Teeth trouble?

[AbbyGirl]

Since Abby had her stomach blockage, URI and an eye infection my vet thinks she may be having a dental problem.  I’ve noticed a huge change in the past week or two with the way she eats her pellets.  She eats a few at a time and then leaves them.  I’ve also notice her hay consumption has decreased.  I’ve got her eating again but she will only eat pellets if I soften them in water and mix about 1 teaspoon of baby food into it.  She scarfs it down like she’s starving.  She eats all her veggies just fine too.  Since I have been doing this to her pellets she is putting her weight back on.  She was down to a very skinny 10 lbs when she needs to be closer to 12.

Her eye got better after her eye drops but is now runny again and I haven’t even finished the 2 weeks yet.  Also her nose is running again.  It’s not a lot and it’s just clear.  The vet also knows that she doesn’t chew on any wood or cardboard things like most bunnies.  All these things are making her think it’s her teeth. 

My main question:  my vet said she would need to see a specialist or pet dentist to be examined to find out if it is a tooth problem.  I thought most rabbit vets could do these exams and x-rays themselves?  Does anyone have any experience with this?  I’ve called another vet that deals with a lot of rabbits to see what they would do for a rabbit that needs a dental exam and haven’t heard back yet.  Is there anything specific I should be acking them?

Any info is very appreciated.  Thanks!

[Sarita]

Chewing on cardboard or wood is really only good for boredom and doesn’t necessarily help with grinding down the teeth – only hay helps with this.

As for dental – it truly depends – some vets are very good with teeth and can do the maintenance like filings however they may not have the right equipment necessarily for pulling teeth or anything more invasive than filings. As for x-rays, the same is true there, most dental vets have much more sophisticated x-ray machines for a clearer x-ray of the head and teeth.

What kind of dental problems does she think Abby has? Misaligned teeth or a teeth root problem?

[AbbyGirl]

She didn’t say. She just said if her runny nose and eye didn’t get better the next step was to take her to a dental place to get x-rays because that is a sign of dental problems. I called the dentist today and he was surprised that she hadn’t taken a head x-ray to see if her teeth were in line because he knew she was able to. She also hasn’t examined her to look at her molars.

I asked her to do that with Hugo since he never liked to eat hay, but she didn’t want to because she would have to sedate him. So I know she is capable of doing it. I don’t know if she’s just not comfortable with doing it?

[Sarita]

Well, it’s impossible to know what your vet is thinking. Perhaps she isn’t comfortable dealing with rabbit dental problems.

When I took Pepe to a dental specialist they had all kinds of very sophisticated tools and x-ray machinery that my vet didn’t have. Both my vets are great at trims though. I think with Pepe she felt he needed a more thorough exam because he had such strange teeth.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

My vet can do minor teeth things-like check them, x ray them and file them. She said she could do dental surgery but she isn’t comfortable (dental surgery on rabbits, she does other dentals all the time) and it would take her all day. I have a fantastic vet. So no not all vets who see bunnies are comfortable, trained and/or skilled with dental. I would think your vet could scop the teeth and take x-rays but perhaps not

At the very least your vet should be finding you a vet who can. Call and ask her/him to do that, that’s a professional thing and they should be able to find someone who can treat her for you. Keep us posted!!

[Beka27]

If your vet is hesitant on treating these types of issues, she is doing the right thing by recommending you go elsewhere. You and the vet both want the best care for Abby, and it sounds like she knows her limitations. Doctors and dentists and vets specialize in different areas. For people, a general dentist *could* extract teeth, but an ethical one would know when the case would be better performed by an oral surgeon, and would refer accordingly. I agree that the vet should hopefully have some colleagues that would be better suited to treat Abby.

Keep us posted on her condition.

[Elrohwen]

A regular rabbit vet should absolutely be able to check teeth and fix them. If your vet doesn’t feel comfortable, it’s good that she’s sending you somewhere else. Vets can also check molars without sedating, so that shouldn’t be a problem.

That does sound a lot like teeth issues – I hope Abby is ok!

[AbbyGirl]

Thanks and I will.
I understand if she’s not comfortable with it, not qualified or doesn’t have the proper equipment but she should at least tell me that. I guess my problem is with the fact she hasn’t done the smaller things to check first (skull x-rays and molar exam) and just wants to send her to a pet dentist. She didn’t even tell me of another vet that was capable of doing it. I might be taking her to the vet that the shelter uses. They said they’ve never had to take their rabbits anywhere else before.

[Sarita]

I guess I thought she had referred you to someone else…it sounds like you’ve found another vet though with more experience so that’s good.

[AbbyGirl]

She referred me to a dentist and when I called him yesterday he said it would be an $800 visit with the exam and x-rays. If she needs that, that’s fine but I’d rather have the exam and general x-rays done first.
Abby has an appointment with a new vet on Wednesday afternoon. I talked to her today and she said she would do a complimentary exam and check her molars for me. If she decides she need x-rays she said she is able to do some but more in depth x-rays would have to be done elsewhere.
Thanks for all your help and opinions. I really appreciate it!

[LittlePuffyTail]

OMG, that’s so expensive for a vet visit! I’ve never been to a specialist before, yikes….

Abby is lucky Mama loves her so much and is willing to take such wonderful care of her.

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