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Forum DIET & CARE Bramble has molar spurs again!

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    • kirstyol
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        We had Bramble at the vet this morning for his three monthly teeth check because they had noticed and filed down some molar spurs when he was neutered back in September. Since this was our second three monthly check I was really hoping that we would get the all clear to move to six monthly checks but sadly the spurs are back.

        The vet wants to leave things as they are just now, she says that in about 8 weeks they will bring him in and do them unless he starts struggling to eat before then. This concerns me slightly because she said that one of the spurs was close to his tongue, surely this will be painful? On the other hand my vets are small animal specialists and I have always been very happy with the way they have treated Bramble so I do trust that she knows her stuff, although I have never seen this particular woman before.

        When he had them done the first time we were told that it could be something that would  never come back or it could be a recurring thing throughout his life. We were advised to change his nuggets which we did and just do our best to get him eating more hay which is the problem because he is funny with hay. Some days its like he cant get enough of the stuff and other days he is just not interested, most days I would say he eats around half of what he should eat hay wise. I have tried everything to encourage hay, putting it in toys and even buying the stuff that comes with bits of apple and carrot mixed in but nothing made a difference to the amount he eats.

        I am really worried about him having another anaesthetic because he had such a bad recovery from his neuter and I cant be here all the time like I was when he was neutered since I was on annual leave then but I am not now but if his teeth are needing done then I don’t want to put it off any longer to wait till I’m on leave. I don’t get to choose my annual leave dates so there is no way of getting time off to suit.

        On a side note Bramble has become terrified of getting his nails cut. We used to manage fine ourselves, the other half holds and I cut but recently he has been freaking out. Knowing that we were due at the vet I had left them till today and asked the vet to do them while we were there and Bramble freaked out like I have never seen. He was trying to jump off the table and everything and Bramble might just be the only bunny in the world who is scared of heights so this is not something he would normally do. I don’t think I have ever hurt him doing his nails or anything, does anyone have any suggestions? I don’t really want to have to take him to the vet every time because I am unable to do them.


      • Little Lion Head
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          Hi Kirstyol. Sorry to hear Bramble is still struggling with molar spurs I don’t have any expertise or experience there but wanted to send some ((((vibes)))) for him!

          As for nail trims; Pumpkin really hates this as well. She fights and kicks the whole time. We started using a system that JR uses where hubby holds Pumpkin upright with her feet facing out and I trim. This works really well for her back feet. For her front we set her on the counter on a towel. Hubby kind of leans over her and comforts her while I gently pull her front paws forward and clip. it’s not fool-proof but it gets the job done.

          Honestly, I think I’m more adversly affected by the nail trim experience than Pumpkin is! I always give her treat afterward.
          chamomielleSo random thought about the hay intake–have you tried the new Oxbow compressed hay? Just curious cuz we were checking it out tonight (because there’s so much less hay dust for my allergies) and it comes in different flavors (carrot and chamomile)…i dunno worth a thought.

          Good luck!!


        • JackRabbit
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            LLH — hubby demo’d the hold with the stuffie because I don’t like being in pics, but I usually hold and either my son or the vet trim the nails. The vet tech taught me the hold.

            Kirstyol — I haven’t had to deal with molar spurs yet (a couple of mine may need trims in the future), but after LPT’s Bindi having to have part of his tongue removed because of an abcess caused by a spur, I’d be cautious of the spur being close to his tongue. LPT had taken Bindi for his regular trim and I don’t think he was having symptoms at the time. While every bunny is different, it might be worth mentioning to your vet.


          • kirstyol
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              LLH – that’s pretty much how we used to do them, the other half holds him up and I snip the nails and it has worked well for us up until a few months ago, I had to take him to the vet last time too just for a nail trim because he just wasn’t tolerating it at all when we were trying. The vet nurse just sat him down on the table and lifted each leg in turn and it looked so easy but that hasn’t worked for us either for some reason. I am terrified, even in the vets when he was freaking out I was almost crying in the corner I just cant take it when he freaks out like that I am so worried that he will hurt himself. I was honestly terrified that he was going to jump off the vets table at one point.

              I have never tried any of the oxbow hays, don’t know if its available here in the UK but I have never seen it in any of the shops. I will have a look on amazon just now and see if I can find some. I think he just likes a change from time to time, it seems like every time I change the hay he loves it for a few days then gets bored so I think he either gets bored with the same thing over and over or its because the bag is sitting open for a while. I started buying smaller bags so they will stay fresher longer and I rotate a few different brands but to be honest its not making much of a difference. On the vets advice I don’t give him much to eat during the day other than hay to try and encourage him to eat more of it, I always put a tiny bit of nuggets in his food bowl just because he genuinely gets upset with me if there are none there but I don’t top them up again till his dinner at night where he gets the rest of his daily allowance of nuggets and his salad. he rarely finishes his nuggets so I guess the only other thing I can try is cutting down his veggies but I would feel bad about doing that. I guess if it needs to be done it needs to be done.

              JackRabbit – that’s exactly what I am worried about. I worry that he will hurt his tongue with the spur but the vet says its not too bad yet. Bramble had no symptoms last time either, they were only noticed because he had a chipped front tooth that was being fixed at the same time as his neuter, when they checked his back teeth they noticed one spur on each side and filed them down. He is currently eating and drinking as normal and the vet said that unless that changes she wouldn’t want to do them any sooner than eight weeks time. My current placement finishes in four weeks and I have a weeks exam leave then (although obviously I wont be here all the time because I will have exams) I am thinking that would be the best time to get them done just because I am worried about it being close to his tongue and the fact that he had a poor recovery after his neuter. We were syringe feeding him every few hours desperately trying to get him to eat so I think it would be best to do them at the start of my weeks exam leave as that is when I am likely to have the most time at home.


            • JackRabbit
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                Kirstyol — if you’re buying bags of hay, try emptying the bag into a cardboard box and mixing a couple different kinds of hay together (ex. orchard and timothy). Plastic bags don’t breath and most are clear so light gets to the hay. Cardboard breathes and keeps the light out. I buy hay in bulk online (can’t find decent baled hay around here) and transfer it in cardboard boxes with the lid flaps propped partly open. If its going to be more than a month, I’ll wven punch holes in the sides. I store the boxes in my storage room, but even a dark closet is fine.

                Offering a mix of hays or having a variety of grass hays on hand to switch things up may help keep him interested. Also, while coarser hays are better at wearing down teeth, if he isn’t eating much hay, even a softer hay is better than none. Oat hay is another one to try if you can find it — very good for wearing down teeth and some bunnies prefer its flavor. Two of mine won’t eat oat hay stalks, but all three eat the oat hay tops (can’t give too many of the tops because they’re high in calories). If you find oxbow hay, they sell different varieties like timothy, orchard, meadow, oat, etc.


              • kirstyol
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                  Thanks JackRabbit, I will try that. I will try anything to get him eating more hay. I cant stand the thought of him having to have anaesthetics every few months, especially if he is going to have a poor recovery every time, I couldn’t take that!

                  I am going to call the vet and see if she will take him in in four weeks rather than eight that way I am here as much as possible to care for him.

                  I have tried mixing hays before but I have never thought to store them in a cardboard box, although I do store it in a dark place. I am going to have a look on amazon today and maybe buy two new types to mix with ones I know he will already eat. He likes timothy hay and meadow hay but I don’t think I have ever tried oat hay. It just seems like he gets fed up after a few days of a different hay. He eats well otherwise so I don’t think the problem is his teeth – I just think he is a fussy bunny, he must get it from me lol I am a really fussy eater.


                • kirstyol
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                    Thanks JackRabbit, I will try that. I will try anything to get him eating more hay. I cant stand the thought of him having to have anaesthetics every few months, especially if he is going to have a poor recovery every time, I couldn’t take that!

                    I am going to call the vet and see if she will take him in in four weeks rather than eight that way I am here as much as possible to care for him.

                    I have tried mixing hays before but I have never thought to store them in a cardboard box, although I do store it in a dark place. I am going to have a look on amazon today and maybe buy two new types to mix with ones I know he will already eat. He likes timothy hay and meadow hay but I don’t think I have ever tried oat hay. It just seems like he gets fed up after a few days of a different hay. He eats well otherwise so I don’t think the problem is his teeth – I just think he is a fussy bunny, he must get it from me lol I am a really fussy eater.

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                Forum DIET & CARE Bramble has molar spurs again!