It is possible for you to teach your piglet to have its teeth cleaned. It is important to start this at an early age. Most pigs do not enjoy a toothbrush, but you can rub their teeth with a washcloth with toothpaste applied. Oral hygiene is not as big a concern for the pet pig as it is in other pets, like cats and dogs.

Their vegetarian, non-sugar diet helps them in maintaining healthy teeth. During your pig’s annual Veterinarian’s check up, your Vet will be able to perform a complete examination of its teeth for abscess or tartar buildup.

Pigs have forty-four permanent teeth. Piglets lose their “Baby Teeth” around twelve months of age. All pigs have tusk teeth. These teeth are the same as canine teeth. Based on a pig’s genetics, its sex, and if the male pig is neutered,these teeth may or may not grow out of your pig’s mouth. It should be noted that long tusk teeth are very sharp. Each time your pig moves its mouth up and down, as in an eating action, it is sharpening its tusk teeth. In most cases if the tusks do not grow beyond the lips of the pig, they do not present a real danger. But, should your pig’s tusks grow out of its mouth and you are concerned about the potential risk to people or furniture in your home it is time to consider removing them.

Extraction is not the preferred method to eliminate a potbelly’s tusks. Its tusk teeth are too deeply set around the jawbone to be pulled. Pulling would cause the jawbone to break. If the tusk teeth were removed by means of extraction, I would suggest using oral surgery. The tooth would have to be broken up and pulled out in pieces to avoid breaking the jawbone. This would mean performing surgery on the gum.

To avoid this type of surgery, you can have your Veterinarian use a gigli wire to saw the tusk teeth off at the gum line. This procedure is not hard to do and will solve the potential injury problem without hurting your pig. In some cases the pig will need to be sedated to accomplish this procedure. It is wise to use Isoflorine Gas sedation to avoid the possibility of a very stressful event for your pig, for you and for your Veterinarian. By sedating your pet pig there is little or no chance of it aspirating its tooth after the tusk is sawed off. In most cases this procedure is not needed until the pig is between two and three years old, anddoes not need to be repeated more than every year or two.

While Grunt is under sedation this would be an excellent time for your Vet to examine Grunt, give him his vaccinations, cut his hooves, if necessary, and clean out his ears.

I am sorry to hear of Deb's accident. Hope she is healing well. I am sure Grunt is very sorry and didn't intend to hurt his "Mom".

Have A Pig Happy Day

Kathleen

Kathleen