From:
"Julie_Fossa"
Date: 2007-09-09 14:45:12 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: cleaning teeth w/defective jaw
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Vets I have worked with have been pretty creative when it comes to
caring for our little patients. I've seen everything from modified
anesthesia masks made from 'baggies' they can put the whole head
into, to modified dentals -not intubating but just masking down long
enough to get in and get the worst calculus scraped from the teeth
when the ferret was very elderly but something had to be done for the
teeth. If he is able to eat soup, he will be ok nutrition-wise, and
I wouldn't worry about any kind of corrective surgery on his jaw.
An entire adrenal (or other) surgery can be done by leaving the mask
on, and not intubating, if he should ever need a surgery. Your vet
should be able to put him under anesthesia and scrape (or use their
high pressure water system -don't know what it's called) to clean his
teeth. The mouth is flexible enough they can move the lips out of
the way and along with however much his mouth will open, an emergency
teeth cleaning should be able to provide some benefit. It would be
better than nothing.
One thing that will help is to get a dental scraper and keep the
tartar scraped off while it is still a minor problem. (this is going
to be difficult to do without help. It is easier if someone
stabilizes the ferret while you maneuver the mouth and scrape)
I also am using a cotton swab to swipe inside the cheek after they
eat their soup to 'brush' their teeth. There is also a product
called Maxi Guard oral gel that is available by doing a search for
the product, on the internet. Some veterinarians also carry this
product.
Maxi Guard has a capsule of granules that have to be poured into the
product to activate it. You allow the granules to sink to the
bottom, then you shake to mix it and refrigerate. It has a nozzle-
type top to deliver a drop to the gumline, but I usually squeeze a
small amount into a container and dip a cotton swab into that to put
into the cheek since I use it for numerous ferrets. It also helps if
the day's supply is allowed to warm, so you aren't putting a cold gel
on their teeth- they don't resist as much. You are supposed to put
just a drop or two over the top molars on each side, and it will
spread throughout the mouth to freshen.
I try to do it every day, but even if a day or two is missed, it is
still better than not doing anything for their teeth, especially when
their primary diet is soup.
Julie
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "Clover Williams" <rezgrrl@...>
wrote:
>I have a 3.5 y/o ferret with a birth defect that
> prevents him from opening his jaw far enough to use his teeth. He
can open just enough to lap tiny bits of soup or to grab cut-up soft
food with his lip area, then use tongue and gravity to get the stuff
in his mouth. The original shelter mom says she took him to a vet
> years ago, who told her that it was a birth defect, and that
corrective surgery would be very risky....>
OK, here's my concern: Although he's a happy, active guy, his breath
doesn't smell very good and I can foresee that this may be a problem
in the future. I don't see how they could
> be scraped or pulled, even under anesthesia. In fact, if he ever
needs any kind of surgery I don't see how he'd be able to get
anesthesia. Leaving that last issue aside for now, I could
> probably get the dewlap side with a q-tip and some enzyme stuff,
but I'd be sort of poking blindly and the product might be rubbed off
by the time it reaches those bad back teeth.
I MIGHT also be able to fit a small q-tip past his front teeth to get
the tongue side, though
> that's much iffier. And it would also be blindly poking. But I
really think I need to start cleaning his teeth. Is there a better
way? Maybe a safe rinse? Or an enzyme paste or gel that would foam
up, so that even if I didn't get the tooth exactly right, it would
still clean the general area?
> Clover
>
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:ferrethealth-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:ferrethealth-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ferrethealth-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/