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Hard Choice - Dental Problems

Hi Everyone,

Barneys having tooth issues.

A few months ago he just stopped acting himself and was just said there drooling. we took him the vets and on the monday morning he went in under anaesthetic to have his tooth filed down.

At the time they said they couldnt say how often he'd need to go in - some rabbits are eery 5-6 weeks while others are 5-6 months.

He's had to go back in today for another file where they say the bottom teeth on the left sideof his face all are growing out of place and they havehad to file another down.

We have asked if they filed down as far as they can to which they say they had. But they have also said it's not good for him (which i knew, and he is still very drowsy now) to keep going under to have them filed down.

Its very sad for him as he is almost nigh the perfect rabbit. They said sometimes its best to have him put to sleep for good rather than keep putting him through it but its not something i even want to contemplate.

Anybody else experienced this and have any advice? i.e extraction? (we did ask but they are very reluctant to even think about it let alone do it)

What would people in my position do? :(

He is such a happy bunny and its heart wrenching to see him like this. He still eats everything though!!
 
I'm in your position. I have 13 (I think it was at the recent count) dental bunnies. Some more severely dental than others, some cope better with the GA than others, some are less bothered than others.

Bunnies can live a very happy, good quality life with dental problems. It's often just a case of the owner acting promptly and being super aware.

A few months in between is not bad at all.

I have a rabbit who the vet suggested having her PTS because her dentals didn't help her, and she is still exceptionally happy (her story is around here if you are interested). If your vet is suggesting PTS after two dentals I might be inclined to look for a different vet.

What is his diet like?
 
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It doesn't sound like you vet is very confident at treating rabbits, to be honest.

I had a dental rabbit in the past and when it came to needing her second dental the vet suggested putting her to sleep. She went on to have 10 dentals in her life and coped really well with them. To this day, approximately 5 years later I'm still really upset that PTS was suggested for her.

Barney would most likely be better off with a different vet who was sympathetic to the idea that some bunnies need to have their molar spurs filed down fairly frequently and can still lead a good quality of life. Someone who deals with a lot of rabbits would probably be able to give more wide ranging advice also.
 
I agree. Rabbits can live very happily having dentals. My rabbit Grimlock has to have them every few months and gets drowsy after the GA but picks up quickly. There was one incident when he stopped breathing under the anaesthetic but my vet was great and managed to get him to pull through. He's had two GAs since then and both have been fine. He is a very happy rabbit, I just look for the signs and take him in.

If it's his molars they can't be removed safely which is why your vet won't do it. The risk of cracking the jaw is too high. They can file them right down to the gum though. Sometimes diet can help. I know Sky-O already asked what his diet is like, maybe we can make some suggestions that might help his teeth. :wave:
 
It doesn't sound like you vet is very confident at treating rabbits, to be honest.

I had a dental rabbit in the past and when it came to needing her second dental the vet suggested putting her to sleep. She went on to have 10 dentals in her life and coped really well with them. To this day, approximately 5 years later I'm still really upset that PTS was suggested for her.

Barney would most likely be better off with a different vet who was sympathetic to the idea that some bunnies need to have their molar spurs filed down fairly frequently and can still lead a good quality of life. Someone who deals with a lot of rabbits would probably be able to give more wide ranging advice also.

^^^^^ yes this.

i would never say a dentals are a reason to PTS. maybe you could get advice from another vet. its always worth another opionion. My Barney :)D) is only 15 months old and has had many dentals already and will need his front teeth doing every month at least for the rest of his life BUT otherwise he is a very happy healthy bunny :) However, he has been to see a top bunny vet and i have had lots of advice on his diet and general health so that is helping things i believe.
 
Bunnies can live a very happy, good quality life with dental problems. It's often just a case of the owner acting promptly and being super aware.

I agree with this :)

I have a dental bunny and I believe she has a great quality of life which is effected very little by her teeth problems.

A few months between dentals is actually rather good IMO. This time last year Heather was needing dentals every 6 - 8weeks now she only needs them every 8 - 12weeks :D

If your vet is suggesting PTS straight away then I would consider moveing vets or even just getting a second opinion from a rabbit-savvy vet as unfortunatley your vet does not sound very rabbit savvy.

I don't know how much hay/grass Barney eats at the moment but if you can increase that then the time between dentals will lengthen. Finding different types of hay that he really loves will help (The Hay Experts do a great sample pack)

Hope that was of some use. Good luck with him :love:
 
Thanks Sky-O and Jenova. Thats made me more confident.

Im pretty sure his diets ok - we pack him out with straw and hay, give them a handful of pellets morning / evening, a spring green leaf morning/evening and a carrot morning and evening. They both share it lovely.

One point mentioned is they can file the tooth rightdown - we asked them to do this but the vets said they couldnt go all the way down due to nerves.

The thing that worries me though is that it was only 6 weeks since his last GA. Not months..

I've searched Google for a rabbit savvy vet in and around Kidderminster but it don't bring me anything...

I'd do anything to take his pain away and make him his usual happy self permanently
 
It might be worth, if he can hold his weight, to look at cutting down his pellets. I've found that severely limiting the pellets mine have has spread their dentals out beautifully. Not all bunnies can tolerate that though, so try and reduce it gradually to ensure his weight doesn't drop.

You could also try a variety of different hays to see if he is more inclined to eat different hays more than others. I personally buy mine bale hay and that goes down great. I'm lucky mine are all good hay eaters. Is Barney?

We have 'hay times' where they get fresh hay and nothing else and mine often sit and wait in their hay tray for me, and then tuck right in.

I think finding a way to up his hay intake is key in seeing if you can spread the dentals out more.
 
If I can get some nice fresh Hay wih a lot of green in it he will happilly sit down and chow down the hay for hours.

Do you have any suggestions for good quality hay?

By way of pellets we cut them out altogether at one point. he lost some weight but stayed the same after a bit because of carrots / spring greens. we decided that they would be nice for them again so started to feed them again.

I think loads of good quality hay will do him great... oh and a change of vets :)
 
We got them some Timothy Hay today. Been munching it down. He looks a bit tired again now so he's having a snooze.

hopefully he'll enjoy that. its really green, nice and think... reminds me of straw to be honest.
 
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