Mimzy’s Vet Visit – Tooth Hooks Again??

[MimzMum]

I just got the call from the vet. She had put Mimzy under for more radiographs and blood work. Although the films looked no different than they did last time, she did have to trim two hooks off the two offending teeth that are in question.

It’s only been a month since his dental!

So perhaps this was the cause of his new sneezing? If these hooks are growing back this quick, is he going to have to have the teeth pulled anyway? I can’t imagine having to take him in every month to check these.

She is sending the films out to a vet dentist for further analysis and will call me when she has results. No medications are prescribed until she has a better idea what’s up with him. Blood panel should be back Monday or Tuesday.

 

[RabbitPam]

If he isn’t sneezing now that she trimmed the hooks, then you have a cause.
I would hope he doesn’t need a monthly trim. Is extraction an option she suggested? You’ll know more when she knows more. For now, at least you’re really on the right track.

[Moonlight_Wolf]

Yea hopefully you won’t have to trim his teeth monthly that would be a definite pain! Maybe the teeth hooks were the cause of his new sneezing, it makes sense. Healing vibes and straight teeth vibes for Mimzy!

[MimzMum]

The vet was supposed to only use the mask on him, but wound up having to inject anesthesia instead, so he’s still pretty groggy. But when he’s not sleeping, he’s drinking at a furious rate.
I meant to ask her what the blood test would be for, but forgot. Does anyone have any ideas what it might be?
He doesn’t seem particularly hungry, and hasn’t eaten anything that I can see so far, so I’m wondering if he’s going to need pain meds. I still have some metacam left, but don’t want to use it unless I have to.
I still have Critical Care too, so will use that if necessary.
He just seems so wiped out. Poor thing. We had a good snuggle when he came home. He knew he was going to the vet today, he actually jumped back out of the carrier and into my lap and put his paws on my chest this morning fastening those big baby browns on me. *melt*
So looking forward to this being all over. ~_~ But not eager to see him go through another surgery.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Blood work is pretty catchall-maybe she thinks them growing back so quickly could indicate something else is wrong so she’s screening for it? I’ve no idea-just guessing.
I hope that extraction could be possible if they are going to grow like that-I can’t imagine you taking him for trims in the middle of your alaskan winter! What a pain that must be.

{{{{Mimz}}} You’ll know more soon-best not to worry ahead of time

[MimzMum]

The only thing bugging me now is that he seems unwilling to eat his hay. He starts sneezing the minute he starts chewing, then backs off and just sits. His eyes look a little pained. He’s only put out a tiny amount of poos again today and they’re a bit small. (Of course he hasn’t had anything to eat practically all day, so…)
I guess I’m going to have to give him a small bit of metacam…she must’ve jarred his jaw enough that it’s sore.
She also wants him back on the probiotics, but he just refused the piece of banana with them hidden in there. Uppity thing. >.<

[Monkeybun]

Poor Mimzy… *snuggles*

[LittlePuffyTail]

I hope Mimzy is feeling better today and that you get the answers you want.

[Sarita]

My rabbit Pepe gets dental trims every 4 to 6 weeks. Some of his teeth have been loose and she’s pulled them but I see no reason otherwise to pull molars. I think Pepe’s dental problems are partly a result of just poor breeding. She said his teeth are just horrible all around.

It’s a pain to do the trims but it’s what needs to be done.

As for bloodwork, well, she probably just wants to see if there is anything to indicate an infection and overall, with a rabbit who is having many dental procedures then it’s a wise thing to do.

[MimzMum]

Do all the trims need to be done under anesthesia, Sarita? I just hate seeing him come home all buggered from the drugs…it took him hours to recover last night. I don’t think he was completely right till this morning some time. I didn’t give him any metacam, there was no instruction in his discharge papers for it.

He did finally eat overnight and made all sorts of poos for me by morning, so I am relieved. (I’d given him and absolutely huge salad last night that he had almost finished by the time I finally passed out.)

