My big gentle giant has absesses - help!

[melissa]

Am new to this chatroom so bear with me - am desperately in need of advice on tooth problems. my beloved giant house rabbit BB (age approx 6 or 7) has just been diagnosed with lots of absesses under his teeth including one big one on right hand side which was infected and the infection went into his ear. he has a good diet, pellets and hay, but the vet says if they are prone to them they will get them eventually. i feel awful and wonder if there is anything more i could have done to get more hay down him. but the main issue is - what to do now? he is on antibiotics (baytril) and painkillers (metacam) and has made great improvement since he had surgery to lance and pack the main absess with antibiotics the other day. he wasnt eating at all before (it happened so quick - one day he was eating the next day he wouldnt eat at all) and now he is tentatively making his way through piles of lettuce which seems to be the only thing he can get down right now. that and my geraniums, which i gave him on his first day home in a desperate bid to make him eat cos i know he spends so much time normally trying to get to them - it worked!
anyway, he is also having liquid build-up food to keep him going and its a nightmare trying to get everything into his mouth via syringe as he is so massive - about the size of a labrador puppy. also having to put ear drops in -which induces manic head shaking and charging round the house!
all in all, i really need any tips anyone can give me on how to nurse a really big rabbit, get medication in, food etc. im so worried for eg he's not pooing enough yet - can only find tiny little ones...
but also, more importantly, what to do in general about his absesses, assuming, fingers crossed, the antibiotics work and he continues to improve. the vet has told me they cant really operate but that theres a chance they can be managed. ive heard for eg manuka honey is worth trying?? penicillins inplanted in bead form?
sorry for the long post. am desperate!!
melissa (and BB)

 

[Jaysmonkey]

Hello there,

I have a dwarf lop who's 3.5years old, who also has severe dental disease, she had three dentals under GA in just over 1 month, 1 was to drain an abcess. She has elongated tooth roots and is on Duphapen an injection antibiotic which I have to give every second day.

She also has metacam as it acts as a anti-imflammatory and painkiller. Is he eating Hay now or just the Lettuce, I'd buy a wide variety of hays from somewhere such as the hay experts as to try tempt him back, Lola my bunny went into stasis the day before her dental was due, she didn't eat for a further four days after that, I had to feed her recovery food, I bought all the foods in, even veges I'd never tried her with before and still nothing, she fought me everytime I tried to syringe feed her. The thing to do is to not let him know your upset, he will sense it and be patient. I got Lola Maxolon syrup and Zantac to keep her gut moving, as well as the syringe feeding, she was only doing small poos, because she hadn't eaten anything to poo out, it turned out the Metacam wasn't a strong enough pain killer for her, and we had to go and get an Opiate, in our case it was Vetergesic. Lola was high on so many drugs during this time, but it got her eating lots, since her dentals she's actually started eating more hay.

The bunny must stay on long term antibiotics as the tooth roots mean that the jaw-bone is prone to infection, hence the formation of abscesses. Is he drinking? Another thing would be to give him some Fibreplex available from vetuk to try help with bowel movement.

With regards to this, how many pellets does your bunny have? Lola always had hay available but to my own ignorance too many nuggets, which hasn't help with her teeth in the slightest, she has an eggcup a day now, plenty of leafy greens and a variety of hays available, the majority are as coarse as possible. Also avois sugary treats such as fruit, biscuits etc. If he needs to gain weight I'd try porridge oats, with water, mix in a dash of fruit baby food/mushed banana to try tempt the bun. A small amount of Ribena can also be added to water to iniate your bun to drink.

Hope he starts to improve soon. Vibes for you and your bun.

 

[thumps_]

Sorry I can't help with the dental abscesses - I've no personal experience of them.
A tip for the ear drops. BB probably has a perforated ear drum. Try warming the drops up to your skin temp - but always test them on the inside of your wrist before putting them in. They should feel minimally cold or not really at all. Don't put them in if they feel even slightly warm.

Everything is crossed for BB
Please keep us updated with his progress.

 

[georgie_f]

Awwh poor BB.

I don't really have anything useful to add, I just sympathise with the problems you're having getting BB to take his meds! I have a 6.7kg conti and he hates meds with a passion. He had a course of Baytril a while back and the only way I could get it into him was to either drag a second person down the garden with me or to sit him upside down on my lap and wedge his head in my armpit! He's so strong! And being a giant, needs nearly a full syringe of medicine. :roll: :lol:

Hope BB is feeling better soon.

 

[Lobo]

Having had an abscess prone dwarf lop I can offer some unqualified information I hope may be of some assistance.

Regarding the antibiotics, I personally don't think Baytril is effective in the treatment of abscesses. The pus formed in rabbits is the consistency of toothpaste which makes it difficult for the antibiotics to penetrate to the core. Some success has been achieved by using penicillin based drugs such as Depocillin. These however must be in the form of subcutaneous injection for a prolonged period and must NOT be administered orally.

