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Apple needs her teeth cut again

R

Rhianna

Wise Old Thumper
I can't remember if I posted this before or not but I had to take Apple to the vet as two of her bottom teeth had grown up past her lip. I am ashamed to say I didn't notice it for a while as it blends with the white of her face and she was still eating and was lively. The vet showed me how to cut them and said they will need doing regularly.

They have now grown again. Not as long as before but still outside her mouth. I worry about doing it myself but I also worry about the stress for poor Apple of taking her to the vet every few weeks (which is how long it seems to be). The vet cut them just like nails, using a plastic guide to protect her skin. Apple will never be able to ground them down because of how they are positioned in her mouth. Her other teeth are great according to the vet and she is a brilliant hay eater.

She is one of the babies of the trio I fostered from Starlights and ended up adopting so she is only young - probably just under a year. I wonder if it would be best to have the teeth removed while she is still young?

I am really unsure as to what to do for the best for her.
 
If they are incisors, i'd certainly have them removed if it was me in your situation Rihanna.

Clipping them could be horrendous for her and excruciatingly painful if the vibrations shatter the roots of the teeth.
 
The only tooth that I would clip or let the vet clip would be a peg tooth. An Incisor is too large and can shatter when clipping and cause damage to the tooth and later infection.

I would always get Incisors burred when needed or go for complete removal.
 
Thank you both.

I don't know what sort of teeth they are but the vet cut them really quickly and easily. I will talk to him about maybe removing them, if it is indeed possible. Apple hasn't been spayed yet so I could maybe have both ops done at the same time. I wouldn't feel so bad about her having an unnecessary GA then.

I really don't feel confident enough to do it myself and the vet agreed I would need someone to hold her anyway.

I just want to do what is best for her. She seems to eat just fine even when they are long and they aren't digging into her at all but I don't fancy taking her to the vet every few weeks for the rest of her life - it seems almost cruel as like most buns she gets very stressed. I am amazed at how quickly they have grown again:(
 
You really can't leve them long even if she is eating ok as the misalignment can cause the back teeth not to wear properly and then she may get back teeth issues.
 
I know - that is why she is going to the vet tomorrow. There wasn't enough to cut earlier. I wasn't saying I wouldn't take her to the vet regularly to have this done - just that I didn't think it was fair to her to keep doing so - if that makes sense at all. I don't think I phrased it properly earlier.

I think I will opt for extraction unless there is a good reason not to. I know I had a dental bun before but was unable to have the teeth removed, but I think they were back teeth.

Do you all think it would be OK to get her teeth done at the same time as her spay or would it be too much for her? I just hate the idea of her having two GA's. The vet may not be happy to do two ops at the same time anyway but Furby was neutered at the same time as he had a dental - and that was at the vet's suggestion.

I will chat it over with the vet but I really value RU advice.
 
Rhianna said:
I know - that is why she is going to the vet tomorrow. There wasn't enough to cut earlier. I wasn't saying I wouldn't take her to the vet regularly to have this done - just that I didn't think it was fair to her to keep doing so - if that makes sense at all. I don't think I phrased it properly earlier.

I think I will opt for extraction unless there is a good reason not to. I know I had a dental bun before but was unable to have the teeth removed, but I think they were back teeth.

Do you all think it would be OK to get her teeth done at the same time as her spay or would it be too much for her? I just hate the idea of her having two GA's. The vet may not be happy to do two ops at the same time anyway but Furby was neutered at the same time as he had a dental - and that was at the vet's suggestion.

I will chat it over with the vet but I really value RU advice.
Click to expand...

I'm not 100% sure. On one hand, yes, it saves a second GA. But on the other hand, you need her to eat post-spay. If her teeth are hurting as well as the fact she's had her insides removed and fiddled with, she may well end up worse off, and end up with gut related issues from not eating and additional spurs from her back teeth not wearing down.

Is she booked for her spay?

Personally, i think, if she is healthy other than this teeth issue, i'd have the teeth sorted right now (incisor removal) and then leave it a good few weeks (maybe a month or so?) until she's learning to cope with having no front teeth, then have her spayed. There's no reason a healthy bun couldn't get through 2 GA's i wouldnt think.

Obviously, you have the dietary things to think about too - cutting hay up short for her, veg if you feed it, etc too.
 
Thanks Kermit.

