Plumpkin Update - Long Term Dentals

I thought everyone might like an update on Plumpkin. It's not good news I'm afraid She's been eating more and more slowly these last couple of weeks, so today she had a dental. I had a long chat with the vet on the phone - she's lost a lot of weight again despite my best efforts to feed her extra (and on her own so the other two can't steal her food) - her teeth once again had to be majorly filed. Because they never make contact, they will always have to be filed down by the vet - this problem will keep recurring.

Despite her physical state, she is still in very good spirits and has a great will to live. My vet did not say directly (but implied) that I could put her down if it was too expensive for me (£120 a time every 6 weeks)

Obviously, this is NOT an option in a billion years. I value her so so much and would only turn to that if she was in unbearable pain and it was the kind thing to do. As it happens, she is still full of life and I hope I can keep doing all I can for her. Yes, it's made expensive. But her life matters so much - she's a daughter to me.

What I'm wondering is if anyone has any tips on how to put a lot of weight on her? I'm thinking that maybe I should give her a large bowl of pellets rather than an eggcup, given that she can't eat hay or grass. She is also get 5 x fibafirst sticks every day, and occassionally forage if I can find some, but maybe I should go out of my way to find extra? In the morning she has a large bowl of greens to herself.

Any advice is really appreciated, thank you all <3

Is it her front teeth or molars? Why can't she eat hay,grass? Have gets done any skull x-rays to seemextent of dental problems?

It's her molars. According to my vet, the teeth are growing inwards on a bizarre angle - top and bottom never make contact so they can't grind. He thinks that because of a poor diet (her last owners were atrociously neglectful) she had a calcium deficiency which weakened the jaw bone and deformed it, causing the teeth to grow on a harsh angle.

I'd be interested to know if anyone has ever heard of anything similar? It would be wonderful if surgery was an option somehow, but it has never been suggested, so I can only assume that keeping them filed down is the only way.

(This is the reason why she can't eat grass or hay - the motion required to process it can't be done with her deformed mouth)

I'm sorry that Plumpkin has had to have another dental. I hope that she is recovering well.

To try to get her to put on more weight I would give her more of the FibaFirst rather than lots more pellets. Increasing her pellets might upset her digestive system, so I would want to try to avoid that. I would also collect lots of forage for her if she is able to eat it. I think some people also give a small amount of dry oats, but I've no experience of that. It's possible also that if she has been eating more slowly over the past couple of weeks that this is when she has lost weight, so sadly I think it would be better that she has a dental when you first start to notice these symptoms, although long term this is obviously going to mean more anaesthetic for her.

Somtimes also it will be a case of trying different things to see what will increase her weight and also things that she is eager to eat.

I’m sorry Plumpkin is going to have so many regular dentals. But the important thing is that she is enjoying the wonderful life she has with you. She is certainly an indomitable lady!

I agree with Omi that I would increase the fibafirst sticks and forage rather than the pellets so she can get the benefit of the fibre, especially as she’s struggling with grass and hay.

My doe Fudgie has a similar issue, although not as extreme as Plumpkin’s. One of her molars is at an angle. So far she hasn’t needed a dental but we do monitor it regularly. Fortunately she is able to eat hay and she eats lots of it, which seems to be keeping things at bay.


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Thank you Omi and Scrappy's Little Helper, I am definitely going to increase the fibre sticks instead - that makes a lot of sense.

Regarding the regularity of her dentals Omi, it has been suggested that she is booked in every 6 weeks by default, and we'll see as time goes on if it can be pushed out to say 8 weeks or 10 weeks. My vet is worried that being under anaesthetic so regularly will take its toll on her body, so it would be good if it doesn't have to be as regular than that, but yes - the goal is to prevent the pain from occuring at all rather than waiting until she slows down eating.

She is very lucky to be in your excellent care it might be worth getting her referred to a rabbit specialist vet, if yours isn’t one, to see if they have any suggestions? Sending lots of vibes for her xx

Zoobec said:

She is very lucky to be in your excellent care it might be worth getting her referred to a rabbit specialist vet, if yours isn’t one, to see if they have any suggestions? Sending lots of vibes for her xx

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I agree, if this is an option. Depending on the exact nature of the problem there are some treatment options that a Rabbit Specialist Vet may be more likely to be able to carry out. An example being partial pulpectomy.

This link may be useful to Bookmark

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/me...urse/3-complications-of-dental-procedures.pdf

With regards to diet, if Plumpkin cannot eat much hay/grass then I would definitely feed a lot more Fibrafirst sticks.

Is your Vet taking bloods prior to the GAs ? Personally I'd want to monitor the renal function of a Rabbit undergoing GAs every 6-8 weeks. Fluid therapy during and after the GAs/Dentals is something I would also request, if this is not standard procedure for your Vet. My Vet always gives fluid therapy to Rabbits undergoing a GA. It is part of the Rabbit GA protocol at her Practice.

