Holland Lop Owners with Teeth Issues

[Holland_Lop]

I've mentioned this in other blogs, but I am curious how many other holland lop owners are dealing with a situation similar to mine.

My male holland lop is 8 months old, and has already had his teeth trimmed due to eye issues and such. Because of his young age, I am concerned what the future will hold for him. As the vet has told me, he will have to be put under every 3-4 months in order to have his teeth trimmed. The vet had explained that even with proper care, he may suffer from the stress of going to the vet and having his teeth trimmed. As you can see, this is extremely troubling and I worry about his well being. I provide chew toys but from what I understand, even chew toys can not provide the proper trimming that his teeth need. I also have come to find out that this is common in the holland lop breed due to the small flat face, and cross breeding.

Out of curiosity, has anyone else dealt *successfully* with this issue, and what advice, if any, can you give me in dealing with this issue.

Your advice is very much appreciated.

 

[Holland_Lop]

I apologize for not posting correctly:

Location

- Description (Breed, color., weight)

Holland Lop, Brown/dark brown/ 2lbs

- Age
8 months
- spayed/neutered?

yes

- Notes on Fecal and Urinary Output
- normal


- Medical History -- has s/he been to the vet or been sick before?
vet once, due to a leaky left eye, which resulted in a tooth trim and neutered


- Diet - what does your bunny eat?
small amount of pellets, unlimited timothy hay, veggie salad once a day containing romaine and parsley (working on introducing new veggies)

- movement - any unusual movements? Is s/he hopping normally?
yes
- any weight loss?
no
- are there any plants, chocolate or other substances within reach?

no

- has the rabbit been outdoors?

no (coyote problem in my neighborhood!)

 

[Pipp]

I'm taking much of this from one of my other posts...

When the genetics make the teeth not meet properly, sometimes just hay alone won't help much because it wears the same areas, so they really need variety to ensure even wearing. I'd try multiple cuts of hays and grasses, I'd try again to introduce a few veggies (fresh grass, carrot stems, kale, whatever) and definitely go for fruit tree branches and other odd ball things.

I have a dental-challenged dwarf, also a short-faced breed. Pipp, the little :censored2:, does not eat any hay (or drink water). Nor does she eat grass (she just digs up the seeds), chew tree bark or wood, or consume much in the way of stems (she chews off the leaves), which are all ways NORMAL bunnies have of wearing down their teeth.

So I've been giving her good, firm kale, broccoli leaves and stems, celery leaves, and at least the tops of the stemmy veggies like parsley, carrot tops and cilantro. I also give her cabbage, raddichio, chard, a little collard, lettuce, and anything else that I can round up that she may nibble on. If she gets apple as a treat, she gets the peel -- and the toughest type I can find.

The key has been the variety. She gets a salad the size of the one in my avatar every day and it has seven or eight different veggies in there. I give her just a tablespoon full of Martins pellets or a mix of different types of pellets. Another key, albeit a minor one, is the size of the fiber in the pellets. Pellets with longer fibers are better. (I can't tell so I mix up a few brands). I'm just researching whether extruded is better than pelleted.

I also started experimenting with various seeds and grains thinking they might help wear the teeth, but she put on too much weight so I stopped, and it didn't appear to make much of a difference to her teeth.

She stopped needing surgery when I started this regime. The only time she's had to go back in is when something put her off her food -- I get sick and she gets a couple of substandard salads in a row and the spurs come back.

I'm about to start looking for a lot more things for my rabbits in terms of grasses, vines, leaves, flowers, weeds, etc.. I'm pretty much convinced that current attitudes re: feeding a handful of veggies, handfuls of timothy hay and some pellets just aren't sufficient.

I buy hay by the bale (two bales or more, actually, I mix up the varieties) and I can't imagine buying pet store bags. Mister and Darry alone go through close a half flake a day. They're very active rabbits, they forage (and nest) constantly. Sherry and Marvin come close. Most of my bunnies who came to me with digestive or other health issues now have them under control.

Hope this helps!


sas :bunnydance:

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

Holland_Lop wrote:

I apologize for not posting correctly:

Location

- Description (Breed, color., weight)

Holland Lop, Brown/dark brown/ 2lbs

- Age
8 months
- spayed/neutered?

yes

- Notes on Fecal and Urinary Output
- normal


- Medical History -- has s/he been to the vet or been sick before?
vet once, due to a leaky left eye, which resulted in a tooth trim and neutered


- Diet - what does your bunny eat?
small amount of pellets, unlimited timothy hay, veggie salad once a day containing romaine and parsley (working on introducing new veggies)

- movement - any unusual movements? Is s/he hopping normally?
yes
- any weight loss?
no
- are there any plants, chocolate or other substances within reach?

no

- has the rabbit been outdoors?

no (coyote problem in my neighborhood!)

i salvaged two holland lops from a pet store/years ago-2003,,they did not have dental issues-,,they were raised in cedar chips,,so their lives were short lived,,/.-but like pipp above says-genetics.//.perhaps a second opinion from an exotic specialist would help--before sealing the fate of this great little one.//unlimited -24/7-timothy/orchard grass generally keeps teeth,,gitract happy,,but if chewing is impaired--then you have a special situation for which to learn...they are worth it...sincerely james waller:wave::inlove: