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Tooth root questions

iggyperdyandme

Alpha Buck
Hi there,

My rabbit Betty has been having some problems with her eye. A few months ago we took her to the vets for mild sneezing and then again after we moved (several hundred miles away) to see a different vet because she was still sneezing and i wanted to make sure she was still ok. They both said she has an allergy to her hay.

On wednesday night, when i got home I saw her eye looked very pink and a bit wet. We booked her into the vets and they have now said that it is an infection prescribed eye drops, and she is going to have her eye flushed on tuesday. They said it could be her tooth roots and now im really worried. She is a little house rabbit, totally immunised and her other eye is clear.

What do we do if it is a problem with her tooth roots? can it be treated? :( and without sounding heartless, how much should i expect this to cost? (limited means at the moment due to move)

Thanks in advance
 
Hello :wave:

One of my rabbits has just been diagnosed with tooth root problems. they're semi-blocking his tear ducts, and at the moment he is having weekly flushes (he gets flushed when we go to see the vet) however this isn't the long term plan. On the first flush, there was loads and loads of thick, jelly-like gunk coming out and it took 12 flushes to get it all out. On the second flush, it was still gunky but it was nowhere near as thick, so so much less and took around 5 flushes. His latest flush was Tuesday, and it only took one flush. The gunk that built up has been clearing and hopefully next week there will hardly be any gunk left, as it's now just like liquid as opposed to jelly.


In the long term, my Alf will be on 0.7 metacam twice daily and possibly eyedrops. At the moment however, he is on 3x oral and 2x eyedrops twice daily, 30 mins apart for the eyedrops so you don't wash them out. Two of the orals are to combat his bacteria, the discharge was tested for cultures and sensitivity and came back positive. This is not a lifelong thing. His other oral is the metacam which is lifelong, however. Treatment depends on how long the tooth root has already gone up. Obviously the worst case scenario is it's grown into the brain but please don't immediately think that is the case - I highly highly doubt it is as the problem would have to have been going on for a while to get that far. It might not even be her tooth roots, it could just be some bacteria or something!

Picture a flexible roll of playdoh or something, in a downward line. Then picture something pushing it up in one place, so it ends up looking like a mountain. This is like the tear ducts - the duct is being pushed up so the contents can't travel smoothly as they can't travel upwards, only downwards. Does this make sense?!

Alfie had lots of tests previous to his diagnosis, he had rhinoplasty, several xrays, swabs taken and sent to the lab etc. This cost us £615, with the appropriate course of treatment. In the month he's been diagnosed, since the weekly flushes, meds have been done, our bill stands at £710. He is insured and they've paid out for the tests and meds because they were EYE related, not DENTAL related. They're also currently examining our claim for the recent flushes and meds but with any luck they'll pay out for that. All we have to pay is the £45 excess.

Basically, it is treatable with the right medicines and procedures, but isn't curable and won't go away. Don't despair if it turns out to be TR problems. The only time I will call it quits with Alf, is if it turns out to be weekly flushes or something, or the root ends up growing into his brain, as I don't think that is fair and he would not be a happy bun, especially as his bond has broken down due to him being hospitalised and having various meds etc. His tear duct is inflamed already, so repetitive flushing would ultimately 'burst' it, for use of a better word. Hope this helps!

You can PM me with anymore questions, if you'd like. The most important thing is don't stress, what will be will be. It is something that can be managed and most certainly isn't the end of the road.:wave:


ETA: If it is an eye infection, could it not possibly be some hay sticking into her eye by accident and infecting it, or something? :wave:
 
Last edited:
Hello :wave:

One of my rabbits has just been diagnosed with tooth root problems. they're semi-blocking his tear ducts, and at the moment he is having weekly flushes (he gets flushed when we go to see the vet) however this isn't the long term plan. On the first flush, there was loads and loads of thick, jelly-like gunk coming out and it took 12 flushes to get it all out. On the second flush, it was still gunky but it was nowhere near as thick, so so much less and took around 5 flushes. His latest flush was Tuesday, and it only took one flush. The gunk that built up has been clearing and hopefully next week there will hardly be any gunk left, as it's now just like liquid as opposed to jelly.


In the long term, my Alf will be on 0.7 metacam twice daily and possibly eyedrops. At the moment however, he is on 3x oral and 2x eyedrops twice daily, 30 mins apart for the eyedrops so you don't wash them out. Two of the orals are to combat his bacteria, the discharge was tested for cultures and sensitivity and came back positive. This is not a lifelong thing. His other oral is the metacam which is lifelong, however. Treatment depends on how long the tooth root has already gone up. Obviously the worst case scenario is it's grown into the brain but please don't immediately think that is the case - I highly highly doubt it is as the problem would have to have been going on for a while to get that far. It might not even be her tooth roots, it could just be some bacteria or something!

Picture a flexible roll of playdoh or something, in a downward line. Then picture something pushing it up in one place, so it ends up looking like a mountain. This is like the tear ducts - the duct is being pushed up so the contents can't travel smoothly as they can't travel upwards, only downwards. Does this make sense?!

Alfie had lots of tests previous to his diagnosis, he had rhinoplasty, several xrays, swabs taken and sent to the lab etc. This cost us £615, with the appropriate course of treatment. In the month he's been diagnosed, since the weekly flushes, meds have been done, our bill stands at £710. He is insured and they've paid out for the tests and meds because they were EYE related, not DENTAL related. They're also currently examining our claim for the recent flushes and meds but with any luck they'll pay out for that. All we have to pay is the £45 excess.

Basically, it is treatable with the right medicines and procedures, but isn't curable and won't go away. Don't despair if it turns out to be TR problems. The only time I will call it quits with Alf, is if it turns out to be weekly flushes or something, or the root ends up growing into his brain, as I don't think that is fair and he would not be a happy bun, especially as his bond has broken down due to him being hospitalised and having various meds etc. His tear duct is inflamed already, so repetitive flushing would ultimately 'burst' it, for use of a better word. Hope this helps!

You can PM me with anymore questions, if you'd like. The most important thing is don't stress, what will be will be. It is something that can be managed and most certainly isn't the end of the road.:wave:


ETA: If it is an eye infection, could it not possibly be some hay sticking into her eye by accident and infecting it, or something? :wave:

Really glad to hear that your Alf is getting some good treatment. Im praying it isnt too serious yet as its only been a couple days she has had a weepy eye. It was red about a month ago too but it seemed to go on its own (was told before it was linked to allergy). I worry about her so much. Thank you for your advice and help :D:wave:
 
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