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Rabbit teeth filed but still not eating

MrsBun

Young Bun
Hello :) My 3yo rescue rabbit suddenly started eating pellets and hay very slowly just over a week ago and the next day would not eat at all, although he was interested in food, ( he would run up to it then not eat) We took him to an emergency vet appointment and they said that his gums were inflamed and he had a few Spurs on his teeth but that these were not bad and they didn’t think these were causing a problem. They gave us Metacam and we force fed him mushy pellets for a couple of days. After a couple of days he still was not eating and had lost weight so we took him back to the vets and they said that the spurs might just be enough to put him off eating and so I booked him in to have them removed the next day. The operation went well and when he came home he was very groggy and not eating - I put this down to the operation and continued to force feed him critical care. The next day he seemed to perk up and has been lively ever since however he still will not eat apart from a few crushed nuggets, he is over producing cecotropes which is presumably from not eating hay and being fed largely on critical care, he is pooing although smaller than usual, and is quite drooly, he has lost some fur around his chin because of this. I have also noticed that when he does eat crushed nuggets he often seems to choke or gag. I am going back to the vets today but they seem less concerned than me and I just wondered if anyone else has experienced something similar? :) x

Sorry for the essay XD
 
I would definitely go back to the vet. Something is definitely not right.
Has he got any pain relief? If the spurs caused any soft tissue damage in his mouth, it will be very painful to eat.
Meanwhile, is he eating anything else? Have you tried grass instead of hay? Dandelions and herbs often go down well. Hay can be quite harsh on a sore mouth.

You could also try leaving him a saucer with moistened pellets, maybe mixed with some baby food puree (eg apple or carrot), if he will eat. Otherwise, I suggest keeping going with syringe feeding (either his usual pellets or Critical Care powder) - at least as a top up to make sure his gut keeps going and so he maintains his weight. Keep an eye on his poo output and adjust his feeding to keep this as normal as possible. It will also help to keep him hydrated in this weather. Water in a bowl rather than a bottle will make it easier for him to drink more.

He may need metacam daily for a while, and possibly gut stimulants and antibiotics, depending on the vet's examination.
 
Thanks Shimmer, we are currently giving 0.15 Metacam twice daily, however he does not seem more inclined to eat after taking this. He was also given Ranitidine gut stimulant after the operation, but as following a post operation check up a couple of days after he had good digestion sounds this was stopped.

He will not currently eat any grass and will only pick at some romaine lettuce, he does seem to like pea flakes and some food from the muesli mix, if it is crushed a bit, however I am very anti museli ( we had a new bag a friend had given us but we never used) and don't want to give him to much of this.

I am just not sure if the inital issue was his teeth needed filing and he is just taking quite a while to recover, or if this was not the issue and there is a further problem.

I'll post an update after the vets tonight :)
 
Sorry your bunny is struggling after his dental. My bridge bunny, Toffee, had regular denitals,and it used to take him a good few days before he was eating properly. I hope the vet can identify the problem. Do you know if your vet is rabbit savvy, not all are. Let us know how you get on, and if you need advice on finding a rabbit savvy vet, just ask, but hopefully your vet is. Good luck x
 
How bunnies cope post dentals seem to vary a lot, depending I think on their individual sensitivities. Any soft tissue damage (ulcers etc) can have a negative impact & I've heard the device used to keep the jaw open can leave them feeling uncomfy. I'd be a bit concerned he is drooling now - I hope your vets can help
 
Just come back from the vet. They examined his mouth and said that this looked fine. They did say that there was a lump on the part of his jaw where the top and bottom connect (not sure what the scientific word for this is) and seemed a little swollen. She prescribed Baytrill and upped the Metacam to once daily 0.5 ml.

On the plus side he has not lost any weight since last week which is a relief as I was really worried as he has mostly just been having critical feed.

Fingers crossed now that this will sort it and we won’t need an extraction or anything 😬
 
Alfie has been in the baytrill and increased metacam for two days. This does not seem to have made a great deal of difference so far although he did eat some very crushed burgess pellets last night, this morning he would not eat anything, although still interested, and I had to feed him critical care again. I have tried him on grass and dandelion leaves and he will nibble a little and then stop.

I kind of don’t know where to go from here, trying not to get disheartened and keep positive!

I did speak to the vet about the fact that he looses claws regularly, we are not rough handlers at all and when we do pick him up we always ensure he is properly supported as I know their backs are delicate but he has lost most of his nails, either from jumping off the sofa or wriggling a little. We get them done regularly at the vet ( they charge half as there are so few) and I have never known our other one to loose one claw in 9 years. He has also had a little bit of a limp since we got him and when he jumps funny this can get more pronounced. The vet said this could be a fracture but as it has been long term and not bothered him did not want to put him under anaesthetic for an x Ray. He also has very very thick skin. I am kinda clutching at straws now but do you think there could be another underlying issue?
 
