[Gpdd] [CARE] Teeth and Anaesthesia

[Dr Kay Dudman]

Dear Carla, Snickers and Snowball

Thank you for your kind words about Adam, it's so sad when we lose our
little piggy pals.

I know anaesthesia every 10 weeks does sound a lot, but the worry is the
alternative.  My Felicity has to have her teeth trimmed, and she has
isoflurane which seems to be the safest anaesthetic as it doesn't seem to
be metabolised by the body in the same way as some of the others - it's
just breathed out.  My brother said he has had some experience of
isoflurane as he is an industrial chemist, and was doing some work on it
as a possible solvent for other chemicals; he said it doesn't have a funny
smell or leave you feeling at all nauseous, which is a relief.

The Cambridge Cavy Trust suggests that molars could be trimmed without
anaesthetic using bone roungers (like hollow pliers) and buccal pad
separators to hold the mouth open.  My worry would be that could be very
stressful for a piggy.  It could be the way to go for a one-off
treatment, though.

Maybe a quick whiff of anaesthetic while the molars are burred
(apparently a special drill is used for this) could be more quickly
performed and would be less stressful than having someone wedge your
mouth open and put in some clippers to snip off any excess tooth.  Maybe
the roungers would be OK for spikes on the teeth rather than trimming the
entire tooth.

If there is a problem with the front teeth, they can be trimmed quickly
and easily without anaesthetic.  Problems with the front teeth can
indicate that there might be trouble further back.  If there is dental
malocclusion, where the teeth aren't lined up properly, then they may wear
unevenly so that a spur or a spike will form, and this could cut into the
cheek or tongue.

It's something that has worried me, and I know that all of us on the
digest want the best for our piggies.  It's a question of knowing your
piggy, taking expert advice, and going for the best option in the
circumstances.

If there is a broken tooth, it is quite common to trim the other to match
(to avoid the upper and lower teeth growing unevenly), and that would be a
one-off event.  Each case would have to be considered individually.

I look forward to hearing about the chin sling.

Best wishes

Kay