Rabbit with Dental Issues???

[Ollie.Edison.]

Hello! My friend gave me her two rabbits a month ago, and I changed their diet from unlimited pellets to leafy greens and a small amount of pellets (and unlimited hay!). The previous owner said the older rabbit (6 years old) had a dental issue, but they got it fixed. She said that it is normal for him to have goopy eyes, and it happens whenever she would give them new hay (because of dust). But, I have noticed it has been very goopy lately, and he has been making some sneezing and wheezing sounds. I heard that snuffles could be caused by dental issues, so is it possible that he has snuffles? I also noticed that when I pet him, he makes a grinding sound with his teeth, is this a sign of pain or is it purring? Should I take my rabbit to the vet?

I thought some of this info would be helpful: He is bonded with a female rabbit, and they are both fixed. They eat 2 cups (per rabbit) of leafy greens daily with 1/4 of pellets and unlimited hay. The previous owner gave us an indoor hutch that we keep them in at night, and they are out all day (they will be fully free roamed when they get better litter habits ). The rabbit I am concerned about has still been eating, but he doesn't eat all of the lettuce in his bowl. He still eats his favorite treat (raisins).

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Button]

I would definitely take him to the vet or simply call a rabbit Davy vet and see what they say. It’s not normal for a rabbit to have goopy eyes so what the previous person said was wrong. Not to be rude but it wasn’t a vet that said that so how do you trust what they say right? Also you if you need tips on litter box training we are here for you!!

 

[John Wick]

Snuffles is a big umbrella term, so while it could be teary eyes resulting from dental, reading that there is sneezing and wheezing makes me think more specifically an upper respiratory infection (URI). If it is a URI, the rabbit does need to be taken to a rabbit-experienced exotic vet, as rabbits do need antibiotics to overcome a URI. Wheezing is a more concerning symptom, relative to only having sneezing, so I would definitely go as soon as you can.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Snuffles

 

[Ollie.Edison.]

I would definitely take him to the vet or simply call a rabbit Davy vet and see what they say. It’s not normal for a rabbit to have goopy eyes so what the previous person said was wrong. Not to be rude but it wasn’t a vet that said that so how do you trust what they say right? Also you if you need tips on litter box training we are here for you!!

Yes, it doesn't seem normal for a rabbit to have droopy eyes, I will make an appointment with our vet for sometime this week! Thank you for the reply

Snuffles is a big umbrella term, so while it could be teary eyes resulting from dental, reading that there is sneezing and wheezing makes me think more specifically an upper respiratory infection (URI). If it is a URI, the rabbit does need to be taken to a rabbit-experienced exotic vet, as rabbits do need antibiotics to overcome a URI. Wheezing is a more concerning symptom, relative to only having sneezing, so I would definitely go as soon as you can.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Snuffles

Thank you for the reply! That definitely seems like a possibility! I will take my rabbit to the vet as soon as possible, and I will let you know what they say

Thank you all for the replies! You are very helpful

 

[SirLawrence]

I also noticed that when I pet him, he makes a grinding sound with his teeth, is this a sign of pain or is it purring?

On a lighter note, I would reckon that this is purring, as if it were a pain response, he probably wouldn't sit there and let you keep doing it!!

 

[JBun]

Thick goopy discharge as opposed to clear thin tears, is not normal or good, and it's definitely not from feeding hay. It means he has a likely eye infection, possibly spreading from an infected tooth, up through the nasal cavity and into the tear duct and eye. Like mentioned above, snuffles is just a general term to refer to a bacterial upper respiratory infection caused by the bacteria pasteurella. But it really can be any number of bacteria causing the infection.

Though a dental infection seems very likely to me, it's also possible it's just a URI and infected tear duct. But whatever type of infection it is, the vet will also need to do a dental exam and may need to do xrays as well. The meds needed at a minimum are a systemic antibiotic, antibiotic eye drop, and the anti inflammatory meloxicam. And if your vet isn't a very experienced rabbit vet, just make sure your rabbit is put on a long enough course of antibiotics. Usually 4-6 weeks minimum is needed(and 2 weeks past the last of the symptoms).

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html
Medirabbit: respiratory issues in rabbits

The tooth grinding while they are being petted and content(and even sometimes when they're just sitting there sleeping), is tooth chattering/purring because they are liking what you're doing and/or happy.