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Very worried - lots of meds

marchi1990

Mama Doe
Hi everyone,

I am very worried about my rabbit, Woody.

Firstly, he is a dental bunny and had his last spurs removed two weeks ago. For a couple of days I have been noticing that the inside of his front paws are very wet and when it dries, it obviously goes crusty.

I thought this was a sign of pain (and some lovely people on here agreed) so I booked him an appointment at the vets. He was still eating at this point - a little less than usual but still eating. He was also very happy in himself, bounding around. He did bite me a couple days ago which is very out of character for him.

Yesterday eve he went to the vets. They said they thought they could see a tooth spur. They decided to put him on the following medication: Metacam, Metoclopramide & Zantac. They wanted to get him 'pain free' before a procedure when they would sedate him to look on Tues.

I brought him home and gave him his first doses.

This morning, Woody was very despondent - not very happy, just sitting in one spot. He had eaten some veg which was left in his house last night. This morning though he wasn't interested in his Excel nuggets - he usually goes mad for them!

Any advice? I am worried that the amount of meds might be too much for him? I don't want to put him through all of this - especially because he is still eating, pooing and weeing.

Thanks everyone, any input gratefully received.
 
The medication in itself should not make him feel worse. It is more likely that his mouth is now more sore. The Vet probably detected that his GI tract motility was significantly reduced, hence the prescribing of the prokinetics (Metoclporamide and Zantac). The Metacam is a non steroidal anti inflammatory pain killer. The Vet would want his gut motility to be as good as possible before putting him under GA.

Was the dental he had 2 weeks ago done under GA ?

I would call the Vet and discuss your concerns that his eating is now slowing down. It may be that the Vet will feel it to be appropriate to get his teeth sorted out before Tuesday as if he stops eating all together it may complicate things even more.
 
Hi, not sure I will be able to help much because Im no expert but I do have a dental bun.

Are you saying that the vet thinks he has a spur but they have given him meds to make him feel a bit better begore the op?

If so im not too sure I'd be happy with this, if he does have a spur and has stopped eating due to the pain I would have thought he needs the op sooner rather than later to get him eating properly again & avoid further damage to both his mouth and digestive system.

Is your vet rabbit savvy? I know the vet I used to go to left Poppy with a sore mouth for a long time, I didnt realise what little bunny knowledge they had.

Also, do you know if the wet on his paws is coming from his nose ir his mouth? That could be an indication of where the issue lies.

As I said though, i am far from an expert so im sure others can give better advice.

Ha ha- Jane beat me to it, ignore me & listen to her!! :)
 
Hi to you both :)

Thanks for an explanation of the meds. I have just put some purple sprouting out there, he usually love it so I will see how that goes down with him.

Yes, the vet wanted him to be pain-free and therefore less stressed before he was sedated for the dental.

Last time they did it whilst he was conscious but they said he became incredibly stressed by it (I absolutely hate that thought of him being terrified).

He has eaten a few nuggets which I think is encouraging.

She did seem to be a savvy rabbit vet. She gave him a very thorough check over - checked everything. She did say that he had lost some weight though.

He is doing the old crunching with his mouth today that he did when I first noticed his dental problems. I am sure it is his teeth.
 
I wouldn't have thought it was normal to do a dental without GA. I ghink it sounds like your bun is in pain so I woukd sah another vet trip is in order. I may be worth getting some recovery powder and syringes should he stop eating
 
I wouldn't have thought it was normal to do a dental without GA. I ghink it sounds like your bun is in pain so I woukd sah another vet trip is in order. I may be worth getting some recovery powder and syringes should he stop eating

Yes I already have some of that on standby.

They said he could 'just tolerate it' so didn't sedate him last time, despite me saying that I would rather they did.

He does seem in much higher spirits tonight - he was very interested in a forage basket I just took out.
 
Good to hear he is feeling a bit better today, I hope he continues to be bright until he has his op done.

Most people hate conscience dentals and sedation is much favoured by most. Saying that Poppy has hers done conscious and it works best for her.
 
Good to hear he is feeling a bit better today, I hope he continues to be bright until he has his op done.

Most people hate conscience dentals and sedation is much favoured by most. Saying that Poppy has hers done conscious and it works best for her.

Yes I am going to definitely suggest they sedate - but I trust that they will make the right decision I think.
 
:wave:

I have a bit of an update. I am noticing when I go out and watch him that he is moving his mouth round like he is eating - but there is nothing in his mouth. It is like he is eating and chewing but without food. Kind of like when you see a human eating bubble gum?

Also, I just brought him in and was stroking him. He was chattering his teeth very loudly and putting his mouth up to my cheek (and getting my cheek wet bless him). How should I know if this chattering is a sign of pleasure or pain?

Here is a pic of his wet/crusty paw

2D607193-A4DB-4A48-A47D-51C58FB9DD24-5246-000008DAFFFA7FF3_zps94f0483d.jpg
[/IMG]
 
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:wave:

I have a bit of an update. I am noticing when I go out and watch him that he is moving his mouth round like he is eating - but there is nothing in his mouth. It is like he is eating and chewing but without food. Kind of like when you see a human eating bubble gum?

Also, I just brought him in and was stroking him. He was chattering his teeth very loudly and putting his mouth up to my cheek (and getting my cheek wet bless him). How should I know if this chattering is a sign of pleasure or pain?

