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Tooth extraction

K

Kaela

New Kit
Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone had had any experience of tooth extractions..

Basically, ever since we got Maude in Feb 2016, she has been poorly. We got her from the adoption centre at Pets at Home and were told she was getting over a cold... anyway we've been to the vets just about every month with her and her various issues.

Our latest visit is due to a tooth abscess. She had one back in July and had a load of antibiotics and recovered completely. We were away last week and our neighbour was watching her and when we came back we saw she had a big lump in the same place. We took her in and today she was sedated so that they could lance the abscess. However, it was discovered through x-ray that her tooth is pushing up into her eye causing it to weep. She is now being referred to a specialist over 50 miles away and they are providing us with a quote for surgery. Maude hasn't been spayed, as when she went to get done last year she went blue under the anesthetic and had to be brought round.

So clearly, we're very worried. And on top of that, today's vet bill was £300 (sedation, abscess drain, overnight stay, xray). Luckily we have a honeymoon fund which is being used on Maude :thumb: But we're really worried about how much the tooth extraction might be, as our honeymoon fund won't cover much more. I've used the specialist vet before for my tortoise and they are great, but there's still the worry that she won't make it due to her condition. It was also mentioned today that all her problems (nasal and eye) could have all been because of her tooth.. so we might have paid out a years worth of bills on this already when it could have been diagnosed sooner. We're going to discuss everything with the specialist but we don't know when our appointment will be.

Does anyone else have similar experiences? Is £300 too expensive for what we received? Does anyone know how much roughly tooth extractions are?:?
 
Kaela said:
Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone had had any experience of tooth extractions..

Basically, ever since we got Maude in Feb 2016, she has been poorly. We got her from the adoption centre at Pets at Home and were told she was getting over a cold... anyway we've been to the vets just about every month with her and her various issues.

Our latest visit is due to a tooth abscess. She had one back in July and had a load of antibiotics and recovered completely. We were away last week and our neighbour was watching her and when we came back we saw she had a big lump in the same place. We took her in and today she was sedated so that they could lance the abscess. However, it was discovered through x-ray that her tooth is pushing up into her eye causing it to weep. She is now being referred to a specialist over 50 miles away and they are providing us with a quote for surgery. Maude hasn't been spayed, as when she went to get done last year she went blue under the anesthetic and had to be brought round.

So clearly, we're very worried. And on top of that, today's vet bill was £300 (sedation, abscess drain, overnight stay, xray). Luckily we have a honeymoon fund which is being used on Maude :thumb: But we're really worried about how much the tooth extraction might be, as our honeymoon fund won't cover much more. I've used the specialist vet before for my tortoise and they are great, but there's still the worry that she won't make it due to her condition. It was also mentioned today that all her problems (nasal and eye) could have all been because of her tooth.. so we might have paid out a years worth of bills on this already when it could have been diagnosed sooner. We're going to discuss everything with the specialist but we don't know when our appointment will be.

Does anyone else have similar experiences? Is £300 too expensive for what we received? Does anyone know how much roughly tooth extractions are?:?
Click to expand...


Hi there and welcome to the Forum :wave:

I'm sorry to hear about Maude - it sounds like you want the vet best for her. And to use your honeymoon fund for her :love:

I think from what you've said, the abscess never really 'went away' - i.e. it wasn't eradicated by the previous antibiotics. They may have held it at bay, but rabbit abscesses are encapsulated and either need cutting out surgically or else lancing and draining.

There are several ways to deal with an abscess. I have found that surgically excising the wound and packing and dealing with Manuka Honey works well in conjunction with penicillin injections. I found out years ago that penicillin injections are the only antibiotic that will eradicate an abscess.

Sometimes the vet will lance and drain the abscess and follow the above protocol.

Some reading - *may contain graphic images*

http://www.all-creatures.com/blog-Ab...n+Rabbits.html

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_...abs_dental.htm

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resou.../abscesses.htm

http://rabbit.org/abcesses-in-rabbits/


It's difficult to quote for what a vet will do. It's a shame to have to remove a tooth, but if the specialist feels that this is the only option, then it's probably what you should do. Upper teeth often press upon the tear ducts in rabbits, that's why so many of them have weepy eyes. There's nothing much you can do about that, but if an abscess is also the problem, then that need to be taken into account.
 
Kaela said:
Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone had had any experience of tooth extractions..

Basically, ever since we got Maude in Feb 2016, she has been poorly. We got her from the adoption centre at Pets at Home and were told she was getting over a cold... anyway we've been to the vets just about every month with her and her various issues.

