Malocclusion Advice

[Alexi]

Hey Everyone,

 My bunny is just over 1 yr old and he has a malocclusion in four(?) of his back molars. He has had them trimmed a few times but the time span between trimmings seems to become less and less..about every month and a half right now. I am not sure what to do in this situation. help! I am a college student and can not afford to spend 200$ every time he needs his teeth trimmed. The vets have never even mentioned other options. Im beginning to feel like the only option is to put him to sleep…but he’s my babe and I don’t want to. He gets so stressed out every time he goes to the vet and last time he was wet all down the sides of his face from watery eyes. I am so troubled by this situation and don’t know what to do.  Has anyone else had experience with malocclusion in the back molars?

[Sarita]

I think if you cannot afford the vet bills you should seek a rescue you can surrender her to. She does not need to be put to sleep just because of this.

[hannaroo]

I would call up every vet in your area and figure out if there’s anywhere that can do it cheaper than that and if there is anything else you can do for your rabbit to help wear down the molars.
It is a hard thing to consider but maybe looking for a new home will be better. Some shelters let you keep your rabbit with you while they help you rehome however it may be a lengthy process as unfortunately not many people will want to rehome a bun with an expensive tooth problem rather than a healthy one!
I would only recommend putting him to sleep if he is in frequent pain (as in all the time) or he finds the whole process extremely stressful.
I understand this is difficult because you don’t expect a rabbit to have an expensive health issue but consider more options if you need help. Check out every forum available and google different sites. It’s amazing what you can find out there. http://Www.rabbitsonline.net has a broad range of owners around the world to give advice and http://rabbit.org has tonnes of advice

[Sarita]

I will tell you that this is most likely genetic at his young age.

You could try to see if you can get him to eat some first cut timothy but honestly if it’s genetic they just aren’t aligned.

But I agree with hannaroo to perhaps call around to see if you can find a vet who trims the teeth at a lower cost.

[hannaroo]

In extreme cases vets will remove molars but as they are important to the rabbit for grinding down food you will need to discuss this with rabbit savvy vets. Please make sure you get as many consultations with as many vets who deal with rabbits on a regular basis or even ask your current vet about referrals as there may e other options available to you! Good luck and I hope it works out for your both! Xxx

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