Spotting dental disease in rabbits

Rabbits have 16 teeth on the top jaw and 12 on the bottom, a total 28 teeth. Dental problems make up a major part of why rabbits are taken to see the vet, so spotting signs early is important.

Symptoms can be non-specific with just general signs of being off colour. Other specific symptoms include:

• Excessive drooling leading to wet chin, chest, and front legs

• Discharge from eyes -- clear and watery or thick and white

• Facial irritation

• Quidding -- dropping or spitting out food

• Anorexia -- can progress to dangerous dehydration quickly

• Lethargy and depression

• Weight loss

• Swelling around the face/visible abscess

• Reluctance to groom

• Accumulation of faeces under the tail

• Less faeces or complete lack (if eating less/anorexic)

• Dry faeces if becoming dehydrated

• Pain -- use the rabbit grimace scale which looks at facial expression

• Bruxism -- tooth grinding due to pain

Diet, lack of enrichment, and poor housing can all play a role along with dental malformation where the rabbit has underlying problems causing dental disease.

Faecal changes are very important to note in rabbits. Dental disease can lead to changes in food consumption resulting in very small droppings, less, or no droppings.

Dehydration can also lead to dry faeces, and some rabbits with dental pain have diarrhoea so checking their bottom is very important.

Work on getting your rabbit used to be touched around the face and mouth and make it part of your daily routine to check for any signs of dental problems as the quicker they are treated; the less complications develop. Check out our article on how to help prevent dental disease.