From Mary Ellen
and Spenser
Be the bunny big or small,
With ears that lop or not,
We have them all,
so give us a call,
they're ready to adopt.
Spenser came to me when he was 6 years old, a 14 pound French Lop. His time with me was much too short. He left for the Rainbow Bridge in 1999.
Spenser was a big part of my starting Bunny Lu. The French Lop breed is still my favorite.
Dental Health
by L. Seeman, MSN
Meet Ben. This darling little guy was abandoned, and found running for his life
across a busy highway. When rescued, we discovered Ben could hardly eat any
food due to a severe overgrowth of his front incisors. He was taken to the vet
to have the teeth filed down.
This is what an overgrowth of the front incisors looks like. Ben had his teeth filed down, but they continued to grow in crooked. This prevented the normal wearing down of the teeth to occur. After having his teeth filed down regularly over several months, our vet, Dr. Wendy Behm at Blue Ridge Veterinary Associates in Purcellville, Virginia, advised pulling his front teeth. She explained the front incisors chop the food and the back molars chew the food. Since Ben was only having his front teeth extracted, his back teeth would still be able to chew. All we had to do was chop his food in smaller pieces.
Dr. Behm has a lot of experience with rabbits, and is especially
proficient in dental procedures. She anesthetized Ben and extracted
his front incisors. Not an easy job when one realizes how far the
roots of the teeth go down. Rabbit teeth grow approximately 5 inches
per year. When the teeth are properly aligned, chewing food wears
the teeth down naturally. The side to side motion required for
chewing hay, wears down the back molars. If the teeth are not
properly aligned, they continue to grow and cause
difficulties.
This is what Ben looks like after surgery. Having his front
incisors extracted has not limited Ben's love of food. He has a very
healthy appetite and seems happier since he doesn't have to go to
the vet every month to have his teeth filed down.
Just to be on the safe side, Dr. Behm gave Ben a lesson in
brushing his teeth. He follows her instructions daily. Thank you Dr.
Behm!
You can see why Ben had trouble eating. General Malocclusion is a
common cause of dental disease in rabbits. It can be caused by
congenital deformity, dietary problems, trauma, fracture, or
infection. Clinical signs include: loss of appetite, poor grooming,
and/or lack of eating cecotrophs. The back molars can also grow
abnormally but these are usually harder to treat. Additional
symptoms may include: weight loss, excessive salivation, and/or
difficulty chewing and swallowing food. If you notice any of these
signs, please see an experienced rabbit vet
immediately.