Urgent Help Please!!

Hi i'm laura and my rabbit is called Betty

I have had an ongoing problem.
I first asked the vet to cut her tooth while being castrated (betty is acually a boy but i know her as a girl )
When i picked her up she had blood all over her face and was still limp from the drugs. The vet told me she has banged her face on the cage when coming round.
When we got home ( and after she came round fully) i found that the front tooth the were supposed to trim was gone, all that was left was a bloody stump in the gum.
I probley dont need to tell you that i have since changed vets.
The tooth never grew back either and not long later a lump started developing and i took her to the new vet. They had her in to remove the lump.
Now 5 months from having the lump removed it is back and alot worse, i came back from the vets today and they have said that i can either try the surgary again although the prognosis is poor and they have suggested she is put down.
Betty is a healthy two year old bunny that eats well and plays with toys and doesn't seem at all effected by this lump, apart from when it is getting too big in her mouth like now, and she has to eat 1 sweety at a time instead of two!!
I want to know if there is anything else that can be done, i dont want to loose her

Firstly I would make sure the idiot vets who did this to him pay for all you expenses, what they have done is absolutely disgusting. I know it is upsetting but if the second vets has said that he should be put to sleep, then maybe it will be for the best as he will be suffering.

I wish you all the best in what ever you decide.

the expenses arnt important.
but i should still try the surgary surley?

BettyBunny said:

the expenses arnt important.
but i should still try the surgary surley?

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Only you know what is right for him.

But I do agree that the previous vet should pay! What did the current vet say about what the other vet did? Did they ever give you an explanation as to why they took the tooth out?

If the expenses are not important then I would book him in and have his op. I have just lost a rabbit recently and know how upsetting it is, this was due to illness and he could not survive it. If your rabbit will have a better life then I would do it.

If it were me, I would take Betty to another vet for a second opinion. Is your current vet experienced with rabbit teeth? where are you? Someone on here may be able to recommend a bunny savvy vet in your area.

There best guess is that when they cut it, it splintered and had to be cut back.
But thats only a guess.
I just find it hard to take when she hasn't had any other tests or medication.
Like if she has an xray would they not be able to see how much to take away and make sure they get it all this time.
She also has watery eyes often and she gets them flushed but it makes me think that there is a connection because she never had watery eyes before the orginal vet trip.

I am not sure if they are that experianced with rabbits i changed to this vet because it is the one my mum uses.
I live in north lincolnshire and there are not many vets never mind specalists that i know of. hopefully someone can suggest someone

It sounds as though Betty now has an infection in the root of the damaged tooth.
This requires aggressive antibiotic therapy. Something like a Cephalosporin antibiotic (Ceporex) or Depocillin (by injection only)

With more surgery to remove as much of the infected tissue as possible and then antibiotics and pain relief there is still some hope.

The prognosis for Dental abscesses that have spread to the bone (osteomyelitis) is poor. But if Betty is still bright within himself and eating I would most definately not PTS without attempting treatment.

Can I suggest that you put a thread in the Rabbit Chat section titled "Bunny Savvy vet-North Lincolnshire" and there maybe someone near you who can recommend one.

I thought all was lost with one of my dental buns until I found a bunny savvy vet.

If you ring round some of your locals and ask if there are any "exotics experts" in their practice it might give you a better vet, the vet may advertise as specialising in small animals too. Rabbits are classed as exotics.

Good luck.

I live in Grimsby, and yes i want to do whatever i can.

As well as Jane's advice (you should take a copy to your chosen vet), if he has surgery ask them to take an X-ray so that you can see the extent of any teeth problems.

I hope you can get him sorted.

BettyBunny said:

I live in Grimsby, and yes i want to do whatever i can.

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Just found this on Yell:

Ashcroft Veterinary Surgery
Scunthorpe, DN15 6AH
Scunthorpe: 01724 860045

Deals with:
Birds / Exotic Pets
All Small Animals

Thanks for all this help it is very good of you all.
I will begin making phone calls to some vets tommorrow to see if any1 can help me

Jack's-Jane said:

It sounds as though Betty now has an infection in the root of the damaged tooth.
This requires aggressive antibiotic therapy. Something like a Cephalosporin antibiotic (Ceporex) or Depocillin (by injection only)

With more surgery to remove as much of the infected tissue as possible and then antibiotics and pain relief there is still some hope.

The prognosis for Dental abscesses that have spread to the bone (osteomyelitis) is poor. But if Betty is still bright within himself and eating I would most definately not PTS without attempting treatment.

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I agree with Jane, one of my buns had her insicors removed ( deliberately) and then got an infection, she had a big lump under her tongue. We had the puss removed under anaesthetic, she was injected with betamox (another penicillin based drug) and we also fed her manuka honey for its antiseptic properties. The vets gave a very poor prognosis, but she is still with us a year later and living happily in a trio.
Good luck.

I also agree w/ Jane. You should try all avenue before the consideration of PTS. A yr. ago, 4 separate independent vets advised me to put my bridge bun Goofball to sleep, due to bone cancer. Against all odds, after 11 mth. of post-surgery treatment, I manage to make the cancer cells dormant or gone by a simple blackberries / hay diet. So it's hard to guess whether your bun will come out of that surgery well or not, as it all depends on the bun itself and post-care surgery

After calling another vet that specialises in small animals i decided to book her in for the surgary. I was strongly advised to have the tissue tested after removal so that i could find out what else they can do for her. Thanks so much for all your advice

Hopefully the surgery will help, it is advisable to have the tissue tested so that they know what anti-biotics they can treat the abcess with.

Sounds like you have found a vet which knows a bit more about these types of conditions. When is she booked in for?

Sending her some vibes in advance of the surgery.

When I found out Homer had teeth problems I was beside myself and my sister gave me her purple plate to put under his bed, it is supposed to give out positive energy. I don't normally believe in things like that and don't know if it worked or not but he still has it under his bed a year later coz I won't remove it.

If you want to try something like that here is the link:
http://www.purpleplates.com/index.html

the soonest date was next thursday, i think i am more worried about the test results than the surgery!

So sorry to hear about your poor bunny.
If that was me then I would demand an explaination and to find out exactly what this vet (thought) they were doing. Get it in writing (quickly) and then show it to your new vet and see what they say. It may help you and your current vet decide what to do. Obviously getting your rabbbit better is your top priority at the moment though but do not let it drop until you get to the bottom of it.

Good luck