Jolysium
Mama Doe
I thought I'd post this as I found it interesting. As some of you know, Fred has just been operated on by Frances Harcourt-Brown because he has multiple abscesses, which are related to dental disease. FHB was quite puzzled as to why he has got so many abscesses when he has always had a good diet. She thinks, although she was careful to say that she can't be certain, that the problem started when he had dental work when he was very young. This was about six years ago - he stopped eating and I took him to the vet who looked in his mouth and said he had spurs. She burred his teeth and he recovered. Ever since, whenever he's been for a check-up, the vets have commented that his teeth aren't good and will need dental work at some point. Sometimes they've mentioned that he seems to be missing some teeth towards the back. As he's been eating well and seemed fine, I've always said we'd wait and see.
So it seems to me (because it seems to FHB) that the dental work all those years ago damaged his teeth badly and also introduced infection or allowed infection to get in, which has led to him developing these multiple abscesses. FHB showed me some healthy rabbit skulls with points on their teeth and said that they were perfectly normal teeth but that she thinks vets often mistake these normal shaped teeth for spurs. Has anyone else heard anything about this? It sounds as though a lot of bunnies get rushed into dentals that might do more harm than good. Obviously if a rabbit isn't eating and doesn't respond to medical management it needs to be considered (that's the position I'm in with Freda now) but having heard this it is making me more anxious about the idea of her having her teeth burred if it can possibly be avoided.
Sorry for the ramble.
So it seems to me (because it seems to FHB) that the dental work all those years ago damaged his teeth badly and also introduced infection or allowed infection to get in, which has led to him developing these multiple abscesses. FHB showed me some healthy rabbit skulls with points on their teeth and said that they were perfectly normal teeth but that she thinks vets often mistake these normal shaped teeth for spurs. Has anyone else heard anything about this? It sounds as though a lot of bunnies get rushed into dentals that might do more harm than good. Obviously if a rabbit isn't eating and doesn't respond to medical management it needs to be considered (that's the position I'm in with Freda now) but having heard this it is making me more anxious about the idea of her having her teeth burred if it can possibly be avoided.
Sorry for the ramble.