abscess worry

Hi i need some advice if anyone can help. my bunny has an abscess under his eye. he had a scuffle with another bun during bonding and ended up with a small cut on his bottom eyelid, the cut has gone but then the lump formed. He has been to the vets and is now on baytril, but from what i've been reading this won't solve the problem at all. the lump has grown slightly. Im not sure if its best for him to have it lanced asap so that it doesn't spread around his eye or even behind it i'm really worried and not sure what to do....... the vet suggested using a warm pack on the lump in the hope that it might bring it to a head, will this work? i have tried but this but i dont get to hold it there for long before bun has had enough. i may not be back online this evening so if i dont get back to any posts im not being ignorant! thank you
Laura

My rabbit Murphy who is approx. 7 years old, developed an abscess at the beginning of March this year, it was under his jaw/cheek area. He had it lanced under GA and then I was draining and packing it every day. Irrigating it with hibiscrub and packing it with manuka medical grade honey. He was also on baytril twice a day. This went on until September and although he was tolerating the treatment, the abscess was still increasing in size and would discharge pus each time I treated the wound. I then read on this forum about penicillin injections and approached my vet about this, he was slightly reluctant about going down this route and I had to sign a consent form before he showed me how to do the injections. As I understand it, the treatment can go either way and may in certain circumstances cause the death of the rabbit, but Murphy didn't really have anything to lose and I didn't want to give up on him. He has now been on Duphapen injections every other day for just over a month, and I am pleased to say so far so good, the abscess has virtually gone and no longer needs draining, his weight is stable and he seems to be well and happy in himself. He has always suffered from an excess of special poos and this is still the case, but it does not seem to have got any worse.
Giving the injections has been a bit hit and miss and frustrating at times, Murphy is extremely well behaved, but I am not an expert and sometimes it takes a few attempts to get it right!! I can't predict what will happen in the long term, but for now it does seem to be working. Hope this is of some help to you. Feel free to ask any questions if you need to.

Hi Tillybunny thanks for your reply. i have also read that penicillin is more effective. the abcess has receded a bit but from what i can gather it never truly goes without being lanced and cleaned, i am assuming this from other posts and websites. still dont know whether to just keep giving the baytril or take him back instead.... good news about Murphy bless him, he actually looks like my Joey! i cant beleive that rabbit spots can be so tricky. will be in touch if i need more advice
thanks for posting
laura

You are more than welcome, hope your rabbit will be ok, keep us up to date with his progress.

Yes, you're right. A bunny abscess not only needs to be lanced, but closes up overnight. It needs a sliver of top skin taken off to keep it open at least. Sometimes it's not possible to cut the capsule out completely because of its situation.
The pus is very thick. As well as ABx I recommend the use of daily manuka honey in the cavity, both to reduce infection & help to lift out the pus.
Try to keep stress as low as poss, because this reduces the immune system
I used echinacea to boost the immune system.

My Benjie came to me with 2 abscesses & pasteurella snuffles. Amazingly, reduction of stress when he was rescued by a kind nurse, had the effect that he'd almost healed them up himself by the time he came to me. They'd burst & clean new tissue had filled the abscess space.
This tissue can't form unless pressure is taken off by releasing the pus.