Total ear canal ablation - final U/D post 56

[KarenM]

Thanks both.

I'm thinking it won't be an easy decision but I'm going to do my utmost to decide what's in his best interests and not my own. I just want him to live forever but, as that isn't going to happen, then I'm aiming to ensure his quality of life is the best that it can be. It helps that my daughter is a nurse at the practice and so I can trust them to be completely straight with us regarding the options and, if we do go ahead with the op, then Alfie will have a familiar face while he recovers.

 

[MightyMax]

Thanks both.

I'm thinking it won't be an easy decision but I'm going to do my utmost to decide what's in his best interests and not my own. I just want him to live forever but, as that isn't going to happen, then I'm aiming to ensure his quality of life is the best that it can be. It helps that my daughter is a nurse at the practice and so I can trust them to be completely straight with us regarding the options and, if we do go ahead with the op, then Alfie will have a familiar face while he recovers.

I remember 20 years ago when I got my first rabbit, I wished he and I would die on the same day. I thought I was bonkers until I read someone else put that on one of the American Forums.

It's really hard to keep going without them ..

Lovely that your daughter works at the practice. that must be very reassuring

 

[KarenM]

I remember 20 years ago when I got my first rabbit, I wished he and I would die on the same day. I thought I was bonkers until I read someone else put that on one of the American Forums.

It's really hard to keep going without them ..

Lovely that your daughter works at the practice. that must be very reassuring

It really is. I never realised until Alfie came along just how much a rabbit could mean to me.

I'm sure my daughter wishes she worked in McDonalds some days. I feel like I'm always texting her to say there's something not quite right with one animal or another........ :lol:

It's very reassuring though; it's nice for the furries to have a familiar face and she's also very honest about treatment options - we're both of the opinion that just because something is possible, it doesn't mean it should be done but it helps to be able to discuss things like that with a close family member who also happens to have a good veterinary knowledge.

 

[KarenM]

I've had a long chat with the vet this morning and Alfie won't be having the op, for now at least. The op itself is major surgery, with risks of nerve damage & vestibular problems, and there's no guarantee that it will solve the problem permanently. Obviously, if it gets to the stage where we've exhausted all other options and the only two left are pts and the operation, then I will reconsider and weigh up the pros and cons at that time.

For now, the vet has suggested continuing with the metacam and depocillin, swapping to a different antibiotic depending on the culture results. She's going to open the abscess site up as much as possible, perhaps even stitching it open, so that we can continue to clean and flush at home. This will also give her the chance to assess (as much as poss) the extent of the problem within the middle ear.

We also chatted about Alfie's general appearance - over the last few days his coat is looking really dull and the skin on his ears is a bit scurfy looking. They did a skin scrape on Tues but found nothing & she thinks he's probably missing rabbit company. I know bonding isn't ideal while he's already run down but I'm wondering whether it would be better for him overall to have a bunny friend sooner rather than later. :?

 

[Jack's-Jane]

I've had a long chat with the vet this morning and Alfie won't be having the op, for now at least. The op itself is major surgery, with risks of nerve damage & vestibular problems, and there's no guarantee that it will solve the problem permanently. Obviously, if it gets to the stage where we've exhausted all other options and the only two left are pts and the operation, then I will reconsider and weigh up the pros and cons at that time.

For now, the vet has suggested continuing with the metacam and depocillin, swapping to a different antibiotic depending on the culture results. She's going to open the abscess site up as much as possible, perhaps even stitching it open, so that we can continue to clean and flush at home. This will also give her the chance to assess (as much as poss) the extent of the problem within the middle ear.

We also chatted about Alfie's general appearance - over the last few days his coat is looking really dull and the skin on his ears is a bit scurfy looking. They did a skin scrape on Tues but found nothing & she thinks he's probably missing rabbit company. I know bonding isn't ideal while he's already run down but I'm wondering whether it would be better for him overall to have a bunny friend sooner rather than later. :?

I think you have made the right decision re the surgery. I know I keep saying it, but I really would not want a Rabbit of mine to have a TECA other than as a very, very last resort.

With regards to Alfie having a friend, maybe a laid back, gentle older Doe might be an option ?

I expect you already do this, but I have found that daily grooming can really help a Rabbit who's skin/coat is not in the best condition. Also, does Alfie have any arthritis at all, maybe related to his previous fracture ? I ask as arthritic Rabbits often become less fastidious with self grooming. Maybe Alfie is a wee bit stiff these days ?

 

[MightyMax]

I've had a long chat with the vet this morning and Alfie won't be having the op, for now at least. The op itself is major surgery, with risks of nerve damage & vestibular problems, and there's no guarantee that it will solve the problem permanently. Obviously, if it gets to the stage where we've exhausted all other options and the only two left are pts and the operation, then I will reconsider and weigh up the pros and cons at that time.

