Rabbits need hay for healthy teeth
QMy 10-year-old daughter has been reading up about rabbits. We have two littermates, a male and a female, both neutered. Apparently dental disease is quite common in rabbits, and my daughter would like to know why, and how to prevent it.
AYour daughter is quite right as dental disease, according to new research, is very common in rabbits.
The Royal Veterinary College Vetcompass group recently reviewed the clinical records of nearly 162,000 rabbits seen in primary veterinary practice, establishing that one in seven pet rabbits suffer with dental disease.
It is estimated that 230,000 pet rabbits may be suffering from dental disease at the moment in the UK, with many not receiving veterinary care.
Signs of dental disease are reluctance to eat, drooling and pawing at the mouth. Incisor teeth at the front of the mouth grow unevenly and crooked, needing frequent veterinary attention. Uneven wear on the cheek teeth leads to spurs that ulcerate the tongue, causing severe pain.
The PDSA PAW report 2023 has a section devoted to rabbit welfare.
The most important cause of dental disease is diet. Hay should constitute 85 to 90% of the diet. But only 73% of owners are feeding hay and 13% still feed muesli, which is the cause of many problems.
Rabbit teeth grow continually and they need constant grinding down with high fibre food. The right diet is the best way to prevent dental disease.
I recommend, as useful reading for your daughter, the RSPCA’S Keeping Rabbits as Pets section at rspca.org.uk, along with the RVC and PDSA surveys.
QYou have mentioned a few times that dogs and cats can get a hay fever type of illness. I have a three-year-old male Staffordshire bull terrier cross. He has recently been rubbing his eyes and shaking his head. Could this be down to hay fever?
AIt is one possibility and I suggest a trip to your vet, as without treatment, things can get worse.
The first report of a hay fever-type illness in dogs was in 1941 in Minneapolis, US, in a dog that developed an allergic reaction to ragweed.
Currently, the disease is usually called atopy or atopic dermatitis.
Atopy in dogs has many similarities with hay fever in people and this has encouraged a massive research effort in an attempt to find a permanent cure for the problem.
Dogs differ from people in that atopy affects the skin primarily, and runny eyes and sneezing are rare. Instead, affected dogs are itchy with inflamed skin tending to occur on the inside of the ears, around the eyes, the muzzle, in between the skin of the paws, the groin and axilla.
Not all dogs will have all these signs, however, and there is considerable variability in severity.
Diagnosis relies on ruling out other diseases which can cause itchiness, such as parasites, infections and food allergy, before arriving by default at atopy.
There are many anti-inflammatory and immunological treatments, which aim to keep a dog comfortable.
This requires patience and a good working relationship with your vet, as treatment is likely to be life-long in maintaining good control, with occasional flare-ups possible.