Lump

Took the B's for their check up and myxi jab yesterday and the vet has found a small hard pea sized lump on Jazz's chin/jaw she said it could be an absess but could it be anything more? I'm so worried I have to wait for 2 weeks now when they go back for their VHD jab. they said if it hasnt gone down they may need to investigate further.

Hi,
Did they check her teeth i.e molars?? Abscesses on the chin/jaw are usually a result of tooth root impactions, dental disease etc. If this was suspected in my rabbit I would have expected the vet to investigate further there and then. They should at least investigate her teeth if anything before deciding on waiting to see growth rate etc....

Yes she did look in his mouth.. I think they mean putting him under G/A and investigating further

Oh
I think two weeks is a long time to wait for a suspected abscess. When my rabbit developed an abscess on her jaw she went in the next day to have it removed. Your vet might want to x ray beforehand too to get a better idea of what is going on. Keep a close eye on it and if it changes shape or grows in the next couple of days I would have her seen again. Did your vet prescribe any antibiotics for the duration? I know baytril is often pretty much useless with abscesses, but it would still be a good idea to have her on something while you are playing the waiting game. :roll:

No he wasnt given anything. exept Iv stared a course of worming treatment but that wont affect this.

Can you be more specific about where the lump is? Does it move with the skin?

Abscesses in that area can come from the teeth/jaw but you can also get abscesses from wounds. A small lump could also be a cyst.

Its under his chin sort of more in the neck area, id say its slightly bigger than pea size. and yes it does move within the skin.

Well if it doesn't feel attached to his jaw bone that's certainly a good sign If you can move it about and sorta pinch it in a bit of skin then if it is an abcess and has to come out then removing it should be much easier than something associated with the bone/teeth

So I would be cautiously not too panic'd at this point

I hope its nothing serious, will waiting for the 19th of feb be ok for him? as thats what the vet recomended.

Take him to another vet for a second opinion. I'd personally want it investigating/treating.removing asap.

Wishing you the best

xxx

I just dont know what to do he seems to be his normal self.. I thought you were suposed to trust vets. was thinking of changing vet anyway but the one they go to at the moment is easy to get to.

Do you think it will be safe to leave it until the 19th unless anything happens between that time?

Jazzy B Bunny said:

I just dont know what to do he seems to be his normal self.. I thought you were suposed to trust vets. was thinking of changing vet anyway but the one they go to at the moment is easy to get to.

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Follow your instincts....vets are like most other people and make mistakes, they are not always right about things. I learned this the hard way. I knew my rabbit had an abscess, and my vet told me it was just swelling from an incisor removal as it came up within hours of my vet pulling out the incisor with no GA (she said they didn't come up that quickly...wrong). I was not as clued up on rabbits at the time and was panicking so much after she had caught her teeth in a willow ball that I assumed he knew what he was doing....big mistake. The 'swelling' they insisted I leave for a week during which my rabbit wouldn't eat, they offered no help and still said it was swelling. It didn't go down so they operated and of course it was an abscess..

Anyway that was the start of a long battle that resulted in my rabbit dying..(not due to the abscess by the way but the fractured jaw caused by the vet removing a second abscess). I knew throughout it all that I felt uneasy about the vet and practice for that matter and by the time I sought a second opinion the damage was too extensive. We tried to save Charlie but she had simply had enough. If your heart is telling you to have your rabbit seen and to change vets then do it....it won't cost that much for a consultation and would put your mind at rest if nothing else.

Helloo :wave:

I have had plenty of experience with abscesses so just a note... my bunny had a lump below the base of his ear which turned out to be an abscess, he had it removed and it didnt come back for 7 months. When it returned, my vet said the lump was scar tissue. So off we went home, left it for a week and because it didn't grow we assumed it was just scaring. However, my bunny started falling over which turned out that the abscess had gone into his middle ear. He had another op, and its come back for a third time which we are currently treating.

I don't mean to scare you, but left untreated abscesses can be very serious. Having said that, it could be something not abscess related at all. Best thing I would do is take bunny back asap, and ask your vet to aspirate the lump, so the vet will be able to see if its pus in the lump.

Hope you get it sorted, go with your instincts.

xx

And don't forget, it might not be an abscess. My bunny had a lump on his throat area which I took for an abscess as it didn't seem to be attached... It turned out to be a malignant growth... So I wouldn't leave it two weeks to be observed, get it sorted out now.

Vera

Ok hes going back to the vets on monday

Is it wrong to be registerd at 2 vets?

humm im not sure, when Molly was poorly with his abscess my vets wouldn't adminsiter penicillin injections, so I had to find somewhere else who would give it to him. I was open and honest to both vets, explaining I want to try a different antibiotic. I was very fortunate and both vets were fine with my going to the other one to get the injections, then going back to my previous one for check ups once the injections had finished. I haven't gone back to the other one (which administered the penicilin).

I did have to get them to fax over the details to the other vets, and vice versa. Think you will just have to ask both vets when you go in.


Hope bunny is ok! xxx

You need to inform the vets if you are registered elsewhere otherwise treatments could effect each other and the vets don't have full history.

The vet probably wants to know if the lump is growing/changing. I'd go back in a week tho probably instead of two - unless there is a change.

Tam

Abcesses aren't really mega-urgent to treat so don't worry about leaving it a couple of weeks, esp if bunny seems fine in himself. If you do want to try antibiotics now (which prob won't do anything by themselves IF it is an abcess), then be aware you will have to stop them for 7 days prior to taking a swab, if the vet decides s/he needs to do so later on (eg if the abcess is removed or investigated further, in order to determine best antibiotics).

Helen