Cosmo has a horrible malocclusion :(

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CosmosMomma

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York, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, USA
I've mentioned before that Cosmo has a malocclusion. I only noticed it about two and a half months ago when I saw his teeth were starting to curl under. Now that I know about it I have to take him to get his teeth trimmed every month and a half, or they grow too long and start to curl. As of right now, Cosmo has an underbite, and only one bottom tooth. I'm not sure what to do for him other than continue to get his teeth trimmed so he can eat properly. I can't even give him his wicker ball because his teeth get stuck on it :/

Pic of his teeth, not embedded because it's way too large:
http://i47.tinypic.com/lf781.jpg

Any advice? :(
 
Would you consider getting them removed? It does mean some extra work for you with preparing his food, but should make him more comfortable in the long run and there should be no more vet visits to trim his teeth. Most rabbits seem to adjust well to this.

More often trims might help too. Maybe every 3 weeks. It would keep them at a more manageable length and hopefully they would not grow too long between trims.
 
I've heard of some owners who learn to trim their own rabbit's teeth. It would certainly save you money and vet visits, if you're interested intrying it.
 
I would be willing to remove them if the need arose, but I'm also willing to try trimming them myself. I'm just afraid I'd hurt him since their teeth are so fragile :(
 
I know some members have had their vets show them how to trim the teeth themselves. I haven't trimmed teeth so I'm not sure how challenging it is and it would, of course, depend on the temperament of the rabbit as well, but that could be an option.
 
I have actually witnessed a friend trim her rabbits teeth. It took less than 30 seconds total time. She used a pair of nail clippers (the cat kind). It made a horible noise but the rabbit felt great right away, and was in no discomfort what so ever. She has over 200 rabbits so can not take them to the vet. She has learned how to treat most things herself.
 
My biggest worry with Cosmo isn't his temperament, he's actually the sweetest bun ever and has never shown any aggression. It's just that he's very Cautious and when you touch his mouth he'll do everything in his power to get away, so I'd have to have somebody he trusts hold him while I clip his teeth.
 
Crush also has really bad maloclussions... His top teeth curl and his bottom ones grow long and upward. So far, haven't had tooo many problems with them, other than them getting too long and uncomfortable. I've been taking him every month to get his trimmed - literally, every month. I try to do it every three weeks, but it's hard when I don't drive and my fiance's work hours don't match up with the trimmers.

I've thought about getting a vet to show me how... But well, let's face it, I see the lady I have trimming his teeth and I'm wincing the whole time because I'm nervous that even she, with her experience, will catch his tongue or a lip or something. It scares the crap outta me, lol. I don't know if I could do it myself.

Right now, his teeth have gotten pretty long(not as bad as when I first got him, but long all the same), because I haven't been able to match up work hours and times that my trimming lady is available. I actually intend to set aside a savings account specifically for Crush so I can set aside money for those times when I need to give someone else the gas to drive me, etc, or for when I need to take him in to a vet instead.

It's not pleasant, is it? :(
 
It is not pleasant at all :( I have to switch Cosmo to a new vet on top of all this because I just don't feel comfortable with his old vet.

His old vet is great with most animals don't get me wrong, I just don't think he has the "calming" nature that a bunny needs when around strangers. When he clipped Cosmo's teeth he did make him bleed and he didn't even examine him after to make sure he didn't clip his tongue :/
 
:( Good thing you switched to a new vet! I have never had a problem with my vet, but then again I've had the same one for 8 years! Since he made Cosmo bleed and didn't even examine his mouth, it was the best thing to go to a different vet. Poor Cosmo! I really hope it doesn't stop him from anything!
 
Oh wow. I would have switched vets immediately after that vet got an earful. I've known people who have had vets mistreat their pets before, and it's awful, some of the stories I've heard.

You want a vet who actually gives a crap about more than money - but your pet too. Clearly, this vet didn't.
 
I know Kat & Sam. I keep saying I gotta call the other vet and set an appt to get his teeth trimmed, but i keep forgetting!

The old vet's staff was even kind of cold. My biggest problem with him making Cosmo bleed was that he could've knicked his tongue and he wouldn't know because he didn't check afterwards. He was also very short with me when Cosmo wouldn't cooperate and seemed like he was in a rush to leave, even though it was 10am -.-
 
That really sucks that your vet was like that.
One of the vets at my 'regular animal' vets office, tried to drag my 16 year old deaf golden retriever across the floor, because he wouldn't get up when I was signaling him to get up. I came across the exam table at her and screamed in her face and made her cry. Then had it put in my chart that I was to never see her again.

Sometimes they really suck, but the other vet that I've been going to my whole life is the best vet ever!

Hopefully the new vet you call for Cosmo, will be great!
 
