Rabbit Dental Problem

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vietanh

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Hi, I'm Viet Anh – new hear. I'm from Vietnam. I have a rabbit over 4 years old who is having problems with teeth. Hope the rabbit-loving community can take the time to read and give advice on this case.

My rabbit was picked up on September 10, 2018, when she was more than 2 months old. She is very active and cheerful, obedient. However, she rarely eats timothy grass even though I have tried many ways (hanging grass, mixing with favorite food, starving,...). She got wet chin around the end of September this year, yellow/green wet chin hair. After two exams, the doctor concluded that she had an overgrown lower left molar and advised that the tooth should be sharpened, using anesthetic. After consulting with experts and experienced people, I decided to have her perform this surgery. However, I am very worried. In addition to looking into the relevant literature, the doctor also said that there are risks in anesthesia. Not only that, Vietnam is not a country with good veterinary, especially for exotic pets.

I love her so much, she's like my sister so I want to give her the best I can and I want her to live with me as long as possible. Hopefully anyone who has had a rabbit with a similar experience (anesthesia at 4 years old, anesthesia for dental treatment,...) can give me experience and advice? Can your rabbit make it through? What should I do to give her the best care? Thank you very much.
 
Hi, I'm Viet Anh – new hear. I'm from Vietnam. I have a rabbit over 4 years old who is having problems with teeth. Hope the rabbit-loving community can take the time to read and give advice on this case.

My rabbit was picked up on September 10, 2018, when she was more than 2 months old. She is very active and cheerful, obedient. However, she rarely eats timothy grass even though I have tried many ways (hanging grass, mixing with favorite food, starving,...). She got wet chin around the end of September this year, yellow/green wet chin hair. After two exams, the doctor concluded that she had an overgrown lower left molar and advised that the tooth should be sharpened, using anesthetic. After consulting with experts and experienced people, I decided to have her perform this surgery. However, I am very worried. In addition to looking into the relevant literature, the doctor also said that there are risks in anesthesia. Not only that, Vietnam is not a country with good veterinary, especially for exotic pets.

I love her so much, she's like my sister so I want to give her the best I can and I want her to live with me as long as possible. Hopefully anyone who has had a rabbit with a similar experience (anesthesia at 4 years old, anesthesia for dental treatment,...) can give me experience and advice? Can your rabbit make it through? What should I do to give her the best care? Thank you very much.

A couple of things to consider; Rabbits have a very fast metabolism which means they recover from anesthesia rapidly. A vet, I respected and used with an elderly rabbit that was my pet, said that he would only use a gas anesthesia and kept it on until they were ready to bring the rabbit out of anesthesia.
He also stated he worked VERY fast to limit the time the rabbit was under.
Misaligned dental issues can be dealt with but may have to be repeated later. Maybe and maybe not, something to keep in mind.

It does sound as if your vet is at least up on care of rabbit dental care. Often people have suggested clipping in the case of accidental malocclusion. I've read recently that can cause a split in the teeth.
While I have met 2 different people who say they have successfully done so. I'm not sure how I would feel about doing it. Maybe if it was an emergency situation of some kind?
Because this is a beloved pet I believe a vet is the better choice. But...I would want to ask has the vet done this type of work before?
Will they be doing the blood tests, a Complete Blood Count (CBC), and a Biochemistry Analysis before surgery?
That info is critical for the vet to know if your rabbit is in good overall health and how well the rabbit will recover. 4 years old isn't terribly old but enough so I wouldn't want to use a vet that would skip this step.
In fact I have refused on the day of surgery for a cat when the vet tech told me they didn't have the means to do the test. This was after I had asked if they would be doing it before scheduling the appointment. I walked out.
Good luck, I do hope you and your darling rabbit get through this well. I do believe your doing the right thing, if she has trouble eating it will shorten life considerably
 
Last edited:
A couple of things to consider; Rabbits have a very fast metabolism which means they recover from anesthesia rapidly. A vet, I respected and used with an elderly rabbit that was my pet, said that he would only use a gas anesthesia and kept it on until they were ready to bring the rabbit out of anesthesia.
He also stated he worked VERY fast to limit the time the rabbit was under.
Misaligned dental issues can be dealt with but may have to be repeated later. Maybe and maybe not, something to keep in mind.

It does sound as if your vet is at least up on care of rabbit dental care. Often people have suggested clipping in the case of accidental malocclusion. I've read recently that can cause a split in the teeth.
While I have met 2 different people who say they have successfully done so. I'm not sure how I would feel about doing it. Maybe if it was an emergency situation of some kind?
Because this is a beloved pet I believe a vet is the better choice. But...I would want to ask has the vet done this type of work before?
Will they be doing the blood tests, a Complete Blood Count (CBC), and a Biochemistry Analysis before surgery?
That info is critical for the vet to know if your rabbit is in good overall health and how well the rabbit will recover. 4 years old isn't terribly old but enough so I wouldn't want to use a vet that would skip this step.
In fact I have refused on the day of surgery for a cat when the vet tech told me they didn't have the means to do the test. This was after I had asked if they would be doing it before scheduling the appointment. I walked out.
Good luck, I do hope you and your darling rabbit get through this well. I do believe your doing the right thing, if she has trouble eating it will shorten life considerably
Thank you very much for the informative advice!!
 
I got a rabbit from someone that had her bottom teeth so long, that they were splintering into her upper gums. I realized this when she spit a tooth out of her mouth. Her upper gums were swollen and had splinter particles of teeth stuck in her gums. I had to pull those out of her gums. Then I trimmed her teeth to a normal length. She did well. I used pedicure clippers and clipped them slowly down. now I make sure she always has a stick to chew on and her teeth do well.
 
I got a rabbit from someone that had her bottom teeth so long, that they were splintering into her upper gums. I realized this when she spit a tooth out of her mouth. Her upper gums were swollen and had splinter particles of teeth stuck in her gums. I had to pull those out of her gums. Then I trimmed her teeth to a normal length. She did well. I used pedicure clippers and clipped them slowly down. now I make sure she always has a stick to chew on and her teeth do well.
Thank you for the information!
 
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