Our latest visit is due to a tooth abscess. She had one back in July and had a load of antibiotics and recovered completely. We were away last week and our neighbour was watching her and when we came back we saw she had a big lump in the same place. We took her in and today she was sedated so that they could lance the abscess. However, it was discovered through x-ray that her tooth is pushing up into her eye causing it to weep. She is now being referred to a specialist over 50 miles away and they are providing us with a quote for surgery. Maude hasn't been spayed, as when she went to get done last year she went blue under the anesthetic and had to be brought round.

So clearly, we're very worried. And on top of that, today's vet bill was £300 (sedation, abscess drain, overnight stay, xray). Luckily we have a honeymoon fund which is being used on Maude :thumb: But we're really worried about how much the tooth extraction might be, as our honeymoon fund won't cover much more. I've used the specialist vet before for my tortoise and they are great, but there's still the worry that she won't make it due to her condition. It was also mentioned today that all her problems (nasal and eye) could have all been because of her tooth.. so we might have paid out a years worth of bills on this already when it could have been diagnosed sooner. We're going to discuss everything with the specialist but we don't know when our appointment will be.

Does anyone else have similar experiences? Is £300 too expensive for what we received? Does anyone know how much roughly tooth extractions are?:?
Click to expand...

I am sorry to hear of Maude's problems. It is possible that her symptoms have all been related to the fact that her tooth roots have elongated and this condition can only be acurately diagnosed from skull radiographs (see bottom right image)



It's good that you have been referred to a Specialist and I should discuss at the outset the cost implication of the treatment options. Of course in an ideal world money should not be the deciding factor. But not many of us have a bottomless pit of funds and without Pet Insurance Cover we can be faced with a very difficult situation. The Specialist might have a Finance Scheme available whereby a regular DD payment arrangement is set up for a specific amount to be paid on a regular basis over a specified period of time. There may also be different treatment options, some much more conservative than others. Extracting the effected tooth/tooth root is one option and probbaly the one that would stand the most chance of resolving the infection. However, if there were also bone infection involved (osteomyelitis) it is possible that removing the tooth/root will not get rid of all of the infection.

This is a long thread, but it gives an account of a Rabbit who had extensive surgery for tooth root abscesses

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?415173-Nena-s-jaw-tooth-root-abscess

There is some more information on the following links, some of which contain graphic images:

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Treatment/Facial/abs_dental.htm

http://www.ivis.org/proceedings/navc/2006/SAE/615.pdf?LA=1

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/jawabscess.html

Given your additional concerns about how Maude would cope with a GA this time you may want to take a look at this information too and discuss the details with the Specialist you see

http://www.canonburyvets.com/news/2015/01/05/rabbit-anaesthesia-the-gold-standard

Wishing Maude the very best of luck for as good an outcome as possible x
 
Thanks so much for replying. Apologies for not replying sooner, I've been ill myself.

An update on Maude: she was taken to a specialist vet an hour away and had a consultation. They then kept her in and £950 later she has had 2 teeth removed! We've used pretty much all our honeymoon fund now! The vet examined her thoroughly when she was under and got a camera scope in her mouth. The two teeth were very infected and there was a big abscess. The vet was lovely and showed us all the xrays etc. She has dental disease and the vet said she's likely to have problems with the rest of her teeth as they are bending. We've to syringe feed her and give 2 antibiotics and pain meds twice a day.
We previously thought she couldn't handle anaesthetic (as we'd been told by another vet) but she was fine thank goodness.
I expected her to be very subdued when she came home. She did hide for about an hour but then came around to sit on the sofa with us. She's on critical care food, which we have to syringe. Maude loves attention but what she hates most in the world is being picked up.. it has not been easy to give her her meds so far! The vet made it look so simple but she gets so stressed being picked up and somehow manages to squirm her way out of a burrito! (She's a dwarf too so she's super tiny and slippery!) She hasn't been keen on critical care (smells terrible) but has been waiting expectantly for her usual nuggets. I had an idea of blending the nuggets into a paste last night and she's been eating loads of that. She's now acting like nothing has happened. Even the vet said she has been an absolute trooper. Back for a check up on Tuesday so fingers crossed!
 
Glad ur bun came through her op well. I had a bun have a tooth extraction due to absess and she cane through it well also. If she wants her nuggets try soaking them in a little warm water and she should hopefully be able to ear them. Dandelion leaves are also very temping. Sounds like she is doing well.
 
Kaela said:
Thanks so much for replying. Apologies for not replying sooner, I've been ill myself.

