URGENT. Not eating and not well after molar filings

[Avantika]

This is going to be long, but please read and please help me.

I will put the questions first: 

1) Is it normal for some bleeding to occur in dental procedures? Moshu bled a bit. The vet dabbed some liquid betadine and distilled water in a cotton and put it in her mouth.

2) How long will it take for her to resume eating? It looks like she’s adequately hungry but is not able to chew well. Either because her oral cavity is injured and swollen or they cut her incisors too short or both?

3) How long do I keep her warm?

Background:

Moshu is one and a half years old and obviously, her teeth grew to an extent that required filing. As you all know, I come from India where veterinary sciences is still advancing, especially that for lagomorphs and other exotic pets is still in it’s nascent stage. I am still lucky to be a resident of the capital city of my country, and the vet I take Moshu to is the most reliable vet I have found so far. She is much more knowledgeable and rabbit savvy than all the vets I have been to so far.

This was Moshu’s first dental filing. The vet sedated her with ketamine/xylazine. The procedure was quite distressful for me to witness. I was there throughout the procedure and I only kept wishing if the instruments were cleaner and more superior. There was no incisor gag. Three people had to be involved in the procedure apart from me. The mouth was opened and stretched manually. Incisor trimming was done with ease. No problems at all. Though I am worried if they trimmed it too much. I will come up with the pictures in one of my next posts on this thread. I dont want to stress her right now.

Doing the molars was an ordeal. Her oral cavity was too, too small for any instrument to find its space and do the job. I am not sure if this is a really bad thing, but after trying for fifteen-twenty minutes, they had to resort to use a nail filer. They have used that nail filer on dogs previously. Sure they did sterilize it, but obviously…it made me a bit sad. It was a sharp and rough filer, and from the sound that came while the vet was doing the work, it seemed like it did filed the molars to some extent.

Anyways, we came back home some 6 hours back and I didn’t know that post-anesthesia, the bunny has to be kept warm. It was only after my mother and I realized that she’s shivering a bit that I read online about it and also called the vet. I then switched on the heating pad, slid it beneath a layer of bed sheet and brought her on top of it. She’s no longer shivering and neither her ears are cold anymore.

The vet gave her subcutaneous multivitamins, metoclopramide and meloxicam.

The vet has given a five day course of the following medicines:

– Meloxicam (NSAID)

– Enrofloxacin (antibiotic)

– A multivitamin and probiotic syrup

– An ayurvedic digestive tonic that helps relieve flatulence and aids digestion

Its 8 hours past the filing and she only ate a few pellets of alfa alfa. She’s not having cauliflower leaves and broccoli – both of which are her favorites. The vet says that it will take a day or two to settle. I read a few posts on some other forum I am not a member of – they say the same. They are stressing on pain relief. I am scared to give her meloxicam too often because I read any form of anagesic suppresses the GI tract. But I guess I shouldn’t compromise one pain relief and give her metoclopramide to combat the GI issues. 

Please give your inputs and help us. I am worried.

[Bam]

My Yohio didn’t start to eat volutarily until about 5 days after his first molar burr. I syringe-fed him him. I had to give him Metacam, I wasn’t given any at first but since he wouldn’t eat, I had to call the vet and ask for some.

Meloxicam is well tolerated by bunnies for long-term use according to Medirabbit.
http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Analgesics/safe_analgesics.htm

I think the enrofloxacine is worse for the tummy, so I’m glad you got a probiotic. 

[Avantika]

I am relieved to hear that they indeed take sometime to resume. I think giving her an antibiotic would be really helpful. I am worried about the soreness in her oral cavity and worried if some infection might occur sooner or later.

What do you suggest? Enrofloxacin or some sulfa drug? Read somewhere they are better for the GI tract. Will take care of the mouth while being better on the tummy than enrofloxacin. 

Bam, please answer if a little bleeding is normal.

[tobyluv]

I assume that you aren’t able to get Oxbow Critical Care where you live. You can grind up pellets and mix them with water and syringe feed them to Moshu. You could even add a tiny bit of fruit juice if you think she would enjoy it more. Instead of force feeding her with a syringe, you can make the pellet and water mixture and put it in a bowl for her to eat herself. You could add a little bit of baby food or plain canned pumpkin to make it tastier to her. If she didn’t want to eat it out of a bowl, you could dip your finger in it and see if she will lick it off.

I hope that Moshu will feel better and start eating normally soon.

[Avantika]

I did that already; she wont have it. But yes, I can give it one more try with either sweet pumpkin or fruit juice. Though I did try with a mix of dry mint and parsley. No luck.

Also, syringe feeding is impossible. I take off the needle, but the mouth of the syringe is still not big enough to allow unrestricted flow of pellets. No matter how finely I grind them, even in a mixer-grinder, they always find a way to get stuck in the mouth of the syringe tube.

[Bam]

A bit of bleeding might occur if the gums were nicked, which seems likely if your vet kept the mouth open manually and not with an instrument. Sores in the mouth tend to bleed, and that’s good, blood actually helps with healing. In general, sores in the mouth heal well on their own. They are sort of irrigated by saliva all the time and that helps washing away bacteria.

I have no experience with antibiotics in rabbits. The choice would have to be made from what bacteria are the most likely culprits-to-be.

[cinnybun2015]

I’m sorry, I have no answers to help…

If you’re going to give fruit juice, I would suggest diluting it in water so that it doesn’t upset her stomach and isn’t too sugary.

I’m so sorry that I have no answers, but I’m sending hugs to your bun for a quick recovery!!!!

[tobyluv]

Have you asked your vet if he has any other supplies that would work better for force feeding the ground up pellet mixture? The syringe type feeders that I have always used did not have any needles attached. They were just the plastic cylinder with the rubber plunger that pushed the contents out. They come in various sizes with various size openings. You can’t have one too large or it will be too big to fit in the rabbit’s mouth, but you do need one with a large enough opening to allow the pellet mixture to flow out. Maybe a pharmacy would have something better for you to use.

[LBJ10]

Poor Moshu. I agree with tobyluv, look for a larger syringe. Vets usually carry them for this purpose. Another thought would be a meat injector syringe from the grocery store. You would need to remove the needle, of course.

[LBJ10]

There are also syringes for frosting (instead of the traditional bag).

[Avantika]

My dad had this tool with which he increased the circumference of the dropper’s hole. Its still not ideal, but it has made it possible to feed her to a great extent. I will still look for better alternatives. I made a mixture of timothy hay pellets and boiled pumpkin (not sweet). Added some herbs to it. Dried parsley and dried mint. I am somehow shoving it inside her mouth. Is it common for bunnies to dislike the taste or texture of wet pellets?

I have a few questions. Moshu’s incisors werent really long. They looked fine to me. Yet the vet trimmed them. I thought it was okay since its not great to put a little creature under anesthesia often and also because i am really short on time these days. Lets assume they trimmed her incisors more than it was required? Will this make it difficult for her to have food? Like, difficulties with picking up the food?

[Bam]

It’s very normal for a bunny to heartily dislike being syringe fed. When you feed Critical Care a considerable amount will end up on your clothes and around the bun’s mouth.
Even if a bun has no incisors at all (some have to have them pulled out), it will soon learn how to pull food into its mouth using its tongue.
Sending so many vibes for little Moshu.

[Vienna Blue in France]

bam you make me laugh out loud with your command of the English language….

((((Vibes)))) for Moshu – its never fun having toothache or mouthache…

How about mashed banana, “bad sugary food” aside, it will get food into her and get her used to easy eating again if she really REALLY likes whats in front of her…

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I have a very different experience with molar filing (i.e. I never have any meds after, and no bleeding) , but the shivering and recovery time is similar -I find Rupert very chilly after the procedure-I have an entire routine, he goes in a playpen in my spare room with a heater on, a hot water bottle and blankets. It’s not until the morning that he’s better.

I’m wondering-do you have an update on how your rabbit is doing? Also, how was it discovered that she needed a filing? X-rays? Was she presenting with frequent tummy upset, or troubles? weight loss?

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