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Cara has lost her teeth! Help!

KateCo

Warren Scout
Cara came to live with me two weeks ago and I was told that I'd have to keep a close eye on her teeth because they were misaligned. The vet who saw her whilst she was at the rescue had said that they'd probably be okay as long as she had plenty of hay etc.
I started getting a bit concerned on Friday because one of the lower incisors(? long ones!) seemed to be growing a bit too long so I made an appointment for my own vet for Monday (tomorrow) She was eating okay and seemed perfectly alert and happy.
However I got up this morning to vampire bunny :shock: Lower incisor sticking out of her mouth and very loose. Now it's gone completely (and I can't find it) Worse still, the other incisors all seem to have broken off too. (Upper and lower from what I can tell) They were all there yesterday so it's a bit of a major shock. She still seems perfectly happy. She's drinking and eating her pellets and ate all her veg last night, plus lot's of hay. She's had a lovely run round this morning and is very inquisitive about everything.
I've been feeding her meadow hay, Super Forage Excel and Burgess Supa Rabbit Excel pellets plus a handful of veggies everyday. She particularly loves broccoli and cabbage. Her poo's are fine. She has lot's of toy's to chew on in her cage. Cara is a two year old orange rex. We're also in the process of bonding her with our french lop Sebastian. (seems to be going okay, but we're not there yet.)
So! (Sorry this is so long) Should I phone an emergency vet today or will she be okay until morning. (The appointment is at 9:10) Also, is her diet okay? Should I stick with it or change it? Help please!
Kate.
 
It sounds to me like her teeth may be weak from a previous poor diet and lack of chewing toys. Either that or she bonked her mouth pretty bad. She didn't run into anything, did she? Maybe she spooked?

Does your vet have a weekend phone number that you could call for advice? I've never dealt with this so I don't know if she needs to see a vet right away or not. I'd be concerned about bits of tooth root left in her jaw, as they could grow back over time and be crooked.

Thank goodness she's still eating!
 
The vet will probably remove them all which shouldn't be too much of a problem fr bunny, in fact it'd probably be a relief, but see if you can get an emergency appointment
 
I'd book her into the vet as there may be a chance of roots being left in that could cause problems.
Bun incisors won't really wear down once misaligned - they'll need regular burring (NOT trimming - this puts pressure on the teeth and can shatter or crack them and lead to root infections) or removal.
Buns cope well without their incisors - I've got three that have had them removed due to malloclussion (where the teeth are misaligned).
One thing you will have to be aware of is the molars too. If the misalignment of the front teeth was genetic there's a greater chance that the molars will be misaligned too, and overgrow or produce sharp spurs that can cut into the cheeks and tongue. You can't really see these yourself so the vet will have to look, and if any are found, burr them down under anaesthetic. Changing to a fibrous diet that requires a long of grinding (so long leafy veg and lots of hay as opposed to 'crunchy' veg like carrots, and lots of pellets) will help wear them down better and you'll find you can go longer because dental treatment.
There's several other members with incisorless buns that can give you advice too. But I'd say it's quite important to get the bun to the vet to find out the cause - teeth shouldn't just fall out - and make sure there'll be no complications afterwards.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I phoned the emergency vet and spoke to a really nice lady who seemed to know a lot about rabbits. She said that if Cara is eating and drinking, it would be better to wait for the vet appointment in the morning as the stress of driving her 10 miles to the emergency animal hospital, plus the stress of her being there instead of at home, might cause more problems. The place is open 24 hours so if Cara gets worse I can take her there, we'll just keep a close eye on her in the meantime. At the moment she's running around the living room quite happily. I'll have a good talk with the vet tomorrow and discuss all the options available.
It's so good to have the support of this forum, I'm glad I found you!
Kate.
 
I hope she's ok tomorrow. She sounds happy enough! Just wanted to say that Squidgy had to have his incisors removed shortly after he came to me, and he's fine without them. We cut up veg and hay into manageable bits for him, and help him with grooming. I'm sure Cara will be fine.
 
Cara's lost her teeth: Updated 03/04/06

Well, we went to the vets but I'm not totally sure about the advice I've been given. As far as Cara's teeth are concerned, the vet says she can't do anything until they've grown back a bit. Then she can either remove them or I can take Cara in to have them clipped every 4 weeks. I'm okay with the 'having them removed bit' but I was a bit concerned that she suggested clipping them instead because all the stuff I've read says that clipping isn't good. Plus when I asked about having Cara neutered, the vet said not to bother :shock: She said that they do hardly any rabbit surgery and that abdominal surgery was dangerous for rabbits. Since our other rabbit Sebastian is neutered anyway, she said there was no need to get Cara 'done'
Should I get another opinion? I know that there's a vet a bit further away who does specialise in rabbits and has a very good reputation. Isn't neutering the best way to prevent uterine cancer etc? I'm now very confused.
The vet was very nice, and seemed to do a thorough examination. She listened to Cara's heartbeat and checked her genitals and general good health. Clipped her claws and gave her the first of her innoculations. She didn't ask about diet though, and didn't offer any advice on it. I did volunteer some info about Cara's diet though so perhaps she thought that was enough.
Like I said, very confused! Advice anyone?
Kate.
 
I would try the other vet. This one doesn't sound very up-to-date on rabbit care, and I don't like using vets that don't routinely do rabbit surgery. They're sensitive to anesthesia, so I'd rather have someone who knows how to do it right.

As for the spaying, it sounds like maybe it's more common in the UK to not spay females? It's highly recommended over here both for preventing uterine/ovarian/mammary cancer, which can be common, and to make it easier to bond the rabbit. Plus, spaying is not very dangerous with a good vet, it's surgery on the stomach for blockages that is dangerous.
 
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