Home remedies for Malloclusion?

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maxysmummy

maxysmummy

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Sydney, , Australia
Hey everyone, I'm new here so please play nice!

My 4 month old Mini-lop max (from what i've heard mini lops in australia are the equivalent size to dwarf lops in the US & UK [aka mini is the smallest lop you can get in australia]) has just been to the vet for abnormal poos and the vet has just informed me he has malloclusion!
I'm a poor teenage uni student and I was wondering if there are any "home remedies" as such for this problem? my main factor is price, rabbit vets in sydney are very expensive :'( and i'm kind of cash poor at the moment.

for the time being the vet has trimmed the teeth but has informed me that they may need trimming as often as every 6 weeks !!!

The surgery will cost around $400, which i just dont have at the moment. can i trim his teethy-pegs at home or is it too much of a risk?

thanks guys :)

xo holly
 
is your rabbit getting enough hay and chew toys etc. that helps keep the teeth at a manageable length naturally. the weird/unusual poop makes wonder if maybe he's not getting enough hay in his diet.
 
jujub793 wrote:
is your rabbit getting enough hay and chew toys etc. that helps keep the teeth at a manageable length naturally. the weird/unusual poop makes wonder if maybe he's not getting enough hay in his diet.
Click to expand...
The vet has given us a new diet plan because they say his diet is very poor (we have tried our best but apparently the advice from the breeder was sub-standard.. we feed him unlimited pasture hay, a pellet mix and some veggies)

Is there any way his teeth can be fixed if we start giving him the proper food? or is it doomed from here on out?

I want to avoid surgery as much as possible, i just dont want to lose him, he is the joy of my life.

I do trust the vet because he's "australias rabbit expert" but i don't want to have unnecessary surgery at any time.
 
Teeth problem could be from a number of things, genetics, bad and improper diet and lack of chewing things to wear down the teeth properly, an injury to the jaw making the teeth misalligned. Having said that it is not a death sentence for a rabbit who has Malocclusion and the rabbit can live a happy healthy life, or it can be riddled with problems due to the teeth.

There are ways that this can be dealt with, if it is due to improper diet then a good diet with lots of variety cold do the rabbit good. If it is not diet then taking the rabbit for regular teeth trimmings will help. Then there is the possibility of having the teeth removed, the surgery and recovery have its risks but a rabbit can live without the front teeth or even without all the teeth.
 
there is an area in the infirmary section that discusses anything and everything you might question and i am sure there is more on your problem. you can go there and check it out. i am pretty sure a better diet will help alot. i am sure surgery would be a last resort.
 
yes indeed. i love my babies more than i could ever love a human, haha.

i do genuinely think i'll have rabbys untill the day i die. people think i'm mad but i maintain they just haven't had a rabbit yet.
 
i think there is hope for your bunnies teeth though unless they are just too far gone, but even still i would try the diet first. i know some people trim their bunnies teeth. i just know its something i would never attempt. i have a hard enough time trimming their nails lol
 
My boy Dusty has malocclusion and his front teeth were removed before I got him. He eats his pellets and veggies fine, although I do have to chop his "salad" since he cannot gnaw. He refuses to eat hay or use chew toys but he seems to be a happy boy anyway. I take him to the vet for the tooth trimmings (I know they are bothering him when he decreases his food intake significantly) - i don't have the guts to do it myself, but they take such great care of him. A happy and hoppy life is still possible :)
 
Is it just his incisors and peg teeth that are maloccluded or are there any molars involved?

Boy or boy I had to deal with very expensive dental work with my little Beau (RIP) my avatar but it involved his whole mouth and the problem was genetic.

If it is just his front teeth it is less costly to have them removed than to go for trimmings constantly
 
Try going to your local pet store to see if anyone there has any experience in trimming teeth. Chances are you will find someone who does and would be willing to do it for you a few times for a small fee. They could sort of teach you how to do it yourself. I had a bunny with the same problem, and went back to the pet store where I got her and the owner took her to the back and trimmed them with some sort of clipper/plier thingy and he was going to show me how to maintain them, but unfortunately that bun passed away before he had the chance.
 
the problem with clipping is the pressure from the tool used to clip can cause tiny fractures and splinters inside the tooth, sometimes leafing to infection and gum abscesses.
That saidI will admit that I have clipped out of desperation in the past because the animal dentist was three hours away. \but continual clipping is taking a chance.
Filing is fine but expensive and has to be done by a professional
 
I can totally understand- I am also a poor student :( but filing for me at my vets (which is generally quite expensive, but I wouldn't go anywhere else because it really is a fantastic vets with 2 rabbit-savvy vets there) is only £14. They charge for just the consultation fee when they are filing incisors. Which is pretty good. I would definately ring your vets and ask how much it would cost.

My Benji had the same problem as your bun. I had the teeth filed every 4 weeks for 5 months, and now the vet says one more trim and they will be totally realigned again.
I would definately try this regular trimming for perhaps 5-6months and if it doesn't work then explore your other options.
Removing teeth can have quite a few complications not to mention teeth actually growing back, so I would definately try realigning them first. I had the same dilemma as you about whether to remove or whether to put Benji through the stress of going to the vets every 4 weeks for 5 or so months but I am so glad I decided to do it this way because it has worked out totally for the best. I really did NOT want to have them removed but you have just got to do what's best for the bun.

I really wouldn't recommend regularly clipping teeth. Like angieluv said, they pressure can cause splitting of the tooth down the groove and can cause quite a few different complications. Not to mention pain for the bun if splitting or abcesses occur.

Jen
 
Please don't try to trim the teeth yourself or trust anyone other than your vet to do it. Ask your vet if you could set up a payment plan. Stella's teeth were really horrible due to genetics. After multiple surgeries I still have to take her in for incisor and molar trims about every 8 weeks. It's been expensive, but not as expensive as it would be had we tried to do it ourselves and messed up her mouth. In the long run, the vet is much cheaper. I've got a couple of videos up showing the dental procedures Stella has been through. You'll see how intricate and delicate these procedures are.

http://www.youtube.com/user/FastUpOnRabbitCare
 
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