Need a Dental Second Opinion

Hi! My bunny and I live in an area in China where there aren't any vets that are rabbit-savvy. I just met one vet that is more open to helping my buns Lola. She took X Rays of his head today as his eyes were watering and his nose a bit wet. He hasn't been eating as much or pooping as much lately either.

I've been using this site to try and diagnose him as there is little help available. I thought we would flush his tear ducts but first take X Rays of his head. The XRays came out bad the vet said.she says his molars have grown too far into his head,thus causing the watery eyes. She gave him an anti inflammatory and told me to come back tomorrow.

She said if he eats ok tonight she will know it's that,
If he doesn't eat she says she has to pull his molars on one side. Does this sound right??? I'm so scared for him. I need a second opinion! Thank you in advance times a million

I attached the XRay

I'm no expert and I have no experience dealing with this situation. However from what I've read before, it's not uncommon for rabbit to have teeth pulled if they're not growing correctly. The problem with rabbit teeth is that they never stop growing, so once you've got a problem, it can be hard to correct without either constant maintenance or pulling the tooth. Pulling teeth isn't terribly uncommon, and rabbit's usually manage quite well, it's simply a matter of adjusting their diet to ensure they're still getting the correct nutrients, but that they are still able to eat. If they are missing all their grinding teeth obviously they can't really eat harder foods or large pieces of food.

When it's the root of the tooth growing too far up, I think that pulling the teeth is the only way. The problem will only get worse with time and your bunny could end up with an abscess or eye infections etc. Certainly wait for more opinions on people who've dealt with this before. But from what I can remember of my reading, your vet seems to be on the right track.

I appreciate you getting back to me. That fact that this could be common makes me feel a bit common. I cut up his food and he seems to be eating better. I'm going in today to see what the vet says. Thank you again!

I have an excellent bunny doctor and I think he could help with an opinion.

This tooth problem can escalate to a very serious problem. If bunny is having problems chewing, they can start swallowing inadequately chewed food. Inadequately chewed food in their first stomach can result in a blockage..it's known as Gastro Intestinal Statis.. GI Statis. This blockage means no food moves down their intestinal tract...and importantly no food moves into the Cecum stomach. It's the stomach at the juncture of the small intestine and the large intestine; aka appendix in humans, although in rabbits the "appendix" is not a vestigal organ, it's really their most important stomach. If the bacteria in the Cecum don't receive food, they die and without knowledgeable vet care the rabbit will die also.

If your rabbit has teething problems..common in older rabbits...MONITOR THEIR WEIGHT. Their teeth problems can make it painful to eat. If they start loosing weight, they may well be eating less because it's painful. Loosing significant weight is a sign of impending problems in a bunny. If your bunny is having tooth and chewing problems, inadequately chewed food in the first stomach can clog up their gastrointestinal system. If the primary stomach becomes clogged, this is known as gastrointestinal statis GI Statis. If your bunny goes for 24 hours without eating (or pooping) this is an emergency. This is most likely GI Statis. When I say, without eating, I mean not significant eating...even with GI Statis, the bunny may still nibble..this doesn't count...you have to worry if their appetite is not normal. Also, another symptom of GI Statis is that the rabbit's Cecum stomach will be empty (even though the primary stomach is jammed), when the Cecum stomach is empty it will fill with gas and the bunny will fart with an unpleasant odor....you're lucky if you experience this because with lack of appetite and a fart..you now know it's GI Statis. When this happens you need to see a vet to get this clogged primary stomach cleared.

As for the tooth problems that are causing chewing problems....google rabbit teeth problems... The first line of attack is to grind them down..rabbit teeth are always growing and they need to be prevented from getting too long. Yes, I've read that the teeth can move upward into the skull and cause really big problems. I've hit the limit of my expertise at this juncture. You need to talk to a rabbit doctor.

LolatheGreat said:

I've been using this site to try and diagnose him as there is little help available. I thought we would flush his tear ducts but first take X Rays of his head. The XRays came out bad the vet said.she says his molars have grown too far into his head,thus causing the watery eyes. She gave him an anti inflammatory and told me to come back tomorrow.

I attached the XRay

Click to expand...

Is the problem that the teeth have grown too far into his head caused by the teeth being to long? Rabbits teeth are always growing. As they get longer, they can be pushed up into the head. I've read about this on some Google articles.

Because rabbit teeth are always growing, they need something to chew on for their whole life. Normally what they like to eat is straw..oat straw for my bunns. It's actually abrasive and it keeps their teeth growth in check. But, you need to have a yearly vet exam check the teeth..if they are getting too long they have to be ground down.

For rabbits...monitor their weight! A tooth problem will cause painful chewing that will be seen by a reduction in weight.

By the way. Horses have to have their teeth ground down also. It's called floating their teeth. Don't know where these words came from. Horse owners also monitor weight, if a horse is loosing weight, a tooth problem is a first thing to check!!!

I've read all I could on rabbit teeth problems and seem to only come across front teeth growing too long. His apparently are growing too long in the back. He was doing ok, eating because I cut the food up really well but today I came home and his eyes are really tearing on one side and he hasn't pooped all day or ate that much and he looks sad(that might be me reflecting how I'm feeling), he's not himself. I have to wait until tomorrow to take home back to the vet but I'll post what happens in case anyone else has this problem. Thanks for your reply about GI stasis, I'll talk to her about it