Alf coming home from dental 2 teeth extracted.

[Kellyann]

Apart from what the vet tells me to do, does anyone have experience with teeth extraction? Antibiotics and metacam tends to make Alf lose his appetite, he has been on them before for a tooth abscess. I told the vet that but she says he needs them. I'm used to feeding critical care. Anything else I should be thinking about? He's a dwarf angora, about 1.26 kg. He's just recovered from a g.i. stasis due to blowing out his coat. He was eating great when he went in for his annual dental check up.

 

[JBun]

I've had antibiotics cause lack of appetite but never metacam. Do you know for sure the metacam also caused a lack of appetite or could it just have been the antibiotic? Has your rabbit been on different antibiotics and they all resulted in a lack of appetite or has it only been one antibiotic?

I'm just thinking that if it was just a particular antibiotic and not also the metacam that caused the lack of appetite, then maybe this time your vet could prescribe a different one that may be less likely to cause this to happen.

 

[Kellyann]

My experience with dogs and cats(I'm a vet tech) is that Metacam like all NSAIDS cause stomach upset, think of aspirin. But it also could be the antibiotic. This time she says she will prescribe chloramphenicol and a different pain reliever gabapentin maybe, I've forgotten. I'm picking Alf up today. She said he wouldn't eat on his own so critical care feeding for a while. He's always eaten when he comes home from dentistry so that's a worry. She says this could be an ongoing issue with his teeth, the result of poor or inbreeding of these dwarf animals. Thanks for your response.

 

[Niomi]

I had several rabbits that have had dental work done. For extractions, metacam was prescribed, but I often quit using it after the first day or two. I think Kellyann is right about stomach upset, especially if the rabbit is not eating. Some vets also prescribed metoclopramide to get their gut moving again, and other vets thought it was unnecessary. The hardest part of dental work was getting my rabbits to eat again after the surgery. I would syringe feed them Critical Care until they would eat on their own. They did not like to be syringe fed, but I did it anyway.

 

[Kellyann]

So Alf is home. He has been in and out of his hay box and seen with a piece or two of hay. Also I fed him C.C. Vet recommended 20 MLS 4 x day to start. I've never given that much, he takes it very well for 15mls. He was prescribed Metochlopramide, and Cisapride for gi movement, Chloramphenicol and metronidazole for antibiotics and Buprenophine and metacam for pain. I may only give 1 or 2 days of the metacam. The vet said the teeth were "mobile" that were removed and the sockets infected. He is going back in 4 weeks for a check up. She is guarded about him losing more teeth. It is very sad. I hope he will be okay. Time will tell. I'm trying not to worry, it is such a help to speak to other owners. Many thanks.

 

[Niomi]

Good luck. I hope all goes well.

 

[Kellyann]

Thank you. I'll just continue to fill you in because it has helped me so much in the past to read about other members experiences.
This am we saw that Alf had eaten all his normal 1 tbsp serving of pellets(put in at bedtime) this after I fed him 20mls of critical care at 4pm and 8pm! We saw him attempting nibbling hay last night. I was to have given him a feeding of 20mls of c.c. at 7am but he started panting and seemed upset. Normally he's very easy to syringe feed. My sister suggested that he might have just finished eating his pellets and was very full. I put off feeding. Also he is bright and active! There were many poops some small and harder but some larger and normal too. About 100 in all since he came home. Normal!
As for his drugs, I am only going to give the metacam as nessessary, 1 or 2 days. He's on Buprenorphine, a strong opioid. The g.i. motility drugs are probably not nessessary if he's eating and pooping normally? The antibiotics are for a very long time, at least until his check up a month from now.
We are just going to put him on the floor. He's exploring as usual. We are very happy, so far so good.

 

[Kellyann]

Behind the couch as usual!

 

[Kellyann]

Alfie seems to be recovering, I'm still feeding him 2-3 x day but he is eating a little hay and his regular pellets. I have a new question? The vet wants to do a re-check. I understand that and they have to anesthetize to properly check. But the vet also wants to do another set of 4 xrays. In total that will be roughly $700. I just can't afford to do that so soon after his dentistry. Do you think x-rays, 4 weeks later are absolutely necessary? If things are progressing that quickly then his dental disease is beyond what we can cope with. Am I being unreasonable? Thanks for your personal opinions as good rabbit owners.

