bravely ill and had first tooth trim.
suffered from scurvy from hand feeding and has had diarrhoea.
Still recovering 2 weeks on.
No other signs on illness

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KarmicVegan

Post   » Mon Feb 08, 2010 6:51 pm


Ziggy 1 1/2 years old - American piggie

Ziggy had his first signs at the age of about 1 1/2 - he had his molars trimmed down.

But had a really hard time to the medications and developed Bloat. He couldnt eat and no matter how much Critical Care we gave him he began to loose weight dramatically.

within 2 weeks of his first surgery his front teeth as well as his molars had grown back! -- he was in severe pain. I took him to the emergency room twice and was referred to Dr. Greenberg. (at this time I didnt know much about cavies).

Dr. Greenberg did a 2nd surgery -- also a 2nd molar trim.

Within 3 weeks of the first surgery --- Ziggy's molars had grown back so fast they had entrapped his tonge.

Ziggy's problems were much more than just his teeth. He had Antibiotic intollerence and the bloat prevented him from eating antyhing. - even with the Critical CAre- Ziggy lost 60% of his body weight. He very skinny- his body could not handel the medications and the surgeries.

He basically wilted in front of me-- no matter how much I tried to make him better - he never did he only got worse. Vet vist after vet visit - his little body was too weak.

One morning I woke up to feed him-- and there he was lying on his side wasping for air---- It wasnt Ziggy anymore - Ziggy has left us -- his body was there wasping for air but Ziggy was gone. I couldnt see him die this way so we rushed him to Dr. Greenberg so he may go in peace-- He died in August 2008

ZIGGY had a Jaw Mal-allginment ( I found this out after he passed) --- his teeth were growing to fast and his molars were not alligned properly so they were not grinding down.

I missy my Ziggy Piggy

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shayguin

Post   » Tue Feb 16, 2010 7:05 am


1) Spots/American/5 years (approx.)

2) 5 years old at first treatment (December 2009)-- we started noticing that he was eating less, but foolishly passed it off as his age or the change we'd made to his diet, since he was still masticating hay and pellets. We did check his teeth, but oddly he only had molar malocclusion (apparently, though I don't fully understand this), and we simply didn't realize until he had the drools that something was really wrong. Fortunately there is a cavy-savvy vet hospital near us (we live in a big city) and we took him to their E.R. They were able to at least give him some Metacam for pain and Critical Care to help him gain back the significant weight he had lost until we could schedule the surgery. Complicating matters, he had a gut stoppage and was not doing well, and the vet didn't want to put him under unless his gut was doing well. Scheduled the surgery, he went in and came out so, SO much happier and perkier, tugged the syringe out of our hands at feeding time, just a whole new animal. Unfortunately the vet had explained to us that he also had root growth, as was demonstrated by a slight bulge in his left eye, and that eventually he would lose the eye and the root would grow into his brain, killing him. She warned us that surgery to remove the root would likely kill him at his age (if it were even possible) and that she couldn't guarantee how much time we had with him. We proceeded with the filing anyway, hoping for the best, and we got two solid months of good time with him.

He had just begun masticating hay and hard food on his own again when we came home from work to find his eye completely dead in the socket (it had gotten swollen during the day and he had been unable to close it). We took him back to the ER, but all they could do was put him on pain meds until he passed away or surgically amputate his eye, which I was firmly against. So instead we decided to let him have a gentle passage with no more suffering and put him down last month. He did live a long life, and he was a good pig til the end.

3) Arthritis, onset date unknown, discovered during the x-rays for the malocclusion.

4) Tramadol for pain (same as in humans, different dose, evidently!)

5) No, though I hold that treating his arthritis did help us get more quality time with him. He became more vocal again, more chipper, and it really made a difference.

Spots, we miss you.
R.I.P.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Feb 16, 2010 9:22 am


I would just like to reiterate how vitally important it is to weigh regularly (at least once a week) and notice changes in your guinea pig. So many problems can be treated if they are caught early vs. progressing to the point where they are life threatening.

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KarmicVegan

Post   » Thu Feb 18, 2010 3:14 pm


That is very very try Lynx--- That's how we found out about Ziggy piggy - we started loosing weight and then also noticed the drooling- But in Ziggy's case there was not much they could have done - he had his jaw mal alligned - never new if it was genetic or if something happened to him.

Weighing is very vital !

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Feb 18, 2010 4:23 pm


Did you always weigh regularly? At least once a week? How soon after noticing a drop in weight did you seek treatment?

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KarmicVegan

Post   » Mon Feb 22, 2010 3:16 pm


Ziggy and Chomper were my first guinea pigs I ever had and I ended up learning as I went. I'll never make that mistake again! I still mourn ziggy's death - I think about him all the time.

I did research when I found this site and was very usefull --- i weighed them every other week ( I now weigh my piggies weekly and daily if they are sick) ---

What I forgot to mention is --- Ziggy came done with a URI and was given Baytril-- Ziggy had a bad reaction to Baytril and came done with Bloat... during this time he was loosing weight (because of the bloat he would not eat) I had to feed him Critical Care- and mashed up food for him.

It was always one thing after another with Ziggy- I didnt know Dr. R I went off the vet list and went to Dr. Pasco and someone in Tustin--- The Vet in Tustin missed some vital in him (we found out later) and I ended up taking him to the ER to see Dr. Pasco- who referred me to Dr. Greengerg -- It was just too much for his little body to take ---

The regrets I have was that I didnt know the right vet and I shouldve keeptd better weight records...

I'll never realy know if he his condition was genetic or if something happed to him before I got him. after his death Dr. Greenberg told me his jaw was mal - aligned and he would have always had to have his teeth trimmed - his molars were not connecting properly and therefore would not grind down,. His teeth were also growing faster then we would have expeted... even Dr. G was surprised as how fast his teeth grew in just a few days.

---- Im now very, very cautious with my piggies-- My boyfriend thinks Im a big worry wart now--- I cant help it -- since ziggy passing I cant help but try to be a better piggy mom.

Weight is a huge indicator--- Ziggy was loosing weight because of the bloat and his URI--- we associated the loss with that and when the Teeth problems came up his body was just recovering.

I really missy him.

Tonya

Post   » Tue Feb 23, 2010 10:28 pm


Just a thought, I did a bunch of research on the potential problems with guinea pigs prior to bringing them home from the pet store. In my research malocclusion came up frequently.....so I decided to be creative in hopes this will prevent malocclusion:

In the guinea "house" I added a bunch of river rock to the decor. I have watched the guineas enough to see they appear to be using the rock as I had hoped and in what appears to be scraping of the teeth.

Just wondering if anyone else has added natural elements to guinea housing for this purpose and and what your experiences are?

lildave777

Post   » Sun Aug 01, 2010 10:57 am


Hi Tonya, I'm new here, but saw ur post and thought I'd add my comment. I have a mineral stone in my hutch with my 2 guinea pigs, and one of them mostly bites in rather than licks it, the other one tho, my poor baby with the malloclusion, doesnt bite it at all, he licks it. Dont know if that helps but thought I'd let u know.

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