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rabbit jaw absess through to the bone

simbubs

New Kit
Hello there
My rabbit has been diagnosed with a severe absess on her jaw that has gone through to her bone, they kept her in so the could put her under to treat it. She has to have oral antibiotics, but the vet said that if it doesnt work she would have to be put down. I have since been on the internet and seen that they can have teeth removed to sort it. Shes only a yr old and dont want her to die so young! Has anyone had a good outcome to this situation?
 
I'm sorry about your rabbit. In severe cases sometimes pts (put to sleep) is the best option for the animal as it is a very painful inhibiting condition to live with. Tooth removal is possible but is a complicated and risky operation which tends to done be as a last resort. You could discuss this option with your vet as your rabbit is so young. There is a risk however that teeth may grow back so it is not necessarily a long term solution.

I hope you find a solution :)
 
My old bunny Ralphy had this and with enormous amounts of veterinary and at home care he lived for 3 years with it, he too was a year old when he got the abscess.

The only reason I continued with the pain meds and ops for little Ralphy was because he continued to eat and binky so I knew he was still enjoying life, until his brother Peter passed away and then Ralphy rapidly went down hill :(

Each bunny is of course different, but you will need to be prepared to offer so much care and support, and of course be able to pay the vet bills.

Good luck x
 
I don't have any experience with jaw abscesses, but I hope your vet can find a way to treat her. Sending lots of vibes xx
 
The abscess can be removed surgically like they would remove a tumour. Oral antibiotics are too weak to help. Once it's been removed you can give injectable antibiotics like penicillin. This CANNOT be given orally as it's fatal. I've just had my rabbit have a jaw abscess removed, the vet had to scrape away some of the bone to get it all. She was on soft pellets (soaked in water) and lots of pain killers! She was doing really well but it has just come back. It's possible that whatever you do it might come back so you have to balance the aggressive treatment with how well the rabbit is doing. Some rabbits will put up with the treatment and live happy lives and it will be too much for others.

I would advise you to get a second opinion. Try and find an exotic vet or one that specialises in rabbits (rabbits are actually exotic pets when it comes to medicine) that will try other methods. Sorry if my message is a bit blunt, I literally just discovered Smoo's abscess has come back so I'm a bit upset right now. Just want to pass on my knowledge and try to help your bun. My other rabbit, Grim, had two jaw abscesses in 2009 which were in the bone. With surgery and an eight week course of penicillin injections they have never come back.
 
I had a bunny with a severe jaw abscess who was given a very poor prognosis but after finding a decent vet and having daily Duphapen injections and packing the abscess with Manuka honey it disappeared and didn't return. I'm not saying this will happen in every case but it's worth looking at the options.
Let us know how you get on x
 
You could ask your vet to get in touch with John Chitty or Frances Harcourt-Brown. Both are rabbit specialists.

Like other have said. Jaw abscesses are hideous things to deal with and sometimes you have to balance the amount of invasive treatment over a long timeframe against the quality of life the rabbit will have. Being handled and treated is pretty stressful and sometimes it is just too much for them.

I lost a beloved bun this year to a jaw abscess. The stress of being treated was just too much for him and he went into shock after his GA and died.

If you go down the ABX route, you will need something stronger than Baytril and I would echo Penicillin as someone above has mentioned.
 
I lost my little ava earlier this year to a jaw abcess, both her and I tried so hard but they are hideous and when the pain relief was no longer working she let me know and I think that is the important thing to bear in mind your bunny let's you know when its time, but the condition tends to be recurrent so it may be a continuous fight.
 
I had a rabbit with a jaw abscess. He was treated with depocillin injections every 3 days and baytril and metacam. We also had to clean out the abscess daily and remove the puss. He lived for 6 months with the abscess coming and going but in the end it was too much for him and he collapsed and died in my arms.

I think I would try and treat it with the depocillin injections and see if you can get the abscess to go but if your vet feels it would be kinder to put him to sleep if the treatment doesn't work then maybe that is the best option so the rabbit doesn't suffer.
 
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