Possible abscess or tumor in cheek

[Serious]

First of all, he's already scheduled for a biopsy with his vet, so no worries about that. The vet isn't sure if it's an old injury, tumor, or abscess, but there is a lump inside my Magellan's cheek, about under where the whiskers come out. It's a little bigger than a grape. He's eating normally and doesn't mind the lump being palpated, whatever that means...

I just want to know, what should I expect if it ends up being an abscess? The vet was talking about maybe needing to remove part of his cheek- what does that end up like? What about recovery? I've never had a rabbit before, and this was discovered during his first checkup just after I adopted him. I really don't know what to expect about any of this, so any insight would be great... thanks.

Oops, sorry, I was a doofus and didn't read the big "read this first!" posts, so...

- Location: Indoors

- Description (Breed, color., weight): New Zealand, albino, 8 pounds

- Age: 1-2 years

- spayed/neutered?: Yes

- Notes on Fecal and Urinary Output
- are the bunny's poops and pees normal? : Yes
- When did they last use their litterbox?: Recently
- Any unusual behavior?: None

- Medical History -- has s/he been to the vet or been sick before?: First time at the vet since I've had him, never been sick before under my care, but he is an ex-lab rabbit, if that means anything.

- Diet - what does your bunny eat?: A handfull of pellets, a bowl full of dark leafy greens, loads of timothy hay, and whatever odds and ends I have on hand at the time (carrot greens, celery, bits of fruits, etc)
- when and what did s/he eat last?: Currently munching on timothy as I type.

- movement - any unusual movements? Is s/he hopping normally?: All's normal.

- are there any plants, chocolate or other substances within reach?: No

- has the rabbit been outdoors?: No

 

[tonyshuman]

That is a common area for abscesses. First, because bunnies like to bite each other on the face sometimes, and second, because tooth problems can lead to abscesses. Make sure the vet checks for tooth issues. The back molars can get sharp points on their sides (both the side that faces the tongue and the site that faces the cheek), and these can cut into the tissue, which could then get infected and be an abscess. Even more common are jaw abscesses, in which the root of one of these molars gets infected, causing an abscess. That can be a real doozy to deal with, because the tooth has to be pulled, and healing can be very difficult.

Make sure the vet checks his teeth. The best thing to do would be to sedate him to get a good look at them, and take a dental x-ray to check on the roots.

If it is not a tooth root abscess, it is actually best if they DO NOT remove the abscess or puncture it. Rabbit pus (which fills abscesses) is very thick in consistency, like toothpaste, so it is very difficult to get the inside of an abscess clean and keep it clean while it heals. The best treatment is to use systemic injectible antibiotics. There is a protocol that works very well that uses Bicillin (Penicillin G Procaine/Penicillin G Benzathine), which is injected daily or every other day depending on the rabbit's size, etc. This heals the abscess from the inside out and you don't have a wound there that's difficult to heal and keep clean. The second best option is removing the entire abscess intact, but I would only recommend that myself if it were interfering with eating, drinking, breathing, etc.

You may want to take these articles in with you to the vet: http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~jwmoore/bicillin/bicillin.htm
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/jawabscess.html
http://www.ontariorabbits.org/health/healthinfo1.1.htm

And here is our Library article on Abscesses.

 

[Serious]

When I talked to him, he didn't say anything about injections instead of removal... what's the expense of doing injections versus removing it? I'm just confused as to why he would go the more invasive route first, since the abscess isn't interfering with my rabbit at all at this point. My rescue recommended him as a good rabbit vet, so I wouldn't think it would be him not having good information... but maybe.

 

[tonyshuman]

It may be older information that he has. I highly recommend the article by Marcy Rosenfeld that I posted, and definitely show it to your vet if you think he's willing to try something new. The injections are very cheap--you can buy Bicillin at most farm supply stores, as it's used for livestock. They just take a long time, and it can be difficult to get enough needles and do the sub-cutaneous injection.

 

[Serious]

Thanks so much. He was making it sound like it was going to be a huge big deal on the phone, but this seems so much easier. I'll try talking to him, and hopefully he'll be open. I just don't want to seem like a know-it-all when I've never even had a rabbit before.