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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Possible dental issues?

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    • xnovalentine
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        Alright, so i need your help in determining whether or not I am being paranoid.

         

        Lullabelle is 6 years old. She just went through ear surgery in August because her constant ear problems turned out to be ear mites. She’s been fine ever since. She had a dental exam at that time.

        Lately I’ve notcied that there seems to be some sort of noise coming from her mouth whenever she opens it to nip at me or take a treat. the noise sounds sort of like she has a lot of saliva in her mouth. like a smacking noise. i have also noticed that i am picking crust from her eyes often. she is eating and drinking normally. her behaviors are normal too. she seems happy and normal. she grooms herself normally, and she’s curious as normal.

        I have tried to look in her mouth to see if there was anything noticeble to me and naturally she won’t let me get a proper look. her front teeth look fine – nothing abnormal with those. i have gently pushed and felt around her jaw area and she does not act like there is any discomfort and i don’t notice anything out of the sorts other that i *think* i might feel that the left jaw is jutting out more than the right. typically if there is something painful she will nip me and she has not done this.

        she has always been a drooly bunny but i do notice drool. i can’t decide if this is more drool than i typically see from her or if i’m convincing myself something is going on.  she has also always had a little bit of eye crusty that i’ve always cleared out. however, i do think that i am seeing more eye crusty than normal.

        my thoughts as to what could be going on 1) i am paranoid 2) allergies. it is spring and pollen is back. 3) dust.  a chinchilla has joined our family and the dust could possibly be irritating to lullabelle. however shes not around when the dust baths are taking place. they are seperated. 4) tooth abcess.

        anyone know of anything else i could look for to determine whats happening? 


      • jerseygirl
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          I don’t think you’re being paranoid at all. It’s the subtle things are the only clues we’re given sometimes.

          Last year Jersey had some molar points taken off. The vet noticed more saliva on one side of her mouth and told me that’s usually a sign. That was enough for her to recommend they sedated take a better look. She did find some small points, some she could see, some she felt with her finger. They seemed minimal but it made a positive change for Jersey who had become quite growly.

          i might feel that the left jaw is jutting out more than the right.

          Could it be her jaw joint making the noise?

          Another thing thing to check is if there is a smell coming from her mouth. That would indicate possible abscess draining into her mouth. Not just near teeth by back mouth or throat also.

          OR it could simply be some food trapped in her mouth causing excess saliva and drooling.

          All in all, I think her symptoms warrant a check up.
          Hope you’re able to figure out what’s going on.


        • xnovalentine
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            since this post and more poking of the jaw there has been a lot more drool. also looking at her straight ahead after more poking has made that side of her face rounder than the other side. so i’m starting to think i am not being paranoid. her entire side of her face is covered in drool. she took her treat though, no problem. i will call the vet in the am. i have some left over pain medication i might give her if she lets me.


          • jerseygirl
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              Oh yeah, definitely vet visit then.

              She may not be having too much pain. Especially if she’s perky and excited for treats. I had a rabbit with a jaw abscess and it sometimes seemed like he like having pressure applied on it. I don’t know why. You would think they’d find it painful.


            • Elrohwen
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                Definitely visit the vet – I think a lot of the symptoms you mention point to molar spurs.

                Hopefully the visit goes well and if it is spurs, you can get them fixed quickly.

                Hannah had spurs when I got her and really had zero signs. She was a slow eater, but as a new bun I figured that was just how she was since she did always finish her food by the end of the day. I took her in for a wellness exam a week after I got her and it turns out she did have spurs. Once they were fixed, she became quite the piggy about her food, so clearly that was a symptom, though it didn’t seem like it at the time.


              • xnovalentine
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                  My suspicions were correct. she has a tooth abscess. the infection is pretty bad. this morning when i woke up the right side of her face was so swollen. I got her in asap and they were able to confirm what i thought. they have her on antibiotics and pain medications and i’m supposed to force feed critical care because she’s lost 3 lbs. she’s a big girl. during the exam the doctor must have bursted it, and blood and pus went everywhere. it was very foul smelling.

                  the plan is to do antibiotics over the weekend and do surgery on monday. they will do whatever they need to do but the plan is that they will cut open her cheek to drain and clean the abscess. we will keep the cheek open so i can clean the abscess until it heals totally. then she will be on antibiotics for the rest of her life to prevent this happening again.

                  the vet warned me that the infection was pretty bad. she said that there was a possibility Lulla could take a turn throughout the night and if that is the case they are prepared to do emergency surgery after. however she said she wants the antibiotics to be in her before the surgery if we can manage it.

                  lulla seems to be in good spirits. she was very lethargic there for awhile. she just laid on me and didnt want to move. but she has seemed to perk up after the first dose of pain medication and antibiotic.

                  i’ve having little success with the critical care. ive tried to encourage it and then tried to force it. nope, not going to happen. so i’ve left it out next to her food bowl with papaya and mango (her favorites) sitting in it. Hopefully she will warm up to it and go to it on her own. I tried again when i got home from work with no luck. i’ll try again before bed time.

                  i just hope this goes okay. they couldn’t even give me an estimate as to what it will cost.


