Percy's Dental Disease
Hello again, readers,
Today's post will be about briefly discussing the notes from Percy's X-Ray radiograph to help monitor his case of dental disease. The radiograph itself was taken a few weeks back now, but nonetheless it is still relevant for Percy's current treatment plan.
We aren't vets (not even remotely close) but we will try our best to relay the message on to our followers who care so deeply about our residents. We will also enclose a useful link at the end of this post for more information on the subject.
We've previously written a couple of posts (1) (2) on Percy's condition. It is rather unusual how only the males within Percy's family seem to have all suffered with some sort of dental abnormality - it suggests it's possibly something hereditary, although, on the other hand, correlation doesn't always mean causation.
Sadly, we lost Neville (Percy's brother) some time ago after he developed severe rapidly worsening root elongation which lead to uncontrollable pain levels and disordered eating - this was alongside his pre-existing maloclussion, insicior, and molar elongation. With all that in mind, we decided to ask for the vets to do another thorough and extensive re-examination of our other dental-patients, simply to check for any progression and to monitor how well their individual conditions were being managed. Unfortunately, Rodent and Rabbit dentistry hasn't been investigated much until fairly recently, but new information and 'treatments' are quickly arising.
Percy's radiograph highlighted that his molars were quite frankly, and in simple terms, all over the place. He has severely uneven wearing off his molar teeth as well as over-grown incisors - sometimes his incisors can leave him with the inability to close his mouth properly, though no drooling has ever been recorded.
The exotic specialist also had a quick look at the radiograph and believes this is likely due to some form of jaw issue. Given that the problem likely stems from Percy's jaw and not simply his teeth, it is unfortunately a matter of management. Management is the most common outcome with most dental problems as only a small percentage of cases can be cured, but as we mentioned before, rodent and rabbit dentistry is advancing.
Though Percy's molars have an unusual wearing pattern, he is in no discomfort and still manages to maintain a healthy weight and eat independently. With all of those things considered, we don't believe risking the anesthetic and burring down the molars would be beneficial for Percy given that they aren't causing him any problems at this moment in time. We do however manage his over-grown incisors with regular dental work every 2-4 weeks and regularly monitor his condition. Both the exotics and our vet do not believe re-aligning Percy's jaw is a humane treatment nor worth the multitude of risks involved for Percy.
It is hard to say if Percy will at some point suffer root elongation, a condition which cannot be cured nor managed. Given that it is highly suggestive that Hagrid, Neville and Percy's form of dental disease has a genetic element to it, it is plausible that he may eventually develop the abnormality, though it is not logical, nor sensible, to assume that it is a guarantee. Should the situation arise, it is often most humane to intervene with pain management and eventually euthanasia may need to be also considered in severe cases - we will cross that bridge if and when the time comes.
Currently, Percy's in great health otherwise and his treatment plan consists of regular dentals, a healthy and a as-close-to-natural diet as possible, knawing material, and weight maintenance/monitoring.
Useful link on dental disease:
Today's post will be about briefly discussing the notes from Percy's X-Ray radiograph to help monitor his case of dental disease. The radiograph itself was taken a few weeks back now, but nonetheless it is still relevant for Percy's current treatment plan.
We aren't vets (not even remotely close) but we will try our best to relay the message on to our followers who care so deeply about our residents. We will also enclose a useful link at the end of this post for more information on the subject.
We've previously written a couple of posts (1) (2) on Percy's condition. It is rather unusual how only the males within Percy's family seem to have all suffered with some sort of dental abnormality - it suggests it's possibly something hereditary, although, on the other hand, correlation doesn't always mean causation.
Sadly, we lost Neville (Percy's brother) some time ago after he developed severe rapidly worsening root elongation which lead to uncontrollable pain levels and disordered eating - this was alongside his pre-existing maloclussion, insicior, and molar elongation. With all that in mind, we decided to ask for the vets to do another thorough and extensive re-examination of our other dental-patients, simply to check for any progression and to monitor how well their individual conditions were being managed. Unfortunately, Rodent and Rabbit dentistry hasn't been investigated much until fairly recently, but new information and 'treatments' are quickly arising.
Picture demonstrating Percy's misaligned incisor and overgrowth
The exotic specialist also had a quick look at the radiograph and believes this is likely due to some form of jaw issue. Given that the problem likely stems from Percy's jaw and not simply his teeth, it is unfortunately a matter of management. Management is the most common outcome with most dental problems as only a small percentage of cases can be cured, but as we mentioned before, rodent and rabbit dentistry is advancing.
Though Percy's molars have an unusual wearing pattern, he is in no discomfort and still manages to maintain a healthy weight and eat independently. With all of those things considered, we don't believe risking the anesthetic and burring down the molars would be beneficial for Percy given that they aren't causing him any problems at this moment in time. We do however manage his over-grown incisors with regular dental work every 2-4 weeks and regularly monitor his condition. Both the exotics and our vet do not believe re-aligning Percy's jaw is a humane treatment nor worth the multitude of risks involved for Percy.
It is hard to say if Percy will at some point suffer root elongation, a condition which cannot be cured nor managed. Given that it is highly suggestive that Hagrid, Neville and Percy's form of dental disease has a genetic element to it, it is plausible that he may eventually develop the abnormality, though it is not logical, nor sensible, to assume that it is a guarantee. Should the situation arise, it is often most humane to intervene with pain management and eventually euthanasia may need to be also considered in severe cases - we will cross that bridge if and when the time comes.
Currently, Percy's in great health otherwise and his treatment plan consists of regular dentals, a healthy and a as-close-to-natural diet as possible, knawing material, and weight maintenance/monitoring.
You can keep up with Percy on our Instagram.
Useful link on dental disease:
- https://lafeber.com/vet/dental-disease-in-rabbits-and-rodents/
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