Lump under chin

[PaGal]

I would think Bandy will be fine until tomorrow. As long as he continues to act himself and still appears to be eating well and not in pain which it seems like.

I understand how you feel as I went through similar when Thump stopped eating on the weekend and then I wound up being home alone all day nursing him. I kept coming here to update and mostly just so I didn't feel so alone while I panicked inside. You may be alone in your home but you really are not alone, you have us worrying right along with you.

Did you explain to the nurse everything you had observed? If so and I would think you had being worried as I know you are then maybe that's why she said he'd be fine since he doesn't seem to be in pain and is eating well. If you feel the vet that is away is good and the best bunny vet you know of then don't worry so much about the nurse as you should get the best treatment you can for him and that would be the best vet you know of.

As far as grooming himself more maybe it just seems that way because you are extra worried and paying that much closer attention to him now or it could simply be that you are giving him food more often and he's just cleaning himself up after a nibble like they usually do. I would think that's another good sign. I would imagine if the lump is painful then licking would hurt and he would not want to so often.

I'm sure everyone else will be fine. I would think you would only need to worry about them if it was more of a widespread infection or there was a high chance of one of them cutting themselves or something where an infection could set in. I am really hoping it will turn out to be something simple and easy to treat and that in no time you'll look back and smile at how worried you were for nothing.

We'll all be here worrying with you and will continue biting our nails waiting to hear.ray: I'll even rub Thumpers feet for you to bring you luck.

 

[Chrisdoc]

Well nearly bedtime, Bandy's had some dandelion and has just tuckrd into his veggies, cleaning himself again so maybe you're right Denise and he's getting the food off his face. I did try to pick him up earlier to have another look but he's too wriggly and not enjoying it and I was scared of hurting him so put him down. It does feel a lot bigger than it probably is and I'm still feeling beating myself up for not noticing it sooner. Anyway another night on the sofa and I will be glad when it's 12.30 tomorrow and we're at the vets.

In the first one, you can just maybe see the lump under his chin. Second is him tucking in to his veggies the night before last and third ine is him and Snowy chilling out this afternoon.

 

[PaGal]

That first pic is a very nice one of him. he's so handsome and goodness all that fluff!

It seems strange that they couldn't get a cyst on their chin, thought that could happen anywhere in a body.

I hope you can get at least a little rest tonight as I know being very tired can make everything seem that much harder.

 

[Chrisdoc]

He is a real ball of fluff but I love that little face.

I thought it was strange with the cyst but she seems to know her stuff.

I will try and sleep tonight, he seems to have settled with Snowy.

 

[Chrisdoc]

well back from the vet and am a bit in shock mostly from the size of it and the cost of treatment. She shaved the atea and drained some of the pus, it smelt awful. She gave him an antibiotic injection and another appointment tomorrow morning. Cost was 43 euros today. Injections are 11.65, xrays 42, visits 28 (all euros). Hr'll probably need an injection a day or maybe 2. Had to leave him and go to work so will give,an update later. Here he is, couldn't get a really good pic.but you can see it there under his jaw.

 

[PaGal]

It does sound a bit simple to deal with. Hopefully he'll never have another. Any idea if it could be related to chinning things? I would think it would be possible to cut themselves as they don't seem to care much what it is, hard or sharp doesn't seem to matter.

The cost doesn't sound too bad but then again I have no idea anymore what the exchange rate is like or what a euro is worth.

 

[whitelop]

I'm glad he got to the vet today! And hopefully everything will go well tomorrow!

It was $199 for Ellie's visit the other day. I know how you feel about the expense of the vet. Maybe they'll let you make payment installments? Because having to go every day would become very expensive very quickly. Maybe they could also teach you how to do anything at home? Like my vet sent me home with a fluid bag and needles, so I could give Ellie fluids myself.

Let us know how it goes!

PS. From what I've heard, rabbit pus is like the WORST pus out there. Its way different than other animal/person pus.

 

[pani]

Ah yes, vet fees. I paid $85 a few weeks ago just for a consultation, no treatment required - I don't even spend that on my own doctor appointments!

I'm glad Bandy got in to see the vet. Sounds like he should be on the road to recovery in no time.

 

[Chrisdoc]

Denise fees in dollars, today nearly 60$, antibiotic jabs 16$, xrays 55.60$, visits 39$, think thats right as 1euro is 1.39$. Yes, costs can accumulate really quickly, daily injections in 1week 113$ and she mentioned that depending how he does, he may need 2 injections a day. But I am going to take each day as it comes and not worry. She said his will takeclots of patience. Got home about an hour and a half ago and he is in his little house. I was worried about him eating as she said I may need to feed him critical care but be had some dill and has gone back inside, he looks such a sorry little soul, it breaks my heart. Hope he ventures out a bit later.

 

[Chrisdoc]

Just wanted to make sure he wasn't off his food and nobody keeps him from his nommy nana. You can see here how big the abscess is, looks a bit unreal.

 

[JBun]

I'm glad you got him to the vet ok and that he's doing alright. Sorry it's an abscess

I'm not sure how vets work there, but here when a rabbit needs daily treatment and injections, the vet will show the owner how to do everything at home. As long as you are comfortable doing it, that will definitely be much more cost effective. Also sometimes you have to be a bit insistent on what you would prefer to do.