                • Deleted User
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                    Poor Lullabelle, … my heart goes out to you both! Praying that all goes well tonight and through to and on Monday.

                    Any idea what causes abcesses in the first place? (Sorry if that is a foolish question.)

                    Best of luck to you both!


                  • xnovalentine
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                      I asked as to what could have been the cause and the vet told me that it was probably just genetics.


                    • BinkyBunny
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                        I had a bunny with tooth issues — abscesses and molar spurs. She had several teeth removed over the years. Sometimes, a neglected past can play a part in health issues as well. Rucy was originally picked up as a stray WITH a jaw abscess and so who knows if neglect and/or genetics played a part. If Lullabelle was with you the whole time, then your vet is right — just genetics. there usually isn’t a lot to prevent. Even bunnies who like to chew on stuff can still get issues if they are already predisposed to have these kinds off teeth problems.

                        With my bunny Rucy, we tried different meds over the years, and some kept the infection at bay for awhile, while other times surgery to remove a tooth was the best choice. During the last surgery, the vet took a culture from deep inside the infection and that allowed her to identify which meds would be best in fighting the bacteria that was found.


                      • jerseygirl
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                          During the last surgery, the vet took a culture from deep inside the infection and that allowed her to identify which meds would be best in fighting the bacteria that was found.

                          xnova, did the vet take some of the pus to culture?
                          It’s not a bad idea to do so before on antibiotics.

                          I’m sorry to hear she’s got abscess. Jelly had this and we did manage to keep it under control. This happened mostly after it burst open and I was able to get so much pus out that the antibiotic was able to get the upper hand. It had already been surgically opened before, so it burst through where the skin had healed over. As gross as it was, it bursting was a blessing in disguise because after, it was keep in control better.

                          Also, he didn’t even seem
                          bothered! He was was hopping around excited for his morning pellets while I was looking at this in horror.

                          He didn’t even seem fussed when I’d flush out the cavity with saline. The vet had said the tissue surrounding the abscess loses sensitivity. The only time he baulked was if i touched a spot on the outer skin that had torn.

                          With the critical care, a member here had success making it up thick and forming little balls that the rabbit could eat from a dish. This may be worth a try…

                          Goodluck Monday! {{{Lullabelle}}}


                        • Sarita
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                            I’ve had good success with pen-g shots for dental abscesses.


                          • xnovalentine
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                              ive had a bit more success with the critical care by making it thicker and putting raisins in it. poor thing can’t even chew pellets or anything at the moment. so i’ve been taking a spoonful of the CC and burying a raisin in it and she eats it up. she’s probably taken 5 tblspoons of it yesterday. i’m taking her in at 7 tomorrow for the procedure. they called me yesterday with an estimate of $500-600. sigh. she’s worth it though. we’ll manage. just as long as she is okay.


                            • LittlePuffyTail
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                                Want to wish your little bun the best of luck with her surgery.

                                Definitely keep trying as best you can with the CC as she will need all her strength. You could also try offering her some pellets soaked in warm water to make an oatmeal consistency.


                              • jerseygirl
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                                  That is pretty expensive for just opening and flushing the abscess. Does it include X-rays?


                                • xnovalentine
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                                    it will include the entire procedure and xrays and any medications shes going home with. they said the cost will depend on the time it takes. it could be more if it takes awhile, or less if it doesnt take too long she said. i’ve given them to the go to remove any teeth if needed or suspected that this could occur in again. they are going to see if antibiotic beads will be beneficial. i’ve told them to do whatever needs to be done. when she had her ears done in august it cost about $400. that included anestesia and everything. i lucked out in august because they quoted me near $800 but it turned out to only be ear mites so he only flushed them out.


                                  • LittlePuffyTail
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                                      $400 for ear flushing? That’s pretty steep!

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                                  Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Possible dental issues?