advice needed please help

Hello! My bunny Daisy was spayed yesterday and she also had an abcess lanced and cleaned out. My vet told me that i need to bathe and flush out her abcess about 3 times a day plus clean her spay wound if needed and give her baytril via syringe.
The problem im having is that she does not want to picked up, she isnt keen on being picked up anyway but im even more nervous because of her stitches. She is currently loose in the front room because she wont go back in her cage!! Ive managed to get 1 squirt into her abcess but she isnt having any of it! im concerned about stressing her out more than needed and my oh isnt home till later so im trying to do this by myself!! Any suggestions about what i could try would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks

crazy daisy said:

Hello! My bunny Daisy was spayed yesterday and she also had an abcess lanced and cleaned out. My vet told me that i need to bathe and flush out her abcess about 3 times a day plus clean her spay wound if needed and give her baytril via syringe.
The problem im having is that she does not want to picked up, she isnt keen on being picked up anyway but im even more nervous because of her stitches. She is currently loose in the front room because she wont go back in her cage!! Ive managed to get 1 squirt into her abcess but she isnt having any of it! im concerned about stressing her out more than needed and my oh isnt home till later so im trying to do this by myself!! Any suggestions about what i could try would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks

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There's no point stressing her and yourself out. Ideally you want to flush her wound several times a day but if this isn't possible on your own then I would just wait til your other half comes home and do it together and do all her treatments twice a day with his help. So as soon as he comes home, and first thing in the morning before he goes to work. She is likely to be pretty struggly post abcess flushing so I would do baytril first and then clean her abcess. I would leave her spay wound well alone unless it looks like it needs cleaning, she will be very tender and bruised around her stitches and is unlikely to let you near them so early on post-spay - just keep an eye on them for now.
Where is her abcess? Did the vet take a swab from it when he lanced it and before he put her on baytril?

Hi thanks for your advice im just so scared of her pulling her stitches open! Ive never had a bun with stitches before. My oh gets up at stupid hour in the morning so that may not be an option but we could do it when he gets home and before bed, would that be ok? He is off work tommorow which is helpful. My vet didnt take a swab as far as i know but its a reaccuring abcess, its under her chin, in her dewlap. My vet seemed to think it may have gone into her bone slightly so cannot remove it. My other bun has also got an abcess in his mouth and he is on injectable depocllin but i dont think Daisy would tolerate injections so i think thats why she is on baytril for now. Ive got an appointment tomorrow so i will check with him.

Oh dear poor Daisy Having a spay and dealing with an abcess is a lot. Did your vet do some Xrays of her head and jaw whilst she was under having her spay to see if there was bone involvement? If there is then it is unlikely that Baytril alone will be strong enough to deal with the abcess infection. Bunny abcesses have very thick walls and therefore seal themselves off well, it is important to fully lance and drain these abcesses or remove them and any infected bone as well. Ideally a swab should be taken from the abcess wall site and cultured to find the most appropriate antibiotic to deal with it. It can also be helpful, as well as flushing the abcess, to pack it with something that inhibits bacterial growth...such as high UMF Manuka honey, or some vets pack them with impregnanted antibiotic beads/dressings. At the same time, systemtic antibiotics and strong pain relief is crucial to dealing with these sorts of infections.

She has only just had her spay so at the moment her stitches shouldn't be causing her too much of an issue. You may find that as the wound heals it will become itchier and irritate her more - this is usually the point that buns start to try and pull them out. If she does you will need to get the vet to put on some tight dressings and abdominal wraps to stop her getting to the wound.

In terms of dealing with her abcess - is there someone else who can pop over during the day or morning to help you flush it and keep it clean? A friendly neighbour perhaps who could hold her still or you hold her and they flush her wound? It is probably better that you do this morning as well as evening rather than just in the evening. As for the antibiotics....I don't know, I strongly suspect that Baytril is not enough and therefore as well as having this once or twice a day she may potentially need some injectable abx as well. If this is the case then the vet may be able to help you properly flush the wound at the same time.
Is she on pain relief at home daily or twice daily? Meloxicam/Metacam? She will need this for not only her abcess but her spay recovery as well. I do hope she feels better soon - just keep her eating

Yeah i no bless her! She sems happy enough. An xray wasnt taken, will speak to the vet tomorrow about that. My vet did put some antibotics inside her abcess that he said would realise slowly, she isnt on any pain relief but was given a pain relief injection yest that i was told woul last till tomorrow then i will get some more. ive got manuka honey ready in a syringe but just got to get it in her! She didnt like it last time so it should be fun!! I dont really know my neighbours well enough to ask i may ask a friend to help before work. I feel really bad about her abcess as i didnt even know she had one til yest as it was quite hidden under her dewlap.

Don't worry they are hard to spot sometimes. I would think that an Xray to check for tooth and bone involvement would be sensible but that means a GA so they should have done it then ideally. As long as she is eating this is good news. Injectable opiates only last 8-12 hours so not sure what they mean by lasting 48! :shock: If you are at all concerned about her pain management today then pop her back for another opiate pain injection or ask if the vet can put you aside some meloxicam/metacam for you to pick up and give her at home in the meantime The two pain killing drugs are different classes and can be used at the same time so it shouldn't do any harm at all and a bunny not in pain is much better able to fight infection.

I would discuss with your vet when you go back about the antibiotic options and a longer course of NSAID pain relief to use at home. Good luck

She does seem quite quiet and hasnt eaten that much today. I do have metacam at home, how long does it last it was prescribed for my other bunny after his dental the date on the bottle is 14/08/09, she weighs about 3kg.

crazy daisy said:

She does seem quite quiet and hasnt eaten that much today. I do have metacam at home, how long does it last it was prescribed for my other bunny after his dental the date on the bottle is 14/08/09, she weighs about 3kg.

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I expect she isn't eating much due to pain management and her tummy has probably slowed a little as a result, the GA slows it down as well. I can't advise you to give metacam as it is a prescription medicine so I would give the vets a call and ask permission, although they are likely to want to see her first, but of course this means more unnecessary stress, unless you get them to flush her abcess as well. I would telephone them and ask if you can give metacam as she is not eating properly and any pain relief yesterday will have worn off by now.