• 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.

  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Abscess

A

AndreaS83

New Kit
My bunny Blue had a large swelling behind his left front leg that seemed to come out of nowhere. I took him to the vet today and she told me he had pasturella and the swelling was an abscess. The abscess was drained and flushed out and I was sent home with antibiotics.

The area is still a bit swollen and Blue seems very tender. Is this to be expected?

I recently lost my job and am going through a divorce so I can't afford to take Blue to the vet again unless I absolutely must
 
hello :wave: my buns have root tooth abcsess's, sadly because of it going into the jaw bone they are both on on going treatment :(, after they have been flushed the area is a little swollen, but should not feel full or hard, my casper hates me touching anywhere near it afterwards, is he on pain relief? what antibiotic is he on? also i know people on here use manuka honey and say its very successful, i could not say as in my case of a root tooth abcess this would not help, but it may help you :) lots of vibes xx
 
Sorry you're going through a rough time and hope things pick up for you soon. What antibiotics have you got? Abscesses can be difficult to treat as the pus is so thick. They can be cured though quite often with the right treatment i'm on my phone and going back to sleep now but i'll be back on later this morning. Joejoe had one behind his eye and is fine now. Noserubs for Blue x
 
Blue is on Orbax (antibiotic). The abscess area is still swollen but not like it was. Before I took him to the vet the area was very solid and is squishy feeling now. The vet did not prescribe anything for pain. I have been doing warm compresses every 2 hours and he tolerates that pretty well.

He has been eating and drinking and is very active so I am hoping that he will be okay. I have had him for 8 years and I would be lost without him.

Do I feed Blue the honey and if so do you know how much?
 
AndreaS83 said:
Blue is on Orbax (antibiotic). The abscess area is still swollen but not like it was. Before I took him to the vet the area was very solid and is squishy feeling now. The vet did not prescribe anything for pain. I have been doing warm compresses every 2 hours and he tolerates that pretty well.

He has been eating and drinking and is very active so I am hoping that he will be okay. I have had him for 8 years and I would be lost without him.

Do I feed Blue the honey and if so do you know how much?
Click to expand...

No, you do not feed him the honey. Manuka Honey can be used to pack the abscess cavity

I am afraid your Rabbit is very likely to need ongoing Veterinary treatment and IMO *Pain relief/anti-inflammatory medication is ESSENTIAL*

Could you discuss a payment plan with you Vet ?

Rabbit abscesses are unlike abscesses in other species, Surgical removal is often required. Certainly regular monitoring by the Vet is necessary.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Bacterial/skin_abscess.PDF

http://wildlife1.wildlifeinformation.org/S/00dis/Bacterial/Abscessation_rabbits.htm

My advice would be to call the Vet today and request a discussion re payment in installments to insure that you Rabbit receives the treatment he needs.

Good luck
 
^^ this is good information, cant add anything, but i do stress pain relief is very important, they do cause pain, also metacam is a anti inflammatory pain relief which will help with swelling, my casper is 9 this year and he is on pain relief twice a day, he would not be the happy bun he is without it, unfortunatly for casper his abcsess was in operable due to his respiratory issues, and other issues that causes him a great risk to GA, my other rabbit went through GA and had the whole cavity removed, unfortunatly its on her jaw and without removing the whole wide of her face which would not be possible as its so near her eye, she will also need long term treatment, but they can live very happy lives :) but pain relief is needed for this, like jane said i think going back or calling your vet up would be a good idea, unfortuantly rabbits are expensive, as i have found out with two of mine, but if it means them living happier years id do anything, casper and poppy go to the vets around every 3 weeks now xx
 
I have treated abscesses in bunnies. My Kermit had one on his face, where Inca has had them on her feet and her back. All times were treated with abx and pain relief.

I also flushed out the abscesses twice a day with a dilute iodine soloution, then put manuka honey in the 'hole'. Sometimes it was hard to get it in the hole, but even putting it on the top helps. You need to get Manuka honey with as high a UMF value as possible, i have used UMF 25+ always.

All the times i have treated abscesses, they have totally cleared up with this method.

Good Luck x
 
Sorry I was on my phone this morning (i'd just got out of bed for a wee then couldn't get back to sleep, sorry if TMI :oops::lol:) anyhows, what I wanted to say but couldn't type out earlier was what others have now said and that is that abscesses aren't a one-off visit to the vets type of thing, they do go on and need regular treatment and monitoring. I think it took about 3 months for Joejoe to finally get the all clear and even then he had to keep going back for checks just to make sure.

I know it's hard when you don't have the money, but janes advice about enquiring about a payment plan is a good one, and if you are on benefits then you might qualify for the PDSA vets but I have absoutely no experience of using one so I don't know if they are good with buns or not?

I hope Blue makes a speedy recovery x
 
Blue is getting better

Just wanted to let everyone know that Blue is improving. He has been at the vet twice to have his abscess drained and flushed. He is on antibiotics and a pain med/anti-inflammatory. I do hot compresses with him 5 times a day. He still has a small lump but it is going down and he is now fever free.

The vet thinks that the antibiotics will clear up any remaining infection. He has a recheck next week. Fingers crossed that the abscess is gone by then!!:)
 
AndreaS83 said:
Just wanted to let everyone know that Blue is improving. He has been at the vet twice to have his abscess drained and flushed. He is on antibiotics and a pain med/anti-inflammatory. I do hot compresses with him 5 times a day. He still has a small lump but it is going down and he is now fever free.

The vet thinks that the antibiotics will clear up any remaining infection. He has a recheck next week. Fingers crossed that the abscess is gone by then!!:)
Click to expand...

thats brill news! abcsess's may come back up but atleast you will know straight away if this does happen and will be able to get him on the right antibiotic quickly :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
Please help
Replies
2
Views
807
Orenoko
Orenoko
B
Rabbit not eating / dental / abscess
2 3 4
Replies
61
Views
3K
Jemi
J
thebunnydad
Meloxicam and liver problems
Replies
7
Views
282
InspectorMorse
InspectorMorse
Back
Top