Bassetluv
Well-Known Member
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Rabbits Need Dental Care Too
[/font][font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica,sans-serif"]What You Need to Know About Your Rabbit'sMouth
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[align=left][font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]BySari Kanfer, DVM and Alexandra Logsdon[/font][/align]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Most people knowthat rabbits have four large incisors (front teeth), but not everyonerealizes that they also have other teeth besides those large incisors.They have two tiny incisors located right behind the upper incisors.These are called peg teeth. In the back of their mouth they have sixupper and five lower cheek teeth on each side. The incisors have asharp edge and scissor-like action, and are mainly used to slicethrough vegetation; and the cheek teeth are used for grinding food intosmaller pieces (chewing) for swallowing.
Rabbit teeth are similar to horse teeth. They have evolved over time tobreak down tough, fibrous vegetation, such as grasses, weeds, twigs andleaves, the natural forage of wild rabbits. To compensate for thisconstant wear, rabbit teeth are open-rooted, which means they growcontinuously throughout their lives. [/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]A rabbit whosediet is insufficient in fiber, such as a pellets-only diet, will beunable to properly wear down its teeth. When this happens, the crown(the visible section of the tooth) grows higher and meets the opposingtooth abnormally, leading to abnormal wear and the eventual developmentof sharp edges or points (also called spurs). Sharp tooth edges arepainful and can get long enough to cut the tongue, or can cut theinside of the cheeks, causing soft tissue abscesses. When teeth don'tocclude (meet) properly, it is called malocclusion. Maloccluded teethcreate abnormal pressure against one another, which can cause the toothroots to become impacted, elongated and inflamed. Tooth root impactionis extremely painful and will eventually lead to an infection in thebone, or "jaw abscess." [/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Once a rabbit hasa malocclusion, it is likely that he will never have normal teeth, andmay require frequent vet visits, regular tooth trims under anesthesia,and possibly even abscess surgery. With tooth trims and increaseddietary fiber we can keep rabbits comfortable and provide them with agood quality of life. But tooth problems cannot be ignored - they willnot get better on their own. Your best bet is early diagnosis andcareful monitoring.
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[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Normal Rabbit Teeth[/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica,sans-serif"]
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[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica,sans-serif"]
[/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Some Commonly Asked Questions[/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]How Do I Keep My Rabbits Teeth Healthy?
Yearly or twice yearly dental check-ups by your rabbit savvy vet, plusa healthy, high fiber diet are two important factors in keeping theteeth in good shape.[/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Hay is the mostimportant part of your rabbits diet, not only because of the necessaryfiber content that keeps the gut functioning properly, but also becauseit requires a great deal of chewing. We also believe, from hours ofobserving both domestic and wild rabbits, that it is important to offeryour rabbit a daily variety of hays. Why? Because different hays havedifferent textures, and different hay textures require differentchewing mechanics, and thus help to keep those ever-growing teeth worndown naturally. Limiting the pellets that you feed your rabbit isimportant, because it will help encourage your rabbit to eat more hay,rather than filling up on the less fibrous food. [/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]It is alsohelpful to offer your rabbit tough, fibrous tree branches, leaves andtwigs. It is important to make sure you gather these from rabbit-safetrees and bushes that have NOT been chemically treated withfertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. While wooden chew blocks arefun to play with and great for the front teeth (if your rabbitchews on them), they are not particularly useful for the backteeth.[/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]
Some rabbit-safe chewables you may find in your yard:
Orange or lemon trees branches may be fed fresh or dried
Apple trees branches may be feed fresh or dried
Willow - branches may be fed fresh or dried
Maple, Ash and Pine trees branches should be dried
Rose Canes remove thorns, branches and leaves may be fed fresh or dried
You may want to rinse the branches in water, or place in the freezer overnight to kill any bugs. [/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]To Sum Up: Boththe rabbits front and back must be considered for good dentalhealth. To help keep the teeth properly worn down, a rabbit must usethem almost constantly; munching on hay throughout the day, as well asoffering frequent branches, twigs and dried leaves helps to accomplishthis. [/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]How do I know if my rabbit has bad teeth?
