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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Dental Surgery, yes or no?

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    • hfm2006
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        Hi, our bunny Emma (not even 1 year old) had teeth problems from day one. We bought two bunnies at a very nice pet store and when I took them to the vet to determine gender etc., the vet told me that 3 week old Emma was going to have serious dental issues. Well, she did. I’ve been taking her to get her teeth trimmed every month, give her oral antibiotics and probiotics daily to keep an infection in her cheek in check. The vet gave me two options this last time: surgery, which will cost me about $700 plus 4-6 months of after-care which will involve weekly vet visits and home care (me flushing her cheek and packing it with gauze) or to have her put to sleep. Emma eats, but she has lost a bit of weight….she still plays with her sister Cookie and they are so darn cute together! Cookie is very protective of Emma now and they always are so close together, cuddle and won’t leave each others side….I feel horrible! I don’t want Emma to suffer and feel all this time she’s had to deal with a lot, at the same time I don’t want to drop the ball if the surgery could resolve the problem. However, the other teeth are also messed up, there isn’t one normal tooth in her mouth….poor thing! Any recommendations? Should I get a 2nd quote / opinion? I hear prey animals don’t show pain that much, so I’m afraid she might suffer more than she lets on. Thanks!!!


      • Sarita
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          Are the current dental problems her molar teeth or her incisors?

          It sounds like molars and an abscess but I want to be sure I understand what you are saying.


        • hfm2006
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            Both ;-( There isn’t one good tooth in there, even the side that’s currently “not” an issue is very abnormal and the incisors are brown.


          • hfm2006
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              So the abscess is behind her molars, but the incisors are brown and not straight and the infection spread to the front (based on what the vet told me). Her cheek is visibly larger on that side. Also, the molars and incisors on the other side are also abnormal and need to be cut every month and she’s been on oral antibiotics pretty much since last October. I’ve been giving her medication in the morning (antibiotics and probiotics) and at night (same thing, plus pain meds).

              I’m struggling to figure out how to read her level of pain, too. I don’t want her to suffer…right now I have her home to decide how to move forward, but I don’t want to wait too long.


            • Sarita
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                Oh goodness! I definitely feel like you need to do something – dental issues can be very painful for your rabbit and they are always always going to be an issue and costly.

                I suppose what I would do is just seek a second opinion because it is so extensive. Then you can make a decision between the two vets who you want to go with if you do a second opinion (if that is what you chose to do)….if there is a rabbit knowledgeable vet in your area to give a 2nd opinion – I doubt the quote will be too much less though (but you just never know).

                I can tell you the rabbit in my picture – Bobby, who I believe to be about 4 years old now was dumped off at a guinea pig rescue – it turned out he wasn’t eating which was most likely why he was dumped – he had a dental abscess and lost all his bottom left molars and has to go in every 2 months for a dental trim – he functions quite well despite this and he’s very sweet – I know it’s due to bad breeding from the breeder though…he’s a tiny netherland dwarf and they are notorious for dental problems anyway.

                Once he had his first dental surgery and the abscess was under control – by the way, only pen-g shots seem to be the solution for dental abscesses in my experience – you need to get to the “root” of the problem and not mess around with this…he did loose a few more teeth due to decay after that.

                I had another rabbit as well who has since passed who had very bad teeth as well and had to have regular dental trims and had the brown teeth problem – bad breeding again – he was a full size rabbit though. I’m thinking we did pen-g shots for him as well and for another one of my rabbits who also had gum abscess problems.


              • hfm2006
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                  Thanks! I do have an appointment for a 2nd opinion and will go from there. We did the pen-g shots for 3 weeks, but the vet felt it didn’t work, so now she’s on two different oral ones. Thanks for the input, good to hear that the surgery did solve the issues….I’m just worried since all the teeth are bad and the bunny isn’t even a year old, she’s 9 months.


                • Sarita
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                    Please keep us updated. It’s sad that our rabbits are bred with such poor standards to have such bad dental problems that we know must be painful for them. Luckily your little girl is in good loving hands so whatever decision you make will be the right one.


