Malocclusion

[buns2luv]

Our rescue male Lionhead (around 18 mos old) has Malocclusion. He is doing very well eating, acting normal, etc... right now, but everyone keeps telling me he will eventually stop eating and die. At this point he has just one bottom tooth left that we trim every few weeks (the others fell out). I'm not sure if we should have this last one pulled? And we aren't sure how the rest of his teeth (molars) look as we just can't see in there. I guess they must all be over grown, am I correct in thinking that?
I feel like maybe we shouldn't have taken him on, poor guy I don't know if I can bear to see him eventually suffer and die. I know he is happy now and that makes a big difference...he is my cuddle bug!
Guess I am looking for info from others who are dealing with this or dealt with this before.
I have no idea how long he has till he stops eating. We were working on bonding him with our female (spayed) mini lop and it was going well except for the fact that he isn't neautered and kept mounting her...he is due to be neutered in a few weeks. Should we even have him neutered? Should we bond them or just keep them seperate.
How long does it take for the teeth to get so bad that he doesn't want to eat anymore?
So sad for my bun who was just dealt a bad hand or bad set of teeth

 

[DustBun]

I certainly feel for you. My Lop Dust Bunny (a rescue as well) has horrible teeth. At this point he has all but two molars pulled. A few times he has stopped eating for one dental issue or another but a trip to the vet to have spurs addressed or a tooth pulled have been necessary. My Dusty doesn't eat hay at all, making everything more difficult since his teeth get no natural wear but I can assure you, he is one happy, healthy and spoiled bunny I see no reason why he would just stop eating and die. my vet has assured me that even if all of Dusty's teeth do eventually get pulled, that he can live a full life. I have to be extra vigilant about seeing what's "going in" and "coming out". I know something's wrong when he's not eager for food in the morning. I think the key is catching it quick - if he doesn't eat for too long then stasis is a concern. I'm no expert - just thought I would let you know that there are happy, toothless bunnies out there. On the up side, Dusty has free run of the house since I know he won't be chewing anything he shouldn't be.

 

[tonyshuman]

How long have you had him? Has a vet done a full dental assessment on him, including x-rays? That would be very helpful to tell how the molars are doing and if there is any disease below the gum line. The one bottom tooth probably should be removed since it doesn't have one opposite to help it wear down. Bunnies can do fine without a single tooth in their heads--people on this forum have had bunnies like that before.

 

[buns2luv]

Good to know they can do just fine without teeth! Thank you!!
We've had him for only 2 weeks. We have made his appt. for neutering, but no have not seen a vet for his teeth yet. Now that I know that a vet can do x-rays etc, for him I will make an appt.

 

[Flick]

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

The above link has several videos showing how my vet handled Stella's malocclusions. Stella is also a Lionhead with horrible teeth and she's doing really good.

Yes, get him neutered. Let your vet know ahead of time that he has dental issues and you want him to check out his teeth while he's under the anesthesia. Your vet will need make sure the appointment time is long enough to do both procedures. Also, this will be cheaper than having him anesthetized for the neuter, then again for the dental check, and it will also be less stressful for you bunny to do both at one time. And, the sooner he sees the vet, the better for him.

Without good vet care, he might die, but for people to just announce this as a fact is ridiculous.

What are you feeding him?

 

[buns2luv]

He eats lots of greens, loves cilantro and he also gets parsley, dandelion greens, romaine or leaf lettuce, mustard greens which he'll save till last to eat (not a favorite) occasionally shredded carrots which he loves and occ. fresh fruits like berries (he really likes blueberries). He also eats his pellets and chomps on a bit of hay (doesn't seem to eat too much hay).
He is due to be neutered through a low cost spay/neuter program so unfortunately they won't look at his teeth during the neuter (at least I don't think so, but I will ask them to). If they can't check out his teeth I will surely make an appt. with another vet to see what they have to say. I love him so much, that is hurt to hear a few people just out and say he will die from this sooner rather then later...ouch!
I am going to check out your video now. Thank you!

 

[slavetoabunny]

That was an amazing video! That looks exactly what my Sparky went through. Except the vet had to make an incision through her neck to clean out the abscess. Thank you for posting this.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Our Stewart II had very bad malocclusion too. He had to get his teeth trimmed and spurs shaved about every other month. He was just fine otherwise and was a happy little guy. Sadly, we only had him for 4 years, but they were a good four years for all of us.

 

[tonyshuman]

I help with a low-cost spay/neuter program for cats and dogs and we look at the teeth. Granted, all the dogs and all the female cats get intubated, so they get a really good look at their teeth while they're putting a tube down their throats. They probably won't intubate your boy when he goes in for his neuter, but you can ask the vet to. You should be able to talk directly with the vet either in person on the day of the surgery or on the phone.