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Abscess drug advice/suggestions please?

Gem

Wise Old Thumper
:wave:

I'll try and keep this short :oops: Basically Harley had an abscess in december 09, she had it and half her face removed. A year later another one appeared, opposite side of face, at the very end of her jawbone. This one can't be operated on as it presses into her windpipe. She was on Depocillin every other day for three months which sent it away again.

Now it's back again, is there anything else we can try? She can't have Baytril as it doesn't agree with her and didn't work on the first abscess.

I'm open to all suggestions, including any complementary therapies that can be used alongside conventional drugs, herbs flowers etc.

I honestly think this will be the end for her though, she's 7 this year and getting old. Tonight she has stopped eating willing but has eaten some porridge with painkillers in.

ETA: before anyone jumps on me, she is monitored very closely because of the location of the abscess and everything we do is done with consent of our vet
 
Is the abscess external?
What i mean is can you get into the 'hole' of it?

I'm just thinking that i have had good results with Manuka Honey on both facial and foot abscesses. I am not saying it will be a miracle cure, but gotta be worth a try if it is a possibility.
 
Bless her :cry: Could you try Zithromax? It's a human antibiotic but I've read it is good for treating abscesses in buns. It's not licensed for use in buns, but if you're running out of alternatives - maybe your vet might agree to trying it, as long as you accept & understand any risks involved with it.

We've used it for a head tilt bunny in the past with great results (different to abscesses I know, but might be worth considering)

I have also used manuka honey for external abscesses with brilliant results :)

Good luck what ever you decide for Harley xx
 
I had good results with depocillin for Grimlock. How long did it stop it coming back? Would injections every three days for the rest of her life be an option or not something you'd want to put her through.

It's such a horrible thing so lots of luck to both of you.
 
:wave:

I'll try and keep this short :oops: Basically Harley had an abscess in december 09, she had it and half her face removed. A year later another one appeared, opposite side of face, at the very end of her jawbone. This one can't be operated on as it presses into her windpipe. She was on Depocillin every other day for three months which sent it away again.

Now it's back again, is there anything else we can try? She can't have Baytril as it doesn't agree with her and didn't work on the first abscess.

I'm open to all suggestions, including any complementary therapies that can be used alongside conventional drugs, herbs flowers etc.

I honestly think this will be the end for her though, she's 7 this year and getting old. Tonight she has stopped eating willing but has eaten some porridge with painkillers in.

ETA: before anyone jumps on me, she is monitored very closely because of the location of the abscess and everything we do is done with consent of our vet

PM Abbymarysmokey. She takes on many rabbits with abcesses, so may be able to advise you. Good luck x
 
I'm sorry to read of Harley's abscess problems. We had a male lop who also had recurring abscesses, mostly caused by dental problems. He then developed an abscess which seems like it was similar to your case. It was inoperable and pressed into his throat causing him to make raspy grunting noises when he reached forward for a treat.

He was treated with Depocillin for all his abscesses with general success. However, his last one did not respond as well and he needed Metacam as palliative care. He could not eat any hard foods as I believe it caused him pain to swallow and and refused pellets, greens and hay. Whilst he was generally enjoying himself and the company of his bonded partner we fed him lightly cooked greens pureed through a Moulinex baby food mill and supplemented with feeds of Critical Care for fibre. Of course this was not a sustainable diet but we kept it up until he indicated he had lost the will to fight and was pts. just short of his ninth birthday.

I wish I was able to give you a more positive outcome and hope that Harley's situation is not as dire as was Liam's. The last thing in the world I wanted was to have him pts but I couldn't let him continue on in pain and when he indicated to me that the time was up I couldn't deny him release.

Several times we also used metronidazole (Flagyl suspension) together with the Depocillin as it can be more effective than Baytil with abscesses.
 
I was going to suggest maybe metronidazole in combination with penicillin as well. It stands a better chance of killing off bacteria which have grown more resistant to the penicillin, and metronidazole kills clostridia which is the main source of worry with buns on penicillin. So in some ways it can actually make it safer than using penicillin alone! It is given orally either by tablet or liquid :)
 
Another recommendation for Flagyl here too - we're using in conjuncton with Baytril after the Depocillin made her skin react badly. The Bristol Rabbit Clinic recommended the Flagyl and Baytril to our vets.

How long were you using the depocillin for? Maybe a longer (life long) course would be better?>
 
My bun daisy has had an abcess under her chin, the second time it appeared my vet treated it with a antiboitic bead which was placed inside the abcess and then she had baytril i think for about 4 weeks or so and fingers crossed hasnt shown any signs of coming back. Ive just had a look in my bunny notebook and ive written the name Jeffery R. Jenkins down in relation to the bead treatment if its any help.
 
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