• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

dental buns questions.

donnamt

Wise Old Thumper
that thread i have just took over cheekily has got me thinking :oops::oops:

people whos bunnies go into stasis, do you generally get xrays/have dentals if theres no indication of teeth issues other than stasis?

is there usually back teeth problems without any spurs at the part of the mouth the vet can see? or do they go hand in hand?

do they have the indications my vets look for? food debry (sp) in the mouth or excess saliva, with or without dribbling? etc

and if you dont have a dental done does the bunny get over it for a few months and then gets stasis again or is the stasis ongoing until a dental is done?

Alvin had a dental once but even then they was doubtful thats what had caused the stasis but they did it anyhows, i think that while he was under GA his back teeth were checked and were fine, i vaguely remember being shown an xray of a bunnies mouth while the vet told me about teeth. but it was ages ago :oops:

not trying to be difficult or upset people but i just wondered how dental bunny vets arrive at the conclusion a dental is needed.

i 100% trust that Alvin himself does not have teeth issues, but i wonder if my vet was a different one would he be put under a ga everytime he got stasis if stasis was the only indication that something werent right :? because when xrays were discussed the vet seemed really sure that wasnt the problem. (not the useless exotics vet that missed an enlarged heart either) plus it was stasis less than a week after hed had the all clear after a dental. the first of two stasis eposiodes within days of a vets visit, which makes me think stress is one of alvins triggers not teeth.

bunnies so confusing :?
 
My vets always manage to see Crystal teeth if she does have spurs but on a few occasions the vet has said that her teeth have been worse then what they'd thought a couple of times her molars have cut into her cheek and the vet cant always see this so i cant imagine how sore that must feel for Crystal :( the one think i worry about most is molar spurs getting missed them cutting into the cheek or othe rpart of the moth and causing Abcesses big fear of mine.
 
Firstly I think its important to find a Bunny Savvy Vet you trust and to take their advice. After all they are the ones who have examined the specific Rabbit :)

My Vet would not automatically do a GA/Dental/Xrays on a Bun presenting with one episode of GI stasis. She would evaluate everything for each individual Rabbit. I cannot tell you how many accounts my Vet has given of Rabbits whom she has found to have tooth problems that neither presented with more obvious signs or were evident during a conscious examination.

My Vet would probably suggest a GA Dental for a Rabbit who presented with 2 or more episodes of stasis for which no other cause could be found. Obviously if the GA Dental revealed no real problems and the GI stasis episodes continued she would not keep knocking Bun out for Dental after Dental !! The initial one would have ruled out the possibility of Dental problems (as seems to have been the case with Alvin) so the detective work would have to continue in the hope of finding a cause.

Not sure that really helps you much :?
 
Firstly I think its important to find a Bunny Savvy Vet you trust and to take their advice. After all they are the ones who have examined the specific Rabbit :)

My Vet would not automatically do a GA/Dental/Xrays on a Bun presenting with one episode of GI stasis. She would evaluate everything for each individual Rabbit. I cannot tell you how many accounts my Vet has given of Rabbits whom she has found to have tooth problems that neither presented with more obvious signs or were evident during a conscious examination.

My Vet would probably suggest a GA Dental for a Rabbit who presented with 2 or more episodes of stasis for which no other cause could be found. Obviously if the GA Dental revealed no real problems and the GI stasis episodes continued she would not keep knocking Bun out for Dental after Dental !! The initial one would have ruled out the possibility of Dental problems (as seems to have been the case with Alvin) so the detective work would have to continue in the hope of finding a cause.

Not sure that really helps you much :?

no that has actually :D, its hopefully something that has been ruled out for Alvin and fingers crossed its not something that will develope, time will tell on the teeth thing im sure, ive overhauled the diet just incase its me thats doing it to him :oops:. and hoping his EC result is negative, or positive for an answer im not sure which is the lesser evil tbh :shock:. anymore stasis episodes will be tummy xrays wouldnt they.. but what happens when thats clear...i know this rabbit was put on earth to drive me insane :lol::lol:

what confuses me is why is it bad when its bad but great when its good. its never on going for more than the two weeks it takes to get the gut re-booted :? (hes like an iffy pc that needs a reboot lol)

they have almost got me convinced this "prone" diagnosis is for real :oops:
 
My vets always manage to see Crystal teeth if she does have spurs but on a few occasions the vet has said that her teeth have been worse then what they'd thought a couple of times her molars have cut into her cheek and the vet cant always see this so i cant imagine how sore that must feel for Crystal :( the one think i worry about most is molar spurs getting missed them cutting into the cheek or othe rpart of the moth and causing Abcesses big fear of mine.

owww :( so they can see some damage then? which makes them think its the teeth. ow ow ow ow not fun to be a bunny is it :cry:
 
Does Alvin have Pellets or a Mix ?

