Dental disease is the most common health problem in companion rabbits and a leading cause of chronic pain and welfare compromise, yet it is often undetected by owners.
Chronic dental disease in rabbits causes prolonged suffering that is frequently unrecognised because rabbits conceal signs of pain and owners rarely examine the mouth. Tooth spurs cutting into soft tissues cause constant pain during eating, leading to weight loss and, if untreated, starvation. The root cause is almost always dietary: insufficient hay means teeth do not wear correctly and develop abnormal shapes. Correcting diet before dental problems develop is far more effective than treating established disease. Regular veterinary dental checks under sedation are necessary because the cheek teeth cannot be examined without specialist equipment.