Abscess in Rabbits Mouth

[Ross_Scott]

Hi all.

Looking for advice to get my rabbit to eat. We recently took him to the vet and he has an abscess in back of his mouth. We have been given antibiotics and pain killer. Along with gut care etc.

It’s day 4 of treatment x2 a day. And he’s still not eating much. I have been giving him critical care food in meantime.

The only thing he seems to eat is some herbs and blueberries.

He is barely touching hay and not once touched pellets for days.

I have tried softening the pellets but no luck.

Any advice given on getting him to eat more in meantime.

He is booked into dental surgeon week today, in meantime we are getting swelling down until they look at it.

 

[joey&boo]

Sorry to hear your bun has an abscess. CC is good stuff - I hope he is taking it well for you.

If he can eat herbs will he eat fresh grass ? There are lots of dandelions still about & dock leaves..most buns are often tempted by those. I'd experiment with different consistencies of softened nuggets. I had a bun who would only take them really runny off a wooden spoon, another who would only eat them if I drizzled a tiny bit of boiling water on them, pouring excess off immediately (obv cooling prior to serving, though she did like them warm). You could also try adding stuff to them like a little grated pear, apple or carrot. fenugreek powder is very tasty for buns so that has worked well for me. Think tasty & strong smelling.

I hope you can get the infection down. What abx is he on?

 

[joey&boo]

My apologies for getting your buns gender wrong.

 

[Shimmer]

I would keep up with the CC. He needs to be as fit as possible if he's having surgery in a week. If eating is difficult for him, just keep syringe feeding every few hours, and monitor his output & weight. Work out how much he ought to be eating in a day from the details on the packet. I mix it with a little apple or pear baby food puree to make it easier to syringe and a bit more tempting to eat. Will he eat CC from a saucer?

Herbs are fine. Mine used to go for the leafy bit off celery sticks. Grated apple or carrot is worth trying. Fresh dandelion leaves are usually a winner.

Hopefully things will improve as the meds kick in.

 

[bunny momma]

He may be associating pellets with pain.
How is he taking the CC syringe feeds? If he is taking syringe feed ok then you may want to try mixing softened pellets with the CC syringe feed.
Hay eating requires a side to side jaw movement which may cause the points on his teeth to rub against his cheek or tongue.
My dental bunny got lots of critical care, dandelion leaves, and the green tops from carrots. Though he did not eat much on his own until a few days after his dental.
Sending lots of positive vibes.