Crumble's teeth looked similar to that when we first got him however we are lucky and they seem to be fixing themselves so we don't need to do much at this stage other than monitor him and have the sharp edges trimmed when necessary. (They were breaking for a while, they seemed rather brittle ans would leave sharp bits)

However, I do want to tell you that our vets absolutely do not recommend self-trimming and they do not clip them. Our vet explained to us that the risk and discomfort from clipping was too great so they use a (great, what's the word now) dremel tool and actually file them back rather than clip them. Clipping increases the risk of the teeth splinting (or is it splintering? Gosh I cannot speak english properly anymore) and could increase the risk of a root abscess and extra complications.

I totally understand wanting to do them yourself and, in fact, I expected to be doing it myself as well. I think perhaps it would be doable with a dremel as well. You do need this other tool that they put in the mouth behind the teeth that pushes the tongue back too. Some sort of cylinder I believe. Perhaps a vet would be willing to show you how to do that?

Best of luck!
 
Trimming rabbits teeth is really for experienced people, though no way to get experience other than trying. I used to trim rabbit and rodent teeth with either a sharp scissors, or a cutting tool actually made for trimming teeth, or a nail clippers (like for cat nails). That latter one actually worked best for me, but I still had a rabbit every now and then who's teeth would crack or cut in an irregular and unpredictable way, either splitting down the center or even breaking off at or below the gum line. Though I personally did not see any serious long term repercussions with these bad experiences, split or cracked teeth can lead to serious problems, such as infection, chronic pain, anorexia and even bone loss.

Now that I know better, I no longer cut teeth this way. A dremel or dental drill works far better with little to no risk of cracking or splitting the teeth. However these methods do increase the chances of other problems such as incidentally cutting the lip or tongue, catching the fur or whiskers and causing some pain in that way, or even over-heating the tooth and causing problems with future tooth health. So in the practice I work in, we tend to sedate most rabbits so there is minimal movement and this decreases the risk of other complications I listed above.

But still, by far the best thing to do with overgrowing incisors is to remove them. Pet rabbits do not need them, so might as well take them out. I have not had any problems with the rabbits that I have taken the incisors out of.

While incisor overgrowth tends to be a genetic problem (though rarely due to injury or some sort of infection), molar overgrowth is almost always due to improper diet. So this latter problem, which is more complicated to deal with, is at least avoidable. Fiber fiber fiber fiber... and LONG fiber at that! Rabbits are really designed to eat continuously most of the day while they are not searching for food, hiding from predators or keeping cool... but pet rabbits find not only a lot more time on their hands, they also find less reason to eat all the time... food is higher calorie (eg. pellets etc.) and the lack of exercise allows them to either get overweight, or make them feel less hungry. either way, something bad starts to happen. Eating less, or less fibrous food, allows these molars to overgrow and that leads to a long list of common rabbit problems from sharp molar points, dental abscesses, ocular disease, pain, drooling, poor appetite, gut stasis, hepatic lipidosis, sore hocks, dysbiosis etc... one can pretty much draw a line from improper diet, and often subsequent dental disease, to most other common rabbit diseases. Best to simply feed them properly and avoid all the above problems.
 
His teeth need to be clipped and they will continually need to be trimmed roughly every 3-4 weeks. Unfortunately they will never wear normally again, so teeth clipping will become as routine as nails..

I have a bun whos teeth I clip every month. He got a malocclusion after recovering from a jaw abscess. His teeth will never be normal again.

If you are not confident enough to clip them yourself then you must take him to a vet ASAP- they are WAY too long right now, and I am sure he is having trouble eating.
 
Omg, I haven't replied to this (or any thread) in ages!

Cosmo now gets his teeth trimmed every 4-6wks, depending on when I have the finances. I do take him to the same vet clinic, we just see a different vet, as I didn't like the way the male vet (dunno his name) treated him.

Sent from my C5155 using Rabbit Forum mobile app
 
I had a rabbit with severe malocclusion over a period of many years. He needed dental visits every couple months that were costly. It was a financial burden, however, I feel that once the animal is in my home it is my responsibility to care for him/her correctly.
Several times I had to trim his front teeth myself in an emergency because the trips to the dentist were in a city 3 hours from me and it was an all day trip to go.
Along the way I learned a lot about rabbit teeth. It is truly not safe to clip them with a clipper because the pressure placed on the tooth from the clipper oftentimes damages the root ; the root dies and there is the possibility of an abscess forming .
It is safe to file and that is what my dentist did. Sometimes a drill can be used but this must be done very carefully because of the heat and possibility of burning the rabbit's mouth or tongue. A lay person should not use a drill.

I chose not to have all his teeth removed mainly because I did not think that he could physically handle the surgery. He once had 5 teeth removed at one time ( by another vet that I should not have visited) and it took him months to recover. I do know folks on this forum who have had all the teeth removed and the rabbit did fine.
I have empathy for folks with malocclusion buns. It is a big responsibility and sometimes we can only do the best that we can do.
The main thing is that the rabbit is kept pain free. I was horrified at one visit to learn that my bun"s tooth had grown into his inner cheek which required a stitch. I cannot imagine how painful that was.
 

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