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Should I bring him home? Stasis/tooth root abscess.

BattleKat

BattleKat

Wise Old Thumper
Mack went in to the vet with stasis yesterday.
He was eating and behaving as normal at 11am but by 3pm he was totally lethargic (sat out in the rain actually) and not taking any food.
I got him to the vet at 5. She says it feels like he has the beginning of a tooth root abscess and that's likely the reason he's stopped eating.
He stayed in last night and there's no change this morning.

I feel more confident with him being there but it's awful not being able to check on him and I wonder if I set him up in a little pen next to the girls whether that might make it all easier on him.

I'm off work at five today and all day tomorrow.

His insurance policy excludes dental treatment but I'm fairly confident that the stasis costs will be covered and I'll just have to pay for the abscess treatment.
 
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Is he bonded with the girls ? If so and if you are confident with medicating/syringe feeding/giving fluids to him then he may do better at home

What is the Vet proposing re treatment for the Dental problems ?
 
I'm so sorry to hear that 😞 It's always difficult to make decisions like that as you never know which is best for your bunny. Personally however, I think I would rather he stayed there until he got a little bit better as if I brought my bunny home and he/she suddenly needed medical care and couldn't receive it because he wasn't at the vets anymore it could prove fatal. If I brought my bunny home and he/she died I wouldn't be able to live with myself.

Having said that, if you have a particularly close bond with your rabbit then he may feel calmer and happier if he was at home with you. Although it is unlikely, should he take a turn for the worse and god forbid if he passes away, I also know that you would much rather he was with you and you were by his side. (I'm in no way saying that he may pass away by the way, just covering all basis:) )

What I'm trying to say is that I don't think there is a 'right answer' and that you should just go with gut instinct. I hope he gets better soon and you can have him back home again with you:) x
 
Jack's-Jane said:
Is he bonded with the girls ? If so and if you are confident with medicating/syringe feeding/giving fluids to him then he may do better at home

What is the Vet proposing re treatment for the Dental problems ?
Click to expand...
He is bonded with the girls, one of them attacked me when I tried to take him away :(
I'm reasonably confident but not 100%, especially as I'm on my own now and I'd previously have had help. I'm worried that it will be the middle of the night and I won't be able to get it down him and I'll be stuck.

She's started him on baytril and said we'll discuss other options if/when it comes to it. She did mention some other things but the only one I remember was penicillin because she was saying how people say absolutely never give a rabbit penicillin but she found it was the only thing that worked on a lot of rabbits at her old practice. It wasn't my usual vet but she seemed to have a lot of experience with rabbits. Of course, when you're an absolute pleb like I am it's impossible to know if they're saying the right things or not.:?

I've popped upstairs to assess how much room I have. I have space for two pens in the kitchen but I won't be able to use the room for anything else. Not a problem if they're there for a couple of days but will be if they end up in there for a while. I have no idea how long to expect him to be like this :(
 
BattleKat said:
Mack went in to the vet with stasis yesterday.
He was eating and behaving as normal at 11am but by 3pm he was totally lethargic (sat out in the rain actually) and not taking any food.
I got him to the vet at 5. She says it feels like he has the beginning of a tooth root abscess and that's likely the reason he's stopped eating.
He stayed in last night and there's no change this morning.

I feel more confident with him being there but it's awful not being able to check on him and I wonder if I set him up in a little pen next to the girls whether that might make it all easier on him.

I'm off work at five today and all day tomorrow.

His insurance policy excludes dental treatment but I'm fairly confident that the stasis costs will be covered and I'll just have to pay for the abscess treatment.
Click to expand...

If this were me, I would bring him home. I feel they always do better at home, especially if there's a companion or two waiting.

This is, of course, so long as you feel confident with medicating or injecting - whatever's required.

Sorry to hear about this ..
 
I think I'm partly worried because when Rambo went in for stasis they got her eating on her own and generally very perky. They asked me to keep her separated to look out for poops and within an hour of being home she was back to not eating, tummy pressing and letting me pick her up. Totally different situation but I think it knocked my confidence with how well I can care for them at home.
 
BattleKat said:
He is bonded with the girls, one of them attacked me when I tried to take him away :(
I'm reasonably confident but not 100%, especially as I'm on my own now and I'd previously have had help. I'm worried that it will be the middle of the night and I won't be able to get it down him and I'll be stuck.

She's started him on baytril and said we'll discuss other options if/when it comes to it. She did mention some other things but the only one I remember was penicillin because she was saying how people say absolutely never give a rabbit penicillin but she found it was the only thing that worked on a lot of rabbits at her old practice. It wasn't my usual vet but she seemed to have a lot of experience with rabbits. Of course, when you're an absolute pleb like I am it's impossible to know if they're saying the right things or not.:?

I've popped upstairs to assess how much room I have. I have space for two pens in the kitchen but I won't be able to use the room for anything else. Not a problem if they're there for a couple of days but will be if they end up in there for a while. I have no idea how long to expect him to be like this :(
Click to expand...

To be honest if it is a tooth root abscess Baytril is unlikely to be of any use at all. Penicillin given by injection (it should never be given orally) is well tolerated in Rabbits, it is my Vet's usual first choice of abx when treating Dental abscesses. I assume the Vet has proscribed pain relief too ?

These links may provide you with some insight in how Dental abscesses in Rabbits may be treated :

WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES INCLUDED

http://www.ivis.org/proceedings/navc/2006/SAE/615.pdf?LA=1

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Bacterial/FacialAbscessesRabbits.htm

http://www.vettimes.co.uk/article/odontogenic-abscesses-in-rabbits-guide-to-problem/

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Treatment/Facial/abs_dental.htm

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21155684

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?415173-Nena-s-jaw-tooth-root-abscess
 
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BattleKat said:
He is bonded with the girls, one of them attacked me when I tried to take him away :(
I'm reasonably confident but not 100%, especially as I'm on my own now and I'd previously have had help. I'm worried that it will be the middle of the night and I won't be able to get it down him and I'll be stuck.

She's started him on baytril and said we'll discuss other options if/when it comes to it. She did mention some other things but the only one I remember was penicillin because she was saying how people say absolutely never give a rabbit penicillin but she found it was the only thing that worked on a lot of rabbits at her old practice. It wasn't my usual vet but she seemed to have a lot of experience with rabbits. Of course, when you're an absolute pleb like I am it's impossible to know if they're saying the right things or not.:?

I've popped upstairs to assess how much room I have. I have space for two pens in the kitchen but I won't be able to use the room for anything else. Not a problem if they're there for a couple of days but will be if they end up in there for a while. I have no idea how long to expect him to be like this :(
Click to expand...

I think your vet will have begun him on Baytril as a precaution against anything that may be causing the stasis. You say that she suspected an abscess, but obviously this isn't confirmed yet? If it were me, I would want to know whether it was an abscess before I go in for the penicillin injections, but with his weakened state of stasis, unadvisable to have an X-ray just now. Best to get him eating first :thumb:
 
Thankyou for the links Jane, I'm at work right now but will have a good read later this evening. You really are a godsend for this forum!

It's a tiny little lump, maybe a few mm across, so I'm hopeful about treatment despite my initial reaction being absolute horror and all the images of huge abscess cavities I've seen spamming my thoughts.
I've never felt their jaws before and I feel awful now thinking I could have caught this earlier.

I think at this point we're focusing just on getting him eating. I asked something earlier (can't even remember what, I'm all over the place) and she said whatever the problem is the treatment for now is the same because we can't do anything else with a rabbit who isn't eating.

I'm going to wait and see what she says when she goes in to check on him later and then decide whether to bring him home.

edit: also, she inspected his teeth from the inside and she said they look absolutely fine from the inside. I suppose that's a good thing.
and she definitely meant penicillin by injection because she said I'd have to do it at home every other day.
 
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BattleKat said:
Thankyou for the links Jane, I'm at work right now but will have a good read later this evening. You really are a godsend for this forum!
Click to expand...

I think some may beg to differ on that one ;) :lol:

Yes, it is definitely important to get him eating and pooing again before going down any diagnostic routes that may involve a GA. Tooth root abscesses can come up overnight, so dont blame yourself for not noticing sooner. It sounds to be a small lump at the moment.

I am sure the Vet will come up with a plan of action for how to manage the problem. I hope that Mack will feel better soon xx
 
BattleKat said:
Thankyou for the links Jane, I'm at work right now but will have a good read later this evening. You really are a godsend for this forum!

It's a tiny little lump, maybe a few mm across, so I'm hopeful about treatment despite my initial reaction being absolute horror and all the images of huge abscess cavities I've seen spamming my thoughts.
I've never felt their jaws before and I feel awful now thinking I could have caught this earlier.

I think at this point we're focusing just on getting him eating. I asked something earlier (can't even remember what, I'm all over the place) and she said whatever the problem is the treatment for now is the same because we can't do anything else with a rabbit who isn't eating.

I'm going to wait and see what she says when she goes in to check on him later and then decide whether to bring him home.

edit: also, she inspected his teeth from the inside and she said they look absolutely fine from the inside. I suppose that's a good thing.
and she definitely meant penicillin by injection because she said I'd have to do it at home every other day.
Click to expand...


Yeah, once he's eating normally again you can evaluate the situation.

It's easy to jump two steps ahead, but best to concentrate on on thing at a time.

Well that's what I would do, anyway :D
 
I decided to pick him up as I'm off all day tomorrow.
He and the girls have been moved in to adjoining pens in my kitchen. The girls aren't happy about it but I think it will really help Mack feel better. As soon as I put him in he hate two leaves of basil and then sat went and sat by them :)

I've been given:
Ranitidine - 1.6ml 3x daily
Baytril - 4mls 1x daily (I think it might mean 0.4ml as I'm sure she showed me where to measure it to on a 1ml syringe, going to phone for clarification tomorrow.)
Loxicom - 1x daily - dose for a 12kg dog
Emeprid - 4.5ml 3x daily
Recovery food - 1 sachet 4x daily.
 
BattleKat said:
I decided to pick him up as I'm off all day tomorrow.
He and the girls have been moved in to adjoining pens in my kitchen. The girls aren't happy about it but I think it will really help Mack feel better. As soon as I put him in he hate two leaves of basil and then sat went and sat by them :)

I've been given:
Ranitidine - 1.6ml 3x daily
Baytril - 4mls 1x daily (I think it might mean 0.4ml as I'm sure she showed me where to measure it to on a 1ml syringe, going to phone for clarification tomorrow.)
Loxicom - 1x daily - dose for a 12kg dog
Emeprid - 4.5ml 3x daily
Recovery food - 1 sachet 4x daily.
Click to expand...

Sounds like all bases have been covered. I'm sure he will be much happier at home with you and the girls, the stress at the vets can't do them any favors.

Sending loads of healing vibes for Mack and calming vibes for you xxxxxxx
 
BattleKat said:
I decided to pick him up as I'm off all day tomorrow.
He and the girls have been moved in to adjoining pens in my kitchen. The girls aren't happy about it but I think it will really help Mack feel better. As soon as I put him in he hate two leaves of basil and then sat went and sat by them :)

I've been given:
Ranitidine - 1.6ml 3x daily
Baytril - 4mls 1x daily (I think it might mean 0.4ml as I'm sure she showed me where to measure it to on a 1ml syringe, going to phone for clarification tomorrow.)
Loxicom - 1x daily - dose for a 12kg dog
Emeprid - 4.5ml 3x daily
Recovery food - 1 sachet 4x daily.
Click to expand...

Good, I hope tomorrow goes well at home for you both :D
 
I've had to call my ex to come and help me with the syringing, I can't even get it in on my own. I knew this would happen :(
 
BattleKat said:
I've had to call my ex to come and help me with the syringing, I can't even get it in on my own. I knew this would happen :(
Click to expand...
It's always tough the first couple of times but you'll get the hang of it! :) You're bunny will begin to accept it more too which will make it a lot easier haha
 
I've syringed the other two plenty of times, but he's such a big rabbit he needs big doses and he's really hard to manage.

It took the two of us nearly two hours to give him all the recovery food he needed tonight. I don't know how I'm going to cope on my own tomorrow and, even worse, when I'm at work on Monday.

Ex said he can help me again tomorrow night but I don't want to rely on him. He wasn't even speaking to me until this happened.

Doesn't help that he spits things out (the vet said he spat out 1/4 of what she gave him, I think I've got down a bit more than that). Not so bad with the recovery food because I can scoop it back in to the bowl but I don't know what to do if he does that with the meds.
 
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