Dentals? U/D: Peter had dental number 3 today(3rd since Aug)

Peter has had two dentals in the last 6 weeks.

I took him to a vet close to home because he was ill last night and I would not have got to the Vet Specialist in Gloucester in time (Jason Burgess Wood Vet Group).

The vet said it doesn't look good that he has had so many dentals and that PTS will be the only option if Jason says that Peter's (rabbits) teeth are a poor state.

I waited until 6pm tonight for the vet to ring and she still had no answers. :shock: She told me its not good if a rabbit doesnt eat! I KNOW this.

However, Peter has been waiting since last night and now I have to wait for her to phone me again at lunchtime tomorrow. I am feeding him critical care and pain relief once daily. (I have phoned Jason in Gloucester and am hoping he will call ASAP. )

I have read online and on here about people having dentals as often as every 2 weeks. I will pay anything to make sure my Peter is ok.

However, if his teeth are poor, is PTS the best option?

I am willing to pay for dentals and know that as soon as he shows any signs of discomfort or pain I take him to the vets ASAP. For example, nibbling food slower, refusing treats, dribbling, etc.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Where the last two dentals under GA or conscious?

My dental bunny has conscious dentals to keep his teeth under control every 4 weeks but he also has a GA when necessary so that a more thorough job can be done.

Has Peter pooed or had a wee? I cant quite work out if he is in GI stasis or not?

I cant see why PTS is an option for Peter? Was the vet that suggested it a rabbit savvy vet?

our bun vet does dentals conscious too...he only takes a few mins to do it .
is it possible to remove just the problem teeth? we had a bun with no front teeth..she managed fine so long as we chopped her food up.
hope that you get some good news from the other vet..

He has had his last two dentals under GA.

I have just fed him critical care and a yoghurt drop. Put him on the floor and he munched a leaf from an apple tree.

When I took my cat for a dental at my usual vet, the vet said why did you take Peter elsewhere, we are rabbit experts here!!!

So, that is where I took Peter last night.

Now I am thinking I should just stick with Jason Burgess at Wood Vet because he is 'real' rabbit specialist.

However, I am worried about Peter.

Stick with the one vet that you know is good with buns. This is what I try to do as much as possible, we cant always see him so I swat up on here before we go so I know what to ask for

The non rabbit savvy vets cant even be trusted to do a myxo vacs:roll:

Fantastic Peter is nibbling by himself

It is possible that he could have a conscious dental. I have one old boy now that has a conscious one as needed, and have had 2 others over the years who had conscious ones. They are really quick and are fine if done by a good rabbit vet, not something i'd let the temp vet do or anything.

Hope your bun will be ok :wave:

I have booked an appointment with the vet in Gloucester (Vet Specialist

BUT

My local vet has rang Jason at the Gloucester vet and he has said that prognosis is not good but we could continue with dentals every 3 weeks ...

However, my local vet then rang a rabbit specialist in Swindon who suggested that Peter's teeth could be filed down as low as possible to try and give him longer between dentals. The specialist also told the vet that alot of rabbits teeth stop growing or teeth grow slower as they get older.

Is this true?

Should I go to my local vet after all? (The did do a dental on Chloe, one of my other rabbits on Monday )

Thanks
Tanya

tanya_306 said:

However, my local vet then rang a rabbit specialist in Swindon who suggested that Peter's teeth could be filed down as low as possible to try and give him longer between dentals.

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Yes this is what I was going to suggest. If the dentals so far have just filed off any sharp points, the problem can recur very quickly. If the teeth are filed right back to just above the gum, they take much longer to regrow and stand more chance of getting themselves back into a normal pattern of wear.

If the previous dentals have not done this, I would opt for that rather than a conscious dental, as all you are doing is replicating the same pattern of tooth wear without giving it a chance to correct itself over a longer period of time.

Good luck xx

Peter had his dental today.

The vet said the one side is alot worse that the other. He had spurs that stick into his cheek and tongue. She said he has the biggest ulcer she has ever seen in a bunny.

He is currently led next to my bed in his indoor cage, fast asleep on a blanket.


