Anyone see improvement?

[nuttymeg]

The vet had a specialist view the xrays and her opinion wasnt all to favourable that the antibiotics will be effective. More or less still suggested amputation.

Specialist input- “difficult to asses what might be the primary cause of infection. The bone is atrophic” (not as dense?) “ so infection going on for a while The bone doesn’t look like osteomyelitis”( bone infection) “There is a radiolucent area visible dorsally”( so a lack of density in bone- infection?tumor??) “If we assess the situation a more localized abcessation of the soft tissue which has now slowly spread to the bone - the specialist-would resect radically- removing the abcess capsule- if possible_ in toto and reset all altered soft tissue down to the bone- Open wound healing follows as the wound can not be closed -she assumes. The bone area where the beginning lytic lesions are visible would also need to be curetted thoroughly ‘Regular wound treatment or implantation fo antibiotic beads would be indicated. Maybe there would be a need for immobilization( like a cast) - The Achilles tendon would need to be preserved _ IF POSSIBLE! You have to decide- this might be a chance. …Antiboitic treatment alone will Be ineffective and amputation might be- sadly- the “easier” way to go. Dr Estella Boheme U of Munich- co-author book on Rabbit Medicine/ dentistry So this is the report I got after posting the case with xrays on VIN- Veterinary information network, — Guess we can “see” how she does with the antibiotics- but all things considered amputation might still be the best recourse.

So that was the specialist report. Im going to give the antibiotics time to work. I know it can be a long recovery.

 

[nuttymeg]

So a week of pen g and shes looking so much better. I have to hand feed her as shes not eating much but i dont mind doing that. I love bunny lips hehehe.

I remove the scab each day and a bit of pus comes out. But the difference is shocking. I went to get her to weigh her and she ran and grunted. Something shes not done in over a month since this started. Shes a clucker and grunter. I have to say i missed that in her. Shes my only one who is vocal. Shes acting more herself and i love it. She even rested in her bed this morning.

Thank you to everyone who lent advice and well wishes.

 

[JBun]

So glad to hear of her improvement. I know it's such a relief when you start seeing their normal behavior return. It's looking so much better.

One thing if you aren't already doing this, is usually you want to clean the pus out each day. So I would either be squeezing it out(if possible) or irrigating it with sterile saline to get the pus out. This link shows steps and photos of abscess wound care if you haven't already seen it. If you are unsure of what to do, always consult with your vet.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Bacterial/Absc_treat/abscess_treat.htm

Also if you don't already know this, with antibiotics there is always a risk of digestive issues occurring, even with injected antibiotics. With pen g injections you want to make sure any leakage at the injection site is thoroughly cleaned off so none is accidentally ingested while grooming, which if ingested poses the risk of fatal enterotoxemia occurring. Also I suggest not feeding sugary/starchy foods, sometimes reducing pellet amounts, the usual veggies/greens are good, and making sure lots of good quality grass hay is being consumed(when the rabbit is eating on it's own) to help keep the microflora in the digestive tract in balance. If your bun isn't eating on her own at all, then just continue with the syringe feeding mix. Some people will also give a probiotic. If used I prefer benebac plus(US).

 

[nuttymeg]

I do try to squeeze some out. Not much does but at least some. It scabs over and i remove that and it usually flows out a little. Squeezing it makes her very unhappy even when im doing it very gently.

Sge is on the bene bac plus. Got that pretty quick. And i do check the injection site after administrating it.

She eats here and there but no water from her bottle i tried a shallow bowl and same. She eats her black oil sunflower seeds.some greens etc. Ive drenched those in water for her.
But shes doing much better.