Molly is now having a dental every 5/6 weeks

mollyjoker · Mar 10, 2014

Poor Molly after surviving an abscess which had to be operated on twice followed by daily visits to the vets in October.
Has had her 3rd dental today in about 4 months.
As soon as she starts to dribble I take her to the vet as presume she is in discomfort,
although still eating.Is it advisable to leave until she stops eating or take her to the vet
when dribbling starts?.I don't want her to suffer discomfort but would be interested to know
how anyone else deals with their dental bunnies.Yes it is proving expensive but will not see her suffer
so will not hesitate to get her treatment .But also worry about the GA,s .

Barn Yard Bunnies · Mar 10, 2014

Last year Mr Bennett had 6 or 7 dentals, I lost count and they were becoming more frequent and closer together, 7 weeks was shortest between dentals and once within two weeks his teeth grew long.

I did loads of research and what has been helping is Orchard Grass Hay by Oxbox. Which I buy from the Hays Expert. Apparently it has a naturally high silica content which helps grind down their teeth. Best source is fresh grass if you have access to it. It is expensive and costs me £30 a month but better than having a dental.

Its been 5 months since his last dental so it seems to be working, although I give him no other hay now to make sure its the only hay he eats.

mollyjoker · Mar 10, 2014

Thanks very much.
Molly and Smokey get a lot of free range time and Molly does like to graze
on the lawn.She has never been a big Hay eater but will give it a try.
She also seems to munch grass a lot more when her dental is due almost as if she knows it will help.

What are the signs that Mr Bennett is due for a dental?
Thanks again for your advice.

Vegan_Bunny · Mar 10, 2014

All buns have different symptoms when due a dental. I personally think you are doing right by taking her as soon as she shows signs. I am very paranoid about dentals, since losing Ellie during one. Fiver has a dental about every 8 months, so not very often, but I decided to wait as he was still eating, even though he was showing signs of needing one. I noticed he had a wet chin (something he's never had before) and so I decided he really did need a dental. When they performed it, they found a little ulcer that they couldn't see with a conscious check. It wasn't bad, but it shows that I left him too long, and he should have been done a few weeks before to avoid any kind of damage in his mouth. He must have felt very uncomfortable.

If you leave them long enough for them to stop eating, the GA risk increases greatly, so you are best to get the dental done whilst they are still fit and healthy. :thumb:

Tracy · Mar 10, 2014

I had a dental bunny who had frequent dentals for 6 years. At best Herbie would go 6 weeks between dentals and at worst 3 weeks. For the last 3 years of his life his dentals were 3 weeks apart. Thankfully Herbie coped very well with the frequent GAs.

You do end up becoming expert in spotting very subtle signs of when a dental is due, which enables you to catch it early before the spurs start doing any real damage to soft tissue. One of Herbie's first signs was to move his mouth in a slightly odd way, very slightly different from his normal chewing action. He would then start with dampness around his nose and mouth.

If you do leave it until they stop eating, then chances are that there will be more damage inside the mouth (tongue and cheeks), so it is definitely best to try and catch it as early as you can.

I now have Roo, who has had two dentals recently, 6 months apart. He is a worry as he doesn't bounce back as well from the GA. He is very slow to come around and has to go on oxygen to help him recover. I am hoping his problems don't get any worse.

mollyjoker · Mar 10, 2014

Thanks Tracy.
Molly has been today and picked her up and she is very lively.
So hopefully she can handle the GA ok.
It is a bit of a new world for me but really don't want her to suffer.
The dribbling seems to be the sign for me as she is still eating and free ranging ok.
Hope Roo is ok next time .

Barn Yard Bunnies · Mar 10, 2014

Mr B is obvious but Cutie-pie is a once a year dental bunny and when she needs one she won't eat but you can tell she is interested in food but won't actually eat anything.

Mr B slowly loses interest in food, starts eating more door frames and skirting boards. Its much easier with him being inside because I can tell if he changes his routine and behaviour.

nessar · Mar 10, 2014

Best to do it as soon as signs start, you're doing the right thing.

The longer it is left the higher the chance that they'll go into stasis or gut slowdown, and that is not what you want before anesthetic, which also causes gut slowdown. Put simply, the longer you leave it, the higher the risk and the longer the recovery time.

It is often a bit of a snow-ball effect too - bunny has a dental as spurs causing pain --> bunny has dental --> doesn't eat as much hay as still in pain from dental/damage from spurs --> gut gets slow, doesn't feel hungry so eats even less hay --> spurs develop quicker --> spurs hurt and damage mouth, gut slows --> bunny has dental & doesn't eat as much hay after as in pain and has an already slow gut...
you get the idea. Decent doses of pain killers for a few days after and, if needed, before the dental can help to break the cycle, as well as a gut stimulant after the dental, or more longer term if bunny gets a slow gut regularly from the lack of fibre.

Tamsin · Mar 10, 2014

Yes completely agree, if you can avoid it you don't really want to combine an aneasthetic with a rabbit already in stasis.

It might be worth trying to increase her hay/grass eating by being really mean with all other foods. For example you could cut out pellets completely and cut right back on human veggies (although tasty they don't have the rough surface to wear teeth). In exchange you could add in wild plants like dandelion, bramble etc. which do have a little more wear potential.

If she's a reluctant hay eater you might want to make it a gradual transition but she'd be fine on grass if she prefers that to hay. I'd cut her handfuls for any time she's not got direct access.

Often there is more involved than just diet, but I'd try it and see how that effects that gap between dentals might give you a little longer at least

Molly is now having a dental every 5/6 weeks

mollyjoker

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Barn Yard Bunnies

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mollyjoker

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Tracy

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mollyjoker

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nessar

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Tamsin

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