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It's Not Wabbit Wednesday But Lets Talk About Dental Disease in Rabbits :-)

Jack's-Jane

Wise Old Thumper
I thought it might be interesting to have a weekly theme of discussion about specific Rabbit issues that many people may come up against if they have pet Rabbits. We 'talked' about Gut Stasis in another thread, so I thought talking about Dental problems would be useful too :)

Do you have a 'Dental' Rabbit ? How did the problem initially present and what does managing the condition involve ?

If you dont have a 'Dental' Rabbit do you do any routine checks of your Rabbit's teeth ? Things like noting abnormal enamel colour (ie yellowed instead of white), uneven wearing of Incisors, lumps along the mandible ?

It would be good to share as much information as possible, there is always something new for us to learn :D
 
:wave: Santa was a dental bunny, she had such a tiny squashed face that her molars didn't align properly and she needed regular dentals. I could always tell when she needed a dental because she started eating her food in a different way, she would chew in a mouth open-mouth closed up/down type way, rather than in a grinding side-to-side way. And when grazing she would put the blade of grass in her mouth and then yank her head backwards to break it instead of grinding her teeth sideways.

In spite of it being a chronic problem, she didn't have dentals all that often, maybe 2-3 times a year. My vet used to put her under GA and burr them right back down to just above the gum line. This meant that she was able to reshape them properly and so that they took longer to re-grow and took much longer to get back out of alignment/develop spurs again. There was also one occasion where I could tell she needed a dental but we had been putting it off because she was having a very bad snuffly stage, but eventually had to do it anyway because she had started dropping food - when she was under GA my vet found that she had a spur growing sideways into her cheek, which she had been unable to see during conscious examination.

The main problem for Santa with her dental issues was that the tooth roots were pushing up into her nasal passages, which made her a chronic snuffler. It was the snuffling which caused her far more problems than the teeth themselves, although the two are clearly interlinked...but maybe chronic respiratory disease is a topic for another week ;) Again, the burring the teeth back down to the gum line helps here, as it can't 'undo' the problem, but it can release some of the pressure on the tooth roots slowing down the progress.
 
Digby is kind of a dental rabbit... but it's the roots of his teeth that are problematic, he doesn't get spurs etc. The roots of his incisors are the wrong shape and they don't grow as they should; they put pressure on his nasal cavity causing weepy eyes and some nasal discharge, which used to make him cough/splutter quite a lot. Bar chewing and digging up roots to chew were one of the signs he displayed. Since being on metacam he has been fine for 18 months, until last week when he started struggling again. Hence his GA this week, which was not exactly routine, but that's another thread...

The vet reduced his lower incisors down to take the pressure off the upper ones.
 
Fiver developed spurs on his teeth when she was about 4-5 years old. He has always had an excellent diet, so it's most likely genetic. He can usually go about 8 months between dentals. I know when he needs one because he gets very grumpy, sits on his own a lot more and sometimes drools. He gets regular checkups at the vets to make sure his teeth are ok.

Shadowfax has dental issues. Her teeth don't align properly. She had a dental when she was spayed because she was going off her pellets and other food intermittently. She has so far been ok, but will most likely need another dental at some point. She also gets regular checkups at the vets.
 
My bunny, George, had his front bottom teeth removed on Thursday. He is doing really well and already eating fine.
I got him in April and he's had to have his teeth clipped every month. Basically, he was dropped off at the pet shop by his last owner because they didn't want the expense of dealing with his teeth. The pet shop owner was taking him monthly too before I rehomed him. I spoke to the vet and we decided it would be better to take them out ad they were going rotten too. Also George was starting to stress more every time he had them clipped. At least now I'll be able to bond him with my other bunnies without having to take them all to the vets every month.

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My bridge Bun, Bonnie had dental issues that eventually meant she had to be pts.

I first noticed there was something wrong when her dewlap became wet and the fur was gone in some places. Basically she was dribbling because she had developed sharp molar spurs on her back left molars. She was also off her food and hay in particular. Bonnie was 7 and half by the time she developed these issues so it was put down to old age. She started off needing a dental every month and then it became every two weeks and it was obvious the situation was not going to improve. She also began to recover with less vigour and her bad days outnumbered her good days hence the decision we made.

