More abscess troubles U/D Jaw Infection Confirmed

Maddie has had several jaw abscesses since April this year which we thought were being fed from infected incisor roots, so we ended up taking her incisors out in June and she had a course of some type of penicillin injections. Shes coped brilliantly without her teeth despite being a real "foody" bunny.

I've been watching her closely and really thought we'd cracked the problem as there hadn't been any more growths for 3 months! But.... shes now got another abscess on the other side of her jaw - the previous ones had all been in the same area. I'm gutted for her.

Her molars aren't involved in this as its right beside her mouth. So we're back onto the antibiotics and we'll see if its reduced in a weeks time - if not then my vet wants to operate before it gets too big.

Poor mads

Poor Bun
Does she have osteomyelitis in her jaw ?

How long was the course of penicillin? My vet recently advised that penicillin is continued for at least 4 months after the abscess has gone, and it's better to increase the time between doses gradually rather than stop treatment suddenly.

Unfortunately abscesses are often a life-long condition and the rabbit needs to be on penicillin permanently...which isn't as bad as it sounds

Jack's-Jane said:

Poor Bun
Does she have osteomyelitis in her jaw ?

Click to expand...

There was no evidence of it being in her jaw on the xrays, but I know it doesn't always show until its fairly well advanced, so we couldn't be completely certain. We hoped it hadn't got to her jaw, as the tooth roots were really bad, we thought that was the "root" of the infection.

abbymarysmokey said:

How long was the course of penicillin? My vet recently advised that penicillin is continued for at least 4 months after the abscess has gone, and it's better to increase the time between doses gradually rather than stop treatment suddenly.

Unfortunately abscesses are often a life-long condition and the rabbit needs to be on penicillin permanently...which isn't as bad as it sounds

Click to expand...

I think she was on it for about 3-4 weeks after her teeth were removed... I'll bring this up with the vet at her check-up, thanks for the info! I'm sure she won't mind the injections, but I'm not that great with them... they've ended up all over my kitchen and my OH before

Poor Mads. I wonder if another Xray may be a good idea, :?

Don't you go putting her in a bad mood before she comes to me:lol::lol:

kayj said:

Poor Mads. I wonder if another Xray may be a good idea, :?

Don't you go putting her in a bad mood before she comes to me:lol::lol:

Click to expand...

Yeh good idea too - I'll ask them to do that if she does go under a GA anyway, then we know what we're dealing with and makes a better case for a longer course of antibiotics.

Kay, you know I only pretend to go away for weekends.... :lol: just want to let her get stroppy with you instead of me!! :lol: At least she can't hurt when she bites - although her peg teeth look pretty mean!

Well Maddie went in for her abscess removal today and we got the vets to do an Xray too. Its confirmed that the infection has finally spread to the jaw bone, from her incisor cavity. So as we'd already removed the incisors, theres not really any more we can do.

I am gutted - shes my little lap bunny.

So I need some help guys. I need to know what to expect now. I know that its not a case of curing this, but more a case of managing it.

What antibiotics have people used - we're going to use Dupaphen again.

I'm assuming she'll need daily pain relief now?

Anyone know how the disease progresses? How will I know when its no longer manageable?

Duphapen is Procaine Benzylpenicillin (procaine penicillin), which is a very similar drug to depocillin.

You can't really say how quick the infection will progress because it's down to factors like what bacteria are involved. I have a rabbit with 2 jaw abscesses which haven't progressed in months, and I've known other rabbits remain stable for a year or more.

I think it's probably a good idea to use painkiller, but my rabbit doesn't seem to be pain from his abscesses...at least he seems happy, doesn't teeth grind and will happily allow me to poke and prod his abscess.

Also...if the abscess is open, it might be an idea to get a c&s done of pus from the abscess wall, so you know what the best antibiotic will be. OTOH if the abscess has walled off and isn't open, then IMO you'd be better to leave well alone.

If you're planning to have the abscess surgically removed, then a c&s could be done at the same time...although I doubt surgery would be useful for Mads as the infection is in her bone.

Hello,
Thanks for replying. She was already sedated for the xray, and the vet thought it was best to remove the abscess today, so thats been done. It was a closed one, very close to the jaw, so I'm not sure if he could remove it "whole" or if it was more "drained". Shes having an impregnated

We had a C&S test a few months back and nothing really grew apart from Pasturella bacteria (i think). My vet got a referral for which antibiotics to use and this was recommended.

I know the abscesses are more a "symptom" of the jaw infection now, but they do bother her as she chews the fur off her dewlap and are tender to touch - but whats worrying me is knowing at what point do you stop removing them?

I'm sorry to read about your bun's reoccurent abcessation and Osteomyelitits
I would always opt to have an abcess removed or at the very least drained. Infection is always better out than in in my personal opinion, especially somewhere like the head where there is only limited space and any extra pressure from a fluid filled lesion is going to cause pain issues. Pain relief is crucial for maintaining a good immune response and general well being and I would always want to use ongoing pain relief if it were my bun during an active infection. Whilst very difficult to treat, infection in the bone can be limited and controlled hopefully by the use of antibiotics. I hope that this is the case for your bun. Thinking of you, good luck and lots of get well vibes x

Mad Bunster said:

I know the abscesses are more a "symptom" of the jaw infection now, but they do bother her as she chews the fur off her dewlap and are tender to touch - but whats worrying me is knowing at what point do you stop removing them?

Click to expand...

That's a really tough question..and one that is a very personal decision.

A big consideration is how active the abscess is...a 'new' abscess is a good candidate for surgery...but an 'old' abscess, which has gone hard and has walled off is probably best left alone. Certainly my vet is of the opinion that the quality of life of a rabbit with an old, inactive abscess is much better if the abscess isn't surgically removed or debrided...because surgery causes more pain, isn't successful in eradicating the infection, and can cause the abscess to become active again.

Also the condition of the bone is a very important factor...once it gets too brittle from osteomylitis, surgery will increase the chances of further damage to the jaw bone, and could even cause it to break, meaning the rabbit needs to be PTS straight away.

I had a good chat with the vet when I picked Mads up and as far as they're concerned, if new abscesses appear, then they'll assess how she is coping before deciding what to do next. So its a wait and see case.

A new problem though, since I brought her home, one eye is absolutely streaming wet and is swollen and shes keeping it closed. I've given a drop of Maxitrol as she was on these already for a weepy eye - but it only helped temporarily. Is this because of dry eyes during the surgery? I can take her back to the vets in the morning if its something that needs looking at??