For now, the vet has suggested continuing with the metacam and depocillin, swapping to a different antibiotic depending on the culture results. She's going to open the abscess site up as much as possible, perhaps even stitching it open, so that we can continue to clean and flush at home. This will also give her the chance to assess (as much as poss) the extent of the problem within the middle ear.

We also chatted about Alfie's general appearance - over the last few days his coat is looking really dull and the skin on his ears is a bit scurfy looking. They did a skin scrape on Tues but found nothing & she thinks he's probably missing rabbit company. I know bonding isn't ideal while he's already run down but I'm wondering whether it would be better for him overall to have a bunny friend sooner rather than later. :?

Karen, this sounds like a really sensible and well thought through option

I didn't realise the abscess site was able to be opened up - that's a huge bonus, from taking a culture and also keeping it clean and allowing drainage.

Re the bonding, once he's got the partner (hopefully it wouldn't take more than a couple of days to bond with the right rabbit) it would be an enormous comfort to him. I've had rabbits who literally didn't get out of bed until they had a reason - a lovely partner

 

[KarenM]

Thanks both. It's not been an easy decision but the vet was very thorough in explaining the op & it just confirmed to me really that my gut feeling not to go for the op is the right choice for Alfie right now.

Jane, I haven't noticed any signs of arthritis & had considered it myself because of his previous leg injury; there's no stiffness or apparent mobility problems, his back end is clean/well groomed, he's eating all his soft poos & still leaping on and off things like a youngster. He's on metacam now so that should reduce any possible discomfort anyhow & I will keep it in mind. He's moulting too which doesn't help but he doesn't usually look quite this scruffy and dull; I do suspect it's 'just' the stress of losing Lola on top of his ear problems though.

He can be a bit of a dominant bully :roll: so I'm not sure bonding will be much fun! But, with the right female who's happy to let him think he's in charge, :lol: hopefully it shouldn't take too long. I've made some enquiries with a couple of local rescues so will wait and see.

I'm not sure exactly how much of the abscess site the vet will be able to open up; it goes very deep & she hasn't seen it for herself as it was a different vet last time he was in. But, yes, the vet thought that opening it up as much as possible would allow better cleaning at home so that we can keep on top of it. It helps that I have my own live-in vet nurse on hand to help as Alfie isn't the best patient and I'm a bit squeamish...... :roll::lol::lol:

 

[Zoobec]

Sending lots of vibes for Alfie xx

 

[KarenM]

Sending lots of vibes for Alfie xx

Thank you x

 

[KarenM]

Alfie's been in to the vet today and I'll be picking him up a bit later once he's had a chance to wake up some more. X rays showed that the other ear is also affected, although there are no outward signs just yet.

The vet managed to remove pretty much all of the abscess and then flushed it all through. We're to carry on with flushing 3 times daily (I can't tell you just how much I'm looking forward to that :lol, he's on metacam for the foreseeable future and the vet has changed to septrin. The culture results have been delayed due to a mix up at the lab roll so we may well change again once the results are in.

Sooooo, in summary, the vet is happy with how the op went but, realistically, I think we're looking at managing the symptoms and keeping him comfortable for as long as possible.

 

[MightyMax]

Alfie's been in to the vet today and I'll be picking him up a bit later once he's had a chance to wake up some more. X rays showed that the other ear is also affected, although there are no outward signs just yet.

The vet managed to remove pretty much all of the abscess and then flushed it all through. We're to carry on with flushing 3 times daily (I can't tell you just how much I'm looking forward to that :lol, he's on metacam for the foreseeable future and the vet has changed to septrin. The culture results have been delayed due to a mix up at the lab roll so we may well change again once the results are in.

Sooooo, in summary, the vet is happy with how the op went but, realistically, I think we're looking at managing the symptoms and keeping him comfortable for as long as possible.

You seem to be quite level headed about it - by that I mean accepting of circumstances - doing your best to preserve quality of life whilst you can. That's the most anyone can do, but you have a calmness about the decision

Yes I don't envy you the cleaning out Oh those days!

Sending loads more vibes for Alfie xx

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Alfie's been in to the vet today and I'll be picking him up a bit later once he's had a chance to wake up some more. X rays showed that the other ear is also affected, although there are no outward signs just yet.

The vet managed to remove pretty much all of the abscess and then flushed it all through. We're to carry on with flushing 3 times daily (I can't tell you just how much I'm looking forward to that :lol, he's on metacam for the foreseeable future and the vet has changed to septrin. The culture results have been delayed due to a mix up at the lab roll so we may well change again once the results are in.