I am in tears here worrying that I won't make the right decision for Apple. If she died under the GA to have her teeth out I would never forgive myself as it isn't an essential op but if she is being spayed at the same time, that is 'essential' so I feel less dreadful about taking the risk.

But then if she did die I would worry that it was because she was under for longer having the two ops.

My head is all over the place with this one. I soooooo wish bunnies could talk.
 
Thanks Gray. I hadn't read your post when I wrote the last one. You have made a good point. No, Apple isn't booked in for her spay yet. Money has been tight and I was over my overdraft limit. I wanted to get all three girls done at the same time too but think that is a bit unrealistic financially.

Fortunately, I now have some private counselling clients so I can get one of the buns spayed now.

Will have to have a good long think.
 
Aly&Poppy<3 said:
Leo had his dental while he was neutered :) he was fine :)
Click to expand...

Just in case anyone else reads this and thinks the same, please remember a spay is a MUCH more invasive operation than a neuter. It takes much greater recovery times and will be much more painful for said bun.

Also, this isn't a 'dental' so to speak, this is incisor removal, which means removing the teeth from the front of the mouth, not burring the rear ones down, which again, is totally different and may have different recovery time frames.
 
GrahamL said:
Just in case anyone else reads this and thinks the same, please remember a spay is a MUCH more invasive operation than a neuter. It takes much greater recovery times and will be much more painful for said bun.

Also, this isn't a 'dental' so to speak, this is incisor removal, which means removing the teeth from the front of the mouth, not burring the rear ones down, which again, is totally different and may have different recovery time frames.
Click to expand...

:oops::oops: Yeah, Poppy had her dental before spay because she had teeth out, burred and treatment on her jaw. It would have been too much and not fair on her. Leo had some teeth out but I suppose he was snipped fairly quickly :)
 
I am no nearer making a decision really. The vet said it is up to me. He will remove them if I wish.

Apple was so good when he cut them - made no fuss at all - she struggles more when I do her nails. The vet said he thought she knew it was going to help her and it really did look like that. Both he and his colleague were surprised at just how unphased she was. He said it would be easy for me to do and would save me £10 - which is what he charges.

He said if he removed them they could grow back and she may have to have it done again, which I didn't know. I am even more uncertain about what to do now. He will do it at the same time as spaying her. It is all up to me really.
 
Hope all is well with Apples teeth.

Sorry when I come on RU I can only get the last 5 or 6 pages so have missed your threads. Really hope you and your furries are well. xxx
 
Gus has his front teeth burred about every 8 weeks, my vet and I discussed it and decided it was better for Gus than having them removed, I know a lot if people will disagree but he has been having them done for 3 years now and has had no trouble.
 
Mole had his incisors removed. One grew back and they removed it again free of charge. We now have fingers crossed that it doesn't grow back.


It doesn't seem too big an op - the night the last one was done he was bombing round the garden as usual. We cut his veg up for him but he manages pellets and hay as normal.. :wave:
 
Apple has escaped from the pen yet again. That bunny really is houdini. Sam (Bluesmum) rigged up a combination of a huge dog crate and a pen so they had more space. I can no longer use the lounge as the pen takes up most of the room but George and Gemma nommed the TV cable so it was no great loss.

I am still unsure what to do about Apple's teeth. She is so much smaller than her sister but I doubt she will grow much more as she must be at least nine or ten months now. It seems so unfair she has this problem as she is a great hay eater - all the trio are. I've cut down the pellets I give all my buns now to encourage more hay eating but Berry, Cherry and Apple have always eaten loads of hay anyway.

I think I will wait to see how long it is before her teeth need cutting again and then make a decision. If she even grows a tiny bit more I will feel happier about her going under a GA. She just seems quite fragile compared to her Mum and sister. Having said that she is definitely the naughtiest of the three:)
 
I think its a good call to wait. See how long they take to grow back, if it is every 3 weeks I personally would have them removed. I'm sure I read that front teeth should be rasped not clipped though :? and it seems odd the vet happy to let you do it at home.

I'd get the removal and spay done separately though, as she'll need to learn to eat differently after the tooth removal.

I wonder if a few apple sticks daily would help her keep it down and so prolong the time between dentals?
 
If the front teeth are to be 'trimmed' they should be burred with a dremel type tool (spinning disc thingy) not cut or any method which puts pressure on the teeth, and certainly shouldn't be done at home with clippers...
 
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