Latest update - Joe kept in overnight really worried.

Sorry not been on for a few days, so...the latest saga with Joe - over the weekend he wasn't eating still just nibbling and producing enough poops so he was kept in, then yesterday they called to say he's still only nibbling but that good stomach sounds although he now has a sore eye but that they think he'd be better off at home in familiar surroundings, so we went to pick him up last night but when they bought him through his eye was bulging right out of his head, he looked awful and they said actually it had got worse and it would be best to keep him in again for another 24 hours. They're going to get an eye specialist to look at it today but they think possibly where the bristle had pierced his soft pallett it's got infected and there may be an abcess behind the eye :shock:

So it was lovelt to see him and give him lots of kisses but so sad to see him like that.

Am I right in thinking rabbits can't take antibiotics?

He's on 5 medications to the metoclopramide, zantac, baytril and 2 others i can't remember the name sof but i think they're antiinflammatories.

We have followed the vets advice and got him a ladyfriend, she's an 8/9 weeks old Netherland Dwarf called Jess and she's absolutely gorgeous - we're going to have to leave it a week or two after he's fully back to normal before we start trying to bond them but she has her own house and everything and so he doesn't have to know she exists until we're happy he's fully healthy. I've got some piccies of her so i shall have to try and add them on to my signature .

so, it gets worse - the vets just rung to say the eye guy hasn't been in yet but that if it is indeed an abcess behind his eye he will need to have his eye removed I can't believe all this has happened from eating a blooming brush. Poor Joe They reckon he'll be in at lunchtime so will ring be back this afternoon.

paulinejoe said:

so, it gets worse - the vets just rung to say the eye guy hasn't been in yet but that if it is indeed an abcess behind his eye he will need to have his eye removed I can't believe all this has happened from eating a blooming brush. Poor Joe They reckon he'll be in at lunchtime so will ring be back this afternoon.

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Fingers, legs, arms and everything possible crossed for Little Joe.

Sorry to hear Joe has developed an eye problem, maybe the eye specialist can treat the problem without removal.

Rabbits can take antibiotics, in fact he is already on one in Baytril. They cannot be administered the penicillin class of antibiotics orally, but can by subcutaneous injection.

Hope he can recover quickly.

Vibes for your wee guy xxx

Yeah, Baytril is antibiotic.

Thanks for the good vibes - he really needs them. The eye specialist rang back and said they're putting him on penicillin injections but that abscesses in rabbits are notoriously hard to treat. He said that removing the eye isn't really an option as it doesn't particularly help because they'd need to sew the eye up anyway. he said if he doesn't respond they could look at the possibility of trying to achieve drainage through his mouth but that it's dangerous to do it that way as there's something they can accidently pierce something which leads to blood loss, so i asked if he may have to be put to sleep and he said we're a bit off that at the moment but that i am right to consider the worst case scenario

Has anyone ever successfully had a bun treated for an abscess with antibiotics alone?

The short answer to your question is yes, abscesses can be treated with antibiotics. I note that your vet has already started penicillin injections. I am sure that would be penicillin G or procaine known as Depocillin.

Head abscesses are more difficult to treat than body abscesses but perseverance with the penicillin will generally prevail, although it can be long term.

We had one bun who had 5 or 6 head abscess mostly relating to dental issues. He was on Depocillin injections for over 2 years every 3-4 days in order to keep them in check. Aside from the discomfort when the abscesses occurred he lived a normal happy life until almost 9 years old.

Abscesses in rabbits require different treatment to other species including humans. The pus is lacking an enzyme which allows it to flow. Its consistency is more like cream cheese or toothpaste, so simply lancing is not an option. When they are surgically removed it is necessary to debride fully as they are encapsulated. Any remnants of the capsule can lead to regrowth. That is why a penetrating penicillin antibiotic is the best choice following surgery or as a possible alternative to surgery.

Try looking up information on rabbit abscesses so that you will best understand why they can be awkward to deal with and the treatments the vets will undoubtedly discuss with you. Please put the 'put to sleep' thoughts out of your mind, abscesses although nasty are treatable. Wishing you and Joe all the best in getting through this setback.

Thanks so much for that Lobo, I really appreciate it

I'm waiting for the vet to call this morning for an update so i'll ask about if that is the penicillin you have mentioned that they are giving him.

That's encouraging about your bun living to a ripe old age! Joe's only 1 and was otherwise healthy so fingers crossed he will be with us for a good few years yet.

I hope Joe responds well to treatment xx

Latest news is that he's now eating and pooping normally again so thats a bit of a relief, so now it's just this abscess behind hsi eye that is the problem.

He is on that depocillin and they're giving him it daily for a week, his eye isn't bulging any more or any less than on wednesday but i suppose it's encouraging it's not getting any worse - they want to keep him in until tuesday when claire is back so she can take a look. The eye specialist has been checking in on him daily though, it looks like it's going to be a long haul though, it may be i have to give him it at home if it starts working, surgery is looking unlikely given the location so his only hope is the penicillin.

i am trying to be positive about it and i will do whatever it takes to get my little fellow better, he's only 1 so he should have a good long life to look forward to. if of course he was suffering with no hope of recovery i would have to think of the unthinkable but i'm hoping that as the source of the infection (ie that bristle) has been removed that it may respond to treatment better than an eye abscess caused by say a bad tooth. I'm not about now until monday when i'm back at work so if anyone replies over the weekend i'm not being rude not answering back :wave:

How is Joe doing now, any change in the abscess?

Your thread is like a roller coaster......
Im hoping the young fella is ok.Sending lots of vibes...for him and for you.What a worrying time.
Please get back to us soon.xxx

double post..

Hiya :wave: yes it is like a rollercoaster isn't it! Well the latest is that on sunday the vet called to say his eye had gone down a little bit and that as he wasn't due another penicillin injection until tonight (tuesday) would i like to take him home? So Joe is home!

He's still poorly and the vet stressed just because he's home doesn't mean he's out of the woods and that the prognosis is uncertain but i'm so happy to have him back. His eye doesn't look good it's bright red and there's a discharge, but it's not bulging out like it was, in fact his eyelid is pretty much closed over.

He's on 2 lots of eye ointment, one is antibiotic (fucithelmic) and one is just a lubricant, and then he's on metacam and zantac.

He's been grinding/chattering his teeth which i rang the vet about as it's a sign of pain isn't it? And they said that was odd as he hadn't been doing that while he was there and he's on exactly the same meds, they told me to increase his metacam to 0.8ml once day day in the evening - now here's the odd thing he wasn't teeth grinding when i got in from work he only started it after the metacam so i'm wondering if it's that which is causing it?

We're back there tonight with him though so i will mention all my concerns - my other one is that he is struggling a bit with his food, for example i give him a yoghurt drop for being good after each syringe an dnormally he dnaps them straight out of my fingers but he's shufflingit about the floor and he was doing the same with a piece of brocolli last night, pushing it all round his house, it's almost like he's drunk and keeps missing, i know he probably can't see out of one eye but it's like his mouth is missing his food :roll: he is eating well though.

He's been sniffing and touching noses with Jess our new baby bun that we got him as a companion through the bars of her house but even though he is about 10 times bigger than her (i dind't realise what a massive rabbit he is until i got him home and cpmpared him to Jess) he seems to get scared an hops off - and maybe this is just a big coincidence but last night i noticed they were eating, washing and lying down at the same times even though their houses are opposite sides of the room (although within sight of each other) I'm not going to attempt to begin any proper bonding though until he's better - i'm too scared of Jess hurting his eye in a fight, and he'll not be feeling up to it either i'm sure.

Joes not an overly cuddly bun but last night he jumped up on the settee and lay down next to me for ages

Sorry this ended up rather long

I took him back last night and they weren't happy with the teeth grinding and recommended another gen anaesthetic today, a skull x-ray and another good look down his throat If when he's under they find something wrong that itsn't going to be treatable then they said it's kinder to let him go, and much as i hate the thought of losing him i am inclined to agree, he's suffered enough this last couple of weeks Fingers crossed though there's isn't anything else untoward and that they can continue treating his eye with antibiotics.

Very sorry to hear Joe is not doing so well.

I hope the further examination helps to get to the bottom of his troubles and that it will be treatable. It is difficult when a bun is so unwell, more so when they are as young as Joe.

Everything crossed for a positive outcome.

Claire rang and she discovered that the abscess had pushed joe's jaw over to one side so he had lacerated his tongue and side of his mouth on one side as his teeth weren't lined up, it also accounted for the tooth grinding as it must have been painful and felt very uncomfortable too, poor thing. So she's burred his teeth on the inside so he doesn't keep biting his tonge, she's also drained a bit of pus out too as it was draining into his mouth a little bit. He's now on a once weekly depocillin injections, daily baytril, twice daily higher dose metacam and we're going to go from there. the abscess hasn't gone into the bone which is good news so she is happy to continue with the medical treatment for now and if the abscess shrinks to alot smaller then they could look at surgery but it's too big at the moment. It also explains the reason his mouth seemed to be missing his food and why he was pushing it round, it was because his teeth weren't lined up :roll: I'm so happy, i know he's a long way to go but i really had prepared myself for the worst so i'm just chuffed to be going to pick him up after work and bring him home. Guess whose going to be the most spoilt rabbit going?! :lol:

My goodness what a freaky thing to have happened to your little man!! and a real rollercoaster of emotions for you!! My bunnies somehow had a plastic brush and dustpan off their house and munched some of the bristles too, fortunately for them they came to no harm. How dreadfully unlucky he got a bristle stuck I really hope he goes on to have a full recovery sending lots of vibes!

Good that things are looking somewhat more positive. Poor little man must have been feeling significant pain with that tongue laceration. You will need to keep an eye on that to make sure it doesn't ulcerate, but the antibiotics should really take care of it.

Guess he does need a bit of spoiling. I hope everything improves from now on.