abscesses..

I posted a couple of days ago that I had noticed a few little signs that Sooty needed another dental so my vet had a advised me to just bring him straight in for a dental early friday morning without bothering a consultation first, so that was what I did.
When I went to pick him up yesterday afternoon the vet said that it had been a little different this time as his actual teeth were quite good he just had one tiny spur, but on another tooth he had a small root abcess! on hearing this I when into worry/panic/guilt mode and I must admit did not fully hear what was said for the next few minutes after this.
I think he said somthing about his tooth being a bit wobbly and this causing an abcess underneath it, i've been given some baytrill, and he was talking about he had got rid of somthing which I assumed was the abcess but since coming out now im wondering if he meant the tooth?? can you take out one of the molars? I didn't think you could... He also mentioned about filling a tooth down to the gumline but after coming out im not sure what tooth he was talkin about.. I'm going back for a check up next week so obviously I find out exactly what has been done then but until then does anybody have any idea what it sounds like has been done? I have no experiance of abcesses so dont know what type of thing can be done..

I feel so guilty that he must of been in pain, but you never would of known he was still binkying round like mad and pestering for food and treats! I'm so glad I got him to the vets when I did but feel awful thinking I should of got him there sooner.. Any advice from people who know about root abcesses is appreciated as I know very little.

Don't feel bad, you got your bun immediate vet attention as soon as you noticed any symptoms so you did all you could. Abcesses are nigh on impossible for us owners to pick up without really knowing what we are looking for - and even then they can be hard to locate - especially a tooth root abcess. No one would be expected to find that themselves, so don't worry.

Yes generally as far as i'm aware, and I have no personal experience of dental abcessation, it is best to remove the offending tooth if possible otherwise the abcess cavity continues to be irritated by the tooth root perpetuating the infection and the pain, and it can also make it more difficult for the abcess to be removed or drained properly. Molars can be extracted but it is harder to do I understand as there is a risk to the jaw bone, however, if the tooth is loose already then I should think it might be easier in this case?

Baytril however is rarely sufficient to penetrate an abcess, and with the tooth roots sitting in the jaw line the risks of osteomyelitis (bone infection) are high so generally a much stronger off-license antibiotic is more appropriate for dental abcesses or used in combination with baytril. Other members on here will be able to recommend the ones they found helpful. Metronidazole I understand is supposed to be a good place to start, also depocillin (penicillin) - a good broad spectrum antibiotic.

Dental abcesses are tricky to deal with and have a habit of reoccuring sadly so it is all about infection and pain management. Ongoing pain relief until the abcess is gone is crucial whether bunny is eating voraciously or not, ongoing chronic pain will take it's toll of bun's immune system and GI tract whether bunny shows it or not and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories will help reduce any soft tissue inflammation as well as help control the pain. Abcesses can be very painful. Hopefully your vet will be willing to think about all the different regimes of treatment and discuss this with you once you have got over the shock, if not I would ask for an exotics referral if you happen to be near a specialist vet. Good luck x

These links may be informative:

http://wildlife1.wildlifeinformation.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/AcquiredMolarAbnRabbits.html

http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.co...eedings/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/598991

Hi thanks for the links and the advice, Ill speak to my vet about the things you've mentioned, he's usually pretty good but ill find a speciallist if needs be. I'm so worried about poor Sooty it's just one thing after another with his mouth, I feel awful.

:wave: I have a bun who has had his molar removed due to a root abcess. Pain management is crucial and a good effective drug regime. My bun is on 2 sets of antibiotics at the moment. One oral and one that I inject. I will look up what he is on for you in case it could be useful when you chat with your vet. Just need to find the correct spellings for you.

alio71 said:

:wave: I have a bun who has had his molar removed due to a root abcess. Pain management is crucial and a good effective drug regime. My bun is on 2 sets of antibiotics at the moment. One oral and one that I inject. I will look up what he is on for you in case it could be useful when you chat with your vet. Just need to find the correct spellings for you.

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Hi that would be great thanks

It can be done if the tooth was already wobbly. Unless the whole abscess has been removed I don't think baytril will work as it's not strong enough. Grimlock had depocillin (penicillin) injections and healed up perfectly. His abscessed were under his incisors.

And painkillers are a must too.

Hi, Archie is on Depocillin injections and Flagyl oral. He is also on quite a high dose of metacam at the moment so make sure your vet gives you a high dose. Archie is on 0.5ml twice a day at the moment as he has been very poorly but needs to be eating to take this. He is a 2.6kg lop.

Pea's just had a tooth root abscess treated. And don't feel bad for not noticing it - when I eventually noticed a swelling on her jaw, the vet thought it had probably been 'brewing' for up to 3 months :shock:. She'd been eating and behaving totally normally so gave me no cause for concern.

I agree that baytril alone will probably be insufficient to clear the infection. Pea had the abscess surgically removed (or as much of it as they could clear), the hole from the jaw to the abscess was flushed and she has had 5 weeks of Zithromax (3ml every day for 5 days followed by 3ml every other day for 4 weeks - she weighs 3.1kg). She also had Metacam for 4 weeks, although we've just phased this out now. We may yet have to go onto injectible penicillin if the Zithromax doesn't clear the infection.

Hi thanks I'll make a note of what everybodys said and discuss different antibiotics with my vet at Sooty's check up, It's good to hear from everyone as I'm clueless about the different antibiotics available for pets at least now I can go in with some suggestions of my own.

Zithromax isn't licensed for use in bunnies but my very bunny savvy vet uses it all the time. In fact he said he should have shares in the company who make it - they get through that much of it :lol:. It's really easy to administer too - we have the child-friendly syrup and it's really sweet :shock: - I stuck the wrong end of the syringe into my mouth whilst I positioned Pea on my lap :lol:. Only 3 more doses to go and then, fingers crossed, she'll stop avoiding me every time I go to catch her :lol::lol:.