I think Zeus has an abscess

[Dragonrain]

Okay first off I'm going to say that my little Zeus is acting normal. He's still eating, playing, and otherwise doing all his normal bunny stuff.

I went away on vacation and left the bunnies with my boyfriend, so I didn't see them for about 2 weeks. When I got back this morning I did my normal monthly routene with them - clipped their nails, checked their teeth, and just generally checked them over. I noticed that under Zeus's lower jaw felt weird, like their was a lump there. So I immedently felt Barnaby's jaw (the joys of having 2 bunnies) thinking that maybe it was normal. In my heart I knew it wasn't, but I just figured it'd check anyways, and of course Barnabys lower jaw didn't feel like that.

So the lump doesn't stick out much at all, but it feels big width wise, if that makes sense. Like it covers a lot of his lower jaw, behind his incisors. I couldn't tell which side it was on, I want to say it's in the middle more than off to a side.

So yes, of course I'm going to take him to the vet. My only problem is that his regular vet is in MA, and we're in NJ right now. Soo I need to find a new vet that will see him ASAP. I got these three of the NYC rabbit rescue and rehab site:

Becky Campbell, DVM
Carol Martin, MB, MRCVS
Symphony Veterinary Center
698 Amsterdam Avenue
(between 93rd & 94th Streets)
(212) 866-8000

Dr. Katherine Quesenberry
The Animal Medical Center
510 E. 62 St.
New York, NY 10021
(212) 838-7053, (212) 329-8622

Dr. Alex Wilson and
Dr. Linda Pesek
The Center for Avian and Exotic Medicine
568 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10024
(212) 501-8750

Can anyone recommend one of those over the others? Or any other vets in NYC. I'm in Jersey City, NJ right now and need to be able to get to a vet via public transportation since I have no car. If no one has any recommendations I'm just going to call those three and see who can see him the soonest.

I'm trying not to freak out here, but I'm really worried. I always read about how hard it can be dealing with abscesses . Any advice or success stories would be helpful. At least my little guy is still eating and acting normal, I'm hoping that I caught this early and that it won't be to bad to treat.

 

[Maureen Las]

Geez..it does sound like an abscess.

Did you check out the vet reference section?
I hope there is someone on the forum that knows the particular people that you listed.

Good Luck

 

[ra7751]

Dealing with an abscess can be challenging. Catching it early and having it properly treated is always a good thing. I have treated many absscesses here in my rescue by using drugs only. What you are describing does sound like an abscess. But if your rabbit has been outside any at all....don't discount the possibility of a warble. They can show up in some very odd places.

Randy

 

[Dragonrain]

Hmm...I think the last time he was outside was probably in May.

I have a feeling its an abscess though.

I read some reviews for Symphony Veterinary Center on bunspace so I think I'm going to try there first. I just have to wait for my boyfriend to get home from work first so I can make sure we can get there okay - I don't want to make an apt. then have to cancel it because there's no way for us to get there.

Bleh...I hate when my pets have any health issues, it stresses me out so much. Hopefully it won't be too bad to treat and he'll be okay. The thing I'm most worried about is if the infection is in his jaw bone at all. It can still be treated even if it's affecting the bone right? I read that absesses can show up fast, but I really don't know how long it's been there since I've been away for the past 2 weeks. But I'm going to drive myself crazy here, so I'm just going to try to think positevly untill we find out what's really going on.

 

[pla725]

Pm JimD. I believe he is up in your area. I'm sure there are vets in your area that can treat your rabbit. Good luck.

 

[Dragonrain]

Thanks

I think I'm all set on vets now though.

I just get overly worried/upset when something is wrong with my pets. I know that there's no way anyone can help online though. I'll be taking him to the vet ASAP and will update when I know more of what's going on.

Thanks to everyone who responded.

 

[pla725]

I can understand. I consider mine my children. Even my fosters are my children as long they are under my care.

 

[JimD]

You have a PM, Dragonrain.

 

[Dragonrain]

Thanks - I got it and replied to you!

Well I made an apt. for Zeus on saturday afternoon with Dr. Levison at the Symphony Vet center. So we'll see then I guess.

JimD recommended his vet, who sounds awesome from reading his other posts - but I don't know how to get there and it's further away then the Symphony vet is. I don't want to have Zeus in his carrier for any longer than I have too esp. if it's as hot on saturday as it has been here lately.

I tried to check his lump again today but it seemed to bother him when I tried. At least he's still eating and drinking, and saturday I should know what's really going on.

 

[Dragonrain]

Hey everyone...

We got back from the vet a couple of hours ago. Of course with crazy little Zeus nothing can just be straight forward.

First of all, the vet felt the lump and said that it felt very soft. According to her, this is unusual for an absess and they usually feel harder due to the nature of bunny pus.

She looked in his mouth at his teeth, and said, much to my suprise, that they looked fine. I was almost certain that he was having issues with them. However, he didn't get an xray today so we don't know the current condition of his tooth roots. Does anyone know if it's common, or possable, for the roots of his teeth to be causing him problems but not his teeth themselves?

She also took a small sample of the fluids from inside the lump but couldn't really tell me much info from that. She said that his lump is either an abscess, or a cyst, but she couldn't tell which from the very small amount of fluid she got.

