terrible molars

Question
Hi Dana,

I have a 6 year old German Lop.  For the last 3 years he's been having terrible teeth problems.  About two years ago all four of his front teeth had been removed because they kept growing in different directions and needed to be trimmed every other week.  My vet told me it was best to have them removed and they were.  

About 8 months after the removal, an abscess began to grow under his chin.  It was treated and removed.  Another 6 months passed and another abscess returned.  It was worse than before but my vet used another medicine and it worked perfectly.  Its going to be almost a year since he had that and luckily it hasn't returned.  

Theres only been one small changed Ive noticed in the last 3-4 months.  My rabbit has begun to eat less vegetables day by day and its gotten to the point where he is not even touching it.  

I took him to the vet two days ago and he noticed that his molars were even worse than before.  They were literally growing horizontally.  Two of them he had to be removed because they were practically wobbly and almost falling out.  He told me that the reason why he stopped eating his veggies is because literally he could o longer shred them enough to swollow and he told me he didnt know how long the other molars would last.

This has been worrying me a lot since my rabbit has been eating less almost every day.  The vet also found some puss coming out from the upper part where his two front teeth use to grow out.  He gave me some medicine to give him twice a day for 10 days by shots.  He's going back to the vet in 10 days again.  

Im just dead worried about how my rabbit will be in the next 6 months.  If he is eating less and less in cause of his terrible molars, does that mean he could reach a point where he will stop eating and simply die of starvation???

Are there different options? Would my rabbit begin drinking his food if I was to shred it in a blender and mix it with water? Have people done this before?  Is there a last resort for cases like these?  

In relation to his spirit and character he acts normal 95% of the time.  He shows signs of wanting to eat but many times he has to spit out some of the food because he can't shred it well enough.  He lays down on the floor in his regular position, he doesnt show signs of distress or pain, or at least he is really good at hiding it.

Please let me know what my options are in regards to the upcoming months with his feeding and what should be done in relation to his molars terrible molars.

Thank you so much for help,

gaby

Answer
Dear Gaby,

While it's unfortunate for a bunny to lose his teeth, it's not a death sentence.  I've known many people who had toothless bunnies who did exactly what you suggest:  put fresh food into a blender and make a "smoothie".  But all you really need to do is mince the food into bits as small as he would do with his own molars, and he should be able to handle his food just fine.

For pelleted food, simply cover his morning pellets (green, alfalfa- or timothy-based pellets only; no grains or other additives) with a little bit of warm chamomile tea or warm water, and allow them to soak for a few minutes until room temperature.  You can fluff up the pellets, which will now be an easily mouthable size, and he'll be able to eat it just fine without any further grinding up with his own molars.

If there is pus in the tooth sockets, though, he may need another course of antibiotics to clear the infection, which could be causing enough pain to make him avoid chewing.  Pain medication such as metacam and/or tramadol can also make his life more pleasant while the vet is deciding the best course of action for his molars.  First priority, of course, is to clip and file smooth the molar spurs he has developed, and this may need to be done on a rather regular basis for the rest of his life.  But many rabbits have regular molar spur trimmings, and they do just fine.

Please also see:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html

and

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/jawabscess.html

I hope this helps.

Dana