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Netherland Dwarf Dental Issues

R

rowan.godfrey

Alpha Buck
Hi All,

I have always been very lucky with Nicholas my Nethie - he eats tons of hay & has great teeth, however I do understand some Nethie's can suffer from dental issues.

This has come up because if a specific situation which I'm not going to outline here for privacy reasons - PM me if you would like any more detail.

I really have 2 questions.

Are dental issues in Nethies a reason to PTS?

What is the long term prognosis for a Nethie with dental issues if not (presuming regular care, again not knowing exactly what that entails?)?

I realise known dental issues would mean the issue would have to be discounted from any insurance policy.

I would greatly appreciate any input from anyone with experience of this (specifically in ND's but also in others?)?

Many Thanks

Rowan


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It really depends on the type of issue....

Dental spurs on the back teeth are often managed by routine dental surgery to trim remove sharp points and prevent sores & cuts to the tongue/cheeks. This often involves regular general anaesthetics.
Front teeth growing too long & not meeting properly (malocclusion) is often treated by trimming/burring the teeth short as often as needed. (All vets I've met do this conscious)
Dental abcesses, elongated roots etc can sometimes cause issues and teeth may need to be removed to treat these issues. Many buns live long & happy lives with teeth missing... you just need to do a little extra work to help them eat their food easily. (Grating veg, trimming hay short etc).

PTS depends on the rabbit individually. If regular treatment etc would cause too much stress for little benefit it may be kinder to PTS but its really an individual basis and should be discussed in depth with a trusted vet.

Any dental issues that are known about before an insurance policy is taken out will be excluded, and the company may decide to exclude anything dental related on the policy.
 
Hi DaphnePhoebe,

Thank you, your input is clear & detailed which I really do appreciate. I've had some very good advice by PM which has helped me come to a decision on what I'm going to do.

Long may Nicholas' teeth stay in good nick I say!


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I had a malocclusion bunny for many years and my vet would trim her teeth conscious. My vet showed me how to do it myself with proper equipment but you need to have a good assistant and a steady hand so after three times doing it myself I decided it was worth taking her to the vets every 6 weeks or so. The prior owner of my bunny would clip her teeth and that can result in broken teeth and sharp edges.

On of my current bunnies had a dental in the Spring for molar spurs. He was under GA briefly. It is unclear how often we will have to repeat the procedure.
 
My Nethie Charlie had malocclusion and we had his teeth trimmed (well, clipped!) every 6m or so, in the mid-late 1990s. I think the vet used what looked like some sort of nail clippers and just 'pinched' them off! Did it conscious, which was probably a mistake as while Charlie was small enough to be held firmly by just the vet on his own, he'd ravage whatever exposed flesh he could sink his newly-sharpened teeth into as soon as he could! He wasn't very polite :mrgreen: but the vet was, considering he may well have needed stitches! XD The whole procedure from inspection to last cut took less than a minute after the first time.

We'll never know how much hay Charlie ate: we used it as bedding (we used a lot :D) and he was on muesli but he only ever ate a bit of grass in his run (he made it last weeks!) and muesli that we could see, rarely dandelions and never forage. So I presume he was a good little bunny, as he lived for over 10 years!
 
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