I need to wake him soon to give him some oxbow syringe food and some gel for his ulcer.

tanya_306 said:

I have booked an appointment with the vet in Gloucester (Vet Specialist

BUT

My local vet has rang Jason at the Gloucester vet and he has said that prognosis is not good but we could continue with dentals every 3 weeks ...

However, my local vet then rang a rabbit specialist in Swindon who suggested that Peter's teeth could be filed down as low as possible to try and give him longer between dentals. The specialist also told the vet that alot of rabbits teeth stop growing or teeth grow slower as they get older.

Is this true?

Should I go to my local vet after all? (The did do a dental on Chloe, one of my other rabbits on Monday )

Thanks
Tanya

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I would also try this route too. Not only does it slow down the regrowth but it is believed burring the crowns down below or to the gum line can take the pressure off the roots elongating below and this in turn can slow the growth of the crowns, and sometimes help correct the bite. The specialists in Swindon if it was GWR are excellent and I too have used them as a referral for my rabbit, but not dental related. I would give Peter every chance by trying this method, however pain relief will be needed after for a few days as burring the crowns down very low can expose a bit of pulp or make the mouth rather sore. I too would avoid conscious dentals personally. Good luck and I hope Peter can get his teeth sorted.

As some buns grow, not all, the bite of their jaw can change shape as their muscles grow and mature.

prettylupin said:

I would also try this route too. Not only does it slow down the regrowth but it is believed burring the crowns down below or to the gum line can take the pressure off the roots elongating below and this in turn can slow the growth of the crowns, and sometimes help correct the bite. The specialists in Swindon if it was GWR are excellent and I too have used them as a referral for my rabbit, but not dental related. I would give Peter every chance by trying this method, however pain relief will be needed after for a few days as burring the crowns down very low can expose a bit of pulp or make the mouth rather sore. I too would avoid conscious dentals personally. Good luck and I hope Peter can get his teeth sorted.

As some buns grow, not all, the bite of their jaw can change shape as their muscles grow and mature.

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I agree with this

Lots of vibes for Peter Rabbit xx

Peter came home last night after his dental. He seemed ok. He was warm and lively.

He slept in his indoor cage next to my bed through the night and also seemed ok. Anaesthetic always affects his pooping and eating.

BUT its now 5:30pm ish and he is still not pooping. He did take a bite out of a piece of cucumber and spring greens but that is it. He HAS been drinking.

He had 1ml of Ranitidine, 1ml Baytrill and 3.5kg dose of Metacam this morning.

He has been syringe fed three times today - each time having about 5ml of food. He is not a fan of having the food but I do persist!

I have also been giving him Detinox (baby bonjella) and savlon on his sore chin.

Can I do anything else for him? I know I should be used to this by now, but I still worry.

I put Peter outside in the big run to see if that helped .... still no poop and he isn't eating anything, except for a yoghurt drop!! HELP

tanya_306 said:

I put Peter outside in the big run to see if that helped .... still no poop and he isn't eating anything, except for a yoghurt drop!! HELP

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If he's not eating and not pooping then he needs to see an emergency vet tonight for pain relief and fluids and any other meds they feel necessary. I hope he feels better soon x

tanya_306 said:

Peter came home last night after his dental. He seemed ok. He was warm and lively.

He slept in his indoor cage next to my bed through the night and also seemed ok. Anaesthetic always affects his pooping and eating.

BUT its now 5:30pm ish and he is still not pooping. He did take a bite out of a piece of cucumber and spring greens but that is it. He HAS been drinking.

He had 1ml of Ranitidine, 1ml Baytrill and 3.5kg dose of Metacam this morning.

He has been syringe fed three times today - each time having about 5ml of food. He is not a fan of having the food but I do persist!

I have also been giving him Detinox (baby bonjella) and savlon on his sore chin.

Can I do anything else for him? I know I should be used to this by now, but I still worry.

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Just read this post sorry You need to be syringing him much more than 5ml each time if you can and more than 3 x a day. Generally syringe feeding needs to be done every 2-4 hours at a rate of 10-20ml of food, or as much as you can get in. Syringing fluids will also help a lot. It can take a long time to get the guts moving again, so just keep going and keep tempting him with greens/fresh herbs/hay etc.
A probiotic should also help. Ranitidine is usually 2x a day, some metclopramide as well might be helpful if your vet gave you this? It may be that his pain relief is too low and he needs a higher dose. Just keep going if you can and keep him warm and calm, he will need lots of care throughout the night.

