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Dental Issues

Amy104

Warren Veteran
We are off to the vets with Fiver tonight for a teeth check as he has suddenly stopped eating any hay or readigrass, when normally he goes mad for it.

I spoke to the emergancy vet on the phone who was happy for me to give him metacam last night until we could get an appointment later today as he was still eating some stuff.

Now, whilst I was frantically trying to tempt him with any food he would eat my husband asked a very valid question I which I think I knew the answer to but not 100% sure.

He wanted to know why if his mouth was hurting he ate some carrot which is quite a hard vegetable.

Am I right in thinking they do not use the same motion to eat other foodstuff as the do hay, so possibly if he had a mild spur it would only irritate him when eating hay? Or am I just talking nonsense?
 
We are off to the vets with Fiver tonight for a teeth check as he has suddenly stopped eating any hay or readigrass, when normally he goes mad for it.

I spoke to the emergancy vet on the phone who was happy for me to give him metacam last night until we could get an appointment later today as he was still eating some stuff.

Now, whilst I was frantically trying to tempt him with any food he would eat my husband asked a very valid question I which I think I knew the answer to but not 100% sure.

He wanted to know why if his mouth was hurting he ate some carrot which is quite a hard vegetable.

Am I right in thinking they do not use the same motion to eat other foodstuff as the do hay, so possibly if he had a mild spur it would only irritate him when eating hay? Or am I just talking nonsense?

That is correct
 
Bramble had a dental last week. He was struggling to eat his pellets, it was taking him all day. However he could still manage vet, including carrot and even treats! He had very bad spurs on his teeth, which were digging into the side of his cheek. He also wasn't drinking much as I think it hurt him to drink from a bottle.

We are now desperately trying to get him back on the hay again, and he is doing well.

Not sure why they can mange to eat carrot, I wonder if it is because there is moisture (water) in them which makes it easier?

Hope Fiver gets on okay at the vets.
 
Thank you, my vets have done dentals on my other bunnies before so I'm confident if it is his teeth they can get him sorted and he'll be eating normally soon.

Doesn't stop you worrying though.
 
This is kind of what I'm discussing in my thread http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?384793-Psychological-reasons-for-not-bunny-eating

It seems buns do eat different food differently...and usually hay/grass is the first thing dental buns stop eating, and the last thing thing start eating again (if they ever do start eating hay). Normally carrots and leafy veg are the last thing they stop eating, maybe because they love them so much.

However all buns are different...my Pebbles has never eaten hay, and very rarely eats grass. Normally he will eat apple, carrot and veg without a problem, and I usually know he needs a dental when he stops eating his SS pellets.

However, he has been eating dry pellets for about 2 weeks now, but only just started eating carrot & veg. (He had dental 6-7 weeks ago, followed by another one nearly 3 weeks ago which showed he still had severe gum inflammation and a rotten spur).

So yes, it could just be a minor spur which causes pain when eating hay.
 
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