Ferret teeth removal

Question
Hi Cindy,

Recently our boy, Bob broke an upper canine. Our vet removed the remaining root, and the other upper canine which had been identified a few months before as discoloured/diseased.

We had him on soft food for a few days and then put him back with his buddies. We were happy he was eating kibble ok and then went away for 4 days leaving them in the care of a friend.

When we got back I checked on my guys and found Bob totally flat and as limp as a rag doll. I managed to get some food and water into him and took him to the vet the following morning.

His lower canines had pierced his upper lip and was obviously very painful, hence he wasn't eating.

He has been on glucose drip and has regained his energy but we need to resolve the problem.

I am based in the UK, who are only just really starting to get into ferrets as pets and our vets don't get to treat them that often.

The options discussed were removal of the lower, healthy canines, with risk of damaging the jaw, or of blunting the teeth by removing the tip and then filing them down a little. The risk being of exposing the root.

I would appreciate any guidance you could offer and any other ideas / problems or consequences we should consider.

Many thanks for your time

Sarah (and the magnificent 11)

Answer
Hello, Sarah,

Wow, this is the first time I have ever heard of this.  I have not needed to have any of my ferret's canines removed, but my cat is needed one of hers pulled and had no complications. It might be your ferrets jaw/tooth alignment may be a bit different than others.
 
Something needs to be done with the lower canine or it will continue to cause him pain, discomfort and infection in the upper lip.  It is a difficult decision since either option poses risks.  Perhaps attempt to file the tooth down, and if that does not work, have it removed.  The only other option is to implant a prosthetic tooth in place of the upper canine.  Unfortunately, this is horribly expensive and I am not sure where you would find a veterinarian who would do the procedure.  If you are interested, call the nearest school of veterinary medicine and they might be able to better advise you.

Please let me know how this turns out.  That way, if anyone else has a similar problem in the future I can better advise them.  Best of luck for you and your little guy!

-Cindy P.