Tooth abscess

[Beckers]

I'm not sure what to do anymore.Floppy had his first molar spur problem back in September and our vet in Florida didn't think much of it--no x-rays to check the problem or anything, and I didn't know that I should have asked for them. So the teeth were filed down and everything went back to normal.

We moved to Texas and I didn't worry too much about anything--thought I could take my time to find a good vet. Last Thursday he started showing the same symptoms as back in September, so we called a bunch of vets (many of whom are on the local suggested vet lists, but for some reason no longer see rabbits--I need to make a list of those vets so they can be taken of the lists).

We finally found a good vet today and they looked him over completely,with x-rays, and found that his upper molar has been displaced by an abcess and the root is growing up towards his eye socket (not there yet, though). The vet is treating it with weekly penicillin injections to get the abcess to shrink which will hopefully allow the tooth to move slightly so the root won't go into his eye.

I'm worried that this doesn't seem like a great way to go about things and my husband asked about tooth removal, but she won't do it. She didn't seem to think it would be a good way to go at this point, but did say there is a large animal hospital in downtown Houston that might be able to take the tooth out.

So my question: has this happened to anyone else's bunny and how did it turn out and can you even remove a tooth that has grown that far?

Floppy was a stray so I have no idea what his previous medical history is--she did tell me that he's probably 5 or 6 years old, rather than the 3 the other vets thought.

Sorry so long, but I'm a wreck. I just started a new job on Thursday (same day he started feeling bad), so my husbands been in charge of the vet visits and while he loves the bunnies he doesn't know what questions to ask, and I can't take a day off yet.


Thanks so much

Rebecca, Floppy, and Little Bit

 

[Haley]

Poor Floppy!

My Max had a tooth root abscess a few months back. It was in one of the front lower incisors. They removed the tooth and the abscess surgically.

Im not sure, but I would think they would want to remove the tooth if its root is growing into the socket. However, the injections could cause the abscess to be resolved, in which case the tooth might move back to its normal position.

Did she say how long she wanted to try injections? I would think maybe you could give it a while to see if the abscess is shrinking. However,you dont want the tooth to grow too much and cause irreversible damage.

Im not too sure on molars..maybe someone else can weigh in.

I'll be praying for your little one

Haley

PS. be sure to check out the abscess section in the resource center. I know it really clarified a lot of things for me.

 

[Pipp]

Poor Floppy! We have a number of members with tooth root problems, I'm sure they'll chime in with their own experiences.

I haven't had this problem, but so far, this vet sounds trustworthy to me. There are many ways to approach these problems, depending on each case, andsheisn't doing anything to send up any red flags.

Quite often bunnies will require special dental clinics and specialists to work on complicated cases. The tooth removal can be expensive and cause problems with the matching set in the lower jaw. Injectible penicillin I dobelieve is the preferred form of initial treatment, anyway.

Itsounds serious, but it also sounds like you caught itearly enough, kudos to you for that. And thanks for updating our list, that will be very helpful.

:thanks:

Good luck :goodluckhugs for you and nose pats for Floppy... :bunnieskiss



sas :hug1



EDIT: Good advice from Haley, who has been there.Hopefully we'll hear from AngieLuv, too. (PS: Did she say why did didn't want to remove it?And did she not want to remove it at all or just not until the penicillin had a chance to work? Again, not my area, button treatment that might be used in this instance is pulling the tooth and implanting beads. It could also be the abscess is just too close to the eye to take a chance on doing anything that may cause it to spread. It really depends on each case).

 

[Maureen Las]

I'm going to guess that the vet is concerned about removing the tooth before the abscess is resolved..this is just an assumption. I don't know much about abscesses as I haven't been there yet but I was about to make a new post about Beau's never-ending mouth problems. I can certainly feel for anybody who has dental issues with buns as it seems like it just goes on and on... I am starting to think that the teeth and roots are similar to dandelions (I'm serious) the root is all elongated and twisted and if you don't get it all out at the core the tooth can grow back. I'll keep tract of this post but I do agree that your new vet,so far,sounds OK

 

[Beckers]

Thanks for the reassurances about the vet. Now that I think about it more, I feel more comfortable with the treatment as well. As for how long we're going to dothe injections, I'm not sure. She, the vet, is waiting for a some change in his condition before we do anything more drastic. I do worry that more damage will be done before the abscess goes down.

I'm not sure why she recommended against the tooth removal.I'll have my husband ask on Monday when he takes Floppy for his injection.

Today he's eating a bit more and seems more normal. He's still getting Metacam every twelve hours, but I'll probably stop that tomorrow and see how he does. He's still separated from Little Bit and I'm sure she misses him--they're apart because he's eating so slow and she's such a piggy, she eats all his food before he can get near it.

As for the vet list, it turns out my husband was calling from a different list he found on another web site, but I'll check the list here to see if there are any changes.

 

[Offspring2099]

Our vet told us that to get rid of an absess in the bone is very very hard by medicine (you have to physicaly remove it) and with only one injection a week I dont know if that possible. But I'm not a vet.

We give our Penny (who had an absesses tooth, that went into her jawbone) a shot of bicillin every other day, and used to give her everyday for the first month. In our case few teeth were removed which is ok.

Maybe look for another vet with rabbit experience, that knows of bicillin treatment. Might be worth driving out somewhere.

 

[Beckers]

From the research I've done this week, I think you might be right about how frequent the injections should be. Similar cases do seem to be on a daily schedule, rather than weekly.

There is a large animal hospital downtown Houston that I've heard about, but to get in, we need a referral. I'll have my husband ask about both of these things when he takes Flops on Monday for his checkup.

I'm guessing rabbits are much more popular in Florida--I never had a problem finding a vet in St. Petersburg. If anyone reading this is in the North Houston, TX area and know of a good vet ,especially one that can work on dental issues (everyone I called did not do dental work) let me know. I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks
Rebecca, Floppy, and Little Bit

 

[Pipp]

Beckers wrote:

From the research I've done this week, I think you might beright about how frequent the injections should be. Similar cases do seem to be on a daily schedule, rather than weekly.

I was wondering about this as well.

Beckers wrote:

If anyone reading this is in the North Houston, TX area and know of a good vet, especially one that can work on dental issues (everyone I called did not do dental work) let me know. I'd really appreciate it.

Did you check our rabbit-savvy vet listings?

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11633&forum_id=9

If you hear of any more, please let us know!

sas

 

[Offspring2099]

Not to freak you out or anything, but when we found out that Penny had an absess it was already realy bad (in her bone). I think it spreads rather rapidly. So my suggestion is to find another vet asap. Good luck.Breaks my heart when these little guys have to suffer.

 

[Eve]

Hi Beckers,

I am really sorry to hear Floppy has a tooth root abscess. :hug2:

My bunny Layla had a tooth root abcess and had it removed along with her tooth 2 weeks ago.

If you can manage it, I really think it might be a good idea to get a different vet to give you a second opinion on the rays you currently have.

My bunnys abscess grew to double the size in just a week and the vet said it was important to remove the abscess surgically (along with the tooth) asap before the infection spread. She is now getting weekly penicillin injections after her surgery, for about 4 weeks.

I am sure it depends on the size ofFloppy's abscess, but if it is very serious, I am not sure if the penicillin injections alone would be enough to get rid of the infection. Although I am not very experienced in this, so maybethe current treatment is all Floppy needs.

I will be thinking of you and Floppy and look forward to hearing how everything is going. :kiss: