Update Herbert teeth - Advice please?

Saw the vet who did Herbert's teeth yesterday evening and he told me that it was a very difficult job as his teeth were growing out at angles (bear in mind this was a rabbit eating everything with no problems the morning before his operation and this is the third time he's had a dental). The vet looked in his mouth again and said that his biting plateau was not level because he had to burr the teeth down to different lengths (?) and that his gum was bleeding slightly where he was biting against it. He had a feel of his jaw and said there was no sign of abcess/infection and that he should start eating properly again/fully recover when his teeth had grown to a suitable length. In the meantime I should continue with the soft food (which he is just picking at) and also syringe feed, ie. mushed pellets, blended greens, baby food. He gave him a painkiller for the sore gum and an hour after coming back from the vet he ate a huge bowl of mashed pellets, baby food and some kale no problem. Today he's not keen again. I have to go back on Monday morning and I was wondering whether anyone can offer any further advice or suggest further questions to ask. Also, how often should I syringe feed to keep his weight stable and is it OK to feed banana and a small amount of wholemeal bread (not normal diet!) as this is all he will really eat. I'm desperate to keep his weight up. At the moment it's stable.

I have a rabbit here, Inca, who has severely maloclauded incisors which aare also spleyed.

He has molar spurs which are causing a small ulcer to his cheek.

I need his incisors removed and his spurs filed and to have him neutered. As he will need intensive care for the first days after his tooth removal I am reluctant to have it done until I have time off. He is also very nervous and i dont want him to endure two GAs close together to get the spurs sorted out now.

The only way I am keeping him eating is to give him Metacam EVERY day to relieve the pain. He absolutely will not eat if his mouth hurts.

Has the vet given you metacam to administer at home? If not, no painkiller lasts particularly long and he is going to need more.

I had a bad experience with a vet doing one of my buns teeth in August (the rabbits first time), the rabbit had more trouble eating after his dental than before.

I called them the day after and they said the mouth would feel strange and it would settle. Three weeks later I took him back to see another vet who has found out his problems and when he does his teeth now (every 4 weeks-consious and a GA weekd before Xmas) he has no problem eating straight away!

It might be worth seeing if you can find another vet for a second opinion.

Sooz22 said:

I have a rabbit here, Inca, who has severely maloclauded incisors which aare also spleyed.

He has molar spurs which are causing a small ulcer to his cheek.

I need his incisors removed and his spurs filed and to have him neutered. As he will need intensive care for the first days after his tooth removal I am reluctant to have it done until I have time off. He is also very nervous and i dont want him to endure two GAs close together to get the spurs sorted out now.

The only way I am keeping him eating is to give him Metacam EVERY day to relieve the pain. He absolutely will not eat if his mouth hurts.

Has the vet given you metacam to administer at home? If not, no painkiller lasts particularly long and he is going to need more.

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No, the vet gave him an injection which obviously didn't last as long as he said it would. Never used Metacam before, is it put in food? I'm OK with the intensive care and Herbert is good taking from a syringe but how often should I be feeding?

bunny babe said:

I had a bad experience with a vet doing one of my buns teeth in August (the rabbits first time), the rabbit had more trouble eating after his dental than before.

I called them the day after and they said the mouth would feel strange and it would settle. Three weeks later I took him back to see another vet who has found out his problems and when he does his teeth now (every 4 weeks-consious and a GA weekd before Xmas) he has no problem eating straight away!

It might be worth seeing if you can find another vet for a second opinion.

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This was Herbert's fourth time.....needing them done now every six months or so. He's a rescue rabbit who I've had nearly 5 years. Every other time has been OK (eating immediately after the op) and as said, he was eating no problems before the op, therefore, I'm so peeved this has happened. I can't understand why things have gone wrong this time. What was your rabbit's problem? Obviously he eventually recovered from the bad dental and began eating properly again? I'm so worried that Herbert won't although the vet has told me he will when his teeth have grown a bit...but who knows? I've already made the decision to go for a second opinion.

My bun refuses to eat hay, he is 4.5 and had his first dental at end of Aug. The vet I saw 3 weeks later did an X-ray and his teeth have grown through his jaw which is not good. I am very frustrated that this was not discovered earlier as I had been back and forth with him for months. It is quite obvious once you know what to look for as his jaw is lumpy.

Until his first dental, he had shown no signs of problems. Just one day he would not eat so I took him immediatly.

He now has his teeth done about every 4 weeks conscious but at end of Nov he had a temperature - again took him to my old vet who said he had infection so gave him Baytril - 3 days later the dribbling started. Turns out it was his very back molar had spur on and had cut his tongue!! My new vet then said he needed the full dental under GA.

He is a happy bunny now and as he is very laid back the vet is able to do them conscious.

bunny babe said:

My bun refuses to eat hay, he is 4.5 and had his first dental at end of Aug. The vet I saw 3 weeks later did an X-ray and his teeth have grown through his jaw which is not good. I am very frustrated that this was not discovered earlier as I had been back and forth with him for months. It is quite obvious once you know what to look for as his jaw is lumpy.

Until his first dental, he had shown no signs of problems. Just one day he would not eat so I took him immediatly.

He now has his teeth done about every 4 weeks conscious but at end of Nov he had a temperature - again took him to my old vet who said he had infection so gave him Baytril - 3 days later the dribbling started. Turns out it was his very back molar had spur on and had cut his tongue!! My new vet then said he needed the full dental under GA.

He is a happy bunny now and as he is very laid back the vet is able to do them conscious.

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I'm glad he's feeling better. I have been syringe feeding Herbert for the last couple of days, however, he has just eaten some romaine/coriander on his own so I hope that it a good sign.

That is good news. I would suggest you just buy lots of different herbs to try and tempt Herbert. Have your tried Kale? Not too much though as it is high in calcium.

I am currently nursing my other bun through very bad bout of GI statis and she is only being tempted with kale, parsely (curly and flat) and some grated carrot at the moment, therefore I am still syringe feeding her with science recovery and mushy pellets. They are such a worry.

bunny babe said:

That is good news. I would suggest you just buy lots of different herbs to try and tempt Herbert. Have your tried Kale? Not too much though as it is high in calcium.

I am currently nursing my other bun through very bad bout of GI statis and she is only being tempted with kale, parsely (curly and flat) and some grated carrot at the moment, therefore I am still syringe feeding her with science recovery and mushy pellets. They are such a worry.

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Yes, aren't they?.....I hope your bun recovers quickly. I bought some kale and he had a bit of that last night and also some flat leaf parsley. I took him to the vet again today and he had another painkiller. I was told that he was going in the right direction but it will take time. Still think I will take him for that second opinion though. I'm still syringing the mushy pellets/baby food too just to keep his gut moving. I know he's feeling better in himself though because he was running around honking this morning. That's always a good sign so fingers crossed he will carry on improving slowly but surely.

Ah, that sounds promising. I hope he keeps improving. I just gave my poorly bunny oregano and she loved it.