I have an otoscope at home which I use to check the bunnies if they are displaying any typical symptoms. I don't use it otherwise because they all hate having it put in their mouths. But they are checked daily for dribbling, weepy eyes, being off food, tooth grinding and so on.

It was a shame because she was an otherwise healthy bunny, she used to be a great hay eater and had a very happy life. Had that not happened she may have lived another 2 years or so.
 
I remember a time when many Vets would immediately suggest PTS at the first hint of Dental problems. Sadly it was in my very early days of having Rabbits and I believed what I was told :cry: Of course there are circumstances when PTS becomes the only humane option. But I am talking about a Rabbit with molar spurs :cry:
 
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Biscuit and Max have recently developed dental issues. With Max the first sign is him mulching his greens so he leaves staining around his mouth, and with Biscuit she gets a mucky bum at times and she eats on one side of her mouth. They're both 5 now and their dental problems have only just started over the last few months.
 
Biscuit and Max have recently developed dental issues. With Max the first sign is him mulching his greens so he leaves staining around his mouth, and with Biscuit she gets a mucky bum at times and she eats on one side of her mouth. They're both 5 now and their dental problems have only just started over the last few months.

I have certainly seen Dental problems arise in Rabbits aged 7+ who had never had any problems before and who were fed on a good hay based diet. I think it must be that the ageing process plays a part too.
 
I have certainly seen Dental problems arise in Rabbits aged 7+ who had never had any problems before and who were fed on a good hay based diet. I think it must be that the ageing process plays a part too.

Yes I've had Biscuit since 16 weeks and Max since he was around 6 months and so they've always had a good diet, I'm really strict so they get no fruit or treats as Biscuit has a fairly sensitive stomach. Assume being lops can also cause dental problems as they age too?
 
I remember a time when many Vets would immediately suggest PTS at the first hint of Dental problems. Sadly it was in my very early days of having Rabbits and I believed what I was told :cry: Of course there are circumstances when PTS becomes the only humane option. But I am talking about a Rabbit with molar spurs :cry:

My first bunny, Bungee, was one those. I bought her in late July 2004, she needed her first dental in October at which time it was suggested it would be a good opportunity to spay her if it was something I had planned- so I did. In January (ie 12 week intervals) she had molar spurs again and PTS was suggested :shock: She was approximately a year old and otherwise healthy. I'd also (to my mind) shown commitment to her by having her spayed. I'd said why I was booking the appointment (ie dental/not eating) and a nurse was in the consultation room (only time I've ever known that) so I really think they expected to be putting her to sleep ... for the sake of £40 every 3 months :cry::cry::cry: What happens next? Do you just go out and 'replace' them? I'm so glad I realised it wasn't the right thing to do.
 
Yes I've had Biscuit since 16 weeks and Max since he was around 6 months and so they've always had a good diet, I'm really strict so they get no fruit or treats as Biscuit has a fairly sensitive stomach. Assume being lops can also cause dental problems as they age too?

Lops tend to be more prone to dental problems, but my Fiver is a dutch X and dutchies are meant to be the "healthiest" breed because they are physiologically closer to the shape of a wildlie. I really think it's just pot luck. :(
 
My first bunny, Bungee, was one those. I bought her in late July 2004, she needed her first dental in October at which time it was suggested it would be a good opportunity to spay her if it was something I had planned- so I did. In January (ie 12 week intervals) she had molar spurs again and PTS was suggested :shock: She was approximately a year old and otherwise healthy. I'd also (to my mind) shown commitment to her by having her spayed. I'd said why I was booking the appointment (ie dental/not eating) and a nurse was in the consultation room (only time I've ever known that) so I really think they expected to be putting her to sleep ... for the sake of £40 every 3 months :cry::cry::cry: What happens next? Do you just go out and 'replace' them? I'm so glad I realised it wasn't the right thing to do.

I wish I had not believed the Vet :cry: I was told that the Rabbit would be 'suffering all her life'. She was only about 3. The very same Vet also told me that VHD Vaccinations were not necessary as VHD was (according to her) 'very hard to transmit' :? :roll:

I sure have had some learning curves over the years. The worst part being the fact that my 'not knowing any better' cost a Rabbit his/her life :cry:
 
I wish I had not believed the Vet :cry: I was told that the Rabbit would be 'suffering all her life'. She was only about 3. The very same Vet also told me that VHD Vaccinations were not necessary as VHD was (according to her) 'very hard to transmit' :? :roll:

I sure have had some learning curves over the years. The worst part being the fact that my 'not knowing any better' cost a Rabbit his/her life :cry:

You can't think like that. It may have been the right decision at the time. If the vet thought putting a bun down because of dental problems was ok, then I highly doubt that vet would have been able to perform a dental correctly. I think everybody here has had experience of bad vets and there are plenty of people on here who have lost a bun because of them, me included. You can't beat yourself up forever about something that you had no control of at the time.
 
