Only eats apples

[Mary]

Hi all, New here. We have a dwarf named Bumper that is about 7 years old. Always was healthy but recently developed heavy drooling and lack of appetite. Vet recommends $500+ dental surgery which we simply can’t afford. Sent us home with antibiotics and pain meds. Bumper seems happier now but only eats apples and nothing else. Can he sustain life this way of will he die? Wish there was a go-fund-me for this sort of thing because surgery seems the way to go but $500 is just not happening.

[Bam]

Did your vet do x-rays of the jaws/skull? Have you seen the x-rays?

Dental problems are common in bunnies especially as they get old, because the bones in the skull gets thinner with age, and this can make the teeth misaligned. Bunny teeth grow all the bunny’s life, and needs constant wear. The molars are kept in shape by the teeth in the upper jaw grinding against the teeth in the lower jaw, in a sideways motion when the bunny eats tough food like hay.

If your vets suggest surgery, I’m guessing they want to pull the molars out. That’s done if the dental roots are in a terrible shape or if there are tooth-root abscesses etc.

Many bunnies whose teeth are not worn properly develop molar spurs, ie enamel protrusions from the teeth. These can be ground or burred down. This should not cost 500 dollars. The bunny has to be anesthetized. The cost would be more like 100 dollars. If your vet isn’t planning on pulling the teeth but is charging 500 dollars for a molar burr, find another vet.

If nothing is done, the teeth problem will get worse with time because the teeth never stops growing. Apple may not have everything a bunny needs in the long run, but you can try getting him to eat Critical Care or pellet mash, served on a plate (pellets + water + f ex fruit purée for babies or canned unsweetened pumpkin), and if you absolutely have to, you can support-feed him by syringe, so nutrition is not the primary problem. The main problem is that the dental issues won’t go away but get worse.

[Mary]

No x-rays. Vet had a scope of sorts that was all. Already spent $100 just for the visit and meds. Rabbit dentists are hard to find around me. Had to travel an hour just to find this one. Yes, grind down teeth is what they will do for $520. Anesthesia is $130, x-rays $70, sedation $45, pre-anethesia blood work $83, dentisty fee $57 and the list goes on. All adds up to $519.94. If I knew of a vet that would do this for the $100 that you say it should cost, then it would be done by now. $500 is just too much to spend. He is a pet but I would rather see him put down than suffer. I know that sounds harsh but I have to be a realist.

[LBJ10]

I agree with Bam. $500 does sound pricey. There are members here who have dentals done on their buns on a regular basis. I can’t imagine they pay $500 each time. If the vet could see spurs on the molars with their scope, then I don’t think xrays would be 100% necessary. Not all vets do bloodwork, but often recommend it in older rabbits. The anesthesia sounds pricey. My vet charges $90 for xrays and that INCLUDES the anesthesia required. So your vet would charge $200 then to have the xrays done?

[LBJ10]

Are you able to give a general location? Maybe we can help you locate a vet.

[Bam]

You should not pay 500 dollars for a molar burr. That’s crazy.
It doesn’t have to be done by a rabbit dentist, I have a bun that needs regular burrs and it’s a nurse that does them.
If they’ve seen spurs you don’t need x-rays until you’ve tried burring -only if the problem doesn’t go away after that, you go further and get x-rays.
As LBJ says, if you state your general location, nothing specific, there might be people here that know of vets in your area.

[Mary]

Bloomsburg PA zip 17815

[LBJ10]

Another member is asking a rescue in your area if they have any recommendations. She’ll post what she finds out once she gets a response.

[Mary]

Anything yet?

[LBJ10]

Hi Mary, sorry for the delayed response. I spoke with the member I asked regarding this. She got tons of names for vets in Philadelphia from people she asked, but said that was like 3 hours away from you. She said she could give them to you if you’re interested, but that sounds like quite the drive for you. She’s having trouble logging into BB, otherwise she would have told you herself.

I have one other place to try but it’s a long shot.

[Mary]

Yeah, that’s the problem. Most of the vets that I called around here won’t do it. The ones that will are expensive. The good news is that the antibiotics seem to be working and he is eating again. Was down to 2lbs.2oz. Now is up to 2lbs.8oz. And looking healthier.

[LBJ10]

No one else seems to have any suggestions either. Wow, this is tough. So sorry we couldn’t come up with a vet suggestion for you. The member I asked lives in PA and thought $500 sounded pretty high. Unfortunately, all of suggestions she was able to gather were for vets fairly far away from you.

I’m glad the antibiotics seem to be helping and he is eating better. Has he been eating hay okay? Hay is very important for wearing the molars down. Oat hay is coarser, but any hay is good.

[Author]

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