Here is a pic of his wet/crusty paw

2D607193-A4DB-4A48-A47D-51C58FB9DD24-5246-000008DAFFFA7FF3_zps94f0483d.jpg
[/IMG]

That is a VERY clear sign of dental problems i'm afraid :(

If his teeth are chattering, like a purr, its pleasure, if its grinding, its pain - its normally very easy to tell the difference.

That wet paw looks very much like wet from dribbling, at my assumption, which again, is a very strong sign of dental problems. Does he have a wet chin at all?

I would seriously contemplate getting this dental done sooner, rather than later if at all possible, as it will only get worse, and no amount (in my opinion) of prokinetics is goign to make him want to eat, if his teeth are cutting into either his tongue or cheek, or gum, or all 3 :(

Have a dental bun myself, i know these signs all too well.

Loads of vibes for your bunny.
 
That is a VERY clear sign of dental problems i'm afraid :(

If his teeth are chattering, like a purr, its pleasure, if its grinding, its pain - its normally very easy to tell the difference.

That wet paw looks very much like wet from dribbling, at my assumption, which again, is a very strong sign of dental problems. Does he have a wet chin at all?

I would seriously contemplate getting this dental done sooner, rather than later if at all possible, as it will only get worse, and no amount (in my opinion) of prokinetics is goign to make him want to eat, if his teeth are cutting into either his tongue or cheek, or gum, or all 3 :(

Have a dental bun myself, i know these signs all too well.

Loads of vibes for your bunny.

Thank you for such a quick response. It's very stressful having a poorly bunny.

I called the vet immediately when you responded and he is now booked in Monday early. I will begin critical care food today. The nurse said he is probably feeling unwell on the meds because he is not eating that much.

It has only been two weeks since his last dental - is it usually this quick? Can they remove teeth?
 
:wave:

I have a bit of an update. I am noticing when I go out and watch him that he is moving his mouth round like he is eating - but there is nothing in his mouth. It is like he is eating and chewing but without food. Kind of like when you see a human eating bubble gum?

Also, I just brought him in and was stroking him. He was chattering his teeth very loudly and putting his mouth up to my cheek (and getting my cheek wet bless him). How should I know if this chattering is a sign of pleasure or pain?

Pain teeth grinding is a 'harder' sound than happy teeth purring

I would put money on him having molar problems. It is absolutely impossible for a Rabbit to have a thorough Dental without a GA.
 
Thank you for such a quick response. It's very stressful having a poorly bunny.

I called the vet immediately when you responded and he is now booked in Monday early. I will begin critical care food today. The nurse said he is probably feeling unwell on the meds because he is not eating that much.

It has only been two weeks since his last dental
- is it usually this quick? Can they remove teeth?

That's because *thorough* Dental was not done

Tooth extraction can be appropriate in some cases, but it is a very major procedure (for molar teeth) unless the tooth is already lose.
 
Pain teeth grinding is a 'harder' sound than happy teeth purring

I would put money on him having molar problems. It is absolutely impossible for a Rabbit to have a thorough Dental without a GA.

Agree with Jane completely :wave:

He needs to be put under and have a thorough dental, by a really rabbit savvy veterinarian.

Re the dental being so quick - it can be, especially if not done properly. its impossible for a full dental to be done while conscious.

Ginger will often display all of these signs, but not allways, and has, on 2 occasions only lasted 1-2 weeks post dental, but due to other issues.

if they have a dental, then dont eat promptly after the GA, the teeth grow so quickly in rabbits, while not eating, they would grow so fast it would cause what you are seeing.
 
Yes I think perhaps you are right Jane that a thorough dental was not performed. They did not sedate him so obviously this is the case and you are correct. I will tell them on Monday that I want a full dental with sedation so that it can be very thorough.

He has eaten some nuggets and little veg today which is good news.

I will make sure he eats promptly after - he is still eating so would you suggest critical care or not? He usually guzzles down his nuggets, it is taking him a lot longer but he is getting through them.
 
Yes I think perhaps you are right Jane that a thorough dental was not performed. They did not sedate him so obviously this is the case and you are correct. I will tell them on Monday that I want a full dental with sedation so that it can be very thorough.

He has eaten some nuggets and little veg today which is good news.

I will make sure he eats promptly after - he is still eating so would you suggest critical care or not? He usually guzzles down his nuggets, it is taking him a lot longer but he is getting through them.

Try softening his nuggets by soaking them in boiled water. If he does not like them wet try crushing dry nuggets into crumbs

Keep an eye on his poo output as what comes out is just as important as what goes in when monitoring gut motility. I would try to avoid syringe feeds if possible as stressing him out may be counterproductive.
 
Try softening his nuggets by soaking them in boiled water. If he does not like them wet try crushing dry nuggets into crumbs

Keep an eye on his poo output as what comes out is just as important as what goes in when monitoring gut motility. I would try to avoid syringe feeds if possible as stressing him out may be counterproductive.

Thank you Jane I will keep all this is mind and will keep close eye on poo!!!

Here is his urine today

F0CBE1ED-F0A1-4152-99D3-6C6D445C8D1E-6088-000009F8A4FF1A28_zpsde6b4314.jpg
[/IMG]

It has been red before but never this red?
 
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