I don't envy you the task of restraining a giant to administer medication, even with a small breed it is far easier with two people. Securing in the bunny burrito is the starting point to control, it prevents a lot of wriggling to escape. Baytil too is really awful to taste (I have actually tried it) so bunnys want to avoid it. I am currently syringe feeding our lop and have found a bird feeding syringe the best option I have ever used. It is very strong with a metal plunger which permits the use of a drier recovery mixture. In my case this is Oxbow Critical Care, with more actually getting into the bun's mouth than down the dewlap. It has a narrower tip so it easier to place exactly where you want in the mouth to avoid it being aspirated. Don't forget BB's mouth will still be sore at the point of the drained abscess and feeding on the opposite side is less painful.

Manuka honey has been used to treat abscesses. It is used topically for cleaning the area due to its naturally occurring antibiotic properties. To encourage eating fresh herbs can be effective, particularly basil. Rinse and lightly shake off excess water but leave a little damp, that way bun also gets some extra water.

Wishing you all success in getting BB through the abscesses and back to eating as quickly as possible.

 

[Coineanach]

anyway, he is also having liquid build-up food to keep him going and its a nightmare trying to get everything into his mouth via syringe as he is so massive - about the size of a labrador puppy. also having to put ear drops in -which induces manic head shaking and charging round the house!
melissa (and BB)

Afraid I can't help with the dental problems as I have never had a dental bun. There are lots of people who have though and will be on later today to give advice. With regards to the meds, I have also had a very large bunny reluctant to take anything. I put her in a 'bunny burrito' - wrapped her tight in towels so that only her head was showing, put her on a tray and the tray on my lap. She was uncomfortable sitting straight on laps as she was just so big. When she was all wrapped up it made it much easier to syringe feed and do ear drops.
With the ear drops, do them after anything else so that you can let her go afterwards. Put the drops in, then hold the ear upright at the base. Keep holding the ear whilst you do the other side. Then hold that ear for a while to let the liquid drip in. My current bun likes an ear massage when I do this While you are still holding the ears, unwrap the bunny, let go of ears and quickly put him down! He will shake like mad but not all over you, and should get the drops right into his ears.
Sorry I can't be of more help but don't know much about dental buns.

 

[Coineanach]

Baytil too is really awful to taste (I have actually tried it)

:lol: Yum yum.

I add to above - The more securely wrapped your bunny is, the less likely he is to struggle as he knows he can't get away!

 

[melissa]

thanks!

thank you so much to everyone who posted advice im so grateful. there are some really good tips here which are helping. BB is much much brighter after a week of antibiotics painkillers and tlc. he has been eating more and more each day and - sorry to be graphic - i never thought i would be so pleased to see him poo all over the floor!
he hates the baytril but i am just about managing to syringe it in and he is being very brave and swallowing it poor thing and it does seem to be helping. he is eating lettice and a few other soft greens and pellets which ive been soaking in water. fingers crossed he will start eating harder foods and hay soon. most of all im just so happy to see him charging round the house making mischief again. when i give him his meds, especially the ear drops, he tries to be good and cooperate as much as he can but then goes bananas afterwards leaping in the air and kicking and running all over the house. this morning he leapt onto my bed for the first time in a week to wake me up which is his normal routine. also he chased the cat round the kitchen which is another indicator of him feeling his usual playful self!
im really grateful for support on here. will update again soon...
melissa
(will try to post a pic of BB, i tried the other day but without success..."

 

[scatter]

The only thing I can say is that I had my old bun Daisy for 9 and a half years and she had several abcesses during that time (dental). My vet always gave much higher doses (and for longer) than the drug company recommended and this always seemed to clear them up quite well (in the last few years, she also had depicillin injections aswell).

 

[abbymarysmokey]

The only thing I can say is that I had my old bun Daisy for 9 and a half years and she had several abcesses during that time (dental). My vet always gave much higher doses (and for longer) than the drug company recommended and this always seemed to clear them up quite well (in the last few years, she also had depicillin injections aswell).

I totally agree :wave:

The penicillin Bramble is on gives a dosage of approx. 0.1mls per kg every 2 to 3 days, but Bramble has been doing fine (touch wood) on twice that quantity (so 0.2mls per kg) every day!

 

[Coineanach]

Great to hear he's on the mend. Keep us posted :wave:

 

[thumps_]

How is BB today melissa?
ETA It sometimes helps a bun to eat their pellets if they are moistened with water. I've known giant rabbits prefer to take this from a spoon. Buns often find it easier to manage hay if it is cur into 1/4" pieces.

 

[funnyface1]

I hope you bun is doing better today. I just thought I would share my abscess experience with you.

After finding out my bun had a severe massive sausage like dental abscess last June, I thought that the world had crashed in front of me. But found a really lovely bunny vet and he lanced the abscess and I had to give duphapen injections every other day for 5 months but touch wood he is still ok now. He had a couple more little abscesses come up a little while after the op and for a week I had to clean and pack the wounds with antibiotics, and it is so hard to try and get the pus out, but I only did it for about a week and along with the injections the lumps just disappeared, I was so surprised the Duphapen really did work but it had to be given long term to be effective or I think they would have just come back straight away.

Sending loads of vibes to your bun bun xxx