Yearly (or more) visits to a rabbit-experienced veterinarian areessential. The veterinarian can do a fairly decent dental exam on anawake rabbit using a special mouth cone and good palpation, but acomplete and thorough oral exam requires anesthesia. When your rabbitis under anesthesia to be spayed or neutered, this is an excellent timefor the doctor to do a thorough oral exam. And of course, when aproblem is suspected a complete oral exam, including skull x-rays, isindicated.[/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]What can I doat home, on a regular basis, to monitor my rabbit'steeth?[/font]
NO! Rabbits are prey animals. This means that in the wild everythingeats them, and if they show signs that they are ill, they are morelikely to be targeted for dinner. Our domestic rabbits hide their painin much the same way: This is why rabbits are so (frighteningly) goodat hiding illnesses and why we as owners must be so diligent inobserving them for small changes, as well as making sure that they getfrequent vet check-ups and good vet care as-needed. Many rabbits havehuge abscesses, or tongues nearly cut in half, before they start toshow signs like drooling or decreased appetite. This is why its soimportant to have your rabbit's mouth checked regularly by a rabbitexperienced vet.[/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Rabbits have thepotential for many tooth problems, which can affect their lifelonghealth. This is why it is so important to be observant, proactive anddiligent about preventative care.[/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Dr. SariKanfer practices at Animal Medical & Dental Group in ManhattanBeach and can be reached for appointments or consultations at(310)546-5731. She joined the board of Zooh Corner as Medical Directorin January of 2002.[/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]AlexandraLogsdon has run Zooh Corner Rabbit Rescue since 1993 and has many yearsof practical experience. She may be reached via e-mail[email protected], or via thewebsitehttp://www.mybunny.org[/font][font="Verdana,Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"] [/font]
[/font][font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica,sans-serif"]What You Need to Know About Your Rabbit'sMouth
[/font]
[align=left][font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]BySari Kanfer, DVM and Alexandra Logsdon[/font][/align]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Most people knowthat rabbits have four large incisors (front teeth), but not everyonerealizes that they also have other teeth besides those large incisors.They have two tiny incisors located right behind the upper incisors.These are called peg teeth. In the back of their mouth they have sixupper and five lower cheek teeth on each side. The incisors have asharp edge and scissor-like action, and are mainly used to slicethrough vegetation; and the cheek teeth are used for grinding food intosmaller pieces (chewing) for swallowing.
Rabbit teeth are similar to horse teeth. They have evolved over time tobreak down tough, fibrous vegetation, such as grasses, weeds, twigs andleaves, the natural forage of wild rabbits. To compensate for thisconstant wear, rabbit teeth are open-rooted, which means they growcontinuously throughout their lives. [/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]A rabbit whosediet is insufficient in fiber, such as a pellets-only diet, will beunable to properly wear down its teeth. When this happens, the crown(the visible section of the tooth) grows higher and meets the opposingtooth abnormally, leading to abnormal wear and the eventual developmentof sharp edges or points (also called spurs). Sharp tooth edges arepainful and can get long enough to cut the tongue, or can cut theinside of the cheeks, causing soft tissue abscesses. When teeth don'tocclude (meet) properly, it is called malocclusion. Maloccluded teethcreate abnormal pressure against one another, which can cause the toothroots to become impacted, elongated and inflamed. Tooth root impactionis extremely painful and will eventually lead to an infection in thebone, or "jaw abscess." [/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Once a rabbit hasa malocclusion, it is likely that he will never have normal teeth, andmay require frequent vet visits, regular tooth trims under anesthesia,and possibly even abscess surgery. With tooth trims and increaseddietary fiber we can keep rabbits comfortable and provide them with agood quality of life. But tooth problems cannot be ignored - they willnot get better on their own. Your best bet is early diagnosis andcareful monitoring.
[/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Normal Rabbit Teeth[/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica,sans-serif"]
[/font][font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica,sans-serif"]
[/font][font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Some Commonly Asked Questions[/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]How Do I Keep My Rabbits Teeth Healthy?
