GliderCENTRAL

Teeth Problems

Posted By: Gregg

Teeth Problems - 11/15/09 03:51 PM

Hi all. I have two gliders who just turned 10. A few days ago one of my gliders, Dale, started acting very strange when I gave him mealworms. He would either eat part of them and throw the rest away (usually the head) or flat out not take them from me at all. (Now that I think about it he was being a little strange eating the mealworms for the last few weeks since he would leave some scraps, but I thought I had a bad bunch of mealworms at the time so I didn't think much of it.)

I brought him to my vet yesterday (I brought them both less than 2 months ago for a checkup and everything looked fine) and she said his teeth/gums didn't look so great. Him gums were bleeding, particularly the upper right quadrant. His teeth show some wear, but he is 10 years old. She took some urine and said that looked okay. She gave me amoxicillin, Oxbox Carnivore Care, and Avi-X Booster Elixer. The Carnivore Care she wants me to mix with the BML I give him and force feed him some to make sure he's eating enough (he lost a little bit of weight). The Avi-X has fatty acids which she says she has been giving to a lot of animals now to supplement their diet (she's a bird and exotic vet).

So I guess my questions are a) does what she prescribed to me seem reasonable and b) what other treatments can I mention to her that might be a better alternative? I have a follow up appointment next Saturday.

Here is the info I found for the Carnivore Care and Avi-X:
Oxbow Carnivore Care
Avi-X Booster

BTW - Yesterday night I chopped up the mealworms for him and he seemed better with that. I think he mostly eats the insides and leaves the outsides (chewy on the inside, crunchy on the outside grin).

Thanks,

Gregg
Posted By: suggiemom1980

Re: Teeth Problems - 11/15/09 04:41 PM

This is way out of my area of expertise but I would be very interested in learning more. I hope you get answers soon!
Posted By: Jackie_Chans_Mom

Re: Teeth Problems - 11/15/09 05:40 PM

Did I miss it? Were x-rays done?
If not, you really need x-rays to determine the extent of the tooth involvement.
Without an x-ray, you are likely just treating symptoms, not getting to the "root" of the problem (pardon the pun)

Many of us deal with recurrent teeth issues.
You should not force feed a glider that IS eating - especially if he has tooth involvement. Just offer him food more often - like 3X/ day. If he is having pain, he won't eat as much. In that case, pain meds are indicated. You probably know how badly a tooth infection can hurt. The same is true for gliders. So, at your follow up appointment, request pain medication.
In the mean time, make it easier for him to eat by pureeing all of his food. I don't recommend a pureed diet for everyday use, but for a short time while a glider is healing from a tooth infection/gingivitis, it is a very effective and compassionate way to get essential foods into your glider. He will thank you for it.

Carnivore care has a lot of protein in it. You must be careful with adding a high protein supplement to an already high protein diet. Before doing this, I would have kidneys and liver checked closely with some bloodwork and re-visit the bilirubin levels in the UA.

Amoxicillin is a broad spectrum anti-biotic. It may clear up the problem. It may also give your glider diarrhea, so keep a close eye on that.

The teeth can be flushed daily with chlorhexidine rinse. This has been effective for me in the past if the glider just has gingivitis. Again, x-rays need to be completed to determine if there is an abscess.
Posted By: the gliders angel

Re: Teeth Problems - 11/16/09 06:38 AM

do not force feed him at all. you might choke him if its not done right. it will kill him instantly if it goes in the wrong place. also, theres a girl on this board called sugar blossoms who has a glider with tooth issues. try using a hard food a few a day like pet pro chicken the number i s 877 977 8310. theres a glider knowledgeable vet in palm beach who is the vet for the dreher pk zoo and knows gliders well his number is 585 0097 he is in palm beach s dixie hwy i would see what he advises
Posted By: Gregg

Re: Teeth Problems - 11/16/09 01:12 PM

He seeemed to be doing better yesterday. I cut up the mealworms for him and while he still ate a little slow he ate everything I gave him. Since he is eating I'm not force feeding him.

I will bring up the X-rays and chlorhexidine at my next visit. Does the glider need to be under anesthesia for the X-rays? I am a little nervous about that, especially due to his age.

Is there any benefit to giving him acidopholus after the antibiotic? My vet said it won't hurt, but she was not aware of any studies as to whether it would benefit him either.

How about the Avi-X booster? Any thoughts on that.

Thanks for the feedback.
Posted By: the gliders angel

Re: Teeth Problems - 11/17/09 02:56 AM

yes they need to be given isoflurin which is safe when done by a glider knowledgeable vet. go to the one i told you to go to. he is very knowledgeable. use benebac not acidopulus benebac for small mammals only and give a little less than a pea amount
Posted By: the gliders angel

Re: Teeth Problems - 11/17/09 02:59 AM

i would take him to the vet i sent you the number of as gliders hide their illnesses even though he seems fine now he could take a turn for the worse if this is not corrected. the vet might want to give you baytril then i would get him something hard to chew like apple branches or the hard cruncy food i told you about.
Posted By: SugarBlossoms

Re: Teeth Problems - 11/17/09 03:12 AM

I have a glider with gum/teeth issues. He has "gingivitis". He lost his top two teeth a couple of years ago, now we are still trying to save the bottom two front teeth. He gets bacteria in between them easily and if not cleaned twice a day and flushed, turns into infection.

He has had surgery 3 times to put an antibiotic gel pac in. Each time, he healed up perfectly but the same thing keeps happening. He is on Baytril one week out of the month every month to help control it. I have to clean between his teeth twice a day for the rest of his life. The only other alternative we have at this point is to pull the teeth which may happen sooner than later. The teeth keep becoming loose which seperates the jaw.

I squeeze out his mealworms for him, squeeze out his corn and peas and he gets his carrots and green beans from baby food. He cannot have anything that will risk skins getting caught between those teeth. When I give him chicken breast or turkey once a week, I hand feed him, he knows to chew with his back teeth then.

It's been a couple of years dealing with this now. I hope your baby can get cleared up for good! It's awful for them to have any kind of problems!
Posted By: SugarBlossoms

Re: Teeth Problems - 11/17/09 03:21 AM

Originally Posted By: Gregg
I will bring up the X-rays and chlorhexidine at my next visit. Does the glider need to be under anesthesia for the X-rays? I am a little nervous about that, especially due to his age.

None of my gliders have needed to be put under for x-rays. Also, ask your vet to use the DENTAL film. My vet charges $15.00 for the dental films whereas the regular sized films are $125.00. BIG difference in price. Since gliders are so small, the dental film works perfectly unless the entire glider needs to be x-rayed.

Is there any benefit to giving him acidopholus after the antibiotic? My vet said it won't hurt, but she was not aware of any studies as to whether it would benefit him either.

Yes. You can ask your vet to give you a tube of Benabac which has the consistancy of Vaseline OR what I was told to give instead by my vet is the Activia Vanilla Yogurt. (NOT Light as it has Sorbitol) You can also give him the other flavors if he likes them better. smile Antibiotics kill the good bacteria along with the bad so it is important to replenish the good bacteria while they are on antibiotics. NOTE: I have always given my gliders a bit of yogurt each night for the past 5 years anyway.
How about the Avi-X booster? Any thoughts on that.

Thanks for the feedback.
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