InspectorMorse
Wise Old Thumper
Can you feel any lumpiness along his mandible and/or does he show discomfort when you put a bit of pressure on the area ?
Does he have weepy eyes ?
If he has advanced Dental problems this can involve tooth root elongation, this can only be seen from skull radiographs. Tooth root elongation can lead to tooth root abscesses and osteomyelitis ( bone infection)
This is just my personal opinion and I am not a qualified Veterinary professional. But given that there has been little improvement on a week of the current antibiotic and he already has known Dental problems involving the crowns of his teeth I think I would have to risk a GA Dental and Skull Radiography.. His lack of eating for so long will mean any problems with the crowns of his teeth are almost certainly worse, so he simply cannot eat.
Just trying another abx such as Depocillin won’t change that fact and could be more risky given his prolonged anorexia, even though you have been syringe feeding him.
I would want a Rabbit Savvy Vet to run a blood profile first, to check his major organ function. This should be able to be done ‘in house’ so the results are available on the day. If all is OK with the bloods then I would risk proceeding with the GA Dental and radiographs. A Rabbit Savvy Vet will know the best GA drug protocol to use and to give additional supportive care such as IV fluids.
If PTS is the only other option then IMO there is nothing to lose by risking the Dental procedure if major organ function is OK. If the radiographs show terrible problems involving tooth roots eg severe osteomyelitis, then the Vet can contact you before waking Ian up to let you know. In that situation I would request the Bunny was allowed to pass peacefully without being woken up from the GA. Osteomyelitis is very, very painful and if severe is unlikely to improve a great deal on longterm abx. Heavy duty analgesia would be needed for life too. Surgery to remove infected bone is not something I would agree to for a Rabbit in my care, but it is an option I have known to be offered.
As I said, the above is just my personal opinion and I hope it reads as intended and not as blunt and uncaring. I just feel that without knowing what is actually going on for Ian, the fact that despite a week of abx, heavy duty analgesia and prokinetics he is showing little signs of improvement just changing the abx is simply shooting into the dark.
I really hope Ian can pull through, you are doing everything within your power to try to help him. I know how stressful, upsetting and exhausting it is to be caring for such a poorly Rabbit.
Does he have weepy eyes ?
If he has advanced Dental problems this can involve tooth root elongation, this can only be seen from skull radiographs. Tooth root elongation can lead to tooth root abscesses and osteomyelitis ( bone infection)
This is just my personal opinion and I am not a qualified Veterinary professional. But given that there has been little improvement on a week of the current antibiotic and he already has known Dental problems involving the crowns of his teeth I think I would have to risk a GA Dental and Skull Radiography.. His lack of eating for so long will mean any problems with the crowns of his teeth are almost certainly worse, so he simply cannot eat.
Just trying another abx such as Depocillin won’t change that fact and could be more risky given his prolonged anorexia, even though you have been syringe feeding him.
I would want a Rabbit Savvy Vet to run a blood profile first, to check his major organ function. This should be able to be done ‘in house’ so the results are available on the day. If all is OK with the bloods then I would risk proceeding with the GA Dental and radiographs. A Rabbit Savvy Vet will know the best GA drug protocol to use and to give additional supportive care such as IV fluids.
If PTS is the only other option then IMO there is nothing to lose by risking the Dental procedure if major organ function is OK. If the radiographs show terrible problems involving tooth roots eg severe osteomyelitis, then the Vet can contact you before waking Ian up to let you know. In that situation I would request the Bunny was allowed to pass peacefully without being woken up from the GA. Osteomyelitis is very, very painful and if severe is unlikely to improve a great deal on longterm abx. Heavy duty analgesia would be needed for life too. Surgery to remove infected bone is not something I would agree to for a Rabbit in my care, but it is an option I have known to be offered.
As I said, the above is just my personal opinion and I hope it reads as intended and not as blunt and uncaring. I just feel that without knowing what is actually going on for Ian, the fact that despite a week of abx, heavy duty analgesia and prokinetics he is showing little signs of improvement just changing the abx is simply shooting into the dark.
I really hope Ian can pull through, you are doing everything within your power to try to help him. I know how stressful, upsetting and exhausting it is to be caring for such a poorly Rabbit.