Dental disease is one of the most significant welfare problems in pet rabbits, with malocclusion causing chronic pain that is often unrecognized by owners.
Rabbit dental welfare is severely compromised in much of the pet rabbit population due to inadequate hay provision and breed-specific anatomical problems. The popularity of lop-eared and dwarf breeds has created a welfare crisis — these animals are predisposed to painful dental disease that requires expensive, repeated treatment or causes chronic suffering without intervention. Preventing malocclusion through appropriate breed selection and hay-based diet is far more welfare-positive than treating established disease. Veterinary dental welfare campaigns targeting rabbit owners have measurably improved early presentation rates in practices implementing them.