TRIMMING RABBITS FRONT TEETH WITH CLIPPERS.....

Hi,

Last time I took my rabbit to the vet to have his front teeth clipped. The Vet that carried out the procedure was particularly c**p! I was absolutely horrified to see him crunch my little babys front teeth to shreds. By the end of the tooth clipping my baby had been left with his bottom two incisors basically non existent. They had been clipped so far down to the gum leaving two tiny spikes.As for the upper two --one had been completely snapped off leaving a tiny bit of tooth behind.

I didn't realise the extent of his teeth damage until I got home. I was absolutely devastated and poor little Harvey looked like he was in complete discomfort. He was scraping his little pins of teeth together and wouldn't touch his food. He has been through enough with his back teeth (he's a wild bun that was found injured in the road and has to have his back teeth trimmed regularly)

I stayed up with him all night....I felt sick to my stomach. I phoned the Vet the next morning and told them I was very upset about poor Harveys teeth. I saw a different Vet and they gave me some painkiller for the little man..... and charged me for it. I was totally disgusted!!!

Now Harveys front teeth have grown back they need cutting again. Is there any other way to trim his front teeth. I read somewhere that teeth can be trimmed with a burring device. Is this able to be done without putting your rabbit under? It's just that poor Harvey has to go under enough already for his back teeth so I don't want him to have to go through anaesthetic for his front teeth aswell.

Please help.

Nicola and Harvey

I think burring is the recommended method, and as far as I recall, it can be done without GA. Maybe you could phone round the local vets in Plymouth and ask what what methods they use, until you find one that burrs rather than clips?

Can that be done with front teeth as well?

I will ring around some local Vets.

Thanks,

Nic N Harvey

You are correct the front teeth can be 'burred' without anaesthetic by a vet who is competent in this procedure.

Janice

Is this common practice nowadays?

I read somewhere that clipping was an outdated method of trimming teeth.

Now all I have to do is find a good rabbit vet in Plymouth.

Nicola and Harvey

Burring the teeth is definately better than the clipping method as sometimes you can fracture the teeth. Like Jane has said ring round to see which Vet does it in your area.

Try this http://www.rcvs.org.uk/Templates/system/Search.asp?NodeID=89660 . When I did a search for Plymouth, there were about 3 listed as small animal specialists.

Rallybunny,

You are fantabulous!!!! Thank you sooo much. I phoned around a couple of Vets and have booked an appt for tomorrow with the Animal Hospital. The Receptionist said that all the Veterinary Surgeons at the practice were able to use the burring method for fililng down the front teeth without anaesthetic. I booked up with a Vet that specialises in small mammals. So fingers crossed for tomorrow.

Thank you for your help.

Nic n Harvey

:shock: :shock: poor little guy! I'd have gone mad if a vet did that to my buns!!!. Glad you've found a vet who can trim his teeth properly now. Hope he gets on OK.

That's good news. Let us know how you get on.

Thanks Rallybunny,

I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

L of L,

Nic x

Glad to hear you are having them burred! You are right in saying that clipping is an old fashioned way of trimming rabbits teeth. It can be a very painful way of trimming them, as the teeth can fracture, the nerves in the teeth can be damaged and the end result is teeth with a rough sharp edge, where as with burring it will be left nice and smooth.

Hi, yes that is a very old fashioned method of clipping teeth. My vet burrs them, otherwise they can split and cause all sorts of problems. I have to take my mini lop every month to have his front teeth done. At the vet hospital where I go the animal nurses do them and it does not seem to cause my bun much stress at all. They say he is really calm and as soon as he gets home he is eating as normal. They charge just under ten pounds. Good luck with your bun. Pam

Thanks for your advice.

He's booked in for this evening so will let you know how we get on.

L of L,

Nic n Harvey xx

I took Harvey to the Vets yesterday to have his teeth burred.

The Vet said he was very well behaved but he did look petrified when she brought him back into the consultation room. His eyes were popping out of his head and his lil heart was beating very fast. The Vet was able to burr them down as best she could but she did say they were very uneven where the Vet had previously made a complete hash of his pegs using clippers.

As you know Harvey was a RTA and he has to have his back teeth trimmed every few months.

The Vet suggested removing his front teeth at some point as she said that by doing this the back teeth may get better. She said to have a think about it. I really don't know what to do.

One thing I did notice when he got back from having his teeth burred he started grating his front teeth together. Just occasionally not constantly. Is this normal behaviour just after teeth burring?

Nic n Harvey xxx

At least you have found somewhere that will do it properly now, and from the sounds of it, a vet that has a bit of experience with bunny teeth and their problems.

Nicola3 said:

One thing I did notice when he got back from having his teeth burred he started grating his front teeth together. Just occasionally not constantly. Is this normal behaviour just after teeth burring?

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Benny does this too. He has to have his front teeth burred once a fortnight and for a day or two afterwards he grates his teeth together. I just think it's because he's not used to them being so short. It never affects his appetite though!

Hi Nicola. glad it went ok with Harvey. My vet also suggested removing front teeth and I know how you are feeling. It is a big decision isn't it? One vet also said that If I don't mind keep bringing him back to have them burred that's better as it is a biggish op. So that has confused me even more really. Will see how he goes and make a judgement when I can. Good luck with Harvey. Pam.

Hi Pam,

I know, I really don't know what to do.

The Vet said that by removing his front teeth it may help to correct his back teeth. If I knew it would definately sort out his back teeth I would seriously consider it. But as Harveys problems have arisen from his accident (being knocked on one side) how will they know whether removing his front teeth definately will correct his back teeth?

If it doesn't correct his back teeth surely he will be worse off with less teeth to rely on.

Also I was concerned that by removing his front teeth it may affect his eating.

I have been really stressed out about it all. He is such a dear and he hates going to the Vets. The burring did really stress the poor man out. He looked absolutely petrified and when I got him home his heart was beating so fast. I really don't know what to do for the best.

Let me know how you get on with your bunny Pam. Does your bunny have problems with his back teeth as well?

L of L,
Nic n Harvey xx

I've just posted in your other thread, but having the front teeth removed may indirectly help his back teeth by enabling you to tempt him to eat more hay, thus wearing down the molars better.