Huge abscess

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bbgrl20

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I recently acquired a bunny with maloclussionand a huge abscess on his jaw. I was wondering if there was anybody whohas had a bunny with this similar condition and if your bunny healedwell. Any suggestion would be great, I plan on getting the surgery doneto remove the abscess, I'm just worried about how he is going to do

heres a pic of his abscess


 
Aw, that's really sad.

I knew someone whos rabbit got a massive absess in it's ear, and aftera few traumatic days it got over it and returned to normal. I hope thatcan offer you some hope for her, but obviously the situation isdifferent.

Good luck for the operation, and keep us updated :)
 
Flashy, thanks so much for the much needed optimism! I really needed that!

Pipp, thanks for the resource. I am actually doing the penicillin injto see if it would help. One of our er dr read that trials have beendone and seemed to have good results. He's abscess is really bad andthe dr at my hospitals that deal with rabbits don't want to touch it.So I am just hoping for the best. I'm am just so happy that he is stilleating and drinking and of course pooping! I'll keep you guys update, Ijust really want this guy to be comfortable and healthy!
 
bbgrl20 wrote:
I just really want this guy to be comfortable and healthy!
All you can do is your best :) And it sounds like that is what you are doing.

Where did you get him from? Assumably to have an absess that big hemust have had it for ages. Poor little guy. But at least he is in asafe place where someone loves him and is doing their best by him. Hecouldn't really want for more at the mo.

And yeah, keep us updated :)
 
[align=left]Poor little guy. Myrecently departed Jacques' abscess looked exactly like that.He came to us too late. It seems you are on the righttrack. Normal protocol is surgery to debride thearea. Really aggressive treatment will include beads lacedwith antibiotics...usually clindamycin...that are packed into theabscess. We have had good success with using Procaineinjections ((Pen G). Amikacin is also an excellentchoice. Lots of support therapies....additional hydration,proper nutrition and very aggressive pain meds are in order.A culture will show you exactly what pathogen is in there.Many abscesses contains anaerobic bacteria (doesn't need oxygen tosurvive) and between that and they thickness of the pus, it makes drugtherapy difficult. The lower molars are most likely impactedand will be extracted as the jaw itself is probably damaged.The molars on the opposing arcade should also be removed since theywill have no opposition.

Here is an interesting article off the Veterinary Information Networkand was written by one of the top rabbit vets in the country.

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[align=left]
Rabbit.jpg


SMALLMAMMAL HEALTH SERIES
By Susan Brown, DVM
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[align=left]http://www.VeterinaryPartner.com
[/align]

