Jemma may have to be put down

[Raspberry82]

Well, I'm pretty torn up about this at the moment. Late last week Jemma went to go see the best rabbit vet in our area and after her appointment the vet estimated the lowest her surgery will cost is $750 and that's just an estimate! So I informed her foster Mom about this who has been working out all the money/expenses with the shelter to cover Jemma's costs. The previous estimate of $500 minimum from the not-so-rabbit-savvy vet was already a stretch for the shelter to cover (with mself and her foster mom chipping in as well). But $750+ is way too much for them to manage and they feel she we likely need to be brought back to the shelter and put down.

More than anything, this just makes me incrediably angry at the woman hoarder who caused Jemma's health problems in the first place.. she had over 200 bunnies in her home. After the police confiscated them, she broke in to the police warehouse where they were being kept and stole back some of the black bunnies including Jemma because "she loved them so much" and took them on a road trip to try and escape police until they eventually caught her. I wish I knew where she lived so I could yell at her for being so cruel and selfish.

Jemma is such a little sweetie this seems so harsh. It makes me wonder how shelter workers and vets handle this all the time, animals needing to be put down who are still good and sweet.

 

[JadeIcing]

Jemma is one of those buns??? Oh man. :?

 

[TK Bunnies]

OMG!! That's sooooo sad! What's wrong with her? What's the surgery for?

You know I bet you could do a fundraiser on RO for her surgery, if we get everyone to chip in mabey 5 bucks it would equal quite a bit in the long run! And as long as you have a couple months and shes not terrminaly sick you could probably get enough for hewr surgery!

 

[Raspberry82]

Yeah, the lady apparently still lives in the same area which isn't too far from us. The shelter told me they heard rumors that she might be getting too many again.. I guess she only allowed 4 pets now, but they're not sure yet. I don't understand why they don't put people like this in jail. This is definitely criminal abuse.

 

[Raspberry82]

Here is the link to my original posting about Jemma's abscess issues for anyone who may have missed it.

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=31994&forum_id=16


That's a good idea TKBunnies. The shelter may be trying to get donations as well, though I have no idea if it it possible. It isn't terminal right away, but of course there is some concern about the abscess simly returning over time even after surgery which would be costly to keep up after surgery expenses. :?

 

[okiron]

Only 4? I thought she wasn't allowed any? Weird...anyway poor Jemma. Is there anyway you could have a fundraiser for her?

 

[maherwoman]

Aww...poor sweet Jemma...she didn't deserve any of this...

I hope something can be worked out for your sweetie...she deserves EVERY chance she can possibly get!

Hugs to you both...

Rosie*

 

[Pipp]

IMOM: Financial Aid Assoc. for Very Sick Pets

Check out the above link, and if you can get the paperwork together, I think you'll meet the criteria, and we can probably convince IMOM to allow some fundraising through their site.

If the keyparties are already chipping in, it will make it a lot easier.

Please read the instructions and let us know if you'll have any problems with what they require.

Wishing you and Jemma the best... :hug1



sas ray:


PS: Can you get photos of Jemma? That will really help.

 

[Haley]

Oh geeze, I cant understand why its so much. Are you sure theres no other vet you can get an estimate from? Arent they giving the rescue a discount?

How much is the abscess bothering her right now? They shouldnt be discussing putting her down if its not causing problems yet.

Did you discuss with the vet any non surgical options like hitting it withPenG injections and Zithromax to see if it would shrink?

Another idea is to ask the shelter to do a fundraiser. Midwest did this when one of the bunnies had severe malloclusion and they wanted to remove the front teeth to make him more adoptable. They sent out a mass email to all volunteers (with pictures and his story and a link to donate for his cause) and then asked volunteers to forward to anyone they thought would help. People will help, if they know its going straight to help save a life. I would ask about that.

Sending lots of prayers your way.

Haley

 

[ra7751]

I have no idea how I missed this one. I treat abscesses here all the time....and never with surgery and never with lancing the abscess.

Few things about an abscess. The core of the abscess usually contains anaerobic bacteria....it doesn't need oxygen to survive. The pus surounding the core is very think and that makes drug penetration very difficult. The "tag along" infections may include pasteurella, staph, strep or virtually any other aerobic bacteria...but that isn't a major concern. You have to treat the infection in the core of the abscess. The other secondary infections are irrelevent at this point. The core is the target. The usual drugs like Baytril, Septra and the like are laughed at by thebacteria in the core of the abscess. It's like trying to sink a battleship with a spitball.

Every abscess I have treated here has responded to eithera combo of Pen G and Zithromax or Chloramphenicol. I have treated dental and body abscesses with these drugs successfully. It seems the Pen G/Zithromax combo is the most effective. I think this would be worth a shot before the expense and especially the pain of surgical intervention.

Randy

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Oh no, poor Jemma! I'd be willing to make a donation if you do a fundraiser!

 

[Raspberry82]

ra7751 wrote:

I have no idea how I missed this one. I treat abscesses here all the time....and never with surgery and never with lancing the abscess.

