Molar spur trim & syringe feeding questions!

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 3sd replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 10 months ago by Bunny House.

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- 06/08/2018 at 8:47 PM
  Dee
  Participant
  704 posts
  Hi Everyone,
  
  I’ll try to condense my questions so as not to create a novel here. Luke, my 4 year old neutered dwarf, had his 1st molar clipping last November. He had a long recovery, over 2 weeks until he was himself again. Then in March, he needed another molar trim. That time he recovered in 3 days, but then unfortunately injured his tongue, leading to another 2+ week recovery. Yesterday he just had his 3rd molar trim and is still not eating anything. I LOVE my vet- he’s always been wonderful with my pets, very kind and he has this great ability to relax them, but I am wondering if I need to find someone who uses a Dremel drill to trim molars. Here are my questions regarding this. I would truly appreciate anyone chiming in with their experiences, opinions and/or advice! Thanks!
  
  Does there seem to be a shorter recovery time after molar spur trims with a drill vs clipping?
  
  Is there usually a longer time between needing molar spur trims when a drill is used? I read that the drill can actually reshape the teeth to wear more evenly, whereas a clipper can only take the points off.
  
  Has anyone had a rabbit sustain a cracked molar from being trimmed with clippers? If so, can the vet usually tell this has happened immediately? Our vet is extremely experienced and skilled with rabbits- 30+ years in practice, so I would think it would be very unlikely that anything would go wrong, but anything is possible. I know if he noticed anything wrong, he would tell me. I really trust him, which is why I hate the thought of going elsewhere.
  
  I’m hope this is OK to ask, but what are the prices you all have paid for molar trims done with drills in New England? I’m from Massachusetts and the prices at some vets are insane, although my vet is incredibly reasonable with his prices.
  
  And one more thing I’m wondering about is how much does everyone else manage to syringe feed their bunnies at a time and per day? Luke is about 4 lbs (2kg) and I manage to get between 9 and 15 ml (cc) into him per feeding. I try to feed him every 3-5 hours round the clock when he’s not eating anything. He hates it and fights me every time, and I feel so badly for the little guy, plus I worry I’m overfeeding him and he will get a terrible bellyache because of me!! So I would love to hear from others. The Critical Care instructions say he should get an impossibly huge amount, which makes me worry about starving Lukie when I’m not obsessing about overstuffing him ?.
  
  Sorry for the fact thAt I ended up writing a novel after all, and thanks for reading this!
- 06/08/2018 at 9:35 PM
  Wick & Fable
  Moderator
  5835 posts
  I have input on some items, but not all.
  
  Wick’s vet uses a grinder, not clips. With a grinder, Wick’s vet is able to get the spurs down as low as possible. The grinder is also used to lower his bottom incisors, all the way to the gums sometimes. So in comparison to clipping, my assumption is grinding can be a bit more precise on the outcome of each “swipe”.
  
  Teeth can crack and split in an infinite number of ways and sizes, so you probably could tell immediately for some cases, but similar to human teeth, some cracks may not be as obvious? One of Wick’s molar grindings irritated a tooth infection that wasn’t at all visible. We only knew about it because recovery did not go smoothly as usual.
  
  In terms of recovery time, it may be shorter if there’s less physical strain, but it may depend on the rabbit and extent of the procedure.
  
  Wick has his molars grinded every 4 weeks. His recovery time is one day, but he’s had them since he was 6 months old and he’s currently 1.5yrs old, so it may be a product of his age and habituation to anesthesia.
  
  The cost for each is around $180.
  
  Wick went through critical feeding for one week for weight gain. He was less than 700g and he took about 15ml per feeding, twice a day. He loves critical care though. With feeding rabbits via syringe, I was concerned about over feeding, but my vet assured me (correctly) that Wick would hop away once he was full and could take no more.
  
  .. If this is something which will become more regular, I think it’d be worth finding an experienced vet with a grinder. I actually haven’t heard of vets who clip molars, which doesn’t mean your vet is wrong (you clearly trust them!), but maybe your bunny would agree more with a grinding than clip.
  
  The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 06/09/2018 at 8:10 AM
  Dee
  Participant
  704 posts
  Hi Wick,
  I was hoping to hear from you- you are always so helpful and you’re pretty much an expert on molar spurs. Wow, every 4 weeks! Wick is so blessed to have you- I can’t imagine how much he would’ve suffered if he was with someone who didn’t have your attentiveness or dedication.
  
  One day of recovery is great! Good thing, because if Wick took as long as Luke does to recover, that would be awful. As it is, I think Luke will be going for molar trims at least once every 3 months. The last time we went 4 months and he had significant spurs- this time I took him as soon as he started showing signs and the vet said the spurs were much smaller than last time. That’s why he did them right then under isoflorane gas, so I could just take him home after. That only cost $96 including a Meloxicam shot and subq fluids. When I leave Luke for the day and he’s put under anesthesia, I pay about $200.
  
  I believe you’re right that I do need to find a vet that uses a drill. I’m going to start looking around as soon as Luke recovers. Once he’s displaying signs of needing his teeth done, I don’t want to take the time to call and make consult appts with different vets- it’s so easy to just call our vet and he always fits us in the very next day, or same day if its urgent. ). I so wish he used a drill!
  
  Thanks again for your advice, Wick!!
- 06/09/2018 at 8:50 PM
  Bunny House
  Participant
  1241 posts
  Hi there!
  Two of my bunnies get regular molar trimmings. I would try and look for a vet who uses a drill. Or see if your vet will use a drill instead of clippers, as clippers should only be used for incisors. Its never a bad idea to get a second or third opinion, I’ve had to many times for my buns!
  My girls usually aren’t themselves for 2-3 days after each trim, but make sure your vet (new or old) uses safe anesthesia so the buns recover faster! And make sure to give Luke mostly hay and veggies to help lessen the molar trims.I know my lop ( prone to points) doesn’t eat hay a lot or the right way so it doesn’t help her too much but I know it might help keep his points down longer
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