Hi there,
I don’t know if many will remember me. I was a member from a few years ago under the name, “Love Chacha.” I had a Netherland dwarf. She lived until 6 years of age. She passed of bloat in January 2016.
I recently adopted a 1 year old Magpie boy from a nearby Seattle rescue. He is loving, sweet, and really adorable. He started becoming picky with his hay. My boyfriend and I got him checked out and it turns out the teeth on his left side are growing in irregularly. He had a molar trim and did well. He started stuffing his face and putting on the pounds (he was 3.5 when we adopted him and he’s probably around 5 lbs now, appropriate for his breed from what I see) for almost two weeks until.. I saw him start to chew and move his jaw — with no food in his mouth. I made a phone call to his vet in Seattle (exotic vets are hard to find anywhere and all bunny parents know that, haha) and my boyfriend dropped him off the next day for a drop off appointment. Come to find out that tooth spurs are coming up a little sharp despite all the hay eating he was doing and they had to put him under again for a trim. What happened is… well, the vet on duty found a loose left front molar. Ugh. My nightmare.
Tonight, the temps are really high in Washington and we have him cooled down well. We gave him a frozen water bottle for the first time, which he rolled underneath him. I think it was his way of saying, “WTF IS THIS?” I’m not sure if touched underneath his chin. Eventually, he laid in front of the fan and I placed the water bottle next to him. He didn’t move and took it well it seemed. My finger grazed underneath his chin and I felt matted fur. It sent me into panic mode asap. We just took him home the day before from his trim and intended to take him in 2 weeks later to get the molar taken out. When did this happen? Was it from the water bottle? He has been eating and pooping fine. He is excited for his veggies, pellets, and greens.
With the help of my boyfriend, I was able to look underneath his chin. I did not feel anything weird, and took a damp wash cloth to it to try to ease the mats out. It didn’t seem to work and he doesn’t seem to be in pain (we have 6 doses of metacam at home just in case) and he is not drooling at all. He is an easy bunny to snuggle with and loves pets, so I am able to do exams easier than with Chacha. No bumps under the chin or redness.
I am wondering…. I am very, very much considering moving up his molar extraction to next week Tuesday instead. What should I expect after care wise? I have experienced bun friends whose bunnies just have to be given an antibiotic and pain meds. Most are fine and eat right away. I intended to get this molar removal done on my vacation two weeks from now and am considering having the molar extraction next week. But I am worried. The vet will take the bunny home with him if he isn’t recovering well.
Any thoughts on the after care and what to expect is very much appreciated.