Rabbit back teeth issues

[HowardC]

My rabbit who is 10 snd a rescue I have had 2 years only eats soft pellets due to dental problems. He was having regular filing but the regular vet is on long term sick. A new vet looked at his back teeth and was concerned these are growing to the sides of his mouth. She questioned whether ethical to keep treating his teeth. He is an active rabbit snd eats his pellets and small amount of fruit snd had not had any runny poo since this diet started. He is on metacam now for pain. I am seeing a rabbit savvy vet on Friday for her opinion. I wondered if others had this problem?

[Bam]

It is common for rabbits  especially elderly rabbits, to develop spurs on their molars. The spurs can become so prominent that they cause sores on the inside of the rabbits cheeks or on the tongue. The molar spurs must be burred under full anesthesia.

We have and have had many buns here who undergo and have undergone regular dental burrs.

Whether it is ethical or not to subject a rabbit to regular burrs can be discussed, there is no absolute consensus. Opinions will vary between countries and parts of the world. I think the thing to do is to try and make an honest assessment of your bun’s quality of life. It is after all you who know your bun and spend time with her every day. There are many online quality-of-life-assesment tools for pets. I cant recommend a specific one, but if you google and look at a few, you will soon get the general idea.

 

 

[HowardC]

hi Bam

thank you so much for your reply it’s so helpful. As you say we know our rabbits well enough to know if they are suffering by their mannerisms and how active they are.  Jasper seems to cope with the metacam well. I know he does not grind his teeth when he has it so it works. I will see what the vet says on Friday. Is burring same as filing?

[Wick & Fable]

Burring is the same as filing, to what I understand. Also, I will note explicitly that rabbit teeth do grow naturally towards the sides of the mouth and inward to the tongue — that is not unusual, as that is how their teeth are designed. It typically is not a problem because the rabbit is chewing on wood and hay, which keeps them filed down. For rabbits who for one reason or another cannot maintain the teeth on their own, vets must intervene to file them for them. What the old vet was doing is what the new vet will do, which is filing the back teeth. That’s what it sounds like to me.

In terms of ethicality, in my eyes, as long as your rabbit is doing well, can recover well, and has a life worth living, I don’t see it as an issue. I would make sure that when you do schedule a filing, it is actually needed.

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.

[HowardC]

Hi Wick

thank you so much your reply was very good and informative I’m seeing the other rabbit savvy vet tomorrow she comes highly recommended for rabbits. My rabbit is fully of life despite his age plus he’s now on metacam which has made a difference for him I think. I will update you all tomorrow.

[DanaNM]

I agree with what the others said. As long as he recovers well from his filings and does well in between them I don’t see any reason to stop the treatments.

. . . 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.  

[HowardC]

Thanks

[HowardC]

UPDATE. The vet at pets at home quoted £150/ £200 which seems high compared to £50 I was paying with the old vet. What do most of you pay or does that seem high? I am waiting to get the price from Animate vets todsy who are going to do his teeth tomorrow

[Moonlightbunny66]

I’m not sure if that’s a high price. I was told that my bunny Muffin was starting to develop spurs on his back molars. The estimated price to get that fixed was almost $1000 CAD. They told me it’s not needed right now though. But maybe in the future.
What can I do to help? I give them sticks and wood to chew on but Muffin doesn’t chew them as much as Pinky. He mostly prefers cardboard.

[Wick & Fable]

That is slightly on the higher side. My Wick’s were around that, if not slightly lower. Rabbit procedures are generally more expensive, but where you live and that vet practice’s access to resources can heavily impact what price you get there versus if you went somewhere else. If it is a price you feel comfortable with, the next step is ensuring you are comfortable with that particular vet going through with the procedure.

You can ask for an itemized bill to see where exactly the funds are going. Typically, the anesthesia drugs are what hikes up the price.

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.

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