Have I made the right decision? (dental)

[LousBunnies]

Hi,

Just looking for some guidance, this morning my bunny didn’t go to his food bowl (he usually does this straight away) he was displaying some unusual behaviour. (turning his back to me,lying flat) these symptoms are the same as 12 months ago when little spurs on his teeth caused him to stop eating…This was corrected with dental work but only after a day and night of trying pain killers, gut movement meds and anti acid…which didn’t work. He was fine straight after his dental work 12 months ago.

So this morning I took him to the vets immediately, they gave him pain killers and anti acid medication, they checked his teeth and there are litte spurs again however the vet said there were no sores on his tongue (there weren’t last time either). (incase anyone asks, he usually eats plenty of hay, he also has access to his run where he can graze). So the vet sent me away and said it could just be a bad tummy, and this happens alot with bunnies who usually recover after a few days of pain meds.

I have a feeling I’m going to be up all night syringe feeding and dropping him back for his dental in the morning. When I got back from the vet he did eat a bit of hay, but I’m worried I’m just holding off for the inevitable dental treatment. My question is was I right to follow the vets advice here and try other options before assuming its dental related? Is this not too risky incase he gets gut stasis over night? Should I have just gone for the dental treatment straight away?

I am not criticising my vets here, they are fantastic. I’m just interested in other people’s thoughts on this.

A bit of further info, I’ve not been able to monitor him for the last few hours but he did eat a small bit of hay the last time I saw him once we got home from the vets. He shares his hutch with another rabbit so I’m not able to tell easily if he’s passed any poop

Thanks

[LittlePuffyTail]

Even little spurs can cause pain and discomfort and they can go from bad to worse fairly quickly. Not trying to scare you as this is a very unusual situation (my vet had never heard of this happening before). My lop Bindi was needing his teeth done about every 6 months or so. I would know he needed them done because he would start eating less hay, lost a bit of weight and have mushy poos. When the 6 month mark came around,he wasn’t showing any symptoms but  he went still went in for his routine dental. The spurs were so bad that they had caused an ulcer on his tongue and the tissue had died. Part of his tongue had to amputated. This sounds really terrible but he didn’t even stop eating or anything. But he was unable to drink properly so for the past 3 years, I have to give him Sub Q fluids once a day to maintain hydration.

As I said, this is is a very rare thing. But he’s proof of the damage that spurs can cause.

[MarkBun]

If you feel that the spurs should be taken care of, and it is something that happened in the past, then I’d say to ask the doctor to reconsider doing the work. The spurs, since they formed, probably aren’t going to go away. Although we want to put trust in the doctors, and we should as they have a wide range of knowledge, we are with our buns a lot more and know their little quirks. If it was me, I would take him in to have the dental work done again.

[Muchelle]

I’d have an x-ray of his skull taken to assess the state of his teeth then schedule dental treatments and stick to them unless something changes. Once the vets know where to go drill, it really takes a few minutes to get the procedure done, minimizing the risks for the bun. By adjusting his diet (pressed hay pellets, fresh grass, plenty of hay to help him file down his teeth) it may be that he’ll manage by himself in the future, but it largely depends on how the teeth are positioned.

[vanessa]

I agree… he needs the spurs taken care of. Sores or not – they hurt. He just has to feel them against the inside of his mouth and it’ll be enough that he won’t want to eat. My bunny Lancelot gets his spurs filed 3-4 times a year. I’d ask the vet to file them, or find another vet…
Some bunnies develop spurs faster than others – regardless of what they eat. Don’t feel bad for questioning the vet. It’s your rabbit – you know him. I’v seen so many different things come from different vets on the exact same situation. So ask around if you’re not comfortable with the treatment you are getting for your rabbit.

[Wick & Fable]

When Wick’s spurs were bothering him, my vet said Wick began chewing a different way to cope with it (this was clear from looking in his mouth; unsure how exactly though). My vet said he wasn’t in terrible pain, but it was uncomfortable enough to make him pee a storm all over the place. Even if the tongue doesn’t show anything, I’d like to think it’s better to get it before it gets to that point.

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.

[Author]

Messages