I ask because one of my Buns (Dermot) cost me a flippin' fortune in 'tests' for his recurrent sudden onset gut problems. But nothing much was found and the only thing left was a laparotomy which I really, really did not want unless it was that or PTS.

D'ye know what worked for Dermot ? Changing him from a Pellet onto a Mix :roll:

He rarely has a GI 'episode' now and he was having at least one a week at his worst. He would often go completely flat and if I as much as touched him would cry with pain :cry: I have NEVER heard a Bun cry like that, it's awful :cry:

So whilst in the clinical sense I am still none the wiser as to the exact GI tract problem Dermot has. Making the change from a Pellet to a Mix is what has been of most benefit. Even going onto a hay only diet didnt help, I really did try everything as feeding a Mix was certainly not what I thought I'd end up doing :?
 
i thought about changing to a mix but he still gets pellets at the mo. rationed to less than a tablespoon a day and i keep them down stairs so im not tempted to give in when i see his little face. amazingly he also eats very little veg now too, he will go to the litter tray and root through looking for the bramble leaves ive hidden for him when hes eaten some savoy. hes not had any fruit in about 4 weeks either :D

i think he knew i was giving him the wrong diet before i did :oops::oops:
 
I know that many people who post about stasis have buns with dental issues, but I know of many buns who get stasis for various reasons without dental issues. Buns who stress easily, & are fearful/aggressive (usually same thing) can be stasis prone.

Despite very regular dentals my bun needs a very strict diet of no starch or sugar, & high fiber/nutrient ratio for every tummy full. I can't even give green veg in 2 main meals. It's NOT just pellets which he has for the vit D3 content, nor just veg. He needs to bulk out a high nutrient intake with fiber for each tummy load.
I can guarantee that if I gave him a small piece of dry bread he'd ooze stinking olive green "caecs" the consitancy of tooth paste the next day & we'd have a battle on against stasis.

It was when we couldn't control the dysbiosis & he went into severe stasis which wasn't responding, despite every possible dietary measure, he had his 1st. dental. He's quite nervous outside, but needs the excercise. The fox poulation has abated but there's a sudden increase in dogs being walked out the front - he can smell & hear them in the back garden. Certainly not a "layed back bunny".

There is the unproven theory that he had a viral infection which has damaged the nerves in his gut, making him more sensitive to GI issues. there's nothing we can do about it but live round it.

It's diet & dental combined which have given us good control.
It takes dietary measures several months to take full effect.

I suspect that Alvin is a bit of a stress bun too. Your vet would smell of all sorts of animals when she visited - that would stress out Thumps!
Unlike us who predominantly use vision, bunnies mainly rely on smell, & next hearing.
Interesting to think that we live in the same world but percieve it totally differently!
 
My dental bun Archie needs dentals every 6 weeks, the vet can't seen the spurs just by looking in his mouth because its so far back.

I have another bunny Mowgli who was suffering from bouts of GI stasis on and off and impactions which got gradually worse and I was totally convinced it was his teeth when he first got poorly so he went for a dental under GA but his teeth were fine. He was on anti biotics, pain relief and a gut stimulant with no improvement so then he had xrays, an ultrasound and blood tests which didn't show anything so he had to have exploratory surgery in the end. My vet found nodules and he removed them but thankfully they weren't tumors. It seems something had punctured Mowgli's stomach at some point and there was scarring. Before he got ill he was so active and ate everything in sight :(

Mowgli Recovered from his op and is slightly better but still gets poorly. I've started giving him lots of grass which kick starts him in to eating hay :) He seems brighter the last few days so hopefully the grass is making a difference.
 
Sooty had several stasis episodes but had no teeth problems. Tinkerbell's tooth problems only came to light when she developed a large abscess but never had any stasis problems.
 
Following on from what Thumps said regarding non-dental stasis. I have read all Alvin and Pearl's threads and wonder if when Alvin goes into stasis could it be through change in his environment such as changes to his routine. I think I recall his last episode was when your OH was away which caused a break in routine. If he has a bond with the OH it could even be as a result of absence anxiety which is common in many pets. Likewise could it be when Pearl is having a more difficult time with her illness. Just a few thoughts.
 
Following on from what Thumps said regarding non-dental stasis. I have read all Alvin and Pearl's threads and wonder if when Alvin goes into stasis could it be through change in his environment such as changes to his routine. I think I recall his last episode was when your OH was away which caused a break in routine. If he has a bond with the OH it could even be as a result of absence anxiety which is common in many pets. Likewise could it be when Pearl is having a more difficult time with her illness. Just a few thoughts.

I'm in total agreement here Lobo. One of the buns I know well is guaranteed to get bloat/stasis if his owner goes away. My boy will go into stasis if I'm not home by 3.00am. [ not an issue here cos I don't go away]
 
Back
Top