So I got some 20mg/ml baytril for him and was told to give him 0.5 mls 2X per day. He weights 2.3 lbs. Does that dosing sound okay?

And pretty much I just have to keep an eye on him and make sure he's still eating and everything for the next couple of days. The vet that saw him today said that she doesn't feel comfortable sedating him for Xrays or to remove the lump. Soooo she's going to try to refur me to another vet that's actually closer to where I'm living, or else I'll have to bring him back to them on or after friday when another vet is in. The vet who usually deals with bunny surgerys is out until friday having surgery herself. When I bring him back, they're going to do xrays then remove the lump.

 

[Haley]

Yes it is possible to have tooth root problems without it really showing on the part of the teeth we can see with the naked eye or without it affecting his eating right now. I think it would be good to get an xray if youre afraid this might be a tooth root problem, thats really the only way to tell and get an accurate picture of what youre dealing with.

Abscesses along the jawline do tend to feel hard, sort of like a marble under the skin. What surprises me is that if she took a needle biopsy she should have (from what I understand) been able to tell if it was an abscess right away because it would have probably not come into the needle as fluid, and if it did it would have been very thick and white. Id guess youre dealing with something like a cyst if she actually got fluid out of it, but thats just a guess.

Also, the batril dosage sounds right, but it worries me bc if this was an abscess the baytril will do almost nothing against it

But at least you got a sample of the fluid and hopefully this is just a minor cyst and not an abscess. And if hes eating and acting normally its probably nothing urgent to worry about.

 

[JimD]

Dragonrain wrote:

Hey everyone...

We got back from the vet a couple of hours ago. Of course with crazy little Zeus nothing can just be straight forward.

Good thing you didn't take me up on the offer to see my vet.
I got there and found out he wasn't on duty today.
They had mistakenly scheduled me to see a vet that had very little experience with rabbits.



Dragonrain wrote:

First of all, the vet felt the lump and said that it felt very soft. According to her, this is unusual for an absess and they usually feel harder due to the nature of bunny pus.

It sounds a lot like Chippy's




Dragonrain wrote:

She looked in his mouth at his teeth, and said, much to my suprise, that they looked fine. I was almost certain that he was having issues with them. However, he didn't get an xray today so we don't know the current condition of his tooth roots. Does anyone know if it's common, or possable, for the roots of his teeth to be causing him problems but not his teeth themselves?

I'm thinking that any problem with lower tooth roots would also affect his eating/chewing.
Upper tooth root issues have been known to cause runny eyes and nose.



Dragonrain wrote:

She also took a small sample of the fluids from inside the lump but couldn't really tell me much info from that. She said that his lump is either an abscess, or a cyst, but she couldn't tell which from the very small amount of fluid she got.

I would want a little more of a definative diagnosis.
Maybe a sample to the lab?
Only because jaw abcsesses are sometimes better treated with strong antibiotics.



Dragonrain wrote:

So I got some 20mg/ml baytril for him and was told to give him 0.5 mls 2X per day. He weights 2.3 lbs. Does that dosing sound okay?

Not sure on dosages. I'm usually asking, too.



Dragonrain wrote:

The vet that saw him today said that she doesn't feel comfortable sedating him for Xrays or to remove the lump.

Our vet was able to take digital x-rays without sedating Chippy.
But, he did have to give her gas when he removed it. Her recovery from sedation was a little rough.



Dragonrain wrote:

When I bring him back, they're going to do xrays then remove the lump.

ray:

 

[Dragonrain]

Thanks everyone. Well he is going to go see another vet for xrays to check his teeth and possably to have the lump removed. The soonest I can get him into one vet is friday, and I'm waiting on a refural from the vet I took him too yesterday to see if I can take him into a diffrent vet sometime sooner next week instead.

When she took the needle biopsy she used a very small gage needle, and a small amout of fluid did come out. But she said when she looked at it that the cells in the sample were undefined and she couldn't use them to tell what his lump was.

But the reason I was alomst sure he was having teeth issues is because it does seem to be affecting his eating some. He hasn't been eating as much for the past couple of days, and avoids eating harder foods. I don't know if it really is a problem with his teeth, or that he just hasn't been feeling good lately and has lost some of his appitite.

The vet didn't want to give me stronger antibiodics yet since she couldn't tell me for sure what the lump is.

So right now I'm just making sure he still eats and everything, while I wait to find out when I can bring him in for xrays and to possably have the lump removed.

 

[Dragonrain]

I know Haley already said that rabbits can have tooth root issues without it showing on the exposed parts of the teeth. But how common is this, and what are some of those issues? If anyone has anymore information I'd really really appreciate it, because Zeus is eating less and like I said, I was almost certain he was having tooth problems. Then this lump pops up on his chin and it seems almost to much to be a conidence.

Are tooth related abscess usually one one side or the other of the lower jaw? Because his lump is in the middle.

I'm so stressed out. I spent alomst $200 at the vets and she couldn't even tell me what the lump is. He's not eating very well, he hates the meds she gave me and I doupt they're even going to help him. Now I'm going to just have to take him back to another vet for xrays and probably surgery...