Tooth spurs - please help

I just took my bunny to the vets for his myxi vaccination and the vet told me he has spurs starting on his teeth, mainly on one side, I think on his molars. I've been reading a bit about it since then and as he is only 8 months old I'm worried it is genetic and so might be an ongoing problem He has never been a huge hay eater, although I have found a type he loves now and I also have some excel forage dried grass to try him on. The vet was rather unsympathetic and seemed not to care particularly about answering my questions or reassuring me about my concerns I asked how often it might need to be done (I know its different for each rabbit) but she basically just shrugged and said she couldn't say. Another thing is, the price she quoted me seemed very high... £140! After the way she was with me today, I'm not sure I'm happy about them sorting his teeth out. She didn't say how bad they were, give much advice on feeding aside from to say hay and less pellets, or say whether they just remove the spurs or file the whole tooth down. If anyone would be able to recommend a vets in the Hampshire area would is good for dentals I would appreciate it. Sorry this is long and if it doesn't make sense. I'm a bit upset about it all

Just had a similar experience with my boyfriend's vet's. Sorry I can't help you find another vet but I certainly do sympathise.

Is Bailey a good hay eater? The more hay and grass he eats the better. Lops are more prone to Dental problems as they have a shorter jaw than most uppy-eared Buns.
If you can get him eating a mainly hay/grass diet then maybe he will just need these spurs burred if they start to bother him. Most Vets recommend burring the spurs down then re-shaping the tooth to ensure a good occlusal surface.
A skull X-ray would give an idea as to how the tooth roots are growing and therefore give a better idea re longterm prognosis.

I am sorry your Vet was lacking in a good 'table-side manner' :roll:
£140 is EXTREMELY expensive for a GA/Dental. I would phone around other practices and obtain quotes after checking that the Vets treat lots of Buns on a regular basis ie they are Rabbit Savvy

Janex

I'd say knock £100 off that price and you're at a more realistic figure. If you're not happy with your vet definately find another one! It is a possibility your bun might need a dental and then, if you keep up the good diet, he may never need one again. I've had a few buns come in who haven't had much hay in their diet, needed their teeth clipped and then been fine since. Good Luck!

whereabouts in hampshire are you?

we had to pay £235 for brandys back tooth:shock:
what sort of questions should you ask to find out if a vet is rabbit savvy and how long after a molar dental should you go back for a check up?

Thank you for the quick replies! He isn't a brilliant hay eater, but I have bought some new hay and dried grass in the last week which he really likes and I am leaving in little piles where he likes to lie down out of the cage so he can munch a lot (he is now! ). My carpet is a mess, but I don't care :lol: I've been pressing hay on him ever since we got home, poor thing, probably thinks I'm going mad :lol: I haven't noticed any changes in his eating habits or behaviour and his bum is fine too, so I don't think the spurs are big enough to bother him yet. I am currently making over his diet to be better, lots of hay/grass and moving him to reduced amounts of Ss (I'm doing it gradually, but he eats all the Ss and then the old stuff which I've mixed it with ) and I am going to introduce some good veg like spring greens etc.
I've checked the quote she gave me and £60 is for an Xray, but that still makes it £80 for the dental. I am in the Portsmouth/Southsea area of Hampshire, but I have transport so I can travel further out. And ouch! £235 is a lot! :shock:

My very bunny savvy Vet has just charged £40 for a conscious dental on one of my buns back teeth spurs... beats the £80 for previous Vet (GA required). worth travelling for... there is a rabbit savvy Vet in Hampshire but for the life of me I can't remember his name... it's something like Mr. Shetty I'll see if we can access posts from a couple of years ago and try and find his actual name :roll: meanwhile... anyone remember this Vet in Andover?

found it!!!! It's John Chitty

http://www.vetindex.co.uk/vetindex/avian_ref.htm

good luck

I (fingers crossed) haven't had to deal with spurs but there are 2 vets in the companion care vets in Pets@Home in Fareham who, I think, are rabbit savvy. One is south african (i believe), one is spanish (both male) and they have been good with mine. They say a third of the operations they do are on rabbits and the SA one has been regularly spaying rabbits for 9 years in this country alone. The cost for neutering was about average as other people on here. But as I say I have no experience of dentals x