Yearly or twice yearly dental check-ups by your rabbit savvy vet, plusa healthy, high fiber diet are two important factors in keeping theteeth in good shape.[/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Hay is the mostimportant part of your rabbits diet, not only because of the necessaryfiber content that keeps the gut functioning properly, but also becauseit requires a great deal of chewing. We also believe, from hours ofobserving both domestic and wild rabbits, that it is important to offeryour rabbit a daily variety of hays. Why? Because different hays havedifferent textures, and different hay textures require differentchewing mechanics, and thus help to keep those ever-growing teeth worndown naturally. Limiting the pellets that you feed your rabbit isimportant, because it will help encourage your rabbit to eat more hay,rather than filling up on the less fibrous food. [/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]It is alsohelpful to offer your rabbit tough, fibrous tree branches, leaves andtwigs. It is important to make sure you gather these from rabbit-safetrees and bushes that have NOT been chemically treated withfertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. While wooden chew blocks arefun to play with and great for the front teeth (if your rabbitchews on them), they are not particularly useful for the backteeth.[/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]
Some rabbit-safe chewables you may find in your yard:
Orange or lemon trees branches may be fed fresh or dried
Apple trees branches may be feed fresh or dried
Willow - branches may be fed fresh or dried
Maple, Ash and Pine trees branches should be dried
Rose Canes remove thorns, branches and leaves may be fed fresh or dried
You may want to rinse the branches in water, or place in the freezer overnight to kill any bugs. [/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]To Sum Up: Boththe rabbits front and back must be considered for good dentalhealth. To help keep the teeth properly worn down, a rabbit must usethem almost constantly; munching on hay throughout the day, as well asoffering frequent branches, twigs and dried leaves helps to accomplishthis. [/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]How do I know if my rabbit has bad teeth?
Yearly (or more) visits to a rabbit-experienced veterinarian areessential. The veterinarian can do a fairly decent dental exam on anawake rabbit using a special mouth cone and good palpation, but acomplete and thorough oral exam requires anesthesia. When your rabbitis under anesthesia to be spayed or neutered, this is an excellent timefor the doctor to do a thorough oral exam. And of course, when aproblem is suspected a complete oral exam, including skull x-rays, isindicated.[/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]What can I doat home, on a regular basis, to monitor my rabbit'steeth?[/font]
- [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Make sure yourrabbit eats his daily pellet and veggie portions eagerly, andthat he munches on his hay frequently throughout the day.[/font]
- [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Note anychanges in your rabbits eating habits: no longer eating produce,ignoring pellets or having a hard time chewing them, eating less haythan usual, abnormal feces.[/font]
- [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Feel the leftand right sides of your rabbits head - in front of the eyes, below theeyes on the cheekbone, and under the lower jaw. If you feel a lump onone side that is not on the other, go to your rabbit vet as soon as youcan. [/font]
- [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Gently lift upupper lips to look at the incisors - do they meet evenly? If not, giveyour vet a call. [/font]
- [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Check for anydrooling or excessive wetness under chin (but don't worry if yourrabbit has a moist chin for a short time after drinking or after eatingvegetables). [/font]
- [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]If your rabbitgives bunny kisses, you can smell his breath. A rotten odor is reasonfor a vet check. Beware - parsley-breath is nice, butcecotroph-breath can be pungent! [/font]
- [font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Eye and/ornasal discharge can also be a sign that something is wrong with yourrabbit's teeth.[/font]
NO! Rabbits are prey animals. This means that in the wild everythingeats them, and if they show signs that they are ill, they are morelikely to be targeted for dinner. Our domestic rabbits hide their painin much the same way: This is why rabbits are so (frighteningly) goodat hiding illnesses and why we as owners must be so diligent inobserving them for small changes, as well as making sure that they getfrequent vet check-ups and good vet care as-needed. Many rabbits havehuge abscesses, or tongues nearly cut in half, before they start toshow signs like drooling or decreased appetite. This is why its soimportant to have your rabbit's mouth checked regularly by a rabbitexperienced vet.[/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Rabbits have thepotential for many tooth problems, which can affect their lifelonghealth. This is why it is so important to be observant, proactive anddiligent about preventative care.[/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]Dr. SariKanfer practices at Animal Medical & Dental Group in ManhattanBeach and can be reached for appointments or consultations at(310)546-5731. She joined the board of Zooh Corner as Medical Directorin January of 2002.[/font]
[font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]AlexandraLogsdon has run Zooh Corner Rabbit Rescue since 1993 and has many yearsof practical experience. She may be reached via e-mail[email protected], or via thewebsitehttp://www.mybunny.org[/font][font="Verdana,Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"] [/font]
