Dental Problems

[elizabethy738]

Hi, as you know my bunny had problems with his teeth. I went to the vet and the vet said: “You’re rabbit’s jaw isn’t aligned due to genetics.” He gave me antibiotics for anti-inflammatory reasons and said there was nothing else to really do. My bunny’s mouth is still good and the overgrown teeth aren’t bad yet-so the vet said no teeth trimming is necessary. The vet said all I can do is do regular check ups and control my bunny’s teeth problem. The antibiotics for the anti-inflammatory is for LIFE.  What do I do? My rabbit hates the antibiotics and flicks. How do I get him to take it? And how do I deal with this. I’m so extremely stressed. 

[Sarita]

I don’t really understand why you need antibiotics for life for misalinged teeth – I think you need to seek a 2nd opinion on this.

[elizabethy738]

The reason of his food dropping from mouth thingy is because of inflamed gums. The antibiotics will control the gums or whatever. I’m just so confused. What did some users on here have to do in this situation?

[elizabethy738]

Help! What do I do? Do I really have to give him the antibiotics for LIFE? How will I be able to control my rabbits teeth problems? How did you control your rabbits teeth problems. Help…..

[LBJ10]

Are you sure they are antibiotics? Antibiotics would do nothing for inflammation. What does the bottle/package say?

[elizabethy738]

mecacam

[LBJ10]

Metacam?

[elizabethy738]

please reply…….

[elizabethy738]

yes, metacam …

[LBJ10]

That isn’t an antibiotic, it’s an anti-inflammatory drug.

[elizabethy738]

oh. so how do deal with and control this teeth alignment thing? why do I need the metacam for life ??????….

[elizabethy738]

Do any of you have the bad teeth alignment thing? How do you deal with it today? How do you keep it under control so that your rabbit can live a semi-normal long life?

[elizabethy738]

Please reply, I really need some advice.

[Beka27]

I know you’re worried, but please stop posting repeatedly asking for help. If no one knows an answer for you right now, you will need to be patient until someone else comes along. This is not a chat room, you can not expect instant responses. It is currently almost midnight where I am. I’m sure many of our members have already turned in for the night.

I had typed out a lengthy response to you but when I went to post it, it was lost bc you had posted once again.

[Beka27]

Misalignment results in the teeth overgrowing in length in the front incisors, or overgrowing in a buccal (towards the cheek) or lingual (towards the tongue) direction. We discussed this with you in length in the other thread (the one that was originally about the UTI and transitioned to dental issues).

Have you found out which teeth are misaligned? The front or back?

[Beka27]

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

Please read this article…

[elizabethy738]

It’s the back teeth that are misaligned. But now that I know what’s happening, how do I control it?

[Beka27]

Hay. He’s got to eat a ton of hay. If it’s minor right now, keep him eating hay. It might help prevent them for overgrowing, or at least slow the process.

So yes… Hay.

Regarding the lifetime metacam therapy, I’ve never heard of that for dental problems. It’s an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug… basically like Advil/ibuprofen). It’s for pain and inflammation. It is given to bunnies AFTER teeth trims. I am wondering if it could be more detrimental if he’s on it all the time. It would dull the pain, but that might prevent you from seeing when he starts struggling with his food and when it’s time for his teeth to be trimmed.

I am not a vet however, so just a thought. You would need to follow up with your vet…

[elizabethy738]

okay, hay. Got it.

[AnnaW]

Hi Elizabethy738. I have a lot of experience with bunny dental problems, my netherland dwarf x had malocclusion due to a genetically misaligned jaw, and overgrowth teeth towards the end of his life.
The main reason for this, other than genetics, was that he refused to eat hay for the last 4 years of his life. Literally wouldn’t touch the stuff, not ONE bit, regardless of any brand or type. So hay hay hay hay!
That must be your mantra, the more he eats, the more it will keep his teeth ground down and at a good level.
Try not to worry, my bun lived with this for several years, and his was very advanced due to not eating any hay. I know it’s worrying to see, but there is a lot of research you can do online, knowledge is power and the more you know and understand about his condition, they better you will be able to help him.
Keep us updated xx

[Sarita]

Well I see that you mentioned inflamed gums – I think if that is an issue then an actual antibiotic would be beneficial in helping fight the bacteria that is causing the inflammation. Not sure why the vet didn’t do an actual antibiotic if this is the issue.

As for hay, yes it can help but it won’t solve the problem as it is genetic and also as rabbits age they do lose bone density which can cause the teeth to shift.

[elizabethy738]

oh, so if the inflammation is the problem, would the antibiotic really help him a lot?

[elizabethy738]

And what do I do about hay? He stopped eating it and the vet said his teeth aren’t the reason. He just simply won’t eat it! I’ve went through all possible hays, including the ones on line-I went through so many different types that I’ve lost count. Please tell me how to get him to eat his hay!

[Sarita]

If the inflammation is due from bacteria which is what I would imagine would cause that.

