Teeth problems??

Hello! i am new to this forum and inquiring about a problem with one of my buns. I "adopted" a bonded pair of buns [male mini lop/female dwarf lop], they are father + daughter from preloved about a month ago, from someone who was rehoming all their rabbits, and they are lovely! However i noticed that the male bun was not eating his hay. At first i thought it was due to stress from moving/being in a new environment, but after a week he still wouldn't eat any. I tried a variety of different hays - still nothing. I noticed he was dribbling, wet chin, he will eat pellets and veg but seems to eat it slowly, and he also seems underweight. I thought this was due to to cheek spurs because of the symptoms, and i have not taken him to the vets yet due to money problems. Also, since i got him i noticed every so often he would sneeze - which i thought was normal, but today i noticed he had green/white discharge around his nose - which made be to believe he has a respiratory infection! However there is nothing i can do until monday [vets closed sunday]. Upon reading the FAQ Teeth, i believe he either has:

a. cheek spurs with a respiratory infection?
or
b. tooth root infection/overgrowth

here are some photos of the bottom of his mouth if it helps:






looks awful, i know !! I am planning on taking him to the vets asap [either monday or tuesday] but which do you think it is more likely he has and [roughly] how much do you think treatment will cost? I only have a small amount of money - probably £150 at most - and i dont want to have a heart attack when i see the vets bills, and they don't offer any kind of installments. my mother is telling me to "just have him put down" but I really don't want that unless its absolutely necessary! Thank you, and any advice would be welcomed!

murphyhoney said:

Hello! i am new to this forum and inquiring about a problem with one of my buns. I "adopted" a bonded pair of buns [male mini lop/female dwarf lop], they are father + daughter from preloved about a month ago, from someone who was rehoming all their rabbits, and they are lovely! However i noticed that the male bun was not eating his hay. At first i thought it was due to stress from moving/being in a new environment, but after a week he still wouldn't eat any. I tried a variety of different hays - still nothing. I noticed he was dribbling, wet chin, he will eat pellets and veg but seems to eat it slowly, and he also seems underweight. I thought this was due to to cheek spurs because of the symptoms, and i have not taken him to the vets yet due to money problems. Also, since i got him i noticed every so often he would sneeze - which i thought was normal, but today i noticed he had green/white discharge around his nose - which made be to believe he has a respiratory infection! However there is nothing i can do until monday [vets closed sunday]. Upon reading the FAQ Teeth, i believe he either has:

a. cheek spurs with a respiratory infection?
or
b. tooth root infection/overgrowth






looks awful, i know !! I am planning on taking him to the vets asap [either monday or tuesday] but which do you think it is more likely he has and [roughly] how much do you think treatment will cost? I only have a small amount of money - probably £150 at most - and i dont want to have a heart attack when i see the vets bills, and they don't offer any kind of installments. my mother is telling me to "just have him put down" but I really don't want that unless its absolutely necessary! Thank you, and any advice would be welcomed!

Click to expand...

In all honesty he cannot wait until Monday to receive Veterinary treatment. He almost certainly has Dental Disease and this may include a Dental abscess. He probably has a lot of soft tissue damage in his mouth which will cause him to dribble and it will be very painful.

The sneezing and green discharge indicate a respiratory tract infection, probably secondary to his Dental problems. Left untreated the respiratory problem could become extremely serious, if he developes a lower RTI/pneumonia that can be fatal.

I am afraid the Rabbit needs prompt Veterinary attention, otherwise he will continue to suffer

The vets are closed from now until 8am monday so there is nothing i can do for now. What will the treatment be for this??

also just to add - i've checked him over and he doesnt seem to have a lump of any kind anywhere.

Vets should offer an emergency service, if you call your vets number they should give you the out of hours details.

If you had something like that yourself, you would be in agony. Would you want to wait to see someone?

murphyhoney said:

The vets are closed from now until 8am monday so there is nothing i can do for now. What will the treatment be for this??

Click to expand...

All Vets have out-of-hours arrangements in place. You phone the normal surgery number and there will be a recorded message with out of hours contact details

He is likely to need Dental Treatment under GA, but he may need to be started on antibiotics for a few days first due to his respiratory tract infection. Obviously a GA on a Rabbit with a RTI is going to be high risk. He is bound to need some analgesic cover too.

The precise Dental treatment needed will depend on what the Vet finds during oral examination. Skull radiographs would also be necessary to assess the tooth roots. Dental disease can include tooth root elongation. This can actually cause sneezing and nasal discharge as the tooth roots can penetrate the nasal passages. Secondary infection can occur causing a thick nasty nasal discharge.

Does he have overgrown incisors? Molar root elongation can cause nasal discharge and weepy eyes too (does he have the latter?)

Most vets now have 24hr cover, if you call them they will give these details on their answer machine. If not, try to find a RCVS accredited vet - these vets have to meet a range of minimum standards such as providing 24hr cover - link below (type in your postcode):
http://findavet.rcvs.org.uk/find-a-vet/advanced-search/?filter-pss=true

If he does have dental disease, this is likely to be chronic and need regular attention, check ups and general anaesthetic to file down the molars. As well as this dental problems can include issues such as abscesses and osteomyelitis (infection in the bone) as well as putting them at risk of going into GI stasis (their mouth hurts - they stop eating). My bun has had pretty serious dental issues for the last 4 years and unfortunately it is expensive, and emotionally draining.

I hope you manage to find a vet asap and keep us updated.

This may sound harsh but if you cannot afford vet care for an animal you shouldn't have one in the first place. Take out insurance and get that poor rabbit to the vet.

ashbunny said:

Does he have overgrown incisors? Molar root elongation can cause nasal discharge and weepy eyes too (does he have the latter?)

Most vets now have 24hr cover, if you call them they will give these details on their answer machine. If not, try to find a RCVS accredited vet - these vets have to meet a range of minimum standards such as providing 24hr cover - link below (type in your postcode):
http://findavet.rcvs.org.uk/find-a-vet/advanced-search/?filter-pss=true

If he does have dental disease, this is likely to be chronic and need regular attention, check ups and general anaesthetic to file down the molars. As well as this dental problems can include issues such as abscesses and osteomyelitis (infection in the bone) as well as putting them at risk of going into GI stasis (their mouth hurts - they stop eating). My bun has had pretty serious dental issues for the last 4 years and unfortunately it is expensive, and emotionally draining.

I hope you manage to find a vet asap and keep us updated.

Click to expand...

thanks for the help, i did ring them and they gave me some advice and we've brought him inside and he is going in 8am monday morning. He does not have weepy eyes and his incisors are fine and not overgrown. I don't mind paying regularly if it is his molars. Fortunately he has been eating lots of veg well and i've been adding water to his pellets to soften them so they are easier to eat, so hopefully GI stasis should not be a problem.

PrincessPomPom said:

This may sound harsh but if you cannot afford vet care for an animal you shouldn't have one in the first place. Take out insurance and get that poor rabbit to the vet.

Click to expand...

i completely agree but perhaps i should have clarified better - i do not have much money at this current moment in time. Just last week i had to fly out to australia to visit my auntie who was dying, which cost well over £1000. If this had been any other time, i would have been able to afford it. I havent taken out insurance yet because i have only just got him + the bun he is bonded with so have not been able to sort it out yet.