dwarf bunny malocclusion

[Elizabeth Timpa]

Last summer my daughter rescued a dwarf bunny she found huddled and terrified on the side of a busy road. We noticed that she had long protuding upper and lower teeth. After some internet research, we realized she needed vet care. Our vet recommended, after trimming her lower teeth, but not her upper, that we should put her down, as the maintenance of the teeth would cause a lot of trauma to her. However, we heard of another vet about an hour's drive from here, who would treat her. He trimmed both upper and lower teeth twice, but she started developing abcesses, so after several rounds of antibiotics that weren't working, we had her put down about two weeks ago. We are still wondering whether the first vet who saw her was right, or whether the second vet, who treated her, was just after a cash grab,(it cost about $200.00 to get her treated.) Any opinions? Also, are there any movements to stop breeding of so many dwarf bunnies, when so many have this problem?

[Digston]

Its not just dwarf rabbits that can develop this issue. Rabbits teeth continuously grow and if they aren't given material to chew on to wear them down they'll grow right into the upper and/or lower mouth. The dwarf rabbit you found may have been someones very neglected pet

I am not a vet, all I have is my experience working with rabbits. So I couldn't tell you whether the first vet was incorrect in his accessment. I suppose it depends on what he saw. I can tell you that the vet was correct when he/she told you that the treatment would be stressful on the rabbit, and stress in rabbits is deadly.

The unfortunate thing about rabbits is they have a pretty high tolerance to antibiotics. A lot of times they won't do anything at all. I would like to believe that the 2nd vet wasn't just after your money, but was trying to do all that he could to help this bunny.

It was a good thing you did for the rabbit, trying to give it the care it needed. And I'm sorry for the unfortunate outcome.

[Elizabeth Timpa]

Hi, thanks for the response. We did get another dwarf bunny last fall, as we were afraid that Honey Bunny might not make it, and thought it would be easier for my little grandaughter if she still had a bunny. This one we got from a breeder, and she has no problems, but from research on the internet it seems that malocclusion in dwarf bunnies is a real problem. They are adorable pets, so loving and cute. Thanks again for your input.