Mouth Infections
Tooth problems can often be triggered by mouth infections
and the reverse can be true.
If a guinea pig cannot chew it's food properly because of
infections in the mouth, which usually lead to painful ulcers,
then the teeth can overgrow because they are not getting the
normal hard wear and tear that they were designed for. Conversely,
teeth that overgrow for other reasons can press on the tongue
or develop sharp edges through uneven wear, opening up lesions
in the mouth which can become infected.
More often than not these infections of the mouth are fungal
rather than bacterial and the most effective treatment which
beats anything that has been licensed for use upon animals
is Daktarin oral gel. This is formulated to treat thrush conditions
in human babies.
The use of the Bucal pad separator which I described in the
dental section is invaluable when mouth infections are suspected.
Many vets do not even know what they are and rely upon the
otoscope which can only target small areas of the mouth, and
some even anaesthetise the animals to get a proper look!.
By using the bucal pad separators the whole of the interior
of the mouth can be viewed at a glance. The animal is not
stressed or it's very life threatened by such inappropriate
use of anaesthesia!.
If you see red, raw patches on the tongue and in other parts
of the mouth then they are likely to have got there by becoming
infected by fungus or bacteria. If, on the other hand, you
see lesions down the sides of the tongue, invariably you will
instantly see that the teeth were the root cause of the problem.
They will either be leaning inwards at too acute an angle,
or they have sharp edge on them and both of these conditions
can cause the lesions which are, of course open to infections.
As these infections are more often than not, fungal, the
oral gel usually clears them up. If it doesn't then the use
of the antibiotic Tribissen for about a week is recommended.
Where necessary, of course, corrective dental work must also
be carried out.
The dose for the oral gel is a dab in the mouth three times
daily for a week, reduced to twice daily for another week.
Sometimes it may be necessary to continue for one more week
at the dose rate of once a day.
The Tribissen dosage is 0.5 for five to seven days.
I always put the guinea pig in an empty box for about five
minutes after I have given these medicines. That way the medicine
gets a better chance of seeping in rather than being swallowed
as the animals eats or drinks.