Few things about an abscess. The core of the abscess usually contains anaerobic bacteria....it doesn't need oxygen to survive. The pus surounding the core is very think and that makes drug penetration very difficult. The "tag along" infections may include pasteurella, staph, strep or virtually anything other aerobic bacteria...but that isn't a major concern. You have to treat the infection in the core of the abscess. The other secondary infections are irrelevent at this point. The core is the target. The usual drugs like Baytril, Septra and the like are laughed at by thebacteria in the core of the abscess. It's like trying to sink a battleship with a spitball.

Every abscess I have treated here has responded to eithera combo of Pen G and Zithromax or Chloramphenicol. I have treated dental and body abscesses with these drugs successfully. It seems the Pen G/Zithromax combo is the most effective. I think this would be worth a shot before the expense and especially the pain of surgical intervention.

Randy

Randy,
Thank you!!! This information is immensely helpful!!

How do you administer the shots and how many cc's per day for how long usually? Do you just inject into the back of their neck or directly into the abscess itself?

Both vets completely turned their nose up at using antibiotic shots alone when I asked them if this could be an option for treatment. They said with antibiotics, the abscesses almost always return and you have to start all over again.. is this true in your experience?

I forgot to mention, the Vet said that because of the location and size of Jemma's abscess (located directly behind her front leg) that the surgery could damage a central nerve there and cause her to be paralyzed in that leg. Jeeze! I'd gladly try shots for a while to see if they'd work first over surgery.

 

[gentle giants]

I'll second what Randy wrote. I don't have nearly as much experience as he does, but the few abcesses I have treated cleared up beautifully with PenG injections. How much you use is calculated by the wieght of the rabbit, so you will need an accurate scale, a digital one would probably be the easiest. YOu can getPenG at places like feed stores or tractor supply stores, I paid $8 for my bottle.

The injections I have always done IM, which means into the muscle. A good place for these is into the big "thigh" muscle in the back. Also, because pennicilin burns when it is injected, you will need to buffer it, which means adding to it, I believe with lactated ringers. Randy can help more with dosage and buffering, he is much better at these things than I am.

 

[mouse_chalk]

I'm afraid I don't have any advice to give, but I do havehopeand lots ofpositive thoughts for Jemma. I really hope you managed to work something out for her!

:hug:

Jen xx

 

[naturestee]

I wonder if a less "rabbit-savvy" vet might be willing to help you by following advice from Randy and his vets. Check with the vet you've already been to first. Give them copies of Randy's notes and contact info for him and the vets he works with. Tell them that you and the rescue can't afford the surgery and would need to consider euthanasia, but this treatment gives Jemma a chance. Make sure they understand that this is fairly recent, cutting edge treatment so they might not be familiar with it. There are articles written by vets about the effectiveness of PennG shots on abscesses where surgeries can't be done that you could print off for them.

I had no idea she was from that hoarder. I've read about her. I'm normally a very nice person but I hope that woman burns in hell.

 

[Haley]

We have loads of articles in the library under Abscesses and Antibiotics (I think I linked to them in your earlier thread). Your best bet will be to print as much as you can from licensed veterinarians who are experienced with rabbits. There are testimonials in those threads as well from people who used these antibiotics with great success when they were told surgery was the only option (or that there was no hope for their bunny). I think the best article is written by Marcy Moore

Ive always given Bicillin SubQ, which is done by making a tent in between the shoulder area on their back and placing the needle through the skin. A vet should be able to show you how to do this at home. It is most easily given if you dilute it with a saline solution called Lactated Ringers, which not only makes the liquid thinner and thus easier to push through the needle but also takes the sting off (thank you Randy for that tidbit!).

And, justFYI bc I used to always get this confused- PenG is given once a day and Bicillin (which is PenG but with Benzathine) is given every other day.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Oh gosh I hope it works! Keep us posted!

 

[Raspberry82]

Thank you everyone for being so wonderful and thoughtful and helpful to us!! :bunnyheart This forum is such a blessing! It is such a relief to think that Jemma can get beter without this surgery.

I'll read the articles on here, thanks! I'm still unsure about the amount to put in the shot, I guess the Vet can suggest an amount by her weight or maybe it's in the articles.

Naturestee: Agreed!!

 

[cmh9023]

I also had wonderful success using Bicillin on my Sherry's abscess. She's been off of it now for several months and the abscess has not returned. I also gave the shot the way Haley described and it is really easy. I would give her some pumpkin to eat (her favorite) and I don't even think she noticed when I gave the shot. I hope something like that will work for Jemma. It's definitely worth a try.

 

[Haley]

I believe it will depend on the concentration you get.The one used in the article (150K penicillin G benzathine & 150K penicillin G procaine 300,000 units/ ml)is .25 mL per about 4lbs of bunny. However, I read somewhere recently that Marcy Moore had amended that amount and is now suggesting .50 per about 4 lbs. The idea is that if you dont get enough its useless, but a little more doesnt hurt at all.