I wish I had not believed the Vet :cry: I was told that the Rabbit would be 'suffering all her life'. She was only about 3. The very same Vet also told me that VHD Vaccinations were not necessary as VHD was (according to her) 'very hard to transmit' :? :roll:

I sure have had some learning curves over the years. The worst part being the fact that my 'not knowing any better' cost a Rabbit his/her life :cry:

At least I'm lucky enough that the vet did concede that she wouldn't be suffering and that we should give it a go with regular dentals as she seemed to cope well with GA. If you had it put to you that it was for the benefit of the rabbit then the decision was made from a different perspective ie out of consideration for the rabbit. I could so easily, if I'd been taken more off-guard, have agreed to it not weighing it up properly :cry: Ironically I've always thought the vet in question is a really caring man so I think it was just the way things were done, and the value people put on rabbits. I'm horrified when I look back though at the memory that sometimes she was barely eating and it could be a couple of days before she was able to have the dental (surgery list fully booked). She had no pain relief and I kept her going on brown bread etc, syringe feeding was never suggested and I didn't know about it being an option. ... was that really only 10 years ago? :(
 
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Digby is kind of a dental rabbit... but it's the roots of his teeth that are problematic, he doesn't get spurs etc. The roots of his incisors are the wrong shape and they don't grow as they should; they put pressure on his nasal cavity causing weepy eyes and some nasal discharge, which used to make him cough/splutter quite a lot. Bar chewing and digging up roots to chew were one of the signs he displayed. Since being on metacam he has been fine for 18 months, until last week when he started struggling again. Hence his GA this week, which was not exactly routine, but that's another thread...

The vet reduced his lower incisors down to take the pressure off the upper ones.

This is what my Alf is like as well :wave: He's on daily metacam and hasn't had to have a flush for a while (not in 2014 anyway).

Having said that, he went to the vets yesterday because I suspected a problem, he wasn't eating very enthusiastically, and...dental on Monday :roll: Something to do with the lip - lingual? - and it was going down instead of up, or vice versa...basically it was going in the wrong direction, so his bottom teeth are larger than they should be.
 
Mottle (mini lop) has had spurs filed under a g/a and has recently had them rasped (cant have been much fun for him) during his vaccine/check up.

Tessie and Daisy have got ridges on their back molars but no signs of spurs. There must be some lop in their breeding as Daisy's ears go down sometimes, not fully though.

I hope Mottle wont need a g/a again for ages ...
 
My 3 yo bun Bess stopped eating last year, and it turned out she had tiny spurs on one side that ended up having to be filed under g/a.

That's interesting about lops being more prone to it, Bess is not a lop but a NZ white cross but her ears are one up one down (is there a name for that?) and the spurs appeared on the lop side only.

She's being checked frequently now as the vet thinks the problem is likely to reoccur. :(
 
I have certainly seen Dental problems arise in Rabbits aged 7+ who had never had any problems before and who were fed on a good hay based diet. I think it must be that the ageing process plays a part too.

I would agree with this because while I am no expert it is well known that as you age, your body may reabsorb calcium and phosphate from your bones and teeth and deplete them in the process, of these minerals. Naturally this makes the bones and teeth weaker which is why you see so many older people with false teeth or needing hip replacements. I would imagine its the same for all mammals. Certainly when I asked my vet why Bonnie had developed problems when she had previously had no issues nor a genetic or breed based disposition for dental problems, old age was given as the reason. Bonnie was not a lop, her mum was a black straight eared bunny and her dad is half wild half English cross. So straight eared and trim jawline with a decent sized skull.

I knew about lops and Nethies being more prone because a smaller face means there is less space for the teeth to grow and fit in. I have one lop and she will be four later this year so she is starting to approach middle age. So far she has been ok dental wise but she did have a bout of snuffles before she moved indoors. She is fine just now and a great hay eater so I hope she won't experience any issues.
 
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