                  • hfm2006
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                      My vet told me that the bunnies also get separated way too early from their mothers. Our bunny was 2 weeks old when we got it! The store where we bought the bunnies didn’t care to notify the breeder, he offered me a new bunny which wasn’t the point. I thought the breeder might want to know about such serious issues, Emma’s sister contracted syphilis during birth and needed extensive care and shots right away, too. Sad that they apparently really don’t care – and we went to a special store, not a chain, thinking that these guys are more careful with their breeders and have a solid relationship. Thanks for all the input, I will keep you posted!


                    • LongEaredLions
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                        I don’t know much but sending ((((bunny kisses to you and Emma))))


                      • Deleted User
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                          Same as LEL – sending you, Emma and Cookie bunny hugs and kisses.
                          PS – How wonderful are you!


                        • hfm2006
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                            Thanks everybody!

                             My vet gave me a third option, which we’ll try I think: they’ll put her under for a short time, trim all the teeth and try to drain the abscess and then give her various medications. It should give her some relief and avoid major surgery, which she actually thinks might be too much for Emma’s heart. I’ll let you know how it goes, Monday is the day.

                             


                          • hfm2006
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                              In the end, we had to put Emma to sleep ;-(  Upon another exam and the other (senior) vet at the animal hospital looking at Emma, it was agreed upon that she’ll require numerous surgeries and that it’d just be too much to put her through, considering she’s not even a year old. It’s sad to walk by and see Cookie, her sister, all alone in there. She’s so sad and hasn’t been eating much. Our vet told us to get another bunny and I guess this time I’ll do it through a local bunny shelter that offers “bunny dating” to find a good match. But I’m not ready for that right now and I have no clue how that works for bunnies, the vet recommends to do it soon since bunnies apparently hate being alone. So this time we’ll rescue one for sure!


                            • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                                Awww I’m so sorry to hear. Make sure you give your Cookie lots of love while she grieves. It’s sad to see them grieve but they do heal. Where in your house does Cookie live? If you can give her more time out and/or move her pen/cage to a central location where the people hang out that will help her.

                                I too thought on reading your first post that euthanasia might be the option to go with (though of course you want to consider all options) -to have such serious issues at that age is not a very good indicator. I’m so sorry to hear but I think you did the right thing.

                                I wouldn’t run off and try to find Cookie a friend. You need to grieve too and so does Cookie. There is no rush. Once Cookie is spayed, healed and you are both ready, you can do bunny dating at a shelter. There is no time limit to find a friend.

                                *hugs* {{{Binky Free Emma}}}


                              • LongEaredLions
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                                  I am so very sorry. You obviously cared for her very much, and I am sure in her short time she knew love. Do be comforted in that you did every thing you could.
                                  There is no rush to get another bun. Single buns can be happy too. Just give Cookie some extrA snuggles, it should be good for both of you.
                                  (((Hugs)))


                                • JackRabbit
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                                    That must have been such a difficult decision. You are so brave. So sorry that you and Cookie are going through this. Extra hugs to you both.


                                  • KytKattin
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                                      I’m so sorry to hear this. I had read your post before, and thought you must be a really wonderful and patient person to deal with such health issues appearing at such a young age. I really do think you did the right thing too. I had a lop mix that had pretty severe dental issues. It was expensive and frustrating to deal with because there was no real fix for it, just difficult to administer maintenance and comfort measures. Only one side was really bad, I can’t imagine what both sides being bad would be like, but he also had some other issues with excessive drinking. I never did find out if that was because of past neglect (someone found him in a park) or due to other internal problems. It is such a shame that people create animals that obviously suffer, but it is wonderful that she got to enjoy being loved in her short time here.

                                      I really hope that you take the time to grieve. Once you do, there will be a bunny waiting to come join you and Cookie.


                                    • Deleted User
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                                        I was just doing a catch up to see how it all went, and I am so sorry to read your sad news about Emma. Thinking of both you and Cookie, take care hfm2006.

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                                    Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Dental Surgery, yes or no?