So here, we can buy the antibiotic that you will most likely be using, at livestock supply, or the vet could give you a prescription to get from a pharmacy(much cheaper than buying from a vet). Usually the antibiotic that is best to use for abscesses is penicillin procaine/benzathine(bicillin). It's a longer acting penicillin so you only have to give injections once every 2-3 days instead of once or twice a day, which would be awfully stressful for your bun too. Bicillin is pretty cheap here, so I can't imagine it being expensive there. Here you can buy a 250 ml bottle for around $20.

You also have to clean out the abscess at least 2-4 times a day. The wound has to be kept open and the pus has to be cleaned out. I don't know if this is something the vet already went over or is going to go over with you.
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=503
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Bacterial/Abscess/skin_abscess.htm
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Bacterial/Absc_treat/abscess_treat.htm

I'm so sorry for you and Bandy. I'm glad though, that you caught it pretty early before it could get worse.

 

[Chrisdoc]

Jenny, she asked me if I could do it myself and I said I could have a go so she'll be showing me. It was a bit overwhelming today so I asked questions but I will have more for tomorrow. It is extremely difficult to buy anything like you do over there but I just want to get the first few days over. She took out 15ml of fluid today and told me that there is still about twice as much left in there so she doesn't know how much more she will be able to extract as there comes a point when the pus is like cottage cheese and too thick at which point she may decide to cut it open and I suppose then I'll need to clean it. Haven't thought about if I'll have to separate him and Snowy then. It's funny cos Bandy was in his little house when I got back and the other two kept going in to try and clean him, I do think they know something is wrong. I am just taking each day as it comes and hoping my big fluffy butt does well. I wish I had caught it much sooner but because of his long hair, it was so difficult to spot, I am really feeling guilty about that. Anyway he's out now and I just hope his appetite stays good as it will make things much easier. Sorry for these long posts but I still can't believe its there.

 

[JBun]

From how I understand it, because of how thick rabbit pus is, the only way to effectively drain it is to either surgically remove the entire abscess if possible, or to lance it and manually squeeze it out. Then this has to be done several times a day as the wound will try to close up and the pus will keep coming back.

As I see it, you did catch it earlier than most people would. Usually these type of things are caught when the rabbit either stops eating or the abscess bursts. Plus all that fur does make spotting this type of thing more difficult. I think you both will do just fine. It will take a bit of nursing, I'm sure much to Bandy's displeasure , but these things do clear up. Just in the last few months there have been a few rabbits here on RO, that have had facial abscesses that have cleared up without any issues. Before you know it, Bandy will be back to his normal fluffy self in no time

 

[whitelop]

Holy crap! I didn't understand how big the lump was, I thought it was something small.
You can't blame yourself though, because pre-shave it just looks like his neck! All that fur, how are you to know whats really fur and whats not. I can imagine it would be really difficult. The important thing is, that you did find it!

I really hope he continues to eat on his own. Force feeding it really difficult and they really don't like it.

I hope everything goes well at the vet! I'm keeping him in my thoughts and being very positive about him!

 

[Chrisdoc]

Yes that is one big lump but he's just tucking into his salad again so I should be thankful he still has his appetite. He was scarfing down banana earlier as though there was no tomorrow lol. I hope the visit tomorrow is positive, day by day and little by little. She said that I have to be patient as he has a long way to go.

 

[Chrisdoc]

Jenny I'd missed yours. I think she is going to drain more away tomorrow but said that she may have to cut it as the pus becomes so thick it is difficult to drain. He is such a trooper and seeing him eating normally, it is difficult to believe he has a growth that size.

 

[PaGal]

That is big. You can really see it in the last of the pics. Poor guy! Give him an extra nose rub from me. It's great that he is still eating well. Just goes to show how good they are at hiding when something is wrong. If it was us we would have been crying like babies long before now.

Don't feel bad about not spotting it. With all that fluff and under the chin is not somewhere we tend to pet the buns. I do look at Thumpers whenever I can. Usually you can't see under there well just because they are so low to the ground and don't tend to crane their necks back to look up but periscope instead. With all that fluff it would be almost impossible to notice.

OK, that is expensive. I thought earlier that you were saying he would need another shot or two, not one or two a day for a week plus all of the return visits. I know it would save you a lot of money if you could do it yourself at home but goodness I know I would have trouble with bringing myself to drain it. Giving an injection I could handle other than I'd probably shake and accidently give it to myself instead.

 

[Chrisdoc]

All depends how he responds but it will probably need a couple of weeks antibiotics at least. As I said, I can't think too far ahead so I will take each day as it comes and see how my big boy does. She said when she felt it that it's like a small mandarin orange. When it was covered in fluff, it looked a lot smaller. By the way, I was really impressed with her shaving skills, she has obviously done it quite a few times.

 

[Azerane]

How did I miss this?! So glad to know you're getting it treated though, and hopefully it responds well and disappears Hang in there.

 

[Chrisdoc]

Due at the vets in a couple of hours. Will post after that