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Timing dentals U/D reason for abnormal poops page 18#180

thumps_

Wise Old Thumper
Well it's a month to the day. I knew that Thumps was brewing up to a dental earlier this week, (his teeth don't meet properly & he needs a massive firer intake to prevent stasis.) It's been 2 days of 1/3 normal poop output, & they are getting much smaller, & gradually less wee. He's hungry, but doesn't eat his dry feed or veg in 1 sitting now. I cut his hay a bit, & scatter it thinly on the floor.
I've booked him in for Tues. & he's been and gone and done it again!!

As soon as I make that 'phone call he decides I need stimulating, tears around, & eats hay like there's a world shortage, when ever I'm in the room watching, and starts pooping more. He's gone completely crackers today.
Then we'll struggle to eat enough for a day, then back to improved eating.

I don't want him to have a dental unless really necessary, even if I can buy a few days. Neither do I want him to ulcerate his mouth/tongue, mainly because it's very sore, & particularly with his sensitive gut.

I just wondered whether any of you guys had any ideas about how I can improve his management, and a few spare vibes for a smooth dental & slower tooth growth!!!
 
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Thank you so much you guys.
I find this time before a dental so worrying. I hate to think of any animal being hungry & unable to eat the food in front of them.
It's been back to metacam & hand feeding every 2 hours this evening, & trying to get the balance of his diet right, so he doesn't lose weight/get dysbiosis/ or gut hypomotility, AND get adequate urine output. It's just more difficult in winter without the fresh wild plants to fall back on.

I should be a dab hand at it by now. Somehow I just become so aware of how fragile his little life is at these times, & how we have to make the most of our time together. I'm also very aware of how much he hates dentals. I've no idea how he knows the day of his appointment, but he just vanishes!! He's such a gentle bun. He tries to run away, & wriggles, but never bites etc. He always looks so devastated when I leave him at the hospital. It's about the only time he lops both ears.

The house is so empty while he's away. I know that one day he won't come back. Let's hope it's a long time in the future.

I've just realised why he's a bit off his food tonight. Little rascal raided the shopping & scoffed the best part of a large carrot I'd forgotten was in there!!!:lol::lol::lol: Better not have mucked up his caecal flora!! Living with a bun is so much like having a small child it's not true.
 
Could I please have some clarification regarding dentals. Do you mean that a dental with a GA is to have spurs ground, or is it also trimming overgrown incisors? Our boy had a quite severe malocclusion and needed his incisors trimmed very regularly and this was always done without a GA. The spurs were of course a different matter altogether.

A mum with 4 small boys once asked me what it was like living with indoor bunnies. I told her that I thought it would be about the same as her situation except you have to be more alert. She looked quizzically at me so I said: "small boys don't generally chew electrical cords".
 
Thank you for your interest Lobo.
Thumper has frustratingly small bilateral lower molar spurs only. They are on the lingual (tongue) side of the teeth. So yes he has a GA each time.
He's a lively active bun, with a lovely strong personality, perfectly capable of throwing a full blown temper tantrum when provoked eg been to the vet!! and also knowing that the place to do so is the bedding of his carrier!

Although a few vets do conscious molar clips in the UK, I am unhappy about this procedure on molars both because of risks to large blood vessels, & tooth fracture, but above all, Thumper just couldn't take it. I'd give it a try if it were incisors, & a special vet, but not molars.

I'm so fortunate to go to an exotic specialist referral center. They have been trying slightly different procedures to prolong the interval between GA's, but it seems to be 4-5 weeks what ever we do.
You can see us together http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=200448 I'm getting considerable disapproval for ignoring his requests to play, which is, after all, what usually happens in the garden.

I do like your description of having house bunnies :lol::lol::lol:
 
awww little hunny, ill be routing for him here.. hope all goes well and hes back to full eating and peeing by tuesday night xxxxx
 
Oh Judy, I know just how you feel!! My hair is actually going grey with my pair and their need for blinkin' dentals! :shock: If you ever find a solution let me know!

Lots of luck with little Thumper. He's a young bun and you've every reason to believe he'll be fine. Vibes anyway! :)
 
Thank you so much for your support everyone. It means so much to us.

Fortunately we haven't had snow here. It's just very cold, sunny, & the ground is frozen. Thumper has really enjoyed a break from the rain, & frequent short rushes round the garden, which helps the pooping side.

Couldn't for the life of him understand why the soil was like concrete & he couldn't have a good dig!! Gave me some disapproving looks!! :lol::lol:
 
Thank you so much for your support everyone. It means so much to us.

Fortunately we haven't had snow here. It's just very cold, sunny, & the ground is frozen. Thumper has really enjoyed a break from the rain, & frequent short rushes round the garden, which helps the pooping side.

Couldn't for the life of him understand why the soil was like concrete & he couldn't have a good dig!! Gave me some disapproving looks!! :lol::lol:

well, the soil being frozen is obviously YOUR fault:lol:
 
how often do you have dentals?
angel now goes evry 3 month I actually count 3 month then this time the week before I booked her in she was starting to be upset so I knew she must have been ready. When she went she had 3 teeth growing in an 's' shape sticking into her cheek. This was worse she's ever been and needed pain relief for a week afterwards normally shes eating etc straight after her dentalo as its such a relief.
I asked if I should bring it forward but vet said keep it at 3 for now. She's fine normally after her dentals and doesnt get much sedative wide awake after but this time she was very drowsy due to pain and had to have 3 normal injections inside mouth but shes fine now making up for lost time in eating.
Hope buns fine for santa claus coming angel said all she'd like for xmas is her 2 front teeth! Bless them
 
Thank you poppy moon & winnies angel.
I'm so sorry to hear about Angel's incisor problems. I hope she's on form for Christmas din dins.

Thumper needs molar spurs burring every 4-5 weeks. The1st. sign for us is noisy swallowing when he drinks. I suspect that it's painful when his tongue rubs against the spurs, especially with dry food, & probably best that he stops eating before it ulcerates. So we go through this phase of eating one day & not the next, but he can suddenly stop eating completely at any time. I can skew his diet towards more veg. with care not to cause dysbiosis. Cucumber helps to keep him hydrated. He's always recovered well from the anaesthetic. But each anaesthetic carries that risk. It seems a bit like Russian roulette each month.

I just feel that it is my job to keep him well hydrated & his gut moving well to minimize the anaesthetic risk, but the last few days frazzle my nerves a bit. I'm quite poorly, & can get a bit muddled when I'm tired, so I fear "getting it wrong."

I'm actually one of the most fortunate people on this forum, with a top rabbit veterinary service. Even more so in a wonderful friend who has kindly offered to pay towards his treatment when I can't manage. I can't begin to describe the anguish when I couldn't see how to cut back anymore to afford his treatment.

Perhaps like so many people on here, it's been a year of many difficulties most of which directly affect Thumps.
 
It's only been a small amount of veg & pellets today, taken slowly.
So it's been a syringe feed tonight, mainly for the fluids. Hope we can get him seen early - today. I hate syringe feeding him when his mouth must be sore.
 
It's only been a small amount of veg & pellets today, taken slowly.
So it's been a syringe feed tonight, mainly for the fluids. Hope we can get him seen early - today. I hate syringe feeding him when his mouth must be sore.

oh no:( hope you manage to take him today. thinking of you x
 
We are safely booked in for 1.45. & guess what? - he's eaten a small handful of veg. then hidden under the bed!
 
Hope he emerges from under the bed in time for the vets! My two dash bedwards as soon as they think a vet trip is in the offing :lol:

Sending vibes for Thumper.
 
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