Sooooo, in summary, the vet is happy with how the op went but, realistically, I think we're looking at managing the symptoms and keeping him comfortable for as long as possible.

I really hope that the infection can be well managed and that Alfie will remain as comfortable as possible xx

 

[Barn Yard Bunnies]

Sending Alfie millions of recovery vibes. Xxx

 

[hoppetylop]

Sending vibes to Alfie.Hope he stays as comfortable as possible

 

[KarenM]

You seem to be quite level headed about it - by that I mean accepting of circumstances - doing your best to preserve quality of life whilst you can. That's the most anyone can do, but you have a calmness about the decision

I've had a while to mull things over I guess - when he first got the abscess months back I knew there was a very good chance it could come back and/or affect his ear and so I've had a lot of time to get used to the idea. It is what it is & I can't change anything; I don't want to spend whatever time Alfie has left worrying about it all and not enjoying him for who he is.

Thanks for all the vibes and good wishes. He's a very special man; my daughter said he even managed to win round some of the nurses who aren't particularly fond of rabbits. He was a bit better behaved at the vet yesterday too - last time he went in he tipped all the hay out of his litter tray and was skating around the kennel in the tray. :lol::lol:

The first flushing went well and Alfie was completely still which helped; let's hope it continues to be so easy. Syringing the meds was another matter but hopefully once his eating is back to normal I can hide them in his food again.

 

[Janey]

I'm glad to hear that the procedure went well, hopefully you can continue to manage his condition for a long time, I am sure getting him on the correct anti-biotics will help things.

It's funny how you kind of just start to accept things for what they are, I feel the same about peter and his poorly ear, I may never know what the best decision is, but all we can do is as we see best at the time and spoil them rotten whilst they are with us.

 

[KarenM]

Thanks Janey, yep, hopefully the right antibiotics will help. The vet was quite surprised that he hadn't been showing any vestibular problems, given the extent of the infection in his ear so things could be much worse and I'm hopeful that he has a good while ahead of him yet.

He seems much brighter these last few days and his coat isn't as dull as it was either. He's coping very well with the cleaning still (which surprised me) & we're managing to hide his meds in food now his appetite is back to normal.

 

[KarenM]

Just thought I would quickly update. Alfie is doing really well in himself and I'm sure having a new friend is helping with that.

He's coping well with all the cleaning. We popped back to the vet on Monday as the hole itself was starting to close while the stitch next to it was showing signs of infection underneath and it was forcing the skin open. The vet removed the stitches & the hole is now a fair bit bigger because the first stitch hadn't healed but it actually means it's much easier to clean.

C&S results showed that the infection was sensitive to all antibiotics so we're carrying on with septrin for now. We're also using manuka honey twice a day after flushing. It's surprising just how much gunk builds up in a few hours.

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[MightyMax]

Just thought I would quickly update. Alfie is doing really well in himself and I'm sure having a new friend is helping with that.

He's coping well with all the cleaning. We popped back to the vet on Monday as the hole itself was starting to close while the stitch next to it was showing signs of infection underneath and it was forcing the skin open. The vet removed the stitches & the hole is now a fair bit bigger because the first stitch hadn't healed but it actually means it's much easier to clean.

C&S results showed that the infection was sensitive to all antibiotics so we're carrying on with septrin for now. We're also using manuka honey twice a day after flushing. It's surprising just how much gunk builds up in a few hours.

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Well done Karen and Alfie

It sounds like there's a fair bit of work t be done still with the old boy, but you're doing well. I'm glad you got a culture result - that's very helpful. Manuka honey I have always found to be excellent too.

Thank you for posting such an encouraging update

 

[KarenM]

I didn't realise it had been so long since I updated, where does time go..... :shock:

We stopped using the honey after a couple of weeks as we found it was making the abscess site much harder to clean out, which in turn was causing Alfie more discomfort & he was becoming less co-operative. We figured it was preferable to be able to clean the wound out thoroughly twice a day, rather than using the honey and not being able to clean out properly.

Alfie was back to the vet today for another check up as the abscess site has pretty much closed up; there's just a tiny pin-head sized scab on the surface now and, considering he originally had an opening a few inches long across his face/ear, there is no scarring at all. It's hard to believe that a month ago one of the stitches had pretty much burst open under the pressure of the infection building up underneath and now there's nothing to show for it.

The vet doesn't want to interfere with his face again now that it's healed. We're going to leave the wound alone for now, but carry on with the septrin, and monitor for a while; if the infection starts to build up under the surface again then we might have to open it up again but, for now at least, Alfie can have a break from all the prodding and poking. :lol:

The vet says he looks much better in himself every time she sees him. His fur's got it's shine back and he feels like he's put on a bit of weight too; he was starting to feel a little scrawny even though his actual weight hadn't really changed, if that makes sense.