Teeth Issues

[caiti]

My chin, Chloe has been pawing at her mouth recently. She did it today and twice last week.

Last week, I fed her a bit of supplement and she was chewing oddly (eyes closed, opening her mouth wider etc) and pawed at her mouth. Ok, I thought, maybe I missed a rosehip when I was picking them out. She did it again, but I couldn't figure out what she was eating to make her paw her mouth because she would eat it before I could see it.

Tonight, I filled her bowl and she went to eat the fresh food but was swiping her mouth frequently. She didn't full out paw her mouth, but I felt she came close. Then I gave her a rosebud to see if she would continue to have issues. She did--pawed, swiped, same. She still eats everything and doesn't drop any food.

I gave her a piece of rosehip (crushed) and taped her eating it with my camera. No pawing, no swiping. Go figure.

She's lost 4.5 grams in two days. She was previously steadily gaining back to around 560, her usual high range. She's 553.something (I forget) now.

I've only ever seen her paw at her mouth twice before. They were both isolated incidences and it was months ago. I assumed she got something stuck in her teeth or mouth and had her vet feel her teeth at an unrelated appointment. He said from what he could feel, there was nothing wrong. I didn't have x-rays done, and never have. I felt her jaw line when I weighed her tonight and there's no bumps along them.

Last weekend I noticed she ate a lot and she is eating less now, but still in normal range. She's been a little quieter than usual but I had chalked it up to I brought her home two weekends in a row and she was just settling back into her usual home.

Sometimes I get so stressed out I don't think I'm cut out for owning chins. I think it's just there are no examples I can find of what normal chin behavior looks like, because no one has chins!

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

Is she drooling? I know with my malo chin, she drools a lot when her teeth are bothering her or she has spikes. She also paws at her mouth a lot, but she has malo so that is normal for her. ( not saying your chin has teeth problems ) If you are really concerned about the weight loss, you can weigh her food when you feed her and then weigh what is left the next day. You can monitor her food intake this way. Also, continue to weigh her very few days and if you see she has lost more weight and is not eating as much as she normally does, then I would take her in. But I would ask for x-rays this time, if you do, just to see if there are some root issues and I would have the vet look inside her mouth and see if she has spikes on her molars or her incisors need trimming.

 

[caiti]

Stephanie--no, no drooling. I think I will do that-continue to weigh her frequently and see if she keeps pawing and swiping.

I was just wondering what everyone's opinion was about it. I wish I could get a video. It sucks up fresh batteries like nothing and it infrequently works.

 

[ticklechin]

Not all chins drool, my worst malo chin never drooled. The weight of the chin is your most important clue if she is having teeth issues. Weigh her daily for two weeks-that is what I due if I am questioning teeth, if you notice a few grams a day loss almost every day for the two weeks then off to the vet for a oral exam, the weight loss in conjuction with the swipes and other mouth symptoms would prompt me to get the chin looked at.

 

[caiti]

Dawn--ok I will weigh her every night (I was going to anyways). But if she doesn't lose much more weight, then what could be an explanation for the discomfort? It just makes me uneasy when she has symptoms of something but not enough of them to warrant a possible diagnosis/vet visit.

I am away all day at classes and working and pass out early so I haven't seen her do it again, but I will watch her extra closely over the weekend. She seems to be eating normally at the same frequency, I've seen her go to her bowl a few more times since I first posted granted I was only awake for a few hours and in my room between then and now. I am on my lunch break now but am usually gone for 12 hours of the day.

 

[Stackie]

I had a chin who had something something poke his gum, after it happened he pawed at his mouth for several days. The 2nd day I noticed it, he went to the vet and they did an oral exam, and found the cut on his gum. He was put on a mild pain reliever and an antibiotic to make sure it didn't get infected. The pawing lasted for a total of about 3 days..he did it a few times after getting the pain meds but was fine after that. He still ate and chewed normally, just swiped and pawed at his mouth.

So, if it's not teeth issues, she may have something stuck in her teeth or something may have poked/cut he gum. In this case I can't tell you for sure what it is, but just weighing in on if it's not teeth issues.

 

[chinnychinchinchilla]

good luck i hope its nothing.
malo scares me i hope i never have to experience that. but yeah do what dawn said and if you feel its needed take her to the vet.

 

[caiti]

GAH!! She somehow lost 13 grams in less than 24 hours. And her food bowl is even at least half way gone!! I have no idea how this could happen, she has never fluctuated this much except for when she was losing weight when she had gas after it passed and she was moving the stuff caught in her intestines out of her body. And she even pooed a bunch when I weighed her. How could she be eating and lose a ton of weight?!?!?

EDIT: Looking back at her weight notebook, there was one day she lost 8.3 grams randomly some months ago. But I am seriously about to cry, I have no idea what's going on.

 

[caiti]

I am giving her some alfalfa strands through the bars and she is eating them normally. No pawing or even swiping and she eats the whole strand. I don't know what's wrong with her.

 

[ticklechin]

I personally don't worry about a one day loss, its weight loss that continues over a few weeks. Chin weight can fluctuate up and down, you just don't wan't more down days than up.

