teeth problems, so worried about his future

[ticklechin]

OP posted them below.

 

[<3chinbaby]

His metacam is 1.5mg/ml. I'm planning on giving him 0.06 cc 3 times a day. Would giving him small amounts more frequently be more helpful than larger amounts in 12 hours 2 times a day?

xrays:
the vet I did meet was worried about
the protrusion near his front molars
and that white dense area near the front molars - a spur perhaps, inflammation?

 

[<3chinbaby]

He is eating his oat hay and a bit of alfalfa stalk (these are the only two he seems to like of the ones that I bought - 3rd cut timothy, alfalfa, oat, orchard). I plan on getting other types that chins can eat so he has more variety. Eating any hay or grass is good at this point. He also has a little mazuri pellets in his bowl. He has never been big on hay which explains his susceptibility to teeth problems.

Force feeding him is horrible. I'm trying to get in the amount suggested in the back of critical care.

menagerie i pm you about getting critical care from you. do you sell them? i'd like to get a big bag if you do

 

[Claire D]

The upper premier 'roots' elongated through where the tear ducts are often obstructing them. Progression of apical elongation eventually pushes up the eyes, and, in the lower jaw, can be felt as firm lumps on the ventral surfaces.

I can't tell if he is saying this chin has root elongation from the above......

This is a generalisation - the first sentence is directed towards the OP chin's xrays - the rest (as I read it) is general about how dental problems continue to develop.

if the roots are fine, and just the teeth are too long, then a filing is all that is necessary, correct? Ours didn't have a good bite, and in one month (from an exam to where teeth were fine) his tongue became trapped. Probably because of horrible roots. Fear of future elongation and actual elongation would be two different things, correct?

Umm...... not quite.
Filing will only provide temporary relief to the problem - the crowns & roots will continue to grow. As David Crossley states quite clearly, crown elongation leads to root elongation.

 

[ticklechin]

The x-ray posted above is much better to look at than the one in the other thread. The chin does appear to have upper tooth elongation.

 

[<3chinbaby]

upper tooth elongation means crown elongation not roots right? i'm hoping that if it isn't the roots, then i can put him on a more hay and grass based diet without if not eliminate the pellets completely to help him wear down his teeth.

i'm really thinking it is that object. is it hay or teeth i don't know. i wish i had a competent vet that does. i've been finding vet everywhere to look at his xrays.

 

[<3chinbaby]

Here is a more zoomed in picture if it helps.

 

[ticklechin]

The elongation appears to be the roots and crown, the pain could be coming from that, it could be from the object. I have had 2 advanced elongation malo chins, that showed no symptoms after a filing and resumed eating until the next filing in 8 weeks, so I cannot IMO say for sure the pain is from the roots based on my experience with advanced elongation malo chins. I had one who would act like he was getting stuck with a hot sharp dagger and drool horridly from one small point, point removed and he would eat when he got home from the filing. All chins are different as far as pain tolerance.

 

[Claire D]

The xrays are not completely straight (which is very hard to do) - but I'm not convinced that white area is a problem per-se. If it was I would expect David to have commented TBH. I think it is the angle that the xrays is taken at.
I don't have my dental photos on this laptop but I know I have seen similar before & nothing has shown on examination - I know Meanie has a photo of an xray which shows exactly the same kind of spot but the chin has no dental issues & the original xrays were taken over 3 years ago.
However the biting surfaces on the Ops xrays do not look particularly straight to me so that may be causing some problems.
INHO I would want a chinchilla competent vet to thoroughly examine the chin under anaesthetic & burr down any spurs. They can also flatten the grinding surfaces of the teeth.

 

[menagerie]

Here is the xray taken of Lily over 3 years ago. She has the same "protrusion" and is not a dental chin. I think it's the angle of the xray.

 

[Claire D]

I managed to find a recent photo of some xrays I took a while ago - it also has the same spot on it.

 

[<3chinbaby]

Okay so it seems that the protrusion is really isn't responsible for his teeth problems. What could it be then?

Anyway, I am driving up to LA to see a vet there. I'll probably get his molars trimmed at the least. The vet in LA said that she suspects a spur that might have been missed. I feel that it might also be that curving of his last molar. It is really curvy compared to the normal chinchilla xray.

My question is, does spurs show up on xrays?

Claire D, is the xray of your chinchilla considered healthy teeth?

 

[<3chinbaby]

So the earliest the vet in LA can see him for surgery is Wednesday. I'm not as much in a rush because it seems that his condition is getting better. He finally has appetite for critical care and is willing to eat on his own and not be force fed which is a huge relief. He has been chewing plenty of sticks that were chopped up into 1 inch pieces. His hay consumption the day before was good and he was having fun eating oat hay although I can tell he was having difficulty.

When he chews, I can't hear the rocks clanging together sound anymore. He has been grinding his teeth less which means he is in less pain. I'm going to continue urging him to eat his oat hay (the only hay he seems to like) and give him plenty of sticks until Wednesday.

 

[<3chinbaby]

When I feed him hay, he just chops them up into small pieces but doesn't chew them. Anyone know why? it's so weird. It's like a game to him. He is such a weirdo