• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Dental abcsess and tooth removal

Hoppit!

Wise Old Thumper
Hi guys.

I've come to the conclussion that Ginger's most likely to have a tooth abscess, rather than snuffles. All the symptoms seem to match up, although he's only gone off his food since yesterday. It would also explain why Pickles hasn't got it.

What should I do now? I read on one site that you can test for this by sending a sample of the eye discharge for analysis?! Is that right? Or does he need a skull x-ray? The on-call vet checked his mouth on Sunday, and said everything looked alright, but I gather you can't usually tell this way anyway?

Which teeth in the rabbit can be removed? I asked my vet if he'd do this when Ginger was needing dentals every 3 weeks, but he said he wouldn't do it as there'd be a high chance of breaking the jaw. That was for molars. I have heard of rabbits who've had their molars removed. Does anyone know of a vet in the south west who'd do this? Do you think they would at Bristol?

I'm getting ahead of myself a bit I know. What's the first thing I should do now?
 
I think the first step would be to get an appointment with a rabbit savvy vet. There's no point trying to diagnose the problem yourself.

If the vet suspects the problem is teeth related, they will probably do x-rays...and treatment will be based on what they find.
 
I think the first step would be to get an appointment with a rabbit savvy vet. There's no point trying to diagnose the problem yourself.

If the vet suspects the problem is teeth related, they will probably do x-rays...and treatment will be based on what they find.

My vet's going to ring when he's finished consults. I just wanted to know what the usual procedure is, so I could check that's what he has in mind. I'm so afraid he'll say 'there's nothing we can do for a dental abscess' so I want to be able to say 'some vets do blah, blah, blah - can you refer me?'.
 
I spoke to the vet earlier and he's going to take x-rays with Ginge under GA tomorrow. I forgot to ask him what he'd actually do if he found a dental abscess though! From what I gather online, just lancing it won't work? The vet actually needs to remove all the affected tissue/bone/teeth?
 
Ah ha, my area of expertise! Obviously I wish it wasn't but this is what Grim went through.

His abscesses were in the jaw under the incisors but were in the bone. One vet said no cure and said I should PTS. :censored: Anyway my new vet did a lot of research, his incisors were removed (a lot harder with molars I know but if there is infection they could be loose enough) and the infection cleared as much as possible. As it was in the bone it couldn't be cleared completely so he was put on depocillin. He had baytril I believe for the first few days while the penicillin kicked in and I injected him at home every three days for eight weeks. It cleared up completely. I hope you can find something similar as I know of many stories that ended badly with jaw abscess buns, but I was able to manage the problems with the help of my vet and Grim is such a fighter too. It's not a lost cause, there are lots of new ways to treat the problem popping up all the time. Get your vet to talk to other vets who know more.

They test with a skull x - ray to see how deep the infection is. Sometimes they can remove part of the jaw depending but Grim's was so far spread he couldn't have survived the operation. I also messed up loads of the injections and they ended up everywhere apart from Grim and I was constantly popping into my vets for more. But all worth it. :)
 
I think I have also heard about antibiotic "beads" being implanted where an abcess has been removed :?

Not my area of expertise but was something I looked up when I found I had a dental bunny.
 
When I asked the vet what the treatment would be, should they find an abscess, he went very quiet, then said he'd strongly advise PTS. :cry: The thing is, he's the best small animal vet at the most advanced animal hospital in Cornwall, so I don't really feel like I CAN contradict him.

Ginger's picked up a lot this evening. He's eating, (albeit slowly) and putting his paws up on the bars to say hi, etc etc. He's hardly binkying round but I'm now feeling really torn.
 
my bun jess had 2 jaw abscesses. both required surgery and injections afterwards,not to mention cleaning out:shock: our bun vet said that there was a risk of breaking the jaw but it was worth a try..he didnt break her jaw, luckily, and she lived another 2 years.abscesses on buns have a "pocket" which must be removed to clear the whole abscess..also there can be "fingers" that spread from the main abscess that must also be removed.
jess had duphapen injections every other day to help clear them up.
 
When I asked the vet what the treatment would be, should they find an abscess, he went very quiet, then said he'd strongly advise PTS. :cry: The thing is, he's the best small animal vet at the most advanced animal hospital in Cornwall, so I don't really feel like I CAN contradict him.

Ginger's picked up a lot this evening. He's eating, (albeit slowly) and putting his paws up on the bars to say hi, etc etc. He's hardly binkying round but I'm now feeling really torn.

NO! Don't listen to him! Just because he's the best in your area doesn't mean he's the best. I'm sure he'd love to learn more if he truly cares for the animals he treats. Even get him to ring my vet, I can PM you the details.

Don't be scared of saying no to people in higher places than you. Just because he's a vet doesn't mean he knows everything, doesn't mean he's always right. I've learned this. I said no to the vet who wanted to put Grim to sleep, my other vet didn't know a lot but I asked her to research and Grim recovered fully from TWO jaw abscesses! I had another vet who advised to amputate Cheech's arm when it was broken, but I didn't just agree I did my own research and asked another vet to speak to her and we tried new things and Cheech still has her arm. Don't be scared, please. It is possible to treat.
 
Back
Top