Bunny teeth removal

Hello, I'm new to the forum and new to Bunnies. I have a Mini Lop he's about 10months old and absolutely brilliant! He's a house bun, did intend for him to be outside...but couldn't do it in the end, and now he has almost free run of the house. It's been very challanging, as I didn't realise how much work would be involved, and just how sensitive bunnies could be (but he's worth it). His teeth unfortunately don't ware down as they should, and I'm back to the vets every 3-4 weeks to have them cut back, the whole process really distresses him, so I am now considering the drastic step of front teeth removal. Does anyone have any advice please? Will he be ok without them? Any help woud be much appreciated. Thank you, Colly. :wave:

Hello and welcome to RU. I don't have any personal experience of front teeth removal but if your vet recommends it then I believe bunnies can cope very well without them. Veg needs to be shredded/grated instead but they much pellets with their back teeth so they're not an issue. Hopefully someone with a gummy bunny will come along to offer advice.

Hello

I am sorry to hear that your Rabbit has dental problems. If the Incisors are maloccluded and needing to be trimmed every 4 weeks then removal may well be the best option. It is important that your Rabbit is under the care of a Vet who is very experienced in treating Rabbits and in managing Dental problems. I would expect to have a pre surgery consultation to discuss exactly what will be done during the procedure- Xrays being an essential prior to attempting to remove the teeth. It is also necessary to check for abnormalities with the molar teeth (cheek teeth). I'd also want the Vet to run through any possible complications and how they would be managed should they occur. EG post surgical infection or the possibility of the teeth growing back. Good communication from Vet to client is so important. So if you do not understand anything or if you have specific concerns about the care your Rabbit will need after surgery dont be afraid to ask. Another important factor is post surgical pain relief for your Rabbit. This being an absolute must. I would run a mile from any Vet who refused to provide my Rabbit with daily pain relief after they had their Incisors removed !!

Rabbits can cope without their Incisors, they may need some dietary modification such as having their veg thinly sliced/grated. Some Incisorless Rabbits do struggle to eat hay, so it is a case of trying to find a type of hay that the individual Rabbit can eat. Eating a pelleted feed is usually not something they struggle with. Incisorless Rabbits may also need some assistance with grooming themselves, especially during a moult.

Colly said:

Hello, I'm new to the forum and new to Bunnies. I have a Mini Lop he's about 10months old and absolutely brilliant! He's a house bun, did intend for him to be outside...but couldn't do it in the end, and now he has almost free run of the house. It's been very challanging, as I didn't realise how much work would be involved, and just how sensitive bunnies could be (but he's worth it). His teeth unfortunately don't ware down as they should, and I'm back to the vets every 3-4 weeks to have them cut back, the whole process really distresses him, so I am now considering the drastic step of front teeth removal. Does anyone have any advice please? Will he be ok without them? Any help woud be much appreciated. Thank you, Colly. :wave:

Click to expand...

Hi there and welcome to the Forum :wave:

I have had so many bunnies who have had their front teeth removed, and in cases where the teeth need burring or clipping regularly, it's been a Godsend. Like you, though, with my first ever one I was especially nervous.

Make sure your vet is thoroughly confident with the procedure. Everything else that's necessary should flow from that so that you have nothing to worry about.

As a toothless bun, he won't be able to chew up your house and cables any more, but you will have to shred his carrots and finely slice his greens etc. Pellets he should eat just fine.

As for fibre/hay etc, many buns without front teeth happily pull hay and straw to eat for themselves. However, it's a really good idea to get some dried grass (readigrass) in, so that when his mouth is healed he can get back to eating what a rabbit eats best.

Go for it. Don't look back. Your rabbit will thank you for it :thumb:

I have had 2 rabbits that needed their incisors removed and definitely was the best outcome for them. They recovered so quickly and with pain relief managed their food really well. My french lop had to stay in over night as they said he was not eating. I asked if I could call in to see him and take some herbs and favourite bits. I am so glad I did as he was sitting there with a carrot, half an apple and a cabbage leaf. How they expected a gummy bunny to tackle those bits of food amazes me. I got out his coriander, parsley and shredded greens and he ate loads. I loaded up his cage with the rest of his food and reluctantly had to leave him there as the vet had gone home that did his op. he was needing his teeth burred every 3/4 weeks so it was so lovely for him not to have to go through that stress. Good luck with your bun. X

Buttons had his front teeth removed about 4 years ago because they were growing so fast, got to the point that we were going to the vet every 2 to 3 weeks to have them burred down. We got a referal to take him to molly varga for her to take them out http://www.cheshirepet.co.uk/?team-member=molly-varga he manages really well, things just have to be broken up for him or chopped up. Was told not to grate food only chop. A small peg tooth has grown back which doesn't bother him and he still manages to pick things up and throw them or put things in his water bowl which he has recently taken to doing for some reason :?

Thank you!!

Hi all, thanks so much for all your advice and reassuring words. I've booked Obi in for his Op this Thursday as I'm sure it's the right thing to do. I'm not sure he'll be overly impressed with me to begin with....but it the long run it will be worth it for him. Thank you ll so much!!

Colly said:

Hi all, thanks so much for all your advice and reassuring words. I've booked Obi in for his Op this Thursday as I'm sure it's the right thing to do. I'm not sure he'll be overly impressed with me to begin with....but it the long run it will be worth it for him. Thank you ll so much!!

Click to expand...

I hope all goes well for him on Thursday I think you are making the right decision for him xx

Colly said:

Hi all, thanks so much for all your advice and reassuring words. I've booked Obi in for his Op this Thursday as I'm sure it's the right thing to do. I'm not sure he'll be overly impressed with me to begin with....but it the long run it will be worth it for him. Thank you ll so much!!

Click to expand...