If you are concerned about his pain relief and fluids then you can use an emergency vet for these things. Encourage him to hop around a bit as well - this helps get the tummy moving.

prettylupin said:

Just read this post sorry You need to be syringing him much more than 5ml each time if you can and more than 3 x a day. Generally syringe feeding needs to be done every 2-4 hours at a rate of 10-20ml of food, or as much as you can get in. Syringing fluids will also help a lot. It can take a long time to get the guts moving again, so just keep going and keep tempting him with greens/fresh herbs/hay etc.
A probiotic should also help. Ranitidine is usually 2x a day, some metclopramide as well might be helpful if your vet gave you this? It may be that his pain relief is too low and he needs a higher dose. Just keep going if you can and keep him warm and calm, he will need lots of care throughout the night.

If you are concerned about his pain relief and fluids then you can use an emergency vet for these things. Encourage him to hop around a bit as well - this helps get the tummy moving.

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Thank you.

The vet suggested that I feed him baby food and as I am really struggling to get him to eat rabbit syringe feed I bought some apple and banana Cow & Gate food. He had about 8ml before he got fed up, which is alot for Peter!

He has also drank some water from his bottle.

He is having Ranitidine morning and night. The vet who did Peters dental is on emergenct call out all weekend so has told me to phone if I have any concerns. Surgery is also open 9-12 tomorrow morning.

I will syringe feed him again, within the next hour and see how he goes.

tanya_306 said:

Thank you.

The vet suggested that I feed him baby food and as I am really struggling to get him to eat rabbit syringe feed I bought some apple and banana Cow & Gate food. He had about 8ml before he got fed up, which is alot for Peter!

He has also drank some water from his bottle.

He is having Ranitidine morning and night. The vet who did Peters dental is on emergenct call out all weekend so has told me to phone if I have any concerns. Surgery is also open 9-12 tomorrow morning.

I will syringe feed him again, within the next hour and see how he goes.

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I would also give him a bowl - this is important for poorly buns who can get more out of a bowl than a bottle.
I would also try mixing some of the cow and gate food into the critical care food/rabbit syringe food so he gets a bit of both if possible as the fibre in the critical care will really help his tummy move. Alternatively try mushing some of his pellets in warm water and syringe those. Ella's kitchen makes an organic baby food sachet that I find buns really like too. Keep tempting him all the time with fresh wet leaves/herbs before you syringe feed just in case he eats himself - the sooner he self-eats the better. Don't stress him out but you can try tickling his mouth with it and sometimes they just grab it to stop you doing it and then eat it by chance - has worked loads for me. Fresh grass and dandelions picked for him might also tempt him.

I would also try and syringe him some fluids if you can. You will not believe how dehydrated they get and how much this affects the movements of the guts. I would suggest a good 5ml (1/2ml at a time) of fluids syringed before every syringe feed if possible - or balance a bit of both. Brewed and cooled to room temp herbal teas make excellent syringe fluids. Camomile and spearmint/fennel and nettle teas are the preferred ones with my buns when poorly - goes down much easier than plain water.

Good luck and keep going. If you have a heat pad or bag of rice to keep him warm that you can heat in the microwave this should help. As I said before, encourage him to hop around after each syringe feed - even if he looks a bit fed up and tired, a little hop will get that tummy moving, then let him rest for 2 hours and do it all over again. Hope things improve overnight. x

Ok. Peter had 10ml of baby food last night (midnight) and nibbled two treats (yoghurt drops) during the night.

This morning at about 8am he had 12ml of baby food mixed with critical care. He also nibbled one dandelion and had two yoghurt drops.

He still hasn't had a poop and isn't interested in any other food.

I have decided to take him to the vets. I am hoping they can give him an injection to get him pooping and maybe more painkillers so he will eat.

Fingers crossed.

Aw, good luck at the vets. Always best to be on the safe side, hope all goes well. Sending him lots of eating and pooping vibes.