Bunny woes (silly, personal thread)

[Guest]

My rabbit, Petya, has a recurring back-teeth problem. A couple months ago he stopped eating so I took him to the vet after a couple days. Rabbit teeth continuously grow, that’s why they need to chew a lot to keep the teeth ground down. Petya’s back teeth grow unevenly and at some point it becomes painful to chew. If this condition is not taken care of a rabbit will simply starve to death, painfully. I felt I had no choice at the time but to pay $250 to have his teeth ground down.

Now it’s happened again. I have a call in to the vet (a very good rabbit doctor). I will ask if it’s possible to have the back teeth pulled and somehow feed Petya a liquid diet, but it doesn’t seem promising to me. What is real is that I cannot afford to have his teeth trimmed every two months. Yet, even if I could, I simply was not raised to spend such money on animals (it’s a Mexican thing—if you’ve ever been to Mexico you’ll see plenty of skinny dogs and cows).

So I think I am facing perhaps having to put this sweet creature down. I feel awful. I feel angry.

Mostly sad though, Perdita

 

[Colleen Thomas]

My rabbit, Petya, has a recurring back-teeth problem. A couple months ago he stopped eating so I took him to the vet after a couple days. Rabbit teeth continuously grow, that’s why they need to chew a lot to keep the teeth ground down. Petya’s back teeth grow unevenly and at some point it becomes painful to chew. If this condition is not taken care of a rabbit will simply starve to death, painfully. I felt I had no choice at the time but to pay $250 to have his teeth ground down.

Now it’s happened again. I have a call in to the vet (a very good rabbit doctor). I will ask if it’s possible to have the back teeth pulled and somehow feed Petya a liquid diet, but it doesn’t seem promising to me. What is real is that I cannot afford to have his teeth trimmed every two months. Yet, even if I could, I simply was not raised to spend such money on animals (it’s a Mexican thing—if you’ve ever been to Mexico you’ll see plenty of skinny dogs and cows).

So I think I am facing perhaps having to put this sweet creature down. I feel awful. I feel angry.

Mostly sad though, Perdita

I claim absolutely no experiese in animal husbandry, but I did have a freind wose parent's kept rabbits. They also kept beautiful antiques, some worth in the six figurre range. All 3 had been de toothed & de clawed and they were all very happy living on a liquid diet.

I don't know if they were exceptions or rules, but have hope.

*HUGS*

-Colly

 

[Guest]

Thank you, Colly. I've been reading lots of bunny info on the net and most people seem anti-tooth extraction. One site even said it was very selfish for someone to de-tooth a rabbit for their convenience. It's not that for me, I simply cannot afford it.

P.

 

[destinie21]

I'm sorry i can't offer any advice because I simply don't know but I can offer *hugs*

 

[Guest]

P.
i raised angora's (shaved them and spun their fur) it was never easy for me to put one of them down. i understand how you feel. but like colly said.. have hope.. it may not be as bad as you might think. they are strong creatures.

we had one, (stew) was his name. my daughter accidentally held him wrong and he twisted his back.. he was paralyzed.. my ex had to take care of him.. because we couldnt afford to have him put down..

sympathetically..
vella
**edited to add: dont know the point of that story .. just sharing i suppose.. my heart goes out to you

 

[ABSTRUSE]

OMG! I read this wrong....I thought you ate him

(stew)

 

[rgraham666]

Perdita? Is there perhaps something for rabbits along the line of a dog's chew toy?

Something Petya can work his molars on?

I'm also thinking, what's in Petya's diet? You might think about adding (a lot) of grass, the lawn kind that is. As I understand it, grass is very tough stuff and would probably help keep his teeth dull.

It looks like that 16% gay rating was right. Instead of saying 'I'm sorry' or 'I feel for you', I try to come up with solutions for the problem.

Just like a guy.

 

[Guest]

It looks like that 16% gay rating was right. Instead of saying 'I'm sorry' or 'I feel for you', I try to come up with solutions for the problem.

Just like a guy.

your hearts in the right place rg..

 

[rgraham666]

Yeah. Just a big ole lump of sweetness, I am

 

[Guest]

Thanks everyone, still waiting to hear from the vet. RG, Petya's diet is fine, lots of hay and grass, chewy stuff, etc. The teeth grow crooked and therefore uneven is the problem.

anxiously, Perdita

 

[cantdog]

Much bunny sympathy, Perdita.

A hug and a pat for Petya.

 

[shereads]

Thank you, Colly. I've been reading lots of bunny info on the net and most people seem anti-tooth extraction. One site even said it was very selfish for someone to de-tooth a rabbit for their convenience. It's not that for me, I simply cannot afford it.

P.

What's important is that you've done what you can for your pet, and that there's a chance he can have an enjoyable life without the expensive teeth. There will always be people who are against anything "unnatural," but if Colly knows people whose animals seem happy and healthy with the back teeth pulled, I'd give it a try before I'd give him up.

I had a lovebird with the same problem - hyper-growth of his beak. It didn't cost nearly as much to have the beak filed down every couple of months.

For anyone who's getting a pet or has one with no existing medical problems, I recommend veterinary medical insurance. It's cheap while the animal is young and healthy, and mine has paid for itself many times over. It won't help in your situation, because the problem already exists. Just thought I'd mention it for others.