~bailey~ said:

I've checked the quote she gave me and £60 is for an Xray, but that still makes it £80 for the dental. I am in the Portsmouth/Southsea area of Hampshire, but I have transport so I can travel further out. And ouch! £235 is a lot! :shock:

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Hi, that is at the more expensive end of the scale but sounds reasonable. I pay £80-£100 per dental, x-rays are £40-£80. I would say if you are unhappy with the price, definitely get another quote, and if you are unhappy with the attitude of your vet, then do try and find another. It has taken me several years to find another vet when I was not entirely happy with mine and felt I was paying over the odds. It is worth it when you find a good one. Good luck, Helen

Thanks for the advice everyone I do go to a Companion Care at the moment, they neutered him and he was fine, but I'm worried about him having another GA so soon. Is it best to get the spurs as soon as they begin to develop? They don't seem to be causing him any problems, he was eating hay constantly last night (I've reduced his pellets, I feel like I'm starving him ) and I'm hoping this will help keep them at bay? The vet didn't tell me if they were bad or not. I thought his teeth were looked at 3 weeks ago at his neuter, but I could be wrong. How fast can spurs develop? Sorry for all the questions, hes my first bunny and when I got him I had no idea they could get teeth problems, poor things He weighs 2.4kg, how much pellet food would be suitable per day for a bunny his weight and is it better to feed in two lots during the day? Sorry for going a bit off topic

~bailey~ said:

Thanks for the advice everyone I do go to a Companion Care at the moment, they neutered him and he was fine, but I'm worried about him having another GA so soon. Is it best to get the spurs as soon as they begin to develop? They don't seem to be causing him any problems, he was eating hay constantly last night (I've reduced his pellets, I feel like I'm starving him ) and I'm hoping this will help keep them at bay? The vet didn't tell me if they were bad or not. I thought his teeth were looked at 3 weeks ago at his neuter, but I could be wrong. How fast can spurs develop? Sorry for all the questions, hes my first bunny and when I got him I had no idea they could get teeth problems, poor things He weighs 2.4kg, how much pellet food would be suitable per day for a bunny his weight and is it better to feed in two lots during the day? Sorry for going a bit off topic

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I would just feed an egg-cup full of pellets in the morning, hay 24/7 and a variety of veggies in the evening. Weigh Bailey once a week to check that he is not losing weight
If he maintains his weight, eats well and does not get a mucky bum/very small poo or runny eyes then you could ask your Vet to check his teeth again in about a months time.

Janex

Thank you Jane I am going to read up on toothfriendly veg (or unfriendly depending on which way you look at it, seeing as it grinds down the teeth :lol and hopefully this will help keep his teeth under control. If not then he will have to have them burred

Reading your problem reminded me of my problems with my beloved Bartleby. We were told that he had spurs at just over a year old and my vets did such a good job that he did not have to get them done again for a year but my vet did say that some rabbits can need them done every six weeks (but that is worse case scenario). My vet charged about £60 including pain relief and check-up. Problem with excel is that it really is too high in calcium (as is alfalfa, brassica veg etc) and that can lead to other problems. Just make sure that your bunny is under anathestic for minimum time needed. hope all is well

What a rude vet. I would try to get a recommendation for a vet. Maybe start a thread specifically with that title? There are people al over the world on here. My vets are great I know its contentious with some people but they burr without GA so its much cheaper and less harmful for the bun. Its Vets4Pets which is a chain so there may be one near you although I guess it also depends on the individual vet.

But deff increase hay. I thought mine ate a lot but I've managed to increase their intake as Barney had to have his teeth burred and he's only just 1!

Try animed..theres one in the area..they all end up at the shedfield hospital anyway where theres a small animal ward..and they have the special certificate for small animal surgery etc..
bif has not had a dental since feb as they did her spurs and also the teeny ones on the other side to save her having those done soon after.shes improved way loads..and is a hay munchin like crazy..timmy hay second cut only from BB of course!!

sadly i cant remember the price but if it had been that much i would have!!:shock::evil: