Update on Archie (advice needed)

Hya All,

Just to let you know I took Archie to a vets appointment today as he wanted to check on him after his operation on thursday and he's doing brilliant ! He said he is happy with him and that he is making very good progress. He did say something that alarmed me though, he said that Archies jaw is not aligned properly meaning that some of his teeth don't get used so i'm going to have to take him back whenever he stops eating and he'll have to have a ga and have his teeth ground down and the vet said he thinks it'll be every 3-6 months but I think it's an awful lot for him to go through so often ? But other than that Archie is great, he is going the toilet regularly, eating, drinking LOADS (the vet said it could be his kidneys, his b tests will be back on monday) and he is more relaxed and comfortable... it's brilliant ! xx

Hi - I'm glad Archie is recovering well. I must have missed your update that he had an op, guessing it was diagnosed as a blockage?

With regards to teeth, I have a dental bun who is done every month (consious - I know this causes a lot of debate on here) to keep on top of his condition. I don't wait until he stops eating and it works very well for him. In a couple of weeks he has to go in for a GA so he can have a more thorough one done on his back teeth.

Hya,

Sorry if I confused you, he had a ga on thursday and then had some bloods taken and had his teeth seen to... i'm just a fuss pot so I refer to it as an op ! thanks for your advice, when I asked the vet how often he would require his teeth being seen to he said that it's hard to say I just need to wait until he stops eating and then book him in but he estimates it to be every 3-6 months so how often do you think I should see to it as i'd really don't want him to be as ill as he was this time as it was horrible !

Ah, I know you were uncertain at first whether it "might" have been blockage or GI Statis.

Really you need to look out for any "signs" i.e. before he stops eating. Signs to look out for are:

not eating hay
not eating pellets
generally being fussy with food
dribbling (wet chin)
smaller than usual poops
teeth grinding

Please also be aware that sometimes, they don't show signs until they are really in pain.

If your vet can look at his back teeth (they have a tool for this, not sure what it is called) during a routine check up e.g. when he goes for jabs, then this would be a good indication of how things are.

Did your vet take any X-rays of his skull?

yes that's right at first he was treated for stasis and then he had xrays for a blockage but it turned out it was neither and he had teeth problems (I had to ask constantly for a week to have his teeth checked and even for pain relief!) he did have some xrays taken but I think that was just on his stomach, is teeth grinding quite loud ? i'm quite deaf and I really don't want him suffering again x

Teeth grinding can be loud, but you would also see him moving his teeth in a grinding motion when not eating if that helps.

I would suggest that you keep a close eye on him and look for any signs and then get him straight to your vet. Next time he has a GA, ask for some skull X-ray as this will show the full state of the teeth/jaw.

My rabbit has elongated roots which is where they have grown through the jaw. I too kept asking the vet if he had teeth problems for 6 months until he finally went like Archie and was throwing himself round in pain - he then had his teeth done. 3 weeks later he was not good again and I took him back and saw a very bunny savvy vet and he needed his teeth done again and he took X-rays. This was 2.5 years ago. This is why he goes every 4 weeks as routine as this is what we have more or less defined (we left it for 5 week once and on the day his appt was he started throwing himself round again :roll

I also want to add that my rabbit will not eat hay (I have tried everything) to help keep his teeth down, which is obviously why he needs very regular dentals.

Hopefully Archie will only need them every 3-6 months.

ETA - would your vet allow you to keep any pain relief in case of emergency?

thanks alot, you have been very helpful. I don't have a problem with the hay, Archie loves it !!! I am going to phone the vet now and ask about possibly keeping some recovery and pain relief here, I just hope I can tell quickly enough next time, I was beside myself watching him suffer. thanks again x

Good luck, hope he doesn't need one too soon.

I think what the vet was describing to you is a malocclusion where the opposing teeth don't fully align. It is a very common problem judging by the number of dental posts. I had a bun who had a quite bad malocclusion but he didn't develop molar spurs too quickly, his main problem was continual growth of the incisors which were not as difficult to deal with.

Good luck with Archie, it is very nice to know he is well on the way to full recovery.

thanks alot, I really couldn't be happier rite now ! i'm going to try and post some pics in a sec x