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Forum DIET & CARE Need Help: Ongoing issue with Molar Spurs

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    • samantha_fontaine
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        Hi everyone,

        This is my first time posting here and I really could use some help. I have a four year old Holland Lop called Buns. She is a spoiled little house bunny and I love her to death.

        In March 2014, she started showing symptoms such as drooling, grinding her teeth, not eating, and generally not being herself. We took her to the vet and found out that she had spurs on her molars (a few on each side). The vet performed a dental under anesthesia which went well. About two weeks later, we had to bring her back because she started grinding again and wasn’t eating normally. Another vet at the office performed an awake filing (much less expensive) and Buns was back to normal.

        Since the problem started in March, I have had to take Buns back to the vet at least once a month to get awake filings done. I have tried everything (different types of hay, chews, toys) to help get her teeth back in order, but it’s always a consistent pattern. 

        On 9/30/14, we brought her in for another dental, under anesthesia this time. Now it’s been two weeks, and Buns is already showing signs of discomfort (grinding, not eating).

        I hate this, but I have considered putting her down. I feel horrible that every few weeks she is in pain and is subjected to the stress of going to the vet. Not to mention, I’ve already spent thousands of dollars at the vet which will continue for the foreseeable future. I love my bunny and she truly is the princess in our house! I would never put her down just because I don’t “feel like” taking care of her.

        I need some help. Has anyone faced this problem before? How did you handle it? Did you consider euthanasia? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

        Thank you!

        Sam


      • kirstyol
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          Bramble had spurs, he is only 7 months old though so it hasn’t been going on long. It was noticed when the vet was filing down a chipped front tooth while he was being neutered. All my vet recommended was lots of hay and veggies with only a tiny amount of pellets. I am sorry I cant be of much help because its not been ongoing for Bramble (yet, although I know it might be), I just wanted to say that I am following this thread with interest in the hope I can help Bramble too. I am so sorry your bun is having them so regularly, it must be awful.


        • Sarita
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            Sometimes it can take a few good filings to hope that the time in between filings will be less…however it may always be an ongoing issue especially for Holland Lops. It is a genetic thing for them and many have misaligned teeth.

            Hay MIGHT help the time in between trims if you can get your rabbit to eat it, but it’s not a certainty unfortunately. How long was it between trims for the one that was not under anesthesia?

            My rabbit Bobby goes every 2 to 4 months for a molar trim as well – they can have some tolerance for this discomfort – I usually do a trim every 3 months but went 4 months this time…I say have the vet do a really good trim under anesthesia and try to go longer. Also consider doing metacam and buprenex to help relieve some pain.

            Are her incisors aligned?


          • samantha_fontaine
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              Thank you both for responding. Sarita, to answer your questions: For the awake filings, we can usually get about 4 weeks or so out of them. For the filings done under anesthesia, it’s only about 2 weeks, which really makes no sense. I did realize today that there are two different vets performing the procedures: one does the awake and another one does the full dental under anesthesia. When I call the vet tomorrow I might mention that to them…

              And yes, she has had no problem whatsoever with her incisors.

              I do have Metacam to give to Buns when I notice her teeth are bothering her and when she gets home from the vet after filing, so at least I can help her that way.


            • Sarita
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                It is possible that the difference is the vets….definitely those very back molars can be problematic and I don’t think that those can be filed without anesthesia.


              • samantha_fontaine
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                  Just wanted to give an update…I called this morning and the vet that usually does the filings is away for the week (!!) I decided to make an appointment at another animal hospital in the area as I figured it would be good to get a second opinion anyway – I will post an update once I’ve see that vet.

                  This whole ordeal has been one of the most stressful things I’ve experienced in my life


                • samantha_fontaine
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                    Following up… We took her to the other vet for a second opinion and they were of no help at all. They said that Buns’ teeth looked fine and there was nothing wrong. Well, she continued to grind her teeth and was not eating so we brought her back to our usual vet today. He said that if the filings are going to continue to be this frequent it’s really not fair to her or us.

                    He is doing an awake filing today so at least she will be feeling better tonight. Looks like we have a tough decision ahead of us


                  • samantha_fontaine
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                      Just wanted to provide another update in the hopes that it will help other bunny parents going through the same problem. I had a long discussion with the vet yesterday….

                      He pointed out that Buns has a very, very low tolerance for pain which is why we have to get them filed so frequently. As soon as the smallest point comes back on her molars, she stops eating. He said that he has had bunnies with HORRIBLE teeth that were still eating and going about their normal lives…she’s just a finicky little girl

                      We are experimenting with the Metacam. He gave me a huge bottle and we are going to keep her on it for a little bit longer instead of the usual 3 – 4 days after the filing. We are going to play around with her dosing and might go to a small dose twice a day or a small dose once a day to see if this can help prolong the time in between visits. Also, we decided that the full dentals under anesthesia are useless at this point, so we will not be doing those again. Still haven’t figured out why those aren’t lasting as long as the awake filings do.

                      I am lucky that my vet is so caring and skilled. He is pretty much the only vet in the area that can do the awake filings and he truly is a sweetheart. He said that he will work with me to get the appointment cost down He also was sad that we didn’t feel like we could go to the other vets at his office, and said that he would help us to better plan for emergencies like when Buns stops eating so that we can keep her comfortable until we can make an appointment with him.


                    • kirstyol
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                        It’s great that your vet is working with you to try and help you help buns. I am just about to call and book Bramble’s check up just now, its a little early but his nails need done and for some reason he no longer tolerates me doing them, I think its because it takes me so long. His nails are really, really dark and I am so scared to cut his quick that I just snip the tiniest bit at a time and it takes me a while. I am hoping if the vet cuts them right down, then I will be able to keep on top of them by just snipping a little off regularly.

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                    Forum DIET & CARE Need Help: Ongoing issue with Molar Spurs