Dental disease is extremely common in domestic rabbits and causes significant chronic suffering. Understanding prevention and treatment enables welfare-conscious rabbit care.
Dental disease in rabbits causes chronic pain that is frequently missed because rabbits hide illness and continue eating despite significant discomfort. By the time dental problems are obvious - complete food refusal, severe weight loss - significant and often irreversible damage has occurred. The suffering of a rabbit with elongated molar roots pressing on the eye socket or causing abscesses is substantial and prolonged. The welfare priority is prevention through unlimited grass hay that provides the necessary dental wear, and early detection through regular veterinary checks by rabbit-experienced practitioners. Dental disease in lop rabbits is particularly concerning because the skeletal abnormalities creating it are inherent to the breed design.