What treats do you give? Does she snarf those down like candy or does she nibble them and takes her time eating it?

 

[caiti]

Dawn--I give crushed rosehips, shreddies, QMC cookies, sometimes a rosebud or goji berry (or however it's spelled) but a lot of the time I give her wood and pumice and loofah (chewies). I give her a treat (not chewie) maybe once a week at the most but probably less frequently than that. I used to give her Tanya's supplement almost nightly but since she pawed at her mouth when eating it, I stopped it to figure out what was going on. She never really gets the alfalfa either, but I was worried she had stopped eating and was throwing her pellets even though I couldn't find them in her cage. I changed her food out for the night and she went right for it again and I heard or saw her go to it two or three times after that from 8-11pm before I went to sleep.

She eats her treats pretty quickly. She doesn't stuff them in her mouth like a chipmunk but she doesn't really pause to take a breath, either. So she nibbles them but it doesn't seem too slow to me. I will try to take another video of her eating tonight.

Hopefully when I weigh her tonight she will have gained weight. I am tempted to weigh her now but I think if I do it at a consistent time it will give me more accurate data.

Thank you for replying. I think you are really part Chloe's mom, too, for all the advice you've given me that's helped her.

P.S. I have yet to see her paw at her mouth or swipe a lot since I first posted. Like I said before, though, I am away all day and go to sleep earlier now but I will have a better idea is she's doing it at all since I am home almost all weekend and can sit and stare at her while she gives me the evil eye for weighing her every night (I have yet to master how to coax her into the bowl on the scale and get her to stay there), hehe.

 

[ticklechin]

Dante is just starting to get ready for a filing, he goes in 3 weeks. I will do the nasty tonight and give him a small raisen and do a video if he cooperates-he is not big on eating when being watched-I usually have to sneak up on him but the raisen may do it and you can see what I am talking about as far as chewing. Dante does not have "malo". he has one molar in the upper rear that is slightly curved and becomes a problem in 6+months to a year. He does not drool, the only way I know is the slow weight loss after being a steady weight and the slow methodical eating.

I will be her step-mom!

 

[caiti]

That would be awesome if you had the time to do that. Just so I can see what the chewing looks like on a chin with dental issues. Actually, it might be helpful for others too (you're like the video queen, aren't you?). But I can understand if he doesn't cooperate with you, haha, so no pressure.

Chloe has gained 6 grams since last night. But usually she is about 10 grams heavier, although I am relieved she gained weight. Putting a dent in the 13 gram day loss at least. So much for me getting used to her being consistent, I guess.

 

[ticklechin]

Believe me I KNOW what it is like to worry yourself about a chin, we will work together to get the answers you need about your kid!

 

[caiti]

Can you be my step-mom, too??!?! You are awesome and like the mother hen on this forum!!! Consoling and guiding everyone. There are a few people here that I think if as mothers (Stackie is one of them and then I found out I'm even older than her, I think, but I still think of her as a mom) and you are definitely one of them. I always picture Peggy as the dad for some reason (I think she reminds me of mine a little, in a good way, of course).

You are most definitely Chloe's step-mom now. I snapped some pics after her super long playtime tonight. She loves you!!!!

 

[ticklechin]

AWWWW there is my step-kid! She is cute! I did get a video Dante and one of Lu to compare, I just need to upload the flip after breakfast.

 

[Claire D]

I always picture Peggy as the dad for some reason (I think she reminds me of mine a little, in a good way, of course).

I'm not sure Peggy will appreciate being called "Dad" :hmm:

 

[caiti]

I'm not sure Peggy will appreciate being called "Dad" :hmm:

I didn't mean it offensively or having anything to do with the male gender, or any gender at all, actually. My dad is straightforward, very patient, direct, reasonable and extremely helpful. My mother has some of those traits as well, though she more coddles and is more temperamental than my father, (along with many other traits I could list, but will spare you) which is just how she is and they complement eachother well, neither is better or worse than the other. I just made the metaphor because I see Peggy as having those traits I listed that my father does, so this weird family dichotomy on the forum that I've imagined in my head has turned out Peggy as dad.

I really hope I didn't offend anyone, especially Peggy, honest. I love my dad--he's awesome, I meant it as a compliment. But, I will try to keep my imagined forum dynamics to myself from now on, I don't want anyone to feel raw about it.

Dawn--Great, whenever you have free time, I don't want to make you stressed over something silly for me. Thank you very much for taping that, by the way!!

 

[ticklechin]

Here is Dante, mind you he does not have two front paws so you don't see any swiping until the end. It takes him a min to eat one small raisin. He is 3 weeks away from a filing and just started the slow weight loss a week ago so he is being hand fed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwApTjMqOrk


Here is Lu, who takes the raisin down in 14 sec

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjkGZNs0wMo


And then Guido, he was going to be the "normal" chin eating but you can see he was not having anything to do with me or my flip video camera!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTGxuoaqnAo

 

[mishellyshel]

guido is hilarious!