Monthly back teeth problems. What is kinder? anyone been in the same situation? Help

[lola bunny]

My mini lop has now developed back teeth problems and for the 3rd time in just over 3 months I can see the signs that she needs to go back to the vets for them to be filed down again. The last trip was just under a month ago.

My most local vet had said he thought is wasn't fair for Lola to go through this month, ie the pain in her mouth possibly up to 2 weeks before I spot the reoccuring problem, the travelling and the monthly sedation. He thinks it is kinder to put her to sleep as this will be a monthly occurrence and she will be in pain as her teeth are cutting her mouth and tongue. The other vet that I have taken her to for the filing has said that they think its crazy to put a rabbit to sleep with these problems and it is a very common thing.

I'm at a lose, I don't want Lola in pain every 3 weeks of her life and at the same time I would find it very hard to say goodbye to her : (

Without sounding awful, it costs around £50 a month for her to have this done and this is it now for the rest of her life. A monthly trip to the vet.

Anyone been in the same situation?

 

[abbymarysmokey]

I have :wave:

My bun Abby needed molar spurs filing every 2 weeks for a long period of time. At first I would wait until she showed signs of discomfort, but after a while I decided it was easier for me and her to be booked in for regular dental work every 2 weeks whether she showed obvious signs or not.

I'm quite lucky in that my vet would usually do the dental work conscious or just with a quick whiff of gas. This way she only needed a GA every few months to check her properly and take x-rays if needed.

 

[Ben's mum]

What's her diet like? I got my worse dental bun down from dentals every 5-6 weeks to being OK for 6-8 month stretches by a drastic diet change - minimal pellets (and switched to SS as they claimed the shape gives optimal dental health or something), lots of different kinds of hay (usually mixing in the more expensive hays with meadow hay to keep the costs down a little bit), a bowl of chopped timothy hay (as he had no incisors), then veg was only ever green leafy stuff - carrot tops, strips of romaine lettuce (the dark green outer leaves - pet rats got the lighter inner leaves), strips of cauliflower leaves, curly kale, strips of spring greens (everything had to be cut into strips because he had no incisors!), dandelion leaves. I'd also keep a patch of longer grass in the garden and give him a handful of grass several times a day (enough to eat it one sitting, so it wasn't sitting around in a bowl going funny)

Also, I think the method of filing down can affect how quickly spurs develop - you may want to consider finding a vet with lots of knowledge on dental issues, or having a referall to a specialist, as I think the teeth can be shaped a certain way to encourage better wear inbetween dentals

 

[lola bunny]

What's her diet like? I got my worse dental bun down from dentals every 5-6 weeks to being OK for 6-8 month stretches by a drastic diet change - minimal pellets (and switched to SS as they claimed the shape gives optimal dental health or something), lots of different kinds of hay (usually mixing in the more expensive hays with meadow hay to keep the costs down a little bit), a bowl of chopped timothy hay (as he had no incisors), then veg was only ever green leafy stuff - carrot tops, strips of romaine lettuce (the dark green outer leaves - pet rats got the lighter inner leaves), strips of cauliflower leaves, curly kale, strips of spring greens (everything had to be cut into strips because he had no incisors!), dandelion leaves. I'd also keep a patch of longer grass in the garden and give him a handful of grass several times a day (enough to eat it one sitting, so it wasn't sitting around in a bowl going funny)

Also, I think the method of filing down can affect how quickly spurs develop - you may want to consider finding a vet with lots of knowledge on dental issues, or having a referall to a specialist, as I think the teeth can be shaped a certain way to encourage better wear inbetween dentals

I think the problem with Lola is that she has been spoilt with food that she wants to eat. The vet said last time that she really needs to eat her hay, which she hardly touches. She gets a mixed selection of dried food, with pellets added. But she only takes the things she likes. If she is put onto all pellets she gets terrible diarrhea every day. She get a good selection of veg from carrots, kale, basil to cabbage.

The vet that I take her to for filing is Judith Brown at First Vets in Newcastle, who is a rabbit savvy vet, so I know that when she is there she will be getting the best treatment. That is a 40min drive away though, so my mum keeps taking her to a nearer vet only 20mins away, this is the one that thinks its too cruel to keep doing this to her.

 

[Mad Bunster]

As hard as it is to avoid those sad bunny eyes, you have to be strict in your attempts to get her eating hay - otherwise, the teeth situation won't improve.

Have you tried different types of hay? My lot LOVE the Burns Green Oat Hay (prefer it over pellets!), or Timothy Hay is good too. Burns also do different types of dried weeds and plants which are all high in fibre too and might get her onto hay.

What about grass? Will she eat that instead of hay?

Sorry, if you've tried these, buts its really worth persevering.

 

[abbymarysmokey]

I think the problem with Lola is that she has been spoilt with food that she wants to eat. The vet said last time that she really needs to eat her hay, which she hardly touches. She gets a mixed selection of dried food, with pellets added. But she only takes the things she likes. If she is put onto all pellets she gets terrible diarrhea every day. She get a good selection of veg from carrots, kale, basil to cabbage.

Often rabbits with severe dental problems have trouble eating hay because their teeth don't meet properly, so it becomes a viscious cycle. It's definitely worth cutting back on pellets, but be prepared to re-introduce them if she loses weight.

Pellets are generally better than musli type mix, but a good quality mix is okay as long as she eats all of it rather than just picking out the bits she likes.

 

[LurcherGirl]

I agree with the others, cut the pellets/dry food right down or even completely out! This way she will be forced to eat hay! If she's not keen on hay, why not try to pick her fresh grass twice a day... it's just as good for them if not better!

One of my bunnies had two dentals less than two months apart earlier this year. I thought it was going to become a regular thing, but after halving his pellets now, he hasn't had to go back for almost 4 months...

And as long as she continues to enjoy things and copes well with the anaesthetics, I can't see why she should be PTS at this stage.

Vera

 

[abbymarysmokey]

Just thought I'd add...

IMHO there is no reason to put a rabbit to sleep just because it needs regular dentals. Many dental buns eventually succumb to tooth root infection or overgrown roots, but there's no point anticipating problems before they arise.

I think you're best to keep going with the dentals for a while...you never know, the time between dentals might start to increase to a more manageable time period.

 

[lola bunny]

she does eat grass, so we'll up that one, thanks for the tip. my mum says she can't bare to think of the worry every 2 weeks of her being in pain. her eyes this time didn't really clear up like they did the first time and mum sees this as her being in pain with her teeth. the vet that thinks its kinder to put her to sleep says she may feel better for a couple of weeks after the dental but then the problem will start again and she'll be in pain again until you start seeing the signs.

the big issue is my mum looks after her as I'm now in a rented flat and can't have a pet. so she says I need to think about the worry she is having to deal with all the time as I don't see lola everyday. I think she wants to make the decision and get her put to sleep