Hi. I really need some advice as to how to help my darling bunny Barney who is very poorly. Here's the story...
I bought him along with his friend Flopsy from PAH last August. All was fine at first, but by the time I took them for the second jab Barney's breathing was noticeably noisy (the first problem). The vet prescribed Baytril to go in their water (week course) and they had a second course after a short break as there was no improvement, but didn’t seem to be getting any worse or affecting him at all. In mid November, I noticed that his left eye was protruding slightly so took him to the vet (it got worse in the few days in between). He had an ultrasound and an antibiotic injection. The vet identified a definite mass behind his eye (abscess or tumour) with a fluid centre. We took him back after a few days for another injection and then he was on Baytril twice a day for several weeks.
Until a few days before Christmas this seemed to be working and the swelling seemed to be going down. Then, despite the Baytril the eye began to swell again and got rapidly worse over the next few days. I took him back to the vets on 29th Dec and he was then kept in until the 4th Jan for a course of injections (oxytetracycline). The vet has said that as there was no improvement over this time then the lump is more likely to be tumour and there is nothing more he can do. He has said that he could operate if we like but he doesn't think it will be very successful and thinks it will be better for Barney to leave him be and give him a good quality of life for however long he has left. He said that as he is still eating soft foods (definitely yesterday, not too sure today but hasn't been eating his soft stools) he isn't in too much pain.
I am also worried that the reoccurrence of the swelling might be due to stress. Barney was living with my other Buck Flopsy until Christmas day. I was putting of neutering them as they were getting on relatively ok and Barney was poorly and underweight but as we were going to my Mum's for a few days I was going to take Barney along because he needed daily Baytril and leave Flopsy for my neighbour to feed. But.. when I went to get Barney for the trip they had had a fight and his ear had been bitten (fairly small wound but lots of blood). He then had to endure a 4 hour car journey (mostly on my lap) 4 days in an indoor hutch at my Mum's then the journey back, followed by 6 days at the vets, all without his best friend Flopsy.
Barney has noticeably lost weight during his stay at the vets and now weighs 1.3kg (was up to 1.6 before I noticed that eye problem) and vet said that being under anaesthetic at under 2kg is too risky (this was said regarding castration originally - has anyone else been told this?).
He is now mostly sitting still with his head tilting and his nose sounds like it is runny. He has also been drooling a lot since Christmas and the eye is weeping.
I do not want Barney to suffer, but I do not want to give up on him. He is only 6 months old and everyone has said what a sweet natured loving bunny he is and I just cannot bear to loose him. I have been researching a lot of retrobulbar abscesses and all the info seems to be on much older bunnies.
I am intending to call the vet tomorrow to discuss the possibility of using other antibiotics and it seems to be widely accepted that Baytril is not much good for this problem so perhaps my vet isnt as rabbit savvy as I thought.. although he is very kind and I do believe he wants to do the best for Barney.
Any advice from anyone who has had a bunny with a similar problem would be much appreciated (asap please before its too late).
I bought him along with his friend Flopsy from PAH last August. All was fine at first, but by the time I took them for the second jab Barney's breathing was noticeably noisy (the first problem). The vet prescribed Baytril to go in their water (week course) and they had a second course after a short break as there was no improvement, but didn’t seem to be getting any worse or affecting him at all. In mid November, I noticed that his left eye was protruding slightly so took him to the vet (it got worse in the few days in between). He had an ultrasound and an antibiotic injection. The vet identified a definite mass behind his eye (abscess or tumour) with a fluid centre. We took him back after a few days for another injection and then he was on Baytril twice a day for several weeks.
Until a few days before Christmas this seemed to be working and the swelling seemed to be going down. Then, despite the Baytril the eye began to swell again and got rapidly worse over the next few days. I took him back to the vets on 29th Dec and he was then kept in until the 4th Jan for a course of injections (oxytetracycline). The vet has said that as there was no improvement over this time then the lump is more likely to be tumour and there is nothing more he can do. He has said that he could operate if we like but he doesn't think it will be very successful and thinks it will be better for Barney to leave him be and give him a good quality of life for however long he has left. He said that as he is still eating soft foods (definitely yesterday, not too sure today but hasn't been eating his soft stools) he isn't in too much pain.
I am also worried that the reoccurrence of the swelling might be due to stress. Barney was living with my other Buck Flopsy until Christmas day. I was putting of neutering them as they were getting on relatively ok and Barney was poorly and underweight but as we were going to my Mum's for a few days I was going to take Barney along because he needed daily Baytril and leave Flopsy for my neighbour to feed. But.. when I went to get Barney for the trip they had had a fight and his ear had been bitten (fairly small wound but lots of blood). He then had to endure a 4 hour car journey (mostly on my lap) 4 days in an indoor hutch at my Mum's then the journey back, followed by 6 days at the vets, all without his best friend Flopsy.
Barney has noticeably lost weight during his stay at the vets and now weighs 1.3kg (was up to 1.6 before I noticed that eye problem) and vet said that being under anaesthetic at under 2kg is too risky (this was said regarding castration originally - has anyone else been told this?).
He is now mostly sitting still with his head tilting and his nose sounds like it is runny. He has also been drooling a lot since Christmas and the eye is weeping.
I do not want Barney to suffer, but I do not want to give up on him. He is only 6 months old and everyone has said what a sweet natured loving bunny he is and I just cannot bear to loose him. I have been researching a lot of retrobulbar abscesses and all the info seems to be on much older bunnies.
I am intending to call the vet tomorrow to discuss the possibility of using other antibiotics and it seems to be widely accepted that Baytril is not much good for this problem so perhaps my vet isnt as rabbit savvy as I thought.. although he is very kind and I do believe he wants to do the best for Barney.
Any advice from anyone who has had a bunny with a similar problem would be much appreciated (asap please before its too late).
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