I asked my vet to check Cass's teeth when I first took him down, and she said he had a couple of spikes, but in her typical fashion offered no explanation :roll: and didnt get a chance to ask. so what are spikes? how will they affect my rabbit, and what can i do to make things as easy as possible for him? He is a slow eater, could this be why?
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What are dental spikes?
- Thread starter Nicola1
- Start date
lunarmoon92
Young Bun
Did she mean a spur? These sometimes happen on the back teeth where they don't wear away against each other properly. Button's also has some mild ones (he is my problem child with his teeth!)
My vet advised me that they weren't too bad when they checked but I have seen pictures and read that if spurs aren't treated properly they can cut into your bunnies toungue and stop them eating properly. My vet told me to watch out for dribbling and if Button's stopped eating.
I'm not sure what can be done to help wear the spurs/spikes down if I'm honest, but if you were unhappy with what your vet told you coudl you see another one at the same practice?
My vet advised me that they weren't too bad when they checked but I have seen pictures and read that if spurs aren't treated properly they can cut into your bunnies toungue and stop them eating properly. My vet told me to watch out for dribbling and if Button's stopped eating.
I'm not sure what can be done to help wear the spurs/spikes down if I'm honest, but if you were unhappy with what your vet told you coudl you see another one at the same practice?
Santa
Wise Old Thumper
:wave:
Rabbits teeth grow constantly and they normally keep them worn down evenly through grazing on long fibre like hay and grass, which they chew in a side-to-side action. Sometimes, if a bun doesn't eat enough hay/grass or has a face shape that means their teeth do not meet properly, the teeth can grow unevenly as the rabbit can't or doesn't rub the surfaces flat. This can result in little spikes (also called spurs) forming on parts of the teeth. Some rabbits cope amazingly well with small spikes and can wear them off themselves if they are caught early enough and the rabbit is given plenty of hay to munch, while some rabbits will stop eating, slow down or be in pain at just the slightest spike. Some vets prefer to treat it early, other vets prefer to leave it and see if the bun wears them off themselves.
As you have noticed that your bun is a slow eater it sounds as if your bun isn't going to be able to wear them down himself. I would therefore advise that you have him checked and booked in to have a full dental. By this I don't just mean getting the spikes clipped off, but having them properly reshaped. Once this is done properly, your bun stands a much better chance of keeping the spikes at bay as he will be able to chew normally once the spikes are gone. It is really important that you encourage him to eat lots of hay and/or grass with limited amounts of dried food, to try and minimise the risk of it recurring. Some rabbits are more prone to it than others (especially lops and dwarves because of their face shape) but even so with a few tweaks in diet you will hopefully be able to either prevent it from recurring or at least slow its recurrence down.
Good luck
Rabbits teeth grow constantly and they normally keep them worn down evenly through grazing on long fibre like hay and grass, which they chew in a side-to-side action. Sometimes, if a bun doesn't eat enough hay/grass or has a face shape that means their teeth do not meet properly, the teeth can grow unevenly as the rabbit can't or doesn't rub the surfaces flat. This can result in little spikes (also called spurs) forming on parts of the teeth. Some rabbits cope amazingly well with small spikes and can wear them off themselves if they are caught early enough and the rabbit is given plenty of hay to munch, while some rabbits will stop eating, slow down or be in pain at just the slightest spike. Some vets prefer to treat it early, other vets prefer to leave it and see if the bun wears them off themselves.
As you have noticed that your bun is a slow eater it sounds as if your bun isn't going to be able to wear them down himself. I would therefore advise that you have him checked and booked in to have a full dental. By this I don't just mean getting the spikes clipped off, but having them properly reshaped. Once this is done properly, your bun stands a much better chance of keeping the spikes at bay as he will be able to chew normally once the spikes are gone. It is really important that you encourage him to eat lots of hay and/or grass with limited amounts of dried food, to try and minimise the risk of it recurring. Some rabbits are more prone to it than others (especially lops and dwarves because of their face shape) but even so with a few tweaks in diet you will hopefully be able to either prevent it from recurring or at least slow its recurrence down.
Good luck
:wave:
Rabbits teeth grow constantly and they normally keep them worn down evenly through grazing on long fibre like hay and grass, which they chew in a side-to-side action. Sometimes, if a bun doesn't eat enough hay/grass or has a face shape that means their teeth do not meet properly, the teeth can grow unevenly as the rabbit can't or doesn't rub the surfaces flat. This can result in little spikes (also called spurs) forming on parts of the teeth. Some rabbits cope amazingly well with small spikes and can wear them off themselves if they are caught early enough and the rabbit is given plenty of hay to munch, while some rabbits will stop eating, slow down or be in pain at just the slightest spike. Some vets prefer to treat it early, other vets prefer to leave it and see if the bun wears them off themselves.
