I need to make a decision

[ambrose]

Hello all i'll just get straight into it. MyAmbrose has a jaw abcess he had it lanced and cleaned and has hadantibiotics and daily cleaning from me with iodine which made it allbut go away. At the end of the course i stopped it then waited 3days(vets request)then took him back. The abcess had come back full on.Now hes on rilexine and has been for a week and also had aninvermectin(?) injection for fur mites(when it rains it pours!)Its defsmaller but not alot. My vet is concerned as he cant feel anyseperation between the infection and his jaw and is almost positive itsgone into the bone. He euthed a rabbit 6 mths ago because his jaw brokeafter and abcess weekened it, i dont want this to happen to Ambrosehe's such a beautiful soul:cry4:so i dont really know what to do. Hehas a 'd' day appointment tomorrow to check progress and dicussoptions. If its in the bone do i need to euth right away?How will iknow if hes in pain?Hes such a happy little mite right now and sooooolovely:bunnyheartMy vet has been great through this and i believe he'sdoing the best he can and wont ask me to euth if he doesnt think itsthe only option but you never know you know?Please help me someone ireally am at a loss:cry3He hasnt had an xray yet should i ask forone?He did mention operating but wont an xray be able to tell me wetherhe needs it or not?

 

[bbgrl20]

You can definitely have x rays done and thatwill show you the extent of the damage to the jaw. My poor little guysis going through the same thing. His abscess did get to the bone andweakened his lower jaw, making surgery impossible. Just because theinfection has gone to the bone it does not mean you have to euth thatday when you find out. If your little guys is eating and acting normalI would let him live out his life. Thats what I'm doing right now,giving my guy pen g and baytril inj and also having him on pain meds. Ihad to make the same decision, the dr wanted me to euth, but I couldn'tbecause he is so lively and eats so well. You will be in my prayers.Good luck to you and you bun.ray:

 

[ambrose]

Thanks for the reply, i read your post and ifeel for you and your bunny. Hes lucky to have you though and to nothave gone home with his previous owner!I'm mostly happy withletting him go for a bit but i'd hate to get up one day and have him bein imense pain from a broken jaw or worse me not notice for a few daysand he suffers!I'm so torn right nowWhat if i cant tell when he wantsto 'go'?

 

[Flashy]

I'm so sorry that you have to face this.

All you can do is do your best, and do what you think is right at thetime. That way whatever happens you will know you did your best foryour bun.

This might sound like a stupid question, but how well do you know yourbunny? If you know him really really well, then you will be able totell any tiny change that might mean he is starting to feeluncomfortable, and you might feel comfortable relying on your bond withhim to tell you when it's time. Or, if you don't know him so well maybeyou could ask the vets for signs to look out for for your bun not beinghappy.

I suggest that whatever tomorrows result, you bring him home, and ifnecessary you can get him euthanised the next day, but it will give youtime to say goodbye, have time to think, clear your head, discuss itwith people you trust, etc.

I'm so sorry, I feel for you both (and you bbgrl) having to go throughthis. Deciding when it is better for the bunny to be euthanised is noteasy, all you can do is do your best.

 

[ambrose]

Thanks so much flashy. I know him well butprobably not as well as a lot of you guys on here know your buns! He'snot a house rabbit(i live in australia and was totally unaware ppl keptrabbits indoors!)I've also only had him a year after getting him fromsomeone who had dumped himI even got him neutered 3 mths ago inpreperation of getting him a nice girlfriend to play and snugglewith!Just the thought of maybe having to let go of him makes mecry(like while i'm typing this)but i really want to do the best forhim.I will def bring him home tomorrow no matter what the outcome andtotally spoil him for a little while and i think i'll take your adviceand ask the vet what to look out for. I'll be also looking into thexray thing. I'll post tomorow after the appointment and let youknow.Thanks again!

 

[Flashy]

It's ok to cry. It just shows that you love him lots, and remember that ou can go and get him to cuddle if you want to

I hope that an X-ray and whatever the vet says tomorrow more positive than you are hoping for.

I'll be thinking of you, and if you ever need to chat then my PM box is always open.

Hang in there:hug1

 

[TinysMom]

The things to look for in a disabled or ill rabbit (in order to make that painful decision) are:

alertness - are they alert to their surroundings and activities aroundthem at all - do they show interest in what is going on in their life?

affection - are they at all affectionate towards others - or receivingaffection from others? This can be a human OR anotherrabbit... (If they're not normally affectionate - then thatyou have to keep that in mind too when considering this question)

appetite - are they still eating? Do they show an interest in their food?

These three signs can show you if a rabbit's quality of life has gonedownhill to the point that euthanasia is the kindest thing for them.

When GingerSpice was sick, I would hear people on a "disabled rabbits"list say that they had a rabbit euthanized because the rabbit showedthem it was time to let them go. I was very much upset bythis...thinking, "how could you do that?"

Then the night that I understand that GingerSpice wanted me to just make her comfortable and let her pass....I understood.

Trust me - you'll know when a rabbit is ready to cross the rainbow bridge.

Peg

 

[ra7751]

HI,

Only have a second here...more later....ask your vet to put him on oneof these two antibiotics....either Pen G (safe only as an injectable)or zithromax. He also needs aggressive pain meds....anarcotic type drug.

Randy

 

[JadeIcing]

Ditto what Randy said. I used both and the Zithromax is not widely known but it is a great medicine.

 

[ambrose]

Hello again and onec again thanks!we are backfrom his appoinment and its good news well semi good!He said he isREALLY pleased with howw the abcess has responded and its shrunk lotsand feels much like its not as attached to the jaw as it was last week.He wants to give it another week but it looks good so far. I forgot toask about the xray coz i was just happy to hear i wasnt going to losehim yet!So he is back home after much cuddling from me and 2 pieces ofapple for being such a brave boy!I will keep you all posted as he hasto go back in a weekI will ask about the antibiotics you listed andthanks tinys mum for the info, going on that stuff he's def not readyto leave yet!