I hope that Plumpkin will manage to cope with her Dental problems and that the time between Dentals can be extended x

Fibre first & as much forage as you can manage. It sounds like a decent plan booking her in every 6 weeks. You'll know how she is coping long term with regular dentals but I'd remain positive she'll continue to do well with them. I think with advanced dental disease the teeth usually stop growing so this may not be as frequent & as forever as you fear.

I have a beautiful white dental bun too. We usually have xrays (because there is some weird abnormality in her mouth that does actively change at times) but these do hike up costs loads. Bloods may offer insight but I'm not sure how much they'd change the treatment pathway as if she needs a dental she needs a dental.

Vibes for lovely Plumpkin

Beapig said:

Thank you Omi and Scrappy's Little Helper, I am definitely going to increase the fibre sticks instead - that makes a lot of sense.

Regarding the regularity of her dentals Omi, it has been suggested that she is booked in every 6 weeks by default, and we'll see as time goes on if it can be pushed out to say 8 weeks or 10 weeks. My vet is worried that being under anaesthetic so regularly will take its toll on her body, so it would be good if it doesn't have to be as regular than that, but yes - the goal is to prevent the pain from occuring at all rather than waiting until she slows down eating.

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I'm sorry to hear about beautiful Plumpkin. To be honest I think you all deserve a break as you've been trying so hard. It seems it's not to be - yet.

I have managed serious dental buns and I give fibafirst sticks. They aren't all able to eat them as they are, so I break them up and mix them with a bit of grated carrot and chopped herbs (parsley, coriander).

I also feed a pinch of dry oats twice daily and this helps not only with weight but with appetite.


Regards the anaesthetic and dentals - this is an emotive matter. I have a lot of people contact me to discuss 'conscious dentals' and it's something that can help enormously both with recovery time and also cost (it's just the cost of a normal consult). If you need any info on this please PM me. Always happy to discuss rabbits with you

I don't know enough to recommend anything but wanted to say I'm sorry to hear this but glad she's in good spirits.

I am forever grateful Lopsy's wonky teeth (angled inwards) aren't quite wonky enough to cause any issues (yet, fingers crossed!), because otherwise this would be my life too! I don't have anything to offer advice-wise beyond what others have said, but the veyr best of wishes to you all

Poor Plumpkin, it's a shame she will need the rentals but as long as she isn't in pain I think it's good to giver her a chance! My Kiki has significant dental issues and we've had to try hard to keep weight on her at times! Oats are really great, they love them and they do help them gain weight! We give Kiki a mix of selective pellets and burgess dual care, we soak it for a good bit before to make it as easy for her to eat as possible! We also grate up her veg, broccoli grated really well and doesn't make long bits like carrot that she finds difficult to manage! Hope you manage to find something to suit!

Thank you so much everyone for the advice. I'm increasingly concerned about winter coming, as she is so thin, I wonder if she's going to really feel the cold. I'm currently spending every spare minute levelling the ground in the garden to put up a shed for them before the cold weather bites.

I'm interested by the oats MM, literally a pinch of dry oats added to her food daily? I have porridge a lot so always have a large supply of oats at home. I am also interested about the conscious dentals, but my practice has never mentioned this as an option before. Plumpkin hates even having her front teeth looked at, so I can imagine it would be really stressful for her too?

Jack's-Jane, I would love to refer her to a specialist, but the nearest one is over an hour away. I can't drive unfortunately (hoping to learn soon but can't currently afford it) - I would love it if there was a operation that could correct her jaw long term, but it seems really unlikely. Right now I am paying £120 a time for her dentals - I think I have spent close to £1000 on Plumpkin since getting her in March. It is a stressful situation to say the least.

I have upped her fibre sticks to at least 8 a day and always try to squeeze more in if I can.

Beapig said:

Thank you so much everyone for the advice. I'm increasingly concerned about winter coming, as she is so thin, I wonder if she's going to really feel the cold. I'm currently spending every spare minute levelling the ground in the garden to put up a shed for them before the cold weather bites.

I'm interested by the oats MM, literally a pinch of dry oats added to her food daily? I have porridge a lot so always have a large supply of oats at home. I am also interested about the conscious dentals, but my practice has never mentioned this as an option before. Plumpkin hates even having her front teeth looked at, so I can imagine it would be really stressful for her too?

I have upped her fibre sticks to at least 8 a day and always try to squeeze more in if I can.

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Yes, a pinch of oats morning and evening will help. They also stimulate appetite.

I also give a few sunflower kernels to thin rabbits, though some people are worried they may be a choking hazard.
I've never found them to be a problem.
They contain vitamin E which is very good for the immune system as well as a bit fattening

If you want to chat about conscious dentals, do PM me and maybe we can talk it through x