You and he will be ever grateful! Good luck for Thursday :thumb:

Hi all, well 3 days since Obi's operation to remove his front teeth. He's been out of sorts, toilet habits are all out of sync and he looks quite sad, that said he's eating and drinking normally.....the only thing now is both his eyes are always wet...looks like he's been crying.....his fur dries but then it happens again....I feel so sorry for him and although he doesn't seem to phased its worrying me...poor guy! I'm not sure if it will right itself or its back to the vets for us. ���� x

Colly said:

Hi all, well 3 days since Obi's operation to remove his front teeth. He's been out of sorts, toilet habits are all out of sync and he looks quite sad, that said he's eating and drinking normally.....the only thing now is both his eyes are always wet...looks like he's been crying.....his fur dries but then it happens again....I feel so sorry for him and although he doesn't seem to phased its worrying me...poor guy! I'm not sure if it will right itself or its back to the vets for us. ���� x

Click to expand...

I would pop him back to the Vet tomorrow for a check up. 'Runny eyes' can occur after Dental work has been done. The Vet will need to check that there is not any secondary infection going on and he/she may prescribe some drops to help settle things down.

When you say his toilet habbits are 'all out of sync' do you mean he is not pooing much or he is pooing a lot of unformed cecal poos ?

Is he on antibiotics after the extractions ?

Colly said:

Hi all, well 3 days since Obi's operation to remove his front teeth. He's been out of sorts, toilet habits are all out of sync and he looks quite sad, that said he's eating and drinking normally.....the only thing now is both his eyes are always wet...looks like he's been crying.....his fur dries but then it happens again....I feel so sorry for him and although he doesn't seem to phased its worrying me...poor guy! I'm not sure if it will right itself or its back to the vets for us. ���� x

Click to expand...

Very often after any dental procedure, the eyes are affected because tooth roots have been 'disrupted'. If the discharge is clear then this should settle down but may take a week or two.

As for his toilet habits, I would give him time to adjust and get back to 'normal'. If he's eating and drinking well, he's doing great

Once again thanks for your replies and advice, yes it is clear so hopefully it will settle down but I'll also run past the vet.
He is on antibiotics.....and painkillers, will finish them tomorrow, he's just pooping anywhere, weeing on the bed again which he had stopped doing, I guess I need to give him time, he's my first bun and he really is the greatest little guy just want to make sure he's having the best life possible....if that makes sense!!

Colly said:

Once again thanks for your replies and advice, yes it is clear so hopefully it will settle down but I'll also run past the vet.
He is on antibiotics.....and painkillers, will finish them tomorrow, he's just pooping anywhere, weeing on the bed again which he had stopped doing, I guess I need to give him time, he's my first bun and he really is the greatest little guy just want to make sure he's having the best life possible....if that makes sense!!

Click to expand...

Absolutely perfect sense! Good luck with his litter box habits ...

Back again with an Obi update....He's ok in himself eating and drinking plenty....his eyes are still a bit watery and this weekend I've heard him sneeze a couple of times....what a worry this little bun is!! He does seem ok....but I'm keeping a close eye on him.....x

Colly said:

Back again with an Obi update....He's ok in himself eating and drinking plenty....his eyes are still a bit watery and this weekend I've heard him sneeze a couple of times....what a worry this little bun is!! He does seem ok....but I'm keeping a close eye on him.....x

Click to expand...

It's not a small op for a bun, so hopefully he'll settle down very soon and stop giving you cause for concern :thumb:

Thank you, yes I think it was a bit more traumatic than I had expected for him. Thanks again.:wave:

Hi all,
Just a bit of an update about Obi, and of course another question! So after the op, we had the watery eyes...and occassional sneezing, I took him to the vets and they put him on a 10day antibiotic course (we are on day 7) and although the watery eyes had cleared up he now has one gunky/watery eye, he is still sneezing now and then, he nose is a little bit wet looking..but in himself he's eating (loads) drinking, and is finally getting a bit more active and seems more relaxed after the op...but obviously the eye and sneezing is a worry, will be going back to vets later this week to see if they want or can do anything else once antibiotics course has finished...otherwise I assume it's just a keep a close eye on him and if anything changes straight to vets? :wave: Thank you.

Colly said:

Hi all,
Just a bit of an update about Obi, and of course another question! So after the op, we had the watery eyes...and occassional sneezing, I took him to the vets and they put him on a 10day antibiotic course (we are on day 7) and although the watery eyes had cleared up he now has one gunky/watery eye, he is still sneezing now and then, he nose is a little bit wet looking..but in himself he's eating (loads) drinking, and is finally getting a bit more active and seems more relaxed after the op...but obviously the eye and sneezing is a worry, will be going back to vets later this week to see if they want or can do anything else once antibiotics course has finished...otherwise I assume it's just a keep a close eye on him and if anything changes straight to vets? :wave: Thank you.

Click to expand...

He could have a blocked tear duct, and you can help loosen gunk around the eye with a cotton wool ball soaked in cooled boiled water. A warm compress under the eye can help loosen debris in the tear duct.

If you consult your vet - either phone or visit - he may recommend a change of antibiotic as the one he chose may not have it the spot. If the gunk is white, rather than a clear discharge, this *may* be more of an indication to use antibiotics.

You could also try boosting his immunise system using a few drops of herbal echincea. He's obviously going to be a little 'run down' after his procedure.

http://www.baldwins.co.uk/herbs/ext...s-echinacea-angustifolia-herbal-fluid-extract

Thank you! Its difficult to say whether it is gunky or just very wet (like he's feeling a bit emotional). He's on Baytril (I think thats what it's called) but I'll try a the herbal remedy, much prefer something natural if possible. I'll also try with the cotton and warm water. Thanks again for the advise, this forum is such a godsend!! :wave: