Fred has an abscess :-( UD: They're home!

Hi all,

What I took to be a funny moult patch oops on the side of Fred's face has turned out to be an abscess. It's not been properly looked at yet, I am trying to get him in this evening or tomorrow morning, but it's almost certainly tooth related as he's had rubbish teeth for ages. As they weren't stopping him eating and weren't irritating his tongue the vet had been leaving them but clearly they have been causing this problem

I know abscesses are fairly common and that they are really difficult to treat, but I don't really know what to expect otherwise. Has anyone got any advice or experiences they can share, particularly tooth-related abscesses?

Thanks

Poor Fred Yaretzi has a thread on this http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...-jaw-tooth-root-abscess&p=6522524#post6522524

I'm sorry to hear that Fred has an abscess. Whilst abscesses anywhere on the head are not great news not all of them are Dental related. What treatment the Vet may suggest will depend on the exact nature of the abscess. Establishing if it is tooth root related (and if it is then removal of the offending tooth/tooth root may be necessary), if it is confined to just soft tissue or if there is also bone involvement (osteomyelitis). Surgical intervention is usually the most likely course of action and this would probably involve skull Xrays too (to see what is going on 'below the surface'.). How extensive the surgery would be is dependent on the specific nature of the abscess. Swabs need to be taken from the abscess wall (not just the pus which is often sterile) to grow cultures to test for antibiotic sensitivities. This enables the Vet to prescribe the most suitable antibiotic. Often the abscess cavity is left open and it has to be flushed out 2-3 times a day. Aswell as antibiotics good pain relief is also essential. Packing the wound with medical grade manuka honey can be very beneficial as a topical treatment alongside the systemic antibiotics. There are also antibiotic impregnated beads which may sometimes be appropriate to use. These are placed into the surgical wound and the bead releases the antibiotic over a period of weeks.

I hope that Fred gets on OK at the Vets xx

Thanks Zoobec and Jack's-Jane, that's very helpful. I thought surgery would be the most likely course of action but hadn't realised that it would probably need serious after-care for weeks. I'm taking him in tomorrow morning. Poor bunny, it really doesn't seem to be bothering him at all so it seems mean to put him through it, but presumably it would start to cause him pain if left

Jolysium said:

Hi all,

What I took to be a funny moult patch oops on the side of Fred's face has turned out to be an abscess. It's not been properly looked at yet, I am trying to get him in this evening or tomorrow morning, but it's almost certainly tooth related as he's had rubbish teeth for ages. As they weren't stopping him eating and weren't irritating his tongue the vet had been leaving them but clearly they have been causing this problem

I know abscesses are fairly common and that they are really difficult to treat, but I don't really know what to expect otherwise. Has anyone got any advice or experiences they can share, particularly tooth-related abscesses?

Thanks

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I'm sorry to hear that Fred has an abscess. I've treated so many rabbit abscesses in many different ways over the years, so there isn't a 'one size fits all' here. Surgery is an option, and implanting antibiotic beads, and long term injectable antibiotics. However, I have had just as much success without invasive and debilitating surgery. It totally depends on you, your rabbit, where the abscess is and what your vet suggests.

Good luck - please let us know how things go xx

I'm sorry I have no advice to offer but I did want to add my vibes that you and your vet will be able to find a good plan of treatment for Fred. Healing thoughts on the way with all due speed. xxxx

Thanks everyone. Will update once we've seen the vet. Fred is being extra-adorable this morning, grooming my hand and bouncing about

Jolysium said:

Thanks everyone. Will update once we've seen the vet. Fred is being extra-adorable this morning, grooming my hand and bouncing about

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Bless

Well, Fred is at the vet. Just waiting to hear something from them. I hate this part!

Jolysium said:

Well, Fred is at the vet. Just waiting to hear something from them. I hate this part!

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I know what you mean !! I hope you receive good news soon xx

I've just had a phone call from the vet. They've sedated him and done x-rays and looked in his mouth and unfortunately there is quite a lot of tooth and bone erosion, as well as another abscess they couldn't see from the outside, so they're uncertain of what to do next. They've suggested that they talk to a specialist and get the x-rays reviewed by them before making a further plan. This sounds pretty sensible to me. Hopefully he'll recover from the sedation ok and be able to come home later. Poor Freddie

Sending vibes for Freddie, poor mite.

Jolysium said:

I've just had a phone call from the vet. They've sedated him and done x-rays and looked in his mouth and unfortunately there is quite a lot of tooth and bone erosion, as well as another abscess they couldn't see from the outside, so they're uncertain of what to do next. They've suggested that they talk to a specialist and get the x-rays reviewed by them before making a further plan. This sounds pretty sensible to me. Hopefully he'll recover from the sedation ok and be able to come home later. Poor Freddie

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Oh dear, I am sorry to hear this. It is certainly an excellent idea for the Vet to contact a Specialist and for him/her to review the Xrays. By far better than what some less Rabbit Savvy Vets do-pack Bunny off with a course of Baytril and hope for the best. It sounds as though your Vet is dealing with Fred's problem in a way that will ensure any treatment given is the most appropriate.

I hope Fred recovers well from his sedation xx

Poor Fred sending many more vibes for him and (((((hugs))))) for you. xxxx

Jolysium said:

I've just had a phone call from the vet. They've sedated him and done x-rays and looked in his mouth and unfortunately there is quite a lot of tooth and bone erosion, as well as another abscess they couldn't see from the outside, so they're uncertain of what to do next. They've suggested that they talk to a specialist and get the x-rays reviewed by them before making a further plan. This sounds pretty sensible to me. Hopefully he'll recover from the sedation ok and be able to come home later. Poor Freddie

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I'm sorry to hear this. It's a good thing your vet realised their limitations and consulted someone more knowledgeable than themselves. I do hope Fred is able to come home later ..... xx

I hope Fred comes round from his anaesthetic okay. It's very sensible of your vet to suggest a referral to a specialist, do they have one in mind? If not then I'm sure some people on here would have some suggestions. Fingers crossed for him

Oh no, poor Fred Hope the specialist can come up with a treatment plan and he feels better soon. Sending lots of vibes for Fred xx

Thanks for the vibes!

Freddie is home He's come round from the sedation well and is eating and pooping, though he's obviously uncomfortable. He's got metacam, vetergesic and penicillin to try and keep him comfortable.

That's the good news. The bad news is that his x-rays look terrible; his jaw and tooth roots are a mush and the vet thinks they're likely to break down completely if they operate on the abscesses. She's going to try and contact Frances Harcourt-Brown next week, although I thought I'd heard that she'd retired, does anyone know?

Jolysium said:

Thanks for the vibes!

Freddie is home He's come round from the sedation well and is eating and pooping, though he's obviously uncomfortable. He's got metacam, vetergesic and penicillin to try and keep him comfortable.

That's the good news. The bad news is that his x-rays look terrible; his jaw and tooth roots are a mush and the vet thinks they're likely to break down completely if they operate on the abscesses. She's going to try and contact Frances Harcourt-Brown next week, although I thought I'd heard that she'd retired, does anyone know?

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Glad that he's home, hopefully he'll perk up quicker with his home comforts

Frances Harcourt-Brown has retired, but she's still staying on in a consultancy role so hopefully your vet will be able to obtain advice from her still. There's been a couple of threads from people who see her: http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?427212-FHB-is-retiring

Jolysium said:

Thanks for the vibes!

Freddie is home He's come round from the sedation well and is eating and pooping, though he's obviously uncomfortable. He's got metacam, vetergesic and penicillin to try and keep him comfortable.

That's the good news. The bad news is that his x-rays look terrible; his jaw and tooth roots are a mush and the vet thinks they're likely to break down completely if they operate on the abscesses. She's going to try and contact Frances Harcourt-Brown next week, although I thought I'd heard that she'd retired, does anyone know?

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She's a long, long way off retired (although that is what I believed she was saying she would do a year ago), she is now concentrating on specialist work. Abscesses is one of her areas of expertise. I think she is actually working more hours than she did before she 'retired'!

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/consulting