Incisor growing weird and jagged
About 10 days ago I noticed my 4 year old Duck was sleeping a lot more and eating less and very slowly. Her vet said she suspects its a problem with her lower left incisor. It appears to be growing out all wonky and bumpy. The vet prescribed metacam for the pain and metoclopramide to prevent stasis. She said Duck might need to have a procedure done on the tooth to treat the actual problem since the medication is really just for her pain.
Duck felt much better the first few days after we went to the vet, but she's going back to sleeping a lot and eating slowly despite the pain medication. I really don't want Duck to get any procedures unless absolutely necessary, so I wonder what are the reasons for her tooth to be growing out all jagged? I suspect she may have infection- but why wouldn't the vet have prescribed an antibiotic instead of metacam and a motility medication? I have already emailed the vet asking about antibiotics and am waiting for a reply.
Duck felt much better the first few days after we went to the vet, but she's going back to sleeping a lot and eating slowly despite the pain medication. I really don't want Duck to get any procedures unless absolutely necessary, so I wonder what are the reasons for her tooth to be growing out all jagged? I suspect she may have infection- but why wouldn't the vet have prescribed an antibiotic instead of metacam and a motility medication? I have already emailed the vet asking about antibiotics and am waiting for a reply.
- Lynx
- Celebrate!!!
Or (if you have a clear, crisp photo), you can email it to me:
Did the vet do a dental xray? Check for infection of the tooth? There is lots of info in the teeth pages. It could be a simple broken tooth growing out but not as likely since you are seeing other problems. Do weigh daily to make sure she's getting enough food.
https://www.guinealynx.info/teeth.html
https://www.guinealynx.info/teeth_broken.html
https://www.guinealynx.info/malocclusion.html
Did the vet do a dental xray? Check for infection of the tooth? There is lots of info in the teeth pages. It could be a simple broken tooth growing out but not as likely since you are seeing other problems. Do weigh daily to make sure she's getting enough food.
https://www.guinealynx.info/teeth.html
https://www.guinealynx.info/teeth_broken.html
https://www.guinealynx.info/malocclusion.html
- ItsaZoo
- Supporter in 2023
The vet should do a thorough dental exam with a scope and really take a good look at all the teeth. If that’s inconclusive, xrays would be in order. While a front tooth alone could be sore or infected, usually incisor problems indicate problems with other teeth. And if there is an infection, it needs to be addressed with antibiotics and possibly surgery rather than just pain meds.
In the meantime, you will have to keep food moving through her system. Will she eat if you feed her long sticks of food, like veggies cut in long strips? You will probably need to hand feed Critical Care or some other mashed up food. There is info on the medical care guide, and your vet should be able to help you as well.
In the meantime, you will have to keep food moving through her system. Will she eat if you feed her long sticks of food, like veggies cut in long strips? You will probably need to hand feed Critical Care or some other mashed up food. There is info on the medical care guide, and your vet should be able to help you as well.
Thanks for the input everyone! My vet responded and she said she believes a procedure would be ultimately necessary to fix the irregular incisor, but she is willing to prescribe a course of antibiotics if I would like. What do you think would be the best thing to do here? I know how rough antibiotics can be on a pig's gut so I don't want to put Duck through that if she's inevitably going to get a procedure for the tooth. Do you think an xray would help Duck?
@ItsaZoo- Yes she will eat if the veggies are cut up for her- just very very slowly. I am mostly worried about her hay intake since I used to always find her in the hay, but now its much rarer to find her there. I am giving her critical care to supplement.
@bpatters- I agree that $300 is obscene. I live in NYC and am afraid that this is the norm for exotic vets here. Our visit cost over $200 for an examination and the 2 medications. I will try to get a better picture of the tooth. It's a little difficult to get a picture by myself.
@ItsaZoo- Yes she will eat if the veggies are cut up for her- just very very slowly. I am mostly worried about her hay intake since I used to always find her in the hay, but now its much rarer to find her there. I am giving her critical care to supplement.
@bpatters- I agree that $300 is obscene. I live in NYC and am afraid that this is the norm for exotic vets here. Our visit cost over $200 for an examination and the 2 medications. I will try to get a better picture of the tooth. It's a little difficult to get a picture by myself.
- Lynx
- Celebrate!!!
Here is a slightly closer crop of your pic:
Can the mouth close fully? To see kind of what the teeth should look like, look over https://www.guinealynx.info/teeth_broken.html Each guinea pig will have slightly different teeth but that page may help. If there is something wrong with the molars, sometimes it is reflected in the incisors.
Can the mouth close fully? To see kind of what the teeth should look like, look over https://www.guinealynx.info/teeth_broken.html Each guinea pig will have slightly different teeth but that page may help. If there is something wrong with the molars, sometimes it is reflected in the incisors.
yes her mouth can close fully. Here is a better image of her tooth. You can see its got this wavy texture at the bottom and its bumpy further away from the root. I believe that the problem is with this incisor because she will take her urinary support tablet and run but she won't eat it unless we break it up into smaller pieces for her. Once they're bite size she can eat happily which makes me think her molars aren't the reason she is eating less.
I just got back from a different exotic vet for a second opinion. She didn't suggest an antibiotic either. Since the vet didn't seem to have a sense of urgency about the possibility of an infection spreading, would it be safe to watch for improvements for another few days? I know how bad antibiotics can be on their gut.