Dental disease is the most common health problem in companion rabbits, causing chronic pain that owners frequently fail to recognise, and is largely preventable through appropriate diet and awareness of breed-related risk factors.
Rabbit dental disease represents a welfare crisis that unfolds slowly and silently in millions of homes. Because rabbits suppress pain signals, owners may not recognise that their pet has been living in significant discomfort for months. A rabbit with molar spurs cutting into its tongue or cheeks, with teeth that cannot properly meet, with developing abscesses pushing against nerve pathways — this animal is experiencing genuine chronic suffering that is invisible to the untrained observer. The preventability of much rabbit dental disease makes it particularly concerning: the widespread feeding of muesli-mix diets, pellet-heavy feeding, and inadequate hay provision directly causes the condition that goes on to cause prolonged suffering. Diet education at the point of rabbit acquisition is among the highest-priority welfare interventions in companion animal medicine.