[Gpdd] HEALTH: Broken teeth

[Debbie Jones]

I remember Zebra broke both his upper front teeth gnawing on the bars of
his cage when I experimentally put his cage in with those of the girls
for company some years ago. I panicked because I remembered reading
somewhere that if one set were broken, the other set would overgrow and
one would have a permanent malocclusion problem. I have no access to
anyone here who can trim teeth, so that would be a disaster for me. So I
contacted Cavies Castle, and the rodentologists there advised me to trim
the 2 lower teeth with a nail clipper, to about the same length as the
broken upper teeth. Luckily my daughter was here at the time, and she has
spent some time with Chris and Tich so was more confident about it than I
would have been if I were on my own. Anyway, we did this, and of course
had to hand feed Zebra his veggies whilst waiting for the teeth to
regrow, but within a week or so his teeth were back to normal. I'm
surprised Penny hasn't mentioned this, as I know she has a lot more
experience than me, both of piggies in general and of the expert
rodentologists at Cavies Castle. Maybe I have mis-remembered something?
But it does seem logical, doesn't it, that if piggie teeth are growing
all the time (which we know they are), and they need to be nibbling hay
all the time to keep them from overgrowing, then if they are unable to
nibble hay for any reason, the teeth will overgrow. If the bottom ones
overgrow into the space normally occupied by the missing top ones, then
when the top ones start growing back, they will not be able to resume
their normal positions, and thus may grow inside or outside their usual
place, thus making it impossible, or at least very difficult, for the
piggie to cut/bite with its teeth. It has always stuck in my mind what
the rodentologists told me when my dear departed Red Dandy was dying.
Yes, his teeth had needed trimming, but in his case, as in the greater
proportion of piggies with overgrown teeth, he had had another,
underlying problem first which had made him stop eating because he was
feeling sore. The stopping eating made the teeth overgrow, which then
made it more difficult for him to eat, which then exacerbated whatever
the original problem was. So I am paranoid about teeth now!! I do hope
Toby makes a speedy and full recovery. Under no circumstances let the vet
remove his teeth!! HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone - or "BONNE ANNEE" as they
say here in France. Debbie and the 8 Dolly Mixtures

"We patronize them for their incompleteness, 
for their tragic fate of having taken a form so far below ourselves. 
And therein we err, and greatly err. 
For the animal shall not be measured by man. 
In a world older and more complete than ours 
they move finished and complete, gifted 
with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, 
living by voices we shall never hear. 
They are not brethren, they are not underlings; 
they are other nations, caught with ourselves 
in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners 
of the splendour and travail of the earth". 
Henry Beston

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