Frequency of dental disease and associated pathologies in dwarf rabbits

Abstract

Dental disease is common in domestic rabbits. It manifests itself in a variety of clinical signs and can contribute to the development of rhinosinusitis and dacryocystitis. By itself, dental disease prevents the animal from eating normally, which contributes to the development of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, exhaustion and death of animals. Over the past few centuries, rabbits have become widespread as pets, which has rather led to an increase in the popularity of dwarf rabbits. At the same time, in addition to the small size of the body, some brachycephaly of the head is observed in dwarf rabbits: shortening of the facial skull relative to the size of the body and brain skull. A number of authors argue that such morphological changes lead to an increased risk of developing dental disease and associated pathologies (dacryocystitis and rhinosinusitis).