I was also surprised when my hubby came in last night (after having the bun home most of the afternoon) and asked me,

“So, did you get the bandage off him?”

0_o

“WHAT bandage??” *runs to bunny room*

I pulled him out of his pen and sure enough, there was a bandage (a blue one) wrapped TIGHTLY around his left rear leg above the heel where they must’ve taken the blood from. That must have been uncomfortable because he was a different bunny after we got it off. Neither the nurse I spoke to on the phone earlier nor the doctor told me I had a bandage to remove. >_< They've done this to me before, but on my dogs it was obvious it was there. I'm just lucky Mimz didn't try to chew it off.

(The one on my dog still had the heparin lock in it, which made me crazy. That was no fun to remove.)

Luckily Mimzy didn’t have anything stuck in his leg and my daughter was able to find the end of the blue sticky and peel it and the gauze beneath away while I held him. He wasn’t too happy about all that.

*sigh* When Mimzy finally started munching and going to the litterbox at 2 AM this morning, I was able to get some sleep. What a harrowing set of days! I can’t believe how this stuff wipes me now, I used to handle this much stress so much better…now it makes a limp noodle out of me.

[Sarita]

Well, I would not let my vet do a molar trim without anesthesia – think about it, what rabbit would cooperate with that and the chance for injury would be much greater that way so yes, they must be under anesthesia. And it’s not necessarily the anesthesia that causes the grogginess, it’s the pain meds that they administer and the sedatives.

It takes a few days for Pepe to get back to normal – usually 2 full days after the procedure. Once I get him home I start immediately on reglan and the next few days he gets reglan and metacam. Pepe never eats the night I get him, ever and I usually know I’m going to have to syringe feed him for a few days.

If it becomes a regular thing you’ll get used to the routine and know what to do. Really, molar spurs are so common in rabbits and many rabbit owners have to deal with this regularly.

Maybe after these first couple of dental trims the trims will eventually have to be done less. I don’t know if Mimzy’s molar spurs are the results of malocclusion like Pepe’s but I know Pepe whose teeth are atrocious according to my vet will need molar trims for the rest of his life and it usually is anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks between trims. But I’ve had some friends who’s rabbits were able to go months between trims once they got the spurs under control.

[Sarita]

MM, I highly recommend that you watch the dental videos posted under Care and Diet – it’s pinned at the top, you cannot miss it. This will help you understand exactly what they do and why he must be under anesthesia.

[BinkyBunny]

Rucy was also put under when she had to have her spurs trimmed and she wouldn’t eat her pellets a few days after as each time it made her mouth sore. So him having problems with eating right after is common.

I’m sorry Mimzmum, but what was the update regarding the possibility of a deeper tooth infection going on? Just wondering if that could still be a possibility. If this was already discussed and finalized – don’t worry, I’ll find the post hopefully soon.

[MimzMum]

I’ve been meaning to get to those videos, Sarita, thank you. And just to clarify, it’s not that I’d want Mimzy to go through a dental without anesthesia…it’s just that I hate to see how out of it he is afterwards. But I know it has to be done for his safety.

BB, my vet said she couldn’t tell any difference between the before and after radiographs…which is why she sent them out to be looked at by a vet dentist. I’ll know more next week when the results of the blood panel come in, she figured she’d have heard from the other vet at the same time. (I think we took this second set a little earlier than she’d wanted, it was supposed to be somewhere like 6-8 weeks after Mimzy’s dental on 1/29.)

I had the money for this visit, luckily, because these two visits alone have cost me about $500 apiece. (The xray equipment is expensive, so they’re getting my share of the cost, bigtime.) I just hope he wouldn’t have to have xrays every time he goes to have molar trims! 0_o

Oh, and on a side note, the hubby is going to have to have dental surgery at the end of this month. They’re going to have to rebuild his entire upper jaw area behind his front four teeth. 0_o And his first appointment is on our wedding anniversary!

And with our track record, I’m not looking forward to my next dental visit. :X

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