Rabbit wont eat after having molars filed

Question
Hi,
I have a 5 yr old Dwarf lop house bunny and about 10 days ago he slowly started going off his food. After about 4 days of this I took him to the vet who filed his back teeth as he thought there were spurs developing and he was showing the classic signs of teeth problems (wet chin, hungry but not eating). The vet advised me that all was OK and he would be back to normal.

My rabbit then went in to a bunny boarding home for 4 days while I was away and I asked them to keep a spacial eye on him to make sure he was eating. They assured me everthing was fine. However, when I picked him up I could see he had notably lost weight and was only picking at his food (only fresh food) when I got him home. I took him back to my vets who re-filed his back teeth and further checked him over for blockages/sores etc and could not find anything wrong.

I got my rabbit home last night and he ate some fresh grass and appeared to be chewing this fine. However he wouldnt eat anything else (but is drinking) and this morning although appeared hungry, just picked at the fresh grass.

I'm very concerned as I know how dangerous it is when rabbits dont eat properly. It seems a mystery as he is bright in himself and seems to want to eat, but just wont. Is it just a case of letting him settle back in and giving him a couple of days to get his appetite back? Or should I seek advice from another vet? I'm worried that the constant trips to the vet could be making him stressed and not want to eat. Help!

Answer
Dear Rosie,

His mouth might be sore from the filing, but after 2-3 days, his eating should pick up if he doesn't have any further dental or other oral problems. Please see:

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

Might want to ask the vet to take some head radiographs to be sure there is no sign of abscess or other problem that might not be visible upon visual examination.  In the meantime, to keep him from losing so much weight, I'd recommend you get him some Critical Care:

http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-a=00062824-sp00000000&sp-q=bonding

which will help keep him strong and well hydrated until his oral problems can be discovered and addressed.  If you're not sure your current vet is up to the task, you might wish to check the list here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

to find another rabbit-savvy vet for a second opinion.

Hope this helps.

Dana