As you have noticed that your bun is a slow eater it sounds as if your bun isn't going to be able to wear them down himself. I would therefore advise that you have him checked and booked in to have a full dental. By this I don't just mean getting the spikes clipped off, but having them properly reshaped. Once this is done properly, your bun stands a much better chance of keeping the spikes at bay as he will be able to chew normally once the spikes are gone. It is really important that you encourage him to eat lots of hay and/or grass with limited amounts of dried food, to try and minimise the risk of it recurring. Some rabbits are more prone to it than others (especially lops and dwarves because of their face shape) but even so with a few tweaks in diet you will hopefully be able to either prevent it from recurring or at least slow its recurrence down.
Good luck
:wave: thank you
he is a lop, I've only had him a week or 2, and I strongly suspect I am the first person to give him hay, he doesnt seem quite what to make of it!! He seems to nibble on his food slowly throughout the day. It caught my attention this afternoon, when i put his veg in he excitedly pulled out a massive leaf of spring green and began to tuck into it, then suddenly stopped eating and went to sit in the corner of his run. He has just been neutered and I had to syringe him food and water while he was recovering.
Santa
Wise Old Thumper
Are you anywhere near Forest Hall? Judith Brown a vet there has a special interest in rabbits and is the Rabbit Welfare Association's veterinary executive. Somewhat worryingly, most vets learn virtually nothing about rabbits at vet school so it can be quite tricky to find a vet who is good with bunnies - a good dog/cat vet isn't necessarily a good bunny vet.
Dental spikes can become serious if they are left untreated as they can cause ulceration, pain and can stop the bun from eating - and that can be fatal. But if it's dealt with quickly and steps taken to minimise the speed of recurrence, you may find that it's just a one-off and you have no further problems, especially as you've only just got him and he may not have been fed a proper diet before.
Dental spikes can become serious if they are left untreated as they can cause ulceration, pain and can stop the bun from eating - and that can be fatal. But if it's dealt with quickly and steps taken to minimise the speed of recurrence, you may find that it's just a one-off and you have no further problems, especially as you've only just got him and he may not have been fed a proper diet before.
rachylou
Warren Veteran
Where did you get him from? Are you able to ask them if he was a picky eater or whether he used to have a good appitie?
It could be that his guts are slowing down, you say you have only had him a week or 2 so it could be due to the stress of moving home.
Try to get him eating as much as possible at the moment to establish whether he is being picky by choice or if it is a tummy problem.
With regards to the teeth, yes they can potentially cause problems if not delt with straight away, any sign of dribbling, chewing strangly, going off certain foods which may be more uncomfortable to eat and not eating hay are all warning signs that the teeth need seeing too.
It could be that his guts are slowing down, you say you have only had him a week or 2 so it could be due to the stress of moving home.
Try to get him eating as much as possible at the moment to establish whether he is being picky by choice or if it is a tummy problem.
With regards to the teeth, yes they can potentially cause problems if not delt with straight away, any sign of dribbling, chewing strangly, going off certain foods which may be more uncomfortable to eat and not eating hay are all warning signs that the teeth need seeing too.
he has cleared his veg off now, and his pellets are long gone, but like I say his progress is slow. He is from P@H adoption centre, I think they got him from a byb who ended up with too many buns. Ive seen no dribbling or strange chewing, he never used to drink from a water bottle but I think that was because he was in pain from his neuter. he uses the bottle fine now. His poos are perfect as well so there seem to be no digestive problems.
he eats about half the hay i put in for him, and again i dont know if its just because he isnt used to it or because he can't eat it.
He also boxes me when i go near his face. i know lops often do this because they can't see directly in front, but that's why i asked the vet to check, just to be sure.
he did have a bowl but I've taken it off him now he's using the bottle because he just kept messing it up.
My hay sample just came from the Hay Experts so I'll be trying him to see which kind he likes best
thank you! so do you think I should just see how he goes before rushing him to the vets?
My hay sample just came from the Hay Experts
so I'll be trying him to see which kind he likes best thank you! so do you think I should just see how he goes before rushing him to the vets?
Jack's-Jane
Wise Old Thumper
he did have a bowl but I've taken it off him now he's using the bottle because he just kept messing it up.
My hay sample just came from the Hay Experts
thank you! so do you think I should just see how he goes before rushing him to the vets?
The Vet would *hopefully* have thought to check his teeth when he was neutered. Could you contact the Vet to ask ? It is impossible to get a 100% view of the molar teeth in a conscious Rabbit so a Dental check during a routine neuter is always a good idea.
I would hope this as he is a lop and I did express my concern, but this is the vet that 'couldn't' syringe feed him :roll: when I could and I'd had him a day... and she didnt seem all that worried. Ive given him 3 different samples of hay to try and he started eating it straight away so maybe he just wasnt keen on the hay I was giving him? I'm there on Saturday so I'll ask the vet if she did check
and he started eating it straight away so maybe he just wasnt keen on the hay I was giving him? I'm there on Saturday so I'll ask the vet if she did check