What is the rest of his diet like? How much pellets? How much vegetables? It may be a matter of adjusting his current diet to encourage him to eat more hay.

[LBJ10]

Hmm, that’s a good point Sarita. I didn’t think of that. Antibiotics would help with that if that is what is actually causing the inflammation. As for the Metacam, there are debates about its safety for long term use. Some things like arthritis might require long term use for a rabbit to live comfortably. Dental issues are trickier though. Like you said, it may be difficult to see signs that the teeth are starting to get bad. The Metacam would only be masking the issue and could lead an owner into a false sense of security.

Elizabethy – Hay is going to be the way to go if you want to lengthen to time between tooth trims. It won’t eliminate the need for tooth trims. He is going to need one sooner or later and likely more later on. If he isn’t eating enough hay, then you need to look at what else he’s eating. Sarita is asking how much he gets of other things because if he’s getting too much then he isn’t going to be hungry enough for hay.

[elizabethy738]

He has fresh veggies, 1/6 cup pellets, and hay (but he isn’t eating it!). How do I get him to eat more hay? Please suggest ways! How did you get your rabbits to eat their hay. I’ve tried literally so many kinds! He used to eat his hay, now he doesn’t. He stopped eating it about 2 weeks ago and again, the vet said his teeth aren’t the problem.

[LBJ10]

How much does he get for veggies and what kind? How much does he weigh?

[Sarita]

I really do wonder if the teeth are the problem though – some rabbits are more sensitive than others and perhaps getting those molars trimmed will help.

How old is your rabbit by the way?

[elizabethy738]

He is nearly 3 years old. But the vet said his teeth weren’t really overgrown-he said he doesn’t want to do the trim unless his teeth actually need it. My bunny is 3 1/2 pounds and he gets like 3 bunches of bok choy with other mixed greens every day.

[Sarita]

Well that’s not exactly what you said in your initial post.

My advice to you is this:
1. Get clarification on the dental trim – it seems it may be a good idea to do this since your rabbit has stopped eating hay and that behavior can be the cause of a molar spur – many times the vet needs to sedate your rabbit to really see those back molars.
2. Get clarification on the metacam – if the gums are infected perhaps you need an antibiotic and that could be another reason your rabbit is not eating hay and metacam is not an antibiotic – it is pain relief but the pain won’t go away if there is an infection.

[LBJ10]

Not sure what pellets you’re using, but you could easily drop him down to 1/8 cup or a little less. He may be filling up on pellets.

Sarita makes some good suggestions too. It is possible something could be bothering him.

[elizabethy738]

holly bunnies, he just ate hay right in front of me!!!! XD WOAHHHH!!! It started with little nibbles now he is touch it every once in a while which is way more than not eating any at alll!!!!!!! Okay, step 1 is complete……

[LBJ10]

Okay, that’s good. My suggest (and others may or may not agree) is to try cutting down on his pellets and see if it convinces him to eat more hay. BUT if he still doesn’t want to eat an appropriate amount of hay, then definitely have the vet reevaluate the situation. His teeth could be causing him discomfort, discouraging him from eating hay. So if you decide to cut down on his pellets to see if the problem is simply too much food, then keep in mind that more aggressive action (i.e. dental work) may still need to happen if it doesn’t work. You don’t want to continue to deny him pellets if he is not eating hay to make up for it.

[elizabethy738]

Update: So, I decreased his pellet amount and suddenly he’s eating hay like crazy. He eats the most at night. I would fill his hay basket to the top and in the morning its all gone. He grazes throughout the day and his poop amount has increased a lot. I’ll be watching how he eats carefully from now on. THANKS ALL SO MUCH!

[Beka27]

That’s great news! You might also consider breaking his feedings up into smaller feedings. For example, if he gets 1/8 cup of pellets per day, you could break that in half and give him about 1/16 cup in the morning and 1/16 cup in the evening. But if he’s doing well now, maybe just keep it up…

[LBJ10]

Wonderful! Sounds like he is on the right track now. Just keep an eye on him for now and see how things go. At some point, his teeth will eventually need to be trimmed so you will want to watch for any changes in his eating habits. You will know it is time to have the vet take another look if he starts eating more slowly, refusing certain foods, allowing food to fall out of his mouth while eating, and/or drooling. If he keeps eating hay, this will hopefully happen later rather than sooner.

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’m glad to hear your bunny is eating hay!

[elizabethy738]

Update: Yup, he’s been constantly eating it 24/7. Doesn’t he ever get tired? He isn’t spitting his food out anymore but his poo amount has like doubled!

[LBJ10]

Glad to hear it!

[BlueMoods]

It sounds like he is doing well now. A bunny eating properly does produce a lot of poo for no bigger than they are. Like other grazers, it’s good for a bunny’s gut to nibble most of the time, they need to keep their gut constantly working to be healthy, that’s how animals that rely on a high fiber, grass or hay based diet work.

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