Eating after dental treatment

One of my rabbits had her back teeth filed on Monday - she's now finding it hard to chew stuff. The vet gave us this stuff called 'recovery', which he said is like liquid hay. She wouldn't eat it, so I have been giving it to her with a syringe. but she's still hardly eating. I phoned the vet back yesterday and said she was trying to eat tuesday morning but kept dropping the food. He said to keep trying her until Thursday and phone him back. I have been managing to get some of this recovery stuff down her, but it stresses her out. She was trying to eat yesterday, but hasn't bothered much today. I have been giving her hay, as well as her normal food but yesterday she coundn't keep it in her mouth well and today she doesnt seem that interested. She has also been getting fresh veg, which is all she's eaten so far, well the sprouts and brocolli anyway. I was wondering if anyone knew of anything i could give her that might be softer on her gums etc.

cheryl21 said:

One of my rabbits had her back teeth filed on Monday - she's now finding it hard to chew stuff. The vet gave us this stuff called 'recovery', which he said is like liquid hay. She wouldn't eat it, so I have been giving it to her with a syringe. but she's still hardly eating. I phoned the vet back yesterday and said she was trying to eat tuesday morning but kept dropping the food. He said to keep trying her until Thursday and phone him back. I have been managing to get some of this recovery stuff down her, but it stresses her out. She was trying to eat yesterday, but hasn't bothered much today. I have been giving her hay, as well as her normal food but yesterday she coundn't keep it in her mouth well and today she doesnt seem that interested. She has also been getting fresh veg, which is all she's eaten so far, well the sprouts and brocolli anyway. I was wondering if anyone knew of anything i could give her that might be softer on her gums etc.

Click to expand...

I think your Bunny needs some pain relief. Dental treatment can disturb the tooth roots/nerves and this causes pain when trying to eat. Also the temporomandibular joint of the jaw can be painful after a Dental and chewing hurts as a consequence.
You could try offering her the normal pellet feed she has but make it soft with some cooled boiled water.Gratted carrot may also tempt her. I am concerned that your Vet has not asked to see your Bun again as it is very important that she has enough food going in to keep her guts going. Has she been pooing normally? Small poo means her guts have slowed right down and this can become serious. I would advise you to take Bun back to the Vet, this evening if possible, and request some pain relief for her.

Janex

I was worried about the poos but she has done some. I know how vital their guts are. I've tried the carrot. Ive tried everything. I think part of it might be that she is pining for her friend, Bud. They usually both live in the outhouse so I've put her temp hutch in there so they can see each other. I daren't put them back together properly, as I wont be able to tell what she has eaten. It looks as if her bottom teeth have been filed too much, she cant pick stuff up. Will she adapt until they grow back, if this is the case? The vet said they would and it would take a couple of days, but she seems to be struggling. I'm going to phone them now. She must be in pain. They gave her a painkiller when they did it that they said would last until yesterday, which makes sense, she was at least trying to eat then. Now she doesnt seem to even want to. Thanks

I've just been to the vet. Stella has had some jabs - a painkiller, an appitite stimulant and something for her tummy - he said it sounds gassy. Thanks for your advice.

cheryl21 said:

One of my rabbits had her back teeth filed on Monday - she's now finding it hard to chew stuff. The vet gave us this stuff called 'recovery', which he said is like liquid hay. She wouldn't eat it, so I have been giving it to her with a syringe. but she's still hardly eating. I phoned the vet back yesterday and said she was trying to eat tuesday morning but kept dropping the food. He said to keep trying her until Thursday and phone him back. I have been managing to get some of this recovery stuff down her, but it stresses her out. She was trying to eat yesterday, but hasn't bothered much today. I have been giving her hay, as well as her normal food but yesterday she coundn't keep it in her mouth well and today she doesnt seem that interested. She has also been getting fresh veg, which is all she's eaten so far, well the sprouts and brocolli anyway. I was wondering if anyone knew of anything i could give her that might be softer on her gums etc.

Click to expand...

I have been having the exact same problem with my rabbit since his dental the first week in December....worse now that before the operation! I was told that his back teeth had been filed down too much and were not level. His gums also looked sore. He is now on daily pain relief after going to a different vet for a second opinion. Although much perkier, he is still turning his nose up at food which requires a lot of chewing, ie. kale, greens, romain and hay (he will have to have xrays if things don't improve in a couple of weeks). The vet told me that in these circumstances anything is better than nothing and, therefore, suggested trying pure vegetable baby food in order to keep his weight stable. I'm currently using the PLUM organic range and Herbert can't get enough of it from either a syringe or his bowl. He has already put some weight back on so I will have to be careful not to overfeed. In addition, I'm blending a variety of greens/herbs to offer, grating vegetables to try and tempt and also soaking his pellets in a small amount of hot water to soften so they're easier to eat (allow to cool!). In addition to all the above, he is also managing the food he is normally given as a treat, ie. pears, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, raisins and cucumber.....strange that!

Has she been seperated from her friend due to the dental work? If so i have to strongly advise against this. Bonded pairs must be kept together, they pine and grieve for each other if seperated which causes further stress.

I have a dental bun in a pair and one in a trio, they all go to the vets in their groups and stay together.

It may also prove hard to rebond them after a vets trip if they are seperated.

Sooz22 said:

Has she been seperated from her friend due to the dental work? If so i have to strongly advise against this. Bonded pairs must be kept together, they pine and grieve for each other if seperated which causes further stress.

I have a dental bun in a pair and one in a trio, they all go to the vets in their groups and stay together.

It may also prove hard to rebond them after a vets trip if they are seperated.

Click to expand...

I agree, the added stress of not being with her buddy will reduce her appetite further. We demand that owners bring bonded buns in whatever the procedure is that they are having!
You can still monitor her eating by sitting near them for a while at feeding times plus if you are syringe feeding and she is eating some veggies you know she is getting something inside her
Might be worth trying some herbs such as flat leaf parsley and rosemary as they are quite tempting for buns too to get them interested in food again.

Did your vet give you any painrelief to start tomorrow at home?

No, he just gave her the jab and told me to bring her back if she doesn't improve today. As soon as we got her home last night she went straight to some grated carrot and ate that. I think she has eaten some pellets overnight. He told me to keep her where she is until I am sure she is eating. I have their hutch in the outhouse, he is free to roam around. Stella is in a smaller hutch in there with him.

I know that when I have had to separate my buns overnight, the well one who was left outside would not eat a thing until she was back with her mate.

They do pine for each other. Can you let them together for a few hours under your close supervision.