Cheek teeth extraction advice

Hello, My rabbit Oscar had to have his cheek teeth filed down last week, his bottom molar was growing up into the gum and his top molar into his cheek, but only on one side. Went back into the vets today and she said that they are more than likely going to grow back the same and cause discomfort very quickly. She suggested to have the teeth removed completely, but wasn't prepared to do it herself as apparently very difficult to remove cheek teeth so would have to take him to a rabbit dental specialist.

Oscar refuses to eat any hay of any kind and doesn't eat grass (only the dandelions) and still doesn't even after the vet filed his teeth down. He is underweight at the moment so have basically been giving him anything he will eat to fatten him a bit, but know he is not eating anything that is going to wear his teeth down.

Does anyone know of a good rabbit dental specialist in the Surrey area? and has anyone elses rabbit had their molars removed? I'm concerned about him having another op so soon as it has been a week since his last op and he has still not recovered fully yet.

Molar removal is highly risky I've been told and can result in the jaw breaking. :? Most owners in your position (and I am one of them) opt for regular tooth filing as overall it is less dangerous. The constant general anaesthetic is obviously dangerous too but I believe less so. It's still better to find a rabbit specialist for this though.

With elongated tooth roots, which you can't really see without an x ray, rabbits will often not eat hay or grass as it's too painful for them. Does he have any problems with runny eyes? To try and combat his teeth growing feed him unlimited pellets. This will also help him gain weight and it's much healthier than rabbit muesli. If you're feeding muesli at the moment then you could try to slowly switch to pellets over a couple of weeks.

Have you been given pain killers to take home for Oscar? I think this is very important. If his teeth were growing into his cheek he's probably got ulcers or sores in his mouth which would also stop him eating. You want something called Metacam of Loxicom (or the equivalent), ask your vet about painkillers if you don't have any. He'd probably need them for a week after the operation to get him eating again. I know it's been a week but I think it's still worth asking if he's having trouble.

I would usually avoid feeding too many sugary foods like commercial treats and fruit as it's not very good for them. It can help put on weight but I would try not to go overboard with them. Thinks like carrots (grated if he's having problems) count in this too. Porridge made with water is great for putting on weight and you can mix a bit of banana into it as well. I agree that getting him to eat is very important and sometimes you have to break the rules and feed them what they want.

Always get a second opinion if you're not happy and if he ever stops eating it is an emergency and you should speak to a vet as soon as you notice. Rabbits go downhill so quickly if they stop eating.

I hope someone can come along soon with some more advice and a recommendation of a vet for you. Welcome to the forum and I wish both of you lots of luck.

As Jenova says molar extraction is a major op', unless the molar is already very loose and about to fall out any way. Often it involves going in to the jaw from the OUTSIDE. It is only something I would consider as a very last resort.

This chap is very good and he used to run clinics nationwide. Not sure if he still does now though but maybe your Vet could find out

http://www.vetdent.eu/dacross/index.php

Here are a few more links which you may like to take a look at:

http://wildlife1.wildlifeinformatio...Indiv_TechniquesRabbit/MolarExtractRabbit.htm

http://wildlife1.wildlifeinformatio...Indiv_TechniquesRabbit/MolarExtractRabbit.htm

http://www.vetdent.eu/cpd/cpddownloads/notes-rabbit-dentistry.pdf

http://www.vetdent.eu/cpd/cpddownloads/notes-rabbit-maloccabstract.pdf

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Differential/Rabbit_dentistry.pdf

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Stella/Stella.htm

Thank you for your replys.

I am at a complete loss of what to do now When Oscar had his teeth filed down, it cost me £140. I simply cannot afford that cost every 8 weeks if needs them filing down that often. But reading your comment about how it may break their jaw etc has completely put me off! I really don't know what to do, I love my rabbit so much x

It's a really hard situation. :?
Grimlock used to need his doing every eight weeks but it seems to have slowed down recently. He's cost me a lot of money though.
Obviously the best thing is to get him eating hay but I know that's not always possible, especially if he's an older bunny. You could try buying fancy hay with herbs and stuff but I'm not sure if that would work. It never did with Grim. I don't really know what to suggest now.

*double post*

k8t_b8t said:

Thank you for your replys.

I am at a complete loss of what to do now When Oscar had his teeth filed down, it cost me £140. I simply cannot afford that cost every 8 weeks if needs them filing down that often. But reading your comment about how it may break their jaw etc has completely put me off! I really don't know what to do, I love my rabbit so much x

Click to expand...

I know how you feel......I've taken on a bunny that has turned out to be a dental bunny that won't eat hay AT ALL! I paid £98 last week for a dental and I really cannot afford that more than a couple of times a year :roll:

At the moment I'm trying to bring home lots of fresh grass with only a couple of other treats.....hawthorn or dandelion for example.
I've even bought a roll of turf as I have no grass and filled 3 large litter trays to rotate as eaten, but Ruby has shown no interest in them.

What I need to know is which kind of greens or forage is most abrasive for the teeth so I can concentrate on these.
If only it was as easy as withdrawing all other food...rabbits don't work like that, do they!!!!!!

I have the same problem. My rabbit had to have his molar filed down last week and I'm worried it may come back but the vet says it's too dangerous to remove the tooth. I can't afford to have it filed all the time.