Crust around bunny mouth

[Aysha Faith]

Hi everyone! My Netherland Dwarf Bear (3 years old) has been experiencing some weird mouth issues. For the past two months or so (perhaps longer) he’s had a bit of yellow crust around the exterior of his mouth/chin area. I took him to a vet the day I noticed it the first time, thinking it was possible it was syphilis. She did some tests and found a little bacteria around his mouth, but nothing alarming, She said she couldn’t really figure out what it was, but did check out his teeth and noticed that his back teeth are a bit large and that we should discuss possible surgery. She said anesthetic would be necessary, but that it wasn’t something that required immediate attention, that we would/could revisit it in a few months.

It’s been a month since that first visit and he’s still experiencing some crust around the mouth. I thought it had gone away, but clearly hasn’t. He’s eating fine, pooping fine, drinking tons of water, and has normal behavior. The only odd thing is it seems like he’s CONSTANTLY chewing/grinding his teeth. I worry about putting my baby under, and the vet visit, though she says she’s a bunny expert, seemed odd to me. Would love any insight.

I can post pictures also if that would help! 

[Wick & Fable]

It sounds like molar spurs, which grow outward from the back teeth into the rabbit’s cheeks. For most rabbits they are not a regular issue that needs human intervention because hay eating files down the spurs so they don’t harm the rabbit’s mouth, but with smaller breeds (dwarfs, mini lops), the structure of their face and sometimes including bad genes make them more susceptible to needing molar grindings occasionally.

Your rabbit is probably developing the crust from drool. If he’s increased his water intake, that also supports spurs because he’s trying to lubricate his mouth in order to lessen the discomfort. Moving his mouth around and chewing is potentially him moving around the spit to coat his back teeth.

My Wick has to have his teeth ground every 5weeks at the minimum because he cannot grind down the spurs on his own. He’s a Netherland dwarf blessed with a crooked jaw and an underbite, so his chewing motion does not allow all teeth to be ground down correctly. He’s been through seven grindings so far I believe, and he’s a tiny, 2lb teenager.

It can be scary to put a rabbit under for any procedure, but if you find a vet who is experienced specifically with grinding down spurs on a small rabbit, and your rabbit is generally of good health and can bounce back quickly, then there’s very little risk. Typically I set an appt at the 5 week mark, I go in with Wick, we confirm there’s bubbles in his mouth (sign of saliva) and they take him for 15minutes to do it and plop him in the lobby for me. Then we just stay there for about 10minutes while he wakes up and gets reoriented.

Wick is especially resilient, and every rabbit is different, but generally speaking molar grindings are a standard procedure that are pretty low risk. Some vets wait until the rabbit is showing signs of pain or is not eating due to the discomfort, but I never wait until that long because it just seems mean in a way, especially if you establish this is regular for your rabbit.

Also, your rabbit is 3yo, so it could just have taken a long time for them to form and you won’t need it again until 3yrs later. Alternatively, it could be a start of a regular regimen. It’s up to you to observe how he’s doing and reacting. So far I think k you’re doing a wonderful job.

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.

[Muchelle]

I’m sorry, but I can’t say anything about the yellow crust. I can tell you that drooling (might it be dried up drool?) and teeth grinding combined make a very good chance that he might have dental issues. You can request an X-ray study of his skull to be 100% sure if his teeth are a problem.

Why did you think the visit was weird?

[Wick & Fable]

.. Also, crustiness around the mouth can also be ringworm/fungal infection. That’s where Wick’s ringworm always crops us. Typical ringworm will grow in size, which is apparent from the naked fur patch/crustiness area getting bigger and bigger. It doesn’t sound like that’s happening though.

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.

[Muchelle]

Posted By Wick on 2/27/2018 2:38 PM

.. Also, crustiness around the mouth can also be ringworm/fungal infection. 

I had no idea, thanks for the info!

[Aysha Faith]

This was awesome information, thank you! I have a vet appointment for this Thursday so hopefully that will clear some things up. I’m going to push it a little further this time and tell her that if anything needs to be done, to just get it done now.

I would pay the world to make sure he’s feeing better, but what’s the average cost if you don’t mind me asking of each session?

I only adopted him 4 months ago or so and he was in dreadful condition when I got him. Was fed only pellets for over a year and never saw outside of his cage. I’m assuming this problem began back then.

[Aysha Faith]

An X-Ray is a great idea! Thank you.

I don’t know, I’m possibly just over-protective and paranoid. But I asked her some fairly basic questions I would expect a “rabbit expert” to have the answers to on-hand; how much greens should I be feeding my 3lb bun bun, for example. She also put him unnecessarily in the trancing position which made me feel a bit uncomfortable.

Again, I think I’m just paranoid, but feeling on edge doesn’t help in situations like these.

[Wick & Fable]

If she put him in a trancing position, that’s a pretty major red flag, and honestly, if she was unable to respond to your questions easily, I definitely suspect something. She may be experienced with rabbits, but in reality, she may not be very knowledgeable about best care practices. I would suggest looking elsewhere, especially if you do a molar grinding. Again, they are low risk, but the vet needs to know what they’re doing. They’re essentially being a dentist to the smallest mouth in the world, so if you’re not knowledgeable on the best way to navigate that situation and use the grinder to lessen discomfort, risk during and recovery after can be heavily affected.

Find a different vet if possible. I can’t get over the trancing part. That’s just so unnecessary. Experienced rabbit vets who understand how to handle rabbits correctly and with best practices would not trance even the craziest rabbits. They’d wrap them in a towel, or get someone to help.

Average cost for Wick is $155.00 total.

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.

[Deleted User]

Ooo trancing, I would never feel comfortable with that. I have an extremely fidgety bun when even one paw leaves the ground, and my vet has never tranced.

Could you find another vet?

[Aysha Faith]

Okay good, I’m glad I’m not the only one. She did that and then said, “I bet momma puts you in the baby position all of the time!” which I obviously never do.

I can definitely check out other vets, she was just the first vet I went to so I figured I’d just go back. I’m going to do more research in my area for other rabbit experts. I think that’s a great point, that just because they have experience with rabbits doesn’t mean they understand the best care for them.

[Muchelle]

Yeah def pick another vet. In case you’re having trouble doing that, if you have a rabbit shelter fairly close by it might be worth to ask them for names of trusted vets.

I surely hope it’s not a dental problem, but just in case keep track of how much he is eating and drinking and if he’s pooping normally.
I’ll describe the symptoms my bun had when he started having dental problems: you want to be looking out for difficulties eating hay or pellets, picking up food and then dropping it, sniffing food with interest but refusing to eat. If it’s molar spurs, he might be doing some weird licking with his mouth open.

I hope you can book him somewhere good and fast :/ the teeth grinding is always unnerving

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