Success in treating root abscess?

Hi
I have taken my Rex rabbit to the vet today with swelling of one side of face (otherwise eating and quite happy). He couldn't see her back teeth but thinks it is a root abscess of back tooth and has advised surgery but is pessimistic as to the outcome saying there is a strong likelyhood that it will recur.He has never cured one himself but has collegues who have been successful on a couple of occasions.
The price of the surgery is £350 which I would find if it could cure the problem.
I suppose what I'm asking is does anyone have experience of success with this type of surgery or am I likely to be wasting my money and putting poor Velvet through a lot of discomfort for some time to come.
We don't really know how old Velvet is, she was a rescue rabbit but she lives a very good and happy life with Rolo another rescue.
Thanking you in anticipation
Nicky

We've have a couple of buns with jaw abscesses, both have had repeat ops but nothing in that price region :shock:

Kobe got his first abscess 2 years ago and has had 4 ops since, he's a very happy boy and bounces about all over the place most of the time. The rest of his teeth are really bad and he needs his front teeth burred every few weeks, but nothing gets him down. Our vet introduces him to students as 'the bun who shouldn't really be here' :shock: :lol:

Albert has had an abscess twice in the same region of his jaw, both times it was cleaned out and treated with antibios, his teeth are also a mess generally but he's also a very happy boy.

It sounds like your vet is looking at a worst case scenario, either that or he's not confident enough and if that was the case (and I think the cost may reflect this), I'd either go to another more rabbit savvy vet or ask for a referral to a specialist. If you're going to be spending that amount of money, best go to a vet with experience of treating abcesses.

Hi,

First and foremost I would find a vet that HAS treated these kind of abscesses before. The price for the surgery seems quite a lot to me and I certainly wouldn't be paying that much for someone who has little experience to treat my rabbit. That may sound very judgemental and harsh but I allowed a vet like this treat my abscess bunny and he broke her jaw.

I think it's very honest of him to say that he has never cured one himself but his colleagues have, but I would still be reluctant to go with him. Abscesses are very difficult to treat due to the nature of the infection but it is possible, and if they can't be removed permanently it is possible to manage. You need to have x-rays done first to ensure what it is you are dealing with and I would perhaps seek out a vet who has a lot of experience with these sort of things.

Hiya,

I lost my bunny due to a tooth root abscess that was unfortunately not accessible from the outside.
Initially I would have said, as Charlie82 has, that xrays should be taken to see the extent of the abscess and see if it has gone into the bone at all.
Then once the vet knows the extent of what is there treatment could be considered from that.
Also I would again find a more experienced vet that has had success in treating that sort of abscess.
I must admit I don't know much about it, only what I've read and the advice I've been given here, but I have heard of other bunnies to where the vet has operated and broken poor bun's jaw so it is very important to choose the right vet for the job.
Also, if your bun has to have quite intense antibiotic therapy which may affect his guts, please speak to your vet about the use of Questran.
Jack's Jane advised me of this drug which is very useful in keeping antibiotic induced entiritis at bay.
I did speak with my vet about it, but unfortunately not soon enough I feel, and i lost my bun Wellie to entiritis after he as responding so well to injectable penicillin treatment
I don't know if anyone else here is near you and could recommend an experienced vet in your area?
Sorry I hope I've been helpful other than just rambling on! I would have thought if bunny is still eating and seems happy then perhaps you have a few days to seek out a vet you feel happy with to treat velvet.
I think there definitely is hope for Velvet x x x All the best x x

Thank you.
I have had an email from a lovely lady who used to run the Rabbit rescue where we got Velvets companion Rolo and she has suggested a vet, some distance away but should be cheaper and experienced as used to treat all their rabbits so I am more hopeful. Thanks again.

chookmom said:

Thank you.
I have had an email from a lovely lady who used to run the Rabbit rescue where we got Velvets companion Rolo and she has suggested a vet, some distance away but should be cheaper and experienced as used to treat all their rabbits so I am more hopeful. Thanks again.

Click to expand...

Wishing you a lot of good luck!!! I'm sure your bunny will do fine
:wave:

Bobby has a tooth root abcess at the moment. He had the abcess flushed and the offending tooth out (£55) and has since been fine.
Good luck!

Tooth root absess help needed

I have read your stories with interest. We have a poorly bunny Dorothy who has a tooth root absess. We had it lanced and she is now on a short term course of antibiotics. This has set us back £145 already and she isn't insured. Out vets says the only way we can treat her is to have the tooth out and that she is not willing to do this type of operation and Dorothy would have to go to a specialist in Bristol and it would be £1,200 (which would include x-rays and lab work). This rather floored us as we weren't expecting it to be anything like this amount. We had resided ourselves to the fact that as we couldn't afford this we would eventually loose Dorothy when the absess became worse and she stopped eating.

Then I came across this forum and have renewed hope. Does anyone know of a good rabbit vet in the Cardiff area who has treated these before(or even further as we would be willing to travel).

Any advice or help would be greatfully received.

Georgie1 said:

I have read your stories with interest. We have a poorly bunny Dorothy who has a tooth root absess. We had it lanced and she is now on a short term course of antibiotics. This has set us back £145 already and she isn't insured. Out vets says the only way we can treat her is to have the tooth out and that she is not willing to do this type of operation and Dorothy would have to go to a specialist in Bristol and it would be £1,200 (which would include x-rays and lab work). This rather floored us as we weren't expecting it to be anything like this amount. We had resided ourselves to the fact that as we couldn't afford this we would eventually loose Dorothy when the absess became worse and she stopped eating.

Then I came across this forum and have renewed hope. Does anyone know of a good rabbit vet in the Cardiff area who has treated these before(or even further as we would be willing to travel).

Any advice or help would be greatfully received.

Click to expand...

I've just pm'd you.

I would suggest finding a specialist rabbit vet who can do the surgery. The problem with abcessess is that they are very difficult to get rid of. A least with a specialist you can give your bunny the best shot. Remember that prices differ across the country so expect to pay more the further down south you go! Ive worked in practices up in yorkshire and in berkshire and there is a difference in price, as you would expect due to the cost of living.

Georgie1 said:

I have read your stories with interest. We have a poorly bunny Dorothy who has a tooth root absess. We had it lanced and she is now on a short term course of antibiotics. This has set us back £145 already and she isn't insured. Out vets says the only way we can treat her is to have the tooth out and that she is not willing to do this type of operation and Dorothy would have to go to a specialist in Bristol and it would be £1,200 (which would include x-rays and lab work). This rather floored us as we weren't expecting it to be anything like this amount. We had resided ourselves to the fact that as we couldn't afford this we would eventually loose Dorothy when the absess became worse and she stopped eating.

Then I came across this forum and have renewed hope. Does anyone know of a good rabbit vet in the Cardiff area who has treated these before(or even further as we would be willing to travel).

Any advice or help would be greatfully received.

Click to expand...

I've just pm'd you too!