Sick rabbit

jh79

I think my 2 year old rabbit has "slobbers". He has matted skin under his chin. I googled it and some sites say there is nothing that can be done.

Would be grateful for some advice

morganafay

It might be something wrong with his teeth. But it doesn't mean there's neccessarily nothing that can be done. You should really bring him to a vet to look at his teeth, etc.

It could be something like the front teeth don't meet properly, which could be there since birth, and then maybe there might be nothing they can do. Or maybe the teeth are overgrown and they could do something about that.

Or maybe it's something else, but I just thought of the teeth . . .

Does he eat his food properly? Does he eat vegetables? Does he eat much hay? Does he seem skinny?

RosieJoe

Post over on http://www.irishrabbits.proboards.com/ as well, you might get a better response from a dedicated forum.

jh79

Brought him to the vet today. His front teeth are fine but he does think its a dental problem. He gave him some antibiotics and he seems alot better. The vet recommended pellets for food to ensure he chews more instead of picking soft bits he likes. First time rabbit owner so just did what i was told in the pet shop including getting a guinea pig companion!. Next time I will research more.

Thanks for the post

morganafay

Most pet shops are like that :rolleyes:

Make sure he has lots of hay at all times too, to help wear down his back teeth. Pelleted food is good, but they need to eat loads and loads of hay too.

Is the vet just hoping that the teeth will get better themselves with different foods? If they don't get better then I'd suggest going to a vet (who's very experienced with rabbits) to see if maybe the back teeth need filing down. Some vets can do that without anaesthetic, some will give them a general anaesthetic for it.

Hope he gets better

LisaO

Have a look out for Burgess Excel brand of food & hay. They do a range of excellent quality pelleted foods & several different hays. Our rabbits love them

Wisco

Definitely get the bunny to a vet who deals with rabbits on a regular basis. If the vet did not examine the back teeth, and is just guessing there's a problem, go somewhere else. Rabbit dentistry is sort of specialized and not all vets with have the correct instruments to do it, but there probably is someone close to you who does. This is not something you want to treat slowly- if your rabbit is unable to eat properly (which is what it sounds like if it's drooling, etc) you need to get it sorted ASAP or it may deteriorate and need intensive (and expensive!) care. Bunnies are pretty good at hiding health problems, so go with more aggressive treatmetns. Giving a GA to sort out the teeth to a sick rabbit is far more dangerous than a healthy one.
Good luck!