Rather than ear type or head shape, the study concluded that instead, diet, environment and regular dental checks might be more important in the development of dental disease, helping veterinarians and rabbit owners prioritise care and support rabbit welfare.
Dental disease is one of the most common and painful conditions affecting pet rabbits in the UK, with recent studies estimating it affects up to 18 percent of the population, but it can often go unnoticed until it becomes more severe. Breeds with lop ears and short skulls (brachycephaly) have long been suspected of being more at risk of dental disease. However, there has been limited research to date to support this. Therefore, a team of RVC researchers, led by Maria Jackson, research assistant in rabbit health and welfare and veterinary nurse, and Dr Charlotte Burn, associate professor in animal welfare and behaviour science, set out to explore whether these physical features in rabbits are linked to dental problems.
The study involved visual dental checks of 435 volunteered pedigree rabbits from 49 breeds at British Rabbit Council shows and breeders’ studs across the UK. The researchers assessed tooth and mouth health using an otoscope, while also recording ear type, head shape (on a purpose-made visual scale), body size, age and sex.
The findings revealed that:
- Many rabbits had no obvious dental issues with 68 percent of rabbits having no incisor abnormalities and 55 percent having no issues with their cheek teeth
- Lop-eared rabbits were not more likely to have dental problems but were 4.03 times more likely to have watery eyes – a symptom that could be linked to other health issues
- Flat-faced (brachycephalic) rabbits did not show more dental abnormalities than those with longer faces
- Longer-faced rabbits (dolichocephalic) were slightly more likely (1.39 times) to have a specific dental issue known as “step or wave mouth”, where the premolars and molars have a step-like pattern and don’t align normally
- Older age and sex were more consistently linked to dental abnormalities. Male rabbits were 2.06 times more likely to have an incisor abnormality and 2.23 times more likely to have slanted or curved incisor occlusal surfaces. While females were 2.18 times more likely to have long first cheek teeth, although the clinical significance of some of these findings isn’t clear.
The study highlighted the important role of vets, owners and breeders in the preventive care of rabbits’ dental health. This includes undertaking routine dental checks, providing a nutritional diet (with ad lib hay or grass) and ensuring an enriched environment. Researchers also concluded that any breeding decisions should be based on veterinary assessment of dental health, including otoscope or radiography examinations rather than relying solely on visual inspection of the teeth or a rabbit’s conformation.
Maria Jackson, research assistant in rabbit health and welfare, veterinary nurse, and lead author on the paper said: “Our findings add to the evidence that suggests lop ears and a brachycephalic head shape are less important in the development of dental issues in rabbits than was once thought. It’s clear that all rabbits, not just those with a non-wild conformation, can be affected by dental problems.
“The importance of feeding good-quality hay or grass and supplementing the diet with extruded pellets, not muesli, cannot be overstated, as diet may well be more important than conformation in the development of dental disease. Likewise, providing regular veterinary dental check-ups to rabbits is crucial to facilitate early dental disease detection and give case-specific dietary and treatment recommendations to slow disease progression and support the welfare of rabbits.”
This research was funded by the Animal Welfare Foundation and the RVC’s Animal Care Trust.
Professor Christianne Glossop, chair of the Animal Care Trust, said: “This study helps dispel concerns that certain breeds of rabbits are more likely to suffer from dental disease, and highlights the importance of diet, the environment and regular dental checks to help our rabbits thrive.”