 

[Guest]

Gotta get a new vet. He said "they" just don't do that (the molar extraction), but would not give me a reason. All the literature I've read says bunnies do well within a few hours after the surgery, and I've found lots of recipes for bunny smoothies.

anon, Perdita

 

[cheerful_deviant]

Thank you, Colly. I've been reading lots of bunny info on the net and most people seem anti-tooth extraction. One site even said it was very selfish for someone to de-tooth a rabbit for their convenience. It's not that for me, I simply cannot afford it.

P.

Perdita,

Having an animals teeth pulled because you don't want it chewing on your sofa is a lot different from havig them removed so it can eat propewrly and live without pain. Most people cannot afford to pay 250 every other month to have their pets dental work done. The fact that you have already had it done several times puts you a class above the rest.

I am certian that htere are websites that will tell you that extracting the teeth are evil. Then with a click of the mouse you can find the oppisite opinion. But most of there websites are only the opinions of the writer, probablly not based on much scientific fact.


If havig the teeth removed is the only way to permentally solve the eating and pain issues, then I don't really think there is much of a choice.

If the only other option is to have the poor thing put down then I dont really see how your decision could be any clearer.

CD

 

[shereads]

Gotta get a new vet. He said "they" just don't do that (the molar extraction), but would not give me a reason. All the literature I've read says bunnies do well within a few hours after the surgery, and I've found lots of recipes for bunny smoothies.

anon, Perdita

Bunny Stew, bunny smoothies...

 

[Guest]

Bunny Stew, bunny smoothies...

Took me a minute, Sher. You sicko, you. Made me laugh though. P.

 

[cloudy]

I with you, Perdita. I would check with another vet before giving up.

This is going to sound like a really stupid question, but bear with me.....Is there any way you could file them down yourself?

The reason I'm asking is because you have to file horses back teeth down as they get older - it's called "floating", I don't know why. Anyway, we have 4 horses right now, and have had up to twelve at a time, and like you, couldn't afford to have it done by a vet on a regular basis, so we learned to do it ourselves.

We have a great vet, he's willing to share his knowledge and he very generously offers to teach us to do ourselves anything we can.

We do all basic care ourselves now...trimming their hooves, shots, etc.

Just a thought.

Hope everything works out for y'all.

 

[cantdog]

Perdita

I told you we love you dearly. I know-- it doesn't cost us anything, but how many places could you get this kind of blind faith in your good will and heartfelt sympathy for the plight of a rodent in your care?

We have learned to love you, through exposure to the texture of your mind, and our respect for you willl not allow us to grunt, well fuck, it's a goddam rabbit.

Plus, you're hot.

Bunny smoothies. What's in these bunny smoothie recipes, kid? Really! Share!

cantdog

 

[Guest]

Cant, that was so sweet of you to say. Here's a recipe and a pic.

Perdita
-------------
Davida's Pumpkin Suprise (for bunnies that must be syringe fed)

2 tbs. pumpkin pie filling (with no sugar or spices added)
1 tbs. banana baby food
1 tsp. ground pellets (ground in a coffee grinder - it needs to be practically dust, and nothing else works.)
a little acidophilus powder
a little prozyme if you have it

Makes one batch.
Mix it up and force feed 4x a day (max 90 cc's per 5 lbs.of bunny)

from the House Rabbit Society
------------------

Cloudy: A rabbit really needs to be anesthetized for molar work, it would be too cruel to hold them down enough for it, they'd be traumatized. Also the teeth need to be ground with a special drill, yet it's still too easy to chip or break them and cause a wound. The vet has a special speculum type thing that holds the mouth open just right to get to the teeth. I know I could not do this myself, even with someone else holding him down. .

 

[cloudy]

That rabbit is absolutely adorable!

I knew it was probably a stupid question, but I had to try.

 

[McKenna]

.

 

[minsue]

'Dita, please consider contacting your local humane society. It's always possible that they could either

A) Help cover the cost of either the regular filing or help with getting the surgery done

and/or

B) Do their best to find a home for Petya with someone who can afford the steep expense of having his teeth filed regularly.

If you're going to have to put him down anyway, what have you got to lose?

 

[Guest]

Thanks, Min. I already thought of that as a last resort. The House Rabbit Society (across the bay here) rescues rabbits and takes them in for various reasons, also has a rabbit adoption plan. That's where he'll go if I can't help him.

Hugs are good anytime, Mack. Thanks .

Perdita

 

[Guest]

Perdita, first of all I'm sending you some huge hugs.

I realise you've probably already thought of this, but do all of his teeth grow unevenly? Maybe just a small number would need to be removed and he could cope with a normal diet on the teeth he has left.

I can't believe a vet wouldn't do the procedure, no matter how many teeth would need removing. It is obviously for his own comfort, and surely for medical reasons. Apart from the extortionate cost you'd have to endure every other month, surely it's not good for a little rabbit to undergo full anaesthetic on a regular basis. It's a lot for the little fella to have to cope with. It does seem as if you need to find a more compassionate vet.

*HUGS*

Lou

 

[Mhari]

*hugs and hugs*

I hope you find a good solution for your bunny's tooth problem. Poor little guy.

~M