# Guinea pig malocclusion; Chin Sling?



## tiggerthumper (Apr 22, 2011)

Thumper has just turned one year old and is off to the vets tomorrow morning to see about his teeth. This will be the second time he has had this problem. He is still eating and at himself at the moment but he's dropping bits of his food everywhere. It makes me so upset that he has to suffer like this  He has been in and out of the vets for that many infections and other problems and he's just the happiest little character despite it all.
I am wondering if anybody has had any experience of a chin sling? They are said to support the jaw and keep it in line so that the teeth grind together properly. I will confirm with the vet tomorrow, but it does seem that his problems are genetic and that there could be some weakness in his jaw.
He gets limitless timothy hay every day and is never out of the hay box, always munching away, he grinds on his wooden toys and gets plenty of fresh veg and piggie nuggets so it would concur that perhaps he is not working his jaw correctly.
If any one has any or knows of any successful experiences with the chin sling it'd be fab to hear


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## JustGenny (Jan 27, 2012)

I don't have any experience with the chin sling, but my guinea pig did have problems with his teeth until he was a little over a year. He wouldn't eat veggies and wouldn't chew on his toys but that doesn't seem to be the problem here. I hope everything turns out alright.


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## tiggerthumper (Apr 22, 2011)

Thank you, he has been in today to have his teeth filed, going to pick him up shortly. Hoping he has a better recovery than last time, he nearly died and as I didn't know the signs before, he had completely stopped eating so getting him back on food after the procedure was difficult. At least this time I think it has been sorted relatively early and recovery should go smoother.


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## JustGenny (Jan 27, 2012)

Best of luck. Oh I have a remedy for if he stops eating again. Try mixing his pellets with water so that is kind of a powdery paste and then add a little bit of veggie baby food and feed it to him via a baby syringe. I had to do that once when Skootles' broke his teeth and couldn't chew his pellets.


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