Supreme sponsors dentistry talk

A talk called “Rabbit dentistry: it takes two” will be held online tomorrow (11 November).

Molly Varga – RCVS-recognised specialist in zoo and wildlife medicine, and veterinary advisor to Supreme Petfoods – will explain how vets and VNs can work together to improve outcomes for rabbits.

The talk will be co-presented by Craig Tessyman, an exotics VN who works alongside Dr Varga at Rutland House Referral Hospital in Merseyside, and will cover diagnosis and management of dental disease, and best practice in rabbit dentistry.

‘Challenging’

Dr Varga said: “Dental disease is common among pet rabbits, so small animal vets often need to diagnose and treat dental problems. It can be challenging to manage these cases.

“Our aim with this talk is to help vets improve their clinical approach, and also to provide useful tips for nurses – we want to explain how the practice team can work together with these cases, along our theme of ‘it takes two’.”

The presentation will cover relevant background on rabbits’ mechanism of chewing, and provide practical advice on recognising and diagnosing dental disease. Physical examination and dental charting will also be discussed, as well as dental radiography.

‘Useful tool’

Dr Varga added: “Radiography can be a really useful tool to assess dental disease in rabbits. Vets often aren’t as familiar with positioning and evaluating radiographs of rabbits as compared to cats and dogs, so we’ll give some useful tips on what to look out for.”

Claire Hamblion, marketing manager at Supreme Petfoods, said: “Molly’s expertise is invaluable in her role as a veterinary advisor to Supreme. We’re delighted to help her share her knowledge with the veterinary profession – especially in these difficult times when face-to-face conferences aren’t practical.”

The talk was originally scheduled for BSAVA Congress and London Vet Show, but has been taken online due to the pandemic. Counting as one hour of CPD, details of the 12:20pm talk, which can be accessed afterwards as well as live, are available online.