An update on Maude: she was taken to a specialist vet an hour away and had a consultation. They then kept her in and £950 later she has had 2 teeth removed! We've used pretty much all our honeymoon fund now! The vet examined her thoroughly when she was under and got a camera scope in her mouth. The two teeth were very infected and there was a big abscess. The vet was lovely and showed us all the xrays etc. She has dental disease and the vet said she's likely to have problems with the rest of her teeth as they are bending. We've to syringe feed her and give 2 antibiotics and pain meds twice a day.
We previously thought she couldn't handle anaesthetic (as we'd been told by another vet) but she was fine thank goodness.
I expected her to be very subdued when she came home. She did hide for about an hour but then came around to sit on the sofa with us. She's on critical care food, which we have to syringe. Maude loves attention but what she hates most in the world is being picked up.. it has not been easy to give her her meds so far! The vet made it look so simple but she gets so stressed being picked up and somehow manages to squirm her way out of a burrito! (She's a dwarf too so she's super tiny and slippery!) She hasn't been keen on critical care (smells terrible) but has been waiting expectantly for her usual nuggets. I had an idea of blending the nuggets into a paste last night and she's been eating loads of that. She's now acting like nothing has happened. Even the vet said she has been an absolute trooper. Back for a check up on Tuesday so fingers crossed!
Click to expand...

I am glad that Maude is coping so well with all the treatment. Great that she likes her 'nugget pate' too :D

This video may give you a tip as to how to medicate her without having to pick her up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfROVhKTMxI
 
Kaela said:
Thanks! I feel like she might now become accustomed to the pate version haha
Click to expand...

Very posh !! She'll want it served up with a nice sprig of Parsley too. Just dont give in to any of her requests for a glass of Port to wash it all down :lol:
 
Kaela said:
Thanks so much for replying. Apologies for not replying sooner, I've been ill myself.

An update on Maude: she was taken to a specialist vet an hour away and had a consultation. They then kept her in and £950 later she has had 2 teeth removed! We've used pretty much all our honeymoon fund now! The vet examined her thoroughly when she was under and got a camera scope in her mouth. The two teeth were very infected and there was a big abscess. The vet was lovely and showed us all the xrays etc. She has dental disease and the vet said she's likely to have problems with the rest of her teeth as they are bending. We've to syringe feed her and give 2 antibiotics and pain meds twice a day.
We previously thought she couldn't handle anaesthetic (as we'd been told by another vet) but she was fine thank goodness.
I expected her to be very subdued when she came home. She did hide for about an hour but then came around to sit on the sofa with us. She's on critical care food, which we have to syringe. Maude loves attention but what she hates most in the world is being picked up.. it has not been easy to give her her meds so far! The vet made it look so simple but she gets so stressed being picked up and somehow manages to squirm her way out of a burrito! (She's a dwarf too so she's super tiny and slippery!) She hasn't been keen on critical care (smells terrible) but has been waiting expectantly for her usual nuggets. I had an idea of blending the nuggets into a paste last night and she's been eating loads of that. She's now acting like nothing has happened. Even the vet said she has been an absolute trooper. Back for a check up on Tuesday so fingers crossed!
Click to expand...


Thank you so much for your PM and apologies that I haven't been able to get back to you sooner!

I am pleased to hear about Maude and her operation :)

What meds is she on at the moment?
 
Kaela said:
Thanks so much for replying. Apologies for not replying sooner, I've been ill myself.

An update on Maude: she was taken to a specialist vet an hour away and had a consultation. They then kept her in and £950 later she has had 2 teeth removed! We've used pretty much all our honeymoon fund now! The vet examined her thoroughly when she was under and got a camera scope in her mouth. The two teeth were very infected and there was a big abscess. The vet was lovely and showed us all the xrays etc. She has dental disease and the vet said she's likely to have problems with the rest of her teeth as they are bending. We've to syringe feed her and give 2 antibiotics and pain meds twice a day.
We previously thought she couldn't handle anaesthetic (as we'd been told by another vet) but she was fine thank goodness.
I expected her to be very subdued when she came home. She did hide for about an hour but then came around to sit on the sofa with us. She's on critical care food, which we have to syringe. Maude loves attention but what she hates most in the world is being picked up.. it has not been easy to give her her meds so far! The vet made it look so simple but she gets so stressed being picked up and somehow manages to squirm her way out of a burrito! (She's a dwarf too so she's super tiny and slippery!) She hasn't been keen on critical care (smells terrible) but has been waiting expectantly for her usual nuggets. I had an idea of blending the nuggets into a paste last night and she's been eating loads of that. She's now acting like nothing has happened. Even the vet said she has been an absolute trooper. Back for a check up on Tuesday so fingers crossed!
Click to expand...

I am glad you thought to give Maude her nuggets as a paste. I use a small inexpensive coffee grinder to grind the nuggets so they look like the critical care and then I mix with water. Sometimes I will mix some critical care into the ground pellets before adding water so it improves the consistency. I have adopted primarily dwarf bunnies and know how hard it can be to control these little gems. Sending you and Maude some positive vibes.
 
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