Hi there. I'm wondering about the lump on his jaw - if that is an abscess it could be painful for him. Did the vet say what it was?
 
Hello :wave: She just said it felt like it was inflamed and that it might be an infection. When I feel it it just feels like there is more muscle on one side of the jaw than the other, but I do not really know what to look for. He does not seem to flinch too much when I touch it and the swelling does not seem to have changed so far with the Baytrill, although I know he has not been on it long yet.

He does not seem to want to open his mouth though, he has a lot of difficulty picking up crushed pellets or museli hence the hand feeding to make it easier for him. When he stretches he would normally yawn however he has not been since this issue started. I am wondering if this is why he does not want to eat larger things such as pellets as this would require him to move his jaw up and down more .
 
Is there a chance that the jaw was damaged / dislocated / overstretched etc when they did the op? The mouth is held open by a metal frame so they can get to the teeth. This issue all seems to have been post-op, plus the inability to yawn seems to tie up with this. I would get someone else to examine his jaw properly and check that the joint is OK.

If he is having problems chewing, moistened food would be easier to eat. Maintaining his weight is good, though. Hopefully it will resolve and heal over time.
 
I think back to the vet - maybe seek a second opinion within or at another practice. Shimmers thinking makes sense. Are you syringe feeding at the moment?

Tonibun- he is 3yrs
 
Do you think it would be a good idea for me to get an X ray of the jaw done? :)

I would ask your vet to re-examine the jaw, maybe ask a different vet as well for a second opinion to see if they spot anything different. An x-ray may be suggested - but I would be reluctant to put a poorly rabbit through sedation so soon after a GA unless it was urgent. Tell the vet what you have told us, and point out which problems have only been there since the dental op.
 
I will call the vet today and try and get a second opinion :D thanks for the advice guys :love: He is mostly being syringe fed with a little crushed up museli mix in the morning. He will not eat any pellets with water or the critical care by himself.
 
I would ask your vet to re-examine the jaw, maybe ask a different vet as well for a second opinion to see if they spot anything different. An x-ray may be suggested - but I would be reluctant to put a poorly rabbit through sedation so soon after a GA unless it was urgent. Tell the vet what you have told us, and point out which problems have only been there since the dental op.

I called the vet and spoke to the vet and explained everything to her, she said that the next stage will have to be an x ray as there is nothing further they can do without this and that I can bring him in tomorrow to get this done. I asked if there was any way they could do this without anesthetic, as I know some vets can do this but she said that they would need to sedate him, which I suspected would be the case as he is wriggly.

I am supposed to bring him in tomorrow morning for the x ray to be done and pick him up in the evening but I am really worried, as you said about putting him under anesthetic again, I just don't know what to do :(
 
I called the vet and spoke to the vet and explained everything to her, she said that the next stage will have to be an x ray as there is nothing further they can do without this and that I can bring him in tomorrow to get this done. I asked if there was any way they could do this without anesthetic, as I know some vets can do this but she said that they would need to sedate him, which I suspected would be the case as he is wriggly.

I am supposed to bring him in tomorrow morning for the x ray to be done and pick him up in the evening but I am really worried, as you said about putting him under anesthetic again, I just don't know what to do :(

Its difficult & I understand your concerns about GA but if that is the only way to diagnose & therefore treat him I don't know if there are any other options. I would ramp up the syringe feeding as much as possible - have you tried adding pure fruit baby food to his recovery mix (eg Ellas kitchen) which can make it more palatable?
 
It is always worrying whenever they have an anaesthetic. If he is in for the day, he should be in good hands with plenty of nursing care to keep his food intake up. Get as much food into him today as possible (without stressing either of you) so he has a good start. Check if he needs gut stimulants, etc after if he hasn't poo'd while he is there, or you think he isn't right when he comes home. The sedation should be short just for an x-ray and anything minor if they find something that needs doing while he's under, and you should get some answers. Hope all goes well and he is eating normally again soon. You are doing a good job.
 
It is always worrying whenever they have an anaesthetic. If he is in for the day, he should be in good hands with plenty of nursing care to keep his food intake up. Get as much food into him today as possible (without stressing either of you) so he has a good start. Check if he needs gut stimulants, etc after if he hasn't poo'd while he is there, or you think he isn't right when he comes home. The sedation should be short just for an x-ray and anything minor if they find something that needs doing while he's under, and you should get some answers. Hope all goes well and he is eating normally again soon. You are doing a good job.

Aww thanks :love: I will make sure he has lots of food today, the critical care packet says to feed a packet a day and he has had about a third this morning so I will try and finish the packet over a few sittings tonight. I do have quite a collection of gut stimulants at home, would you say to pop one of these in before the op just to make sure his tummy keeps working throughout the day?

Sorry if im being a fusser :oops:
 
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