[align=left]Abscesses in Rabbits

An abscess is a cavity containing pus, surrounded by a capsule ofthickened inflamed tissue which is the usually result of a bacterialinfection. The pus is an accumulation of dead cells as the result ofthe battle to fight the infection. In humans, abscesses of the skin areoften caused by Staphylococcus infections, but in rabbits,abscesses can be caused by many different aerobic bacteria (those thatrequire oxygen to survive) including Pasteurella multocida,Streptococcus, Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus anda whole host of anaerobic bacteria (those that do not require oxygen tosurvive).
Rabbits can form abscesses in nearly any organ of the body as well asin skin, tooth roots and bone. The most common causes of rabbitabscesses are bite wounds that become infected and infections in toothroots and tear ducts. Most facial abscesses are the result of dentaldisease. Tear duct abscesses can be the result of an elongated upperincisor tooth root blocking the tear duct. The accumulated fluid is aperfect breeding ground for bacteria and an abscess can form easily.Abscesses that form internally can be more difficult to diagnose ormanage and include areas such as the uterus, lungs, heart, liver,abdominal fat, intestine and kidneys.
Rabbit abscesses can be difficult to treat. One problem is that the pusfound in rabbit abscesses is very thick, about the consistency oftoothpaste, and does not drain easily when the abscess is opened. Thismakes it difficult to thoroughly clean rabbit abscesses. In addition,surgical drains should not be used in rabbit abscesses because they notonly do not work, but they can act as a source for continued infection.The reason for the thick consistency is that there is an enzyme missingthat is present in other animals, such as dogs, cats and humans, thatcan break the dead cells into a more liquid form. In addition rabbitabscesses often develop finger-like projections or tracts into thesurrounding tissue, which are places where new abscesses can form. Ifthese tracts are not removed or cleaned out, the abscess will return.
There are many thoughts on how to treat rabbit abscesses and muchdepends on the location of the infection, the cause of the infectionand the general condition of the pet. It should be stressed,however, that no matter what treatment is chosen, it is vital toprovide your pet with a healthy diet, daily exercise and a cleanenvironment to enable the immune system to function at its fullcapacity. It will often be necessary to perform diagnostic tests toinvestigate the cause of the abscess and to determine if other diseaseis present. These tests might include bacterial culture of the wall ofthe abscess, x-rays to determine the location and extent of the diseaseand blood tests to determine the response of the immune system and thecondition of other organs.
No matter what treatment is selected, rabbit abscesses have a higherprobability of returning than abscesses in cats, dogs or humans. Thiscan be due to a number of factors such as difficulty in removing allthe abscessed tissue due to location, the inability of antibiotics topenetrate the capsule of the abscess, the presence of draining tractscoming off the abscess, and the possibility that the underlying causeof the abscess was not treated. Most experienced rabbitveterinarians feel complete surgical removal of the abscess along withtreatment of the underlying cause gives the rabbit the bast chance fora complete cure. Ideally, all abscesses should be cultured for bothaerobic and anaerobic bacteria to determine the best choice forantibiotic therapy after surgical removal.
It is not always possible to surgically remove an abscess due to itslocation, other disease in the pet (making anesthesia or a lengthysurgery dangerous) or restraints on the finances of the caretaker. Inthese cases the abscess can be opened, cleaned out thoroughly andflushed with an antiseptic solution. This procedure is usuallyperformed under anesthesia, unless the abscess is very small. The wallof the abscess should be cultured for bacteria and an appropriateantibiotic can be selected for oral or indictable use. These woundsmust be left open to be flushed at least twice a day for several weeks.If the abscess closes too quickly, it will merely fill with pus again.Abscesses treated in this manner have a high rate of reoccurrence, butit may be possible to provide at least some measure of relief for yourpet for a period of time. Please note that using oral or indictableantibiotics as the sole treatment is usually unsuccessful because thesedrugs cannot adequately penetrate the thick capsule of the abscess tokill the bacteria inside.
Other methods that have been used to deal with rabbit abscesses includeinjecting the wall of the abscess with antibiotics or other solutionsat periodic intervals or packing caustic material or antibiotic beadsinto the cleaned abscess cavity to kill bacteria.
Most rabbit abscess cases will require oral or indictable antibiotics.If the entire abscess is completely removed, then the antibiotics mightnot be necessary or may be used for only a short time. If the abscesswas only lanced and drained, then antibiotic therapy might continue forweeks to months.
Some rabbits can live with abscesses on various parts of their body foryears by having them surgically drained as needed. Rabbit abscessesform a thick capsule around the infection that effectively walls it offfrom the rest of the body. If the abscess is not causing pain, therabbit may act as if nothing is wrong. However, this does not mean thatif you see a lump on your rabbit's body that you should ignore it. Yourveterinarian should investigate any unusual lumps or masses as soon aspossible. The sooner an abscess can be treated, the greater are thechances of a cure. In addition, some lumps are not abscesses at all butrather tumors or cysts and may need immediate removal.
To sum it up, here are the important points about abscesses in rabbit: [/align]


[align=left]
  • Feed your rabbit a healthy diet, provide amply exercise and a cleanand safe environment to minimize the formation of abscesses
  • Have all lumps investigated as soon as possible by your veterinarian
  • It is important to determine the cause of an abscess, not to just treat the abscess itself
  • If the cause of an abscess cannot be treated, then there is a high probability that the abscess will return
  • Complete surgical removal of the abscess along with correction of the cause gives the best chance for a complete cure
  • Whatever the treatment choice it is imperative to follow throughwith requested recheck appointments and diagnostic testing to improvethe chances for abscess resolution
[/align]
 
Flashy wrote:
bbgrl20 wrote:
I just really want this guy to be comfortable and healthy!
All you can do is your best :) And it sounds like that is what you are doing.

