Teeth

Harley was at the vets recently for his Myxi jab. His vet said that his teeth weren't being worn down enough and if this continued then he would need dental work.

The vet said that he is close to developing spurs...what does this mean? How much does this type of dental work cost?

Is there anything more I can do to help Harley? I have cut his food right down to a teaspoon of pellets once a day, he has an unlimited supply of hay and a portion of excel forage dried grass every day. He will only gnaw on stuff if it has food in it...any recommenations of toys your buns gnaw on? I will get some willow balls but they get destroyed in a matter of days.

It is a common problem and can be corrected.The vet will file them down for £20.00 or so.
Is he a good hay eater?

Becca said:

The vet will file them down for £20.00 or so.

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When my bunny had to have regular dentals (burring down spurs) under GA they usually cost around the £100-£120 mark £20.00 sounds remarkably cheap to me?

Ooops sorry meant £120.00
It would be a bargain at £20.00:lol::lol:

Hi,

three of my four buns are dental bun and they need to have theirs burred down every 6-8 weeks - because their used to it now and have it done regularly so the spurs aren't too big they can get it done conscious which at my vets is usually around £20 -£25. If they need GA obviously the price goes up - Blakey recently was £64 when done under GA.
Spurs are bits of tooth that haven't been ground down properly either due to not eating enough fibrous stuff or mis-alignment of the teeth. They can get very sharp and if they're on the inside of the tooth they can cut into the tongue and if they're on the outside of the tooth they can rub on the inside of the cheek and cause sores. I'd check with your vet whether they think the teeth are mis-aligned in your bun's jaw - if they are you're likely to have to have the burring done regulary though feeding lots of hay and fibrous stuff it can cut down on the frequency.
Willow balls and wood chews are great but the main thing is lots of hay. The only problem I find with mine is that because they sometimes find it sore to eat the hay becuase of the spurs then they don't eat it which leads to a Catch 22.

ETA - just read the other updates - seems my vets are a bargain and to think I was looking to change them

Thanks for your replies

hooooow muuuuccchhh?! :lol: good job we love our bunnies

I think with Harley it is just because I have been feeding too much of his pellets and veg...he has always been a good hay eater so I dunno why I fed too much of the other stuff really. I have cut this down now and he appears to be eating even more hay so fingers crossed it wont come to having to have dental work.

Just got to encourage Pebbles to eat more hay