Thread for Melvin

daj

Post   » Fri Apr 22, 2022 1:37 pm


This is for a pig who's had stones before. The primary thing for him is limiting his mineral intake and ensuring he gets his fluid into him. He will go a day without drinking at all if left to his own devices. I sweeten his mix to make he takes it all, especially if I have to leave him with it, rather than syringing the fluid. I'm not using a sweetener for nutrition. Recently that light bulb in my head came on again, the one that wakes me up after drifting away from something that was previously working well, and I am back to using melon as the sweetener again.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Wed Apr 27, 2022 12:54 am


I used to mix a little watermelon juice with Critical Care when Lacey was ill. It doesn’t take much and makes a huge difference in how much they eat or drink.

daj

Post   » Mon Dec 12, 2022 1:33 pm


Is urinalysis any use in diagnosing URI?

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Dec 12, 2022 8:18 pm


I believe urinalyses are more helpful diagnosing UTIs. Unsure if they would be of any help for a respiratory infection (unless a urinalysis turned up a concurrent urinary infection).

daj

Post   » Sat Mar 11, 2023 7:03 pm


Melvin is about 6 now. Lately I've noticed fluid coming from his eyes on occasion, sometimes clear, at other it's milky. He also vocalizes when eating, sometimes, sort of like a bit of a grunt. I suspect there may be something going on with his teeth. I feel lost on this subject. I have looked at the section on teeth, and it seems bewildering. I just had another pig to the vet, and before I knew it, he determined his teeth were the issue and he clipped them. I'm sure he went too short, and he used the type of clipper typically used to trim the nails of dogs.

This guy is an exotics vet, from what I am told. He seems to have good knowledge when it comes to treatment with medications, but I don't think I would let him touch a pig's teeth again. I am wondering how I go about finding someone to trust to look at Melvin? What does planning of the teeth mean? Is that the same as clipping them? Melvin is my senior pig, and I want to get the best care for him and not be naive again when it comes to letting a vet treat his teeth.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Mar 11, 2023 7:19 pm


Have you checked out the eye page? The milky fluid is "cleaning" fluid. If his eyes are watery, perhaps there is some irritation?
https://www.guinealynx.info/eyes.html

You are absolutely right about it not being a good idea to clip teeth/incisors without good reason. This page discusses teeth cut too short:
https://www.guinealynx.info/teeth_broken.html

Planing I believe may be a general term for filing down the teeth. There may be other methods than filing to achieve planing (don't know). But it is a uniform removal of the tooth surface to bring down the relative height.

I don't know what the grunting while eating might mean.

daj

Post   » Sun Mar 12, 2023 12:45 pm


What is your sense of veterinary care of GP teeth in general? I have no idea where I could even find someone competent with teeth, and I have come to have a low opinion of what I have seen from my experience with vets. It routine exams, they don't check the molars, they don't check the pocket or the private parts in general. But they will be eager to total up you bill and move on to the next appointment.

I had seen the section on eyes. Maybe I will just keep an eye on him. He hasn't shown any lack of appetite.

daj

Post   » Sun Mar 12, 2023 12:50 pm


I did order one of these for nipping teeth:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VV ... UTF8&psc=1

Is this a bad idea? And how is one to judge if they are contacting the soft tissue? How long is too long. After what I saw from my vet, I would want to know exactly what procedures another vet uses, before letting them do anything.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sun Mar 12, 2023 1:57 pm


Finding a good pig dentist can be hard. Not even all exotic vets do a good job with guinea pig teeth.

Why do you think there's anything wrong with his teeth? Generally, the main symptoms of tooth problems are 1) wearing down in a slanted fashion, and 2) difficulty in chewing and swallowing food. Both of those indicate a problem with the molars, and the pig has to be anesthetized to work on those.

Guinea pig incisors do not usually need to be trimmed unless they're broken and you need to get rid of sharp points. Those clippers might do. The instrument they usually use are bone rongeurs. But it's possible to crack the teeth down the length of them when clipping the teeth, so I wouldn't do it unless I had to.

Bookfan
For the Love of Pigs

Post   » Sun Mar 12, 2023 3:47 pm


I've been really pleased with the vet group we've used for years. Brownie had elongated roots & needed molars planed to decrease pressure on the tooth when chewing. The vet said her prognosis was guarded. She died shortly after we got her home. I don't know if she ever recovered from the anesthesia. I'm still upset about it.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Mar 12, 2023 9:50 pm


Bottom of the tooth page is a link to a veterinary dentists organization. A veterinary dentist familiar with guinea pigs should be a good choice. Pinta's excellent veterinary dentist (in Canada) is one that in the past we have frequently suggested for second opinions via email (the veterinarian would need to contact him, not the pet owner).

That tool looks wicked (I would not recommend it). Regarding the incisors, a bone ronguer (also shown in the teeth section) would be safer and a glass nail file, safer still.

A veterinarian must know not to overclip teeth.

daj

Post   » Mon Mar 13, 2023 9:47 am


Thanks for this input. I am open to the possibility I am wrong about teeth issues. I was connecting the grunting with the eye fluid and suspecting the teeth. The input here is a relief, and I'm going to just keep an eye on him. The fact is that after 6 yrs. experience now, with pigs, I am very much in the dark on the dental questions. But, there is no way I want to take him in for a problem that doesn't exist. Thanks all.

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