 

[Niomi]

I am happy that Alfie is doing so well. I don't understand why your vet would need to do x-rays after the work was done. My vet never had rechecks. I was just told to call if there was a problem. I had a senior rabbit that had to go in frequently for dental work. He was a foster, so the rescue paid. I think you would do better to save your money in case he needs another dental later on. My senior rabbit was in pain all the time, and I would have put him to sleep if he were mine. His personality changed, and spent most of his time hiding, never interacting with anyone. Quality of life is important when making decisions.

 

[Kellyann]

Thank you Niomi. That's the kind of feedback that is so valuable. Happy Thanksgiving if you are in Canada, elsewhere in the world, I'm thankful for your support.

 

[Niomi]

Thank you Niomi. That's the kind of feedback that is so valuable. Happy Thanksgiving if you are in Canada, elsewhere in the world, I'm thankful for your support.

You are welcome. Happy thanksgiving to you! Our Thanksgiving is November 26th this year. Good luck with Alfie. He sure is cute!

 

[Kellyann]

So Alfie went in for his recheck. Everything looks good. Our usual vet saw him. She says that he has dental disease and all we can do is try to get ahead of the abscesses. She is reccomending a look and trim (that means anesthetic) every 8 weeks. Yikes. And include xrays every second trim. I believe that she is a great rabbit vet and has Alfs best interests. We are lucky to be only 75 mins away from an expert. Thing is the bill will work out to about $500 to $700( xrays) a visit. I want Alf to be well for as long as possible but it seems that the closer they look the more they find to do. When he comes back from these visits he takes 2-5 days to get back to his old self. I guess it's all nessessary and I'm just whining right? When we adopt these guys we commit to all of their care for life. It's hard for us to say no.

 

[Niomi]

When we adopt these guys we commit to all of their care for life. It's hard for us to say no.

I know what you mean. I don't understand why he needs x-rays if he is getting teeth trims every 8 weeks. Sometimes vets do things because it is a learning experience for them, not because it is all that necessary. I lost a cat a couple of years ago. He would not eat, yet the vet insisted on doing ultra sounds. She didn't want to put him to sleep, and if she could find out what was wrong with him, she might be able to prolong his life a few more months by giving him medication, Meanwhile, he was suffering. I could go on and on with stories like this. I guess my point is that I think she should give you a better reason for the x-rays then to tell you that he needs them.

 

[Kellyann]

Thank you. Yes. I am sceptical by nature but trying to trust Alfies vet. I am wracked by worry about Alfie first, then the cost. She said they don't know how to trim without xrays. So many of my friends have said they wouldn't do all that but when do you just quit on him, just give up? I don't expect he'll live to be 6 or 7. Honestly I really don't like people who miniaturize animals to make them like toys. They don't know the damage they are doing to the health of those tiny dwarfs. So long as there is a market for mini animals.....

 

[Niomi]

I had a rabbit that I put to sleep at the age of 4. She was a beautiful Standard Satin. I suspect that the problem with her was inbreeding. She stopped eating, and I took her in and she got her teeth trimmed. Two weeks later, she stopped eating again. I took her back and she got antibiotics and another teeth trim and she was eating again. Two weeks after that she stopped eating. I took her to another vet where she got yet another teeth trim. A little over a week later she stopped eating. The vet did an x-ray. The vet said that there was a big problem with her roots and she wanted to pull all of her teeth. Then I would have to hand feed her. I also had a cat that needed vet care for skin problems, and I was going in debt and having trouble paying my bills. I had my rabbit put to sleep because I felt that a rabbit with no teeth would have quality of life issues, along with digestive issues. The vet was angry with me, but she offered me no financial help. I was a single mother and was having trouble paying my bills. It is hard to know when to stop. You have to balance your needs with your rabbit's needs.

If you adopted this rabbit from a rescue, maybe you can reach out to them and see if they can help you with the medical issues.

 

[AVIE]

oh Niomi, I can't imagine! Hugs to you for all you've been through!

 

[Kellyann]

Niome, I'm really sorry to hear about your rabbit who died. Thank you for sharing that difficult experience. I expect to
lose Alf before he ever reaches old age. Yes, it's all inbreeding. Unscrupulous people who seek to make money at the expense of sad inbred animals and the people who love them. Pet mills are an evil and not enough is being done. Thank goodness for people like you and those on this site for caring enough to give these dear animals a good life they have, for as long as they have.

 

[AVIE]

And... To share and educate us with your experience

 

[Niomi]

Thank you all for your kind words. Just so you know, my beautiful satin rabbit died many years ago.