Where did you get him from? Assumably to have an absess that big hemust have had it for ages. Poor little guy. But at least he is in asafe place where someone loves him and is doing their best by him. Hecouldn't really want for more at the mo.

And yeah, keep us updated :)
I

work at an animal hospital and the owner came in with him andwas going to euthanize after seeing how much it would cost to have theabcsess removed. So then she decided to take him home w/o treatment andjust let him suffer. So I told her I had bunnies and she offered him tome and I couldn't say no. So thats how I got the little guy.
 
First of all, God bless you for taking him in.

When our Penny had a jaw absess removed, doc didn't put in the beads in(first surgery) and it came back. I think it's a good idea totell the doctor to put them in the first time. I just didn'tknow, I would have asked.

Good luck little guy.
 
I posted in your other thread as well. Im hopingits an abscess, as thats easier to deal with. My Max had a tooth rootabscess that almost killed him. We had it removed (along with all 4 ofhis incisors) and hes doing great now. Hes still on Bicillin injectionsbut other than that everything is fine.

I'll be praying for your little guy.
 
I am so torn right now. xrays showed the extentof the abscess made his jaw very brittle a making it almost certainthat if any procedure is done his jaw will break. The dr said the cantry and open it up and if the damage is too much to euth. But I dontwant to euthanizes. He seems so happy when he is here running aroundand eating. I dont know:cry1:
 
Why will the jaw break, is a lot of it has been damaged by the absess?

If yes, I would still have the surgery, scoop as much out withouthurting the bone, put in the beads, and start on bicillin shots.
 
Can you talk to your vet about some less invasive options? (ie Bicillin - no surgery)

How old is the little guy?

Pam
 
The way they made it sound euth would be best. Iwould like to do what you are saying, continue with the pen g inj andpain meds, but am i being selfish in keeping him alive? He is about 3yrs old
 
I think one thing to think about is pain. Is hein pain? Is there any way they could try to remove as much of theabscess as possible and put some beads in/use penG?

Also, is this vet a vet dentist? Do you have one near you? I wasbasically told by one dentist who doesnt see many rabbits to keep Maxcomfortable because this would kill him and surgery wasnt really apossibility. After some encouragment from others here, I took him toanother vet dentist who wasmore experienced with buns, and heoperated and saved his life..

One thing Peg told me when I was really depressed about Max and notknowing when was his time was to think of three things: alertness,affection, and appetite. If they have those, its not time yet. And ifhe's playing like you said, do you think he's in that much pain? Is heeating?

I wish I could offer more help. You are amazing for giving him a chance.
 
Those are great things to consider and that iswhy I dont want to euth. He eats great and is very active. I had himout last night and he was as curious as can be. I have decided for thetime being since they said surgery is not an option is to keep on painmeds and see about starting bicillin. There is one more dr in thehospital that I can talk to and outside of my hospital at anotherfacility there is a dr who is purely a rabbit dr, so that is anotheroption. I just dont think its his time.

I am so relieved that I have RO to turn to. I know I will always getthe best advice from people who appreciate and have a special place intheir hearts for rabbits.

I love RO:pink iris:
 
bbgrl20 wrote:
The way they made it sound euth would be best. I would liketo do what you are saying, continue with the pen g inj and pain meds,but am i being selfish in keeping him alive? He is about 3 yrs old


He's active and happy, so there's no reason to even considereuthanasia. You are right - it's not his time and you arecertainly not being selfish. I think that you are taking thebest route to give him a quality life without endangering his life.

Pam
 
Ditto to what Pam said. It sounds like it's too early to worry about euthanasia.

So when they vet was talking about his jaw being fragile, is that onlya problem if they try to remove the entire abscess? I wouldthink they could just remove as much as possible then implant the beadsand continue with the injected bicillin.

One idea is to contact local rabbit rescues (maybe the one you adoptedDaisy from) to see what vets they like for jawabscesses/dental issues. They probably have a good idea ofwho to go to in your area. Angieluv did this and was able tofind a dental specialist for her bun.
 

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