Has anyone seen anything like this? / swollen jaw

[jb59]

I'm relatively new at raising rabbits. I just noticed yesterday that my Satin Buc has a swollen jaw. At first I thought he was just storing food in there but after a closer inspection, I realized his mouth was empty. I raise meat rabbits but this one I have as a pet for my grandson. In the short time I've had rabbits, I have not had any problems whatsoever with any of them getting sick.

Much appreciation to any replies.

V/r

Joe

 

[iLuvMyLilBuns]

I think that is his dewlap

 

[jb59]

Thank you iLuvMyLilBuns for that quick reply. I really hope you're right. My grandson would be very sad to see his little buddy get sick.

I'll continue to monitor the rabbit in the meantime.

THanks very much again for your reply.

Joe

 

[ChocoClover]

Yup! It's nothing to be worried about. Dewlap can happen in boys as well as girls, at least it's happened to my boys.

 

[iLuvMyLilBuns]

you're welcome

 

[jb59]

Yup! It's nothing to be worried about. Dewlap can happen in boys as well as girls, at least it's happened to my boys.

That's good. I mean that it can happen to boys. Right now I have 3 bucs (NZ, Fl White, and the pictured Satin) and this is the first time I've seen them get like this.

 

[jb59]

Yup! It's nothing to be worried about. Dewlap can happen in boys as well as girls, at least it's happened to my boys.

One thing I forgot to mention though, and I'm not sure this matters, is the fact that the swollen jaw is only one side (of his face) - the right side. Is it unsual for the dewlap to be only on one side?

 

[JBun]

That is not a dewlap. Due to its location, I would suspect a jaw abscess, possibly due to an infected tooth. Jaw abscesses can be difficult to treat but it is possible. You can see the similarities in one of the pics in this link.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Treatment/Facial/abs_dental.htm (GRAPHIC PHOTOS)
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/jawabscess.html

 

[jb59]

That is not a dewlap. Due to its location, I would suspect a jaw abscess, possibly due to an infected tooth. Jaw abscesses can be difficult to treat but it is possible. You can see the similarities in one of the pics in this link.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Treatment/Facial/abs_dental.htm (GRAPHIC PHOTOS)
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/jawabscess.html

Thank you JBun. Bad news but I gotta believe this is most probably what the problem is.

I'm going to discuss with my better half and figure out which way to go from here. It looks like a trip to the vet is in order.

Thanks again!

Joe

 

[ChocoClover]

Oh I didn't realize it's only on one side of his face. That's bad, you need to see a vet.

 

[Azerane]

Yes, something's not right there. I agree that it's probably a tooth related issue. Much easier to treat when caught early I believe.

 

[jb59]

Oh I didn't realize it's only on one side of his face. That's bad, you need to see a vet.

My mistake for not mentioning that. I examine my animals daily but thought this was just (hamster-like) food in his jaw. I found a vet that will give the rabbit a free examination and approximate cost to try and fix whatever it is that this is.

 

[ChocoClover]

That's amazing! My vet doesn't give free exams!

 

[Chrisdoc]

Yes a jaw abscess. Take him to a rabbit savvy vet as it is really important to decide on the right treatment depending on cause, size and consistency. My bun had a second jaw abscess now after we cleared the first one with a course of bicilin and an incision followed bt drainage and packing with honey. He is now back on antibiotics every 12 hours and we will be monitoring to see if it is possible to open and drain. Some vets opt for surgery but I wanted that to be the last option. All through, I have been lucky that his appetite hasn't changed too much so he hasn't really lost any weight or had digestive issues. Hope all goes well with you little lad and keep us posted.

 

[valaria243]

That looks like what happened to Fuzzy's Mom. It turned out to be an infection and we tried surgery and aggressive antibiotics but it didn't help.