Abscess , snuffles..need help & advice please. - RIP

[Rubykins]

Hi, first time here and hoping for some advice and support. I have sick dwarf lop , he's is 4. Has been ill for 3 weeks, vet can't find a cause , he has abscess under chin but then he has a whole lot more on his right side , lumps and swelling. He is doing a choke cough sounds like a duck..does this after trying to eat. He has lost weight, not taking any water today. He is eating greens but small quantities , his poops are very small too. I'm so worried but willing to try everything. I'm giving him critical care food, he's on enrotril and metacam but he's already had a 10 day course of metronidazole and bactrim. I'm the one who found the lump under chin about a week ago now. He's had X-rays and they looked at teeth and all look good? It's a mystery. Does anyone know about the penicillin injections and would that help shrink this mass. If he goes to surgery they don't hint he will be able to breathe with tube due to this snuffle in his nose, throat. It's very risky..please help us xo I'm not sure what else to do .

 

[JBun]

Hi and welcome to RO. I'm sorry about your little bun having health issues. I hope you'll be able to find something that will help him get better.

Is the vet sure that the abscess in the jaw isn't linked to an infected tooth? That seems to be something that happens with rabbits and is sometimes missed. I've read of bicillin being used successfully to treat abscesses. Here's a bicillin study that was done, and also an RO members personal account of using it. If you aren't already, it would probably be a good idea to be giving probiotics as well, while your bun is getting antibiotics. It's best to give it at least an hour after the antibiotic dosage. Hope this helps.

http://people.umass.edu/~jwmoore/bicillin/bicillin.htm
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f27/abscess-rabbits-helpful-info-72073/
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html

This link has info on dental problems and facial abscesses. WARNING: some of the pictures may be disturbing as they are medical related.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Dental_diseases_main.htm

 

[majorv]

This may be way off base but is your bunny intact? I know that intact bucks like to rub their chin on things and abscesses can develop under there. We don't have any bucks with this problem but I know others who do, and they will drain & treat it as soon as it starts holding fluid.

 

[Maureen Las]

Has the vet been able to do a needle biopsy? The exudate could be cultured to determine which antibiotics would best fight the bacteria within the abscesses.

There is also a strong possibility that multiple bacteria are contributing to his problems.
Enrotril ( which is Baytril/enrofloxicin in the US) and Bactrim are 2 drugs often used in rabbits because vets are often fearful of disrupting the rabbit's GI system. They simply are not effective in major infections and most bacteria in rabbits have developed resistance to them because they are so commonly used and misused.
Your rabbit needs a combo of much stronger drugs. Injectable bicillin is one that is very effective and I have used it multiple times in treating my rabbits without every having a GI upset. It can be paired with another oral drug to cause a synergistic effect.
Chloramphenical ( Chlor-Palm) is another very effective oral drug (although humans must be careful when handling it ). Chloramphenical is extremely effective with abscesses because it it is able to penetrate deeply into tissue (crosses the blood-brain barrier).
Oral Zithromax / azithromycin paired with bicillin is an effective combo although azithromycin may decrease your rabbit's appetite.
Some folks have had success from Convenia which is a long lasting injection
Abscesses need to be treated for a lengthy period of time
There are many other effective drugs and I will attach the Medi-rabbit list.

You need to find a vet who is very current on rabbit medicine and feels comfortable in treating more aggressively. Often times University veterinary schools are a good place to find a vet like this.
If surgery is needed a long and successful round of antibiotics may help your rabbits respiratory issues enough so he would be able to go under anesthesia

 

[Maureen Las]

Where do you live?
Check the rabbit saavy vet list in the Introduction to health /Wellness on RO

http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Antibiotics/Safe_antibiotics.htm

 

[Rubykins]

Hi again, well Ruby is going in for surgery tomorrow , the vet feels he's not responding to antibiotics , the mass has got harder under his chest and he wouldn't let the vet touch him today, very sensitive and it's impacting on him more now. He is only eating a little and won't take any water. He does the cough,choke after he's eaten something. Vet says his throat is pushed to the left side from the swelling on the right. When I pick him up he's making lots of labored breathing noise. I'm very sad for him. The vet says its going to be tricky surgery because they don't know what they they will find or the source of all this swelling,pus. I have to be prepared that Ruby may not wake up from surgery so dropping him off tomorrow is going to be awfully hard.

 

[Rubykins]

We live in Australia ! And also forgot to say they have done a needle biopsy which confirmed it to be an abscess ..but it's a mystery where it's stemming from and why all this mass, maybe a tumor? I'm dreading tomorrow , won't sleep tonight from worry!

 

[Ilovemyrabbit]

I saw your other thread and that you had to put him to sleep, I'm so sorry for your loss. RIP Ruby.