How hay-based diet and regular veterinary dental assessment prevent the most common and painful disease in pet rabbits.
Rabbit dental disease is simultaneously the most common welfare problem in companion rabbits and among the most preventable - the primary cause is the low-fiber, high-concentrate diet that many rabbit owners provide instead of hay-based feeding. The suffering caused by dental molar spurs and associated complications is severe and often protracted - rabbits eat less, lose weight, and experience chronic oral pain that they cannot communicate effectively. The welfare investment required to prevent dental disease is minimal: ad libitum hay as the dietary foundation. The message that rabbits need primarily hay is not sufficiently reaching rabbit owners, representing a critical veterinary and welfare communication challenge.