Bunny with an abscess in foot

[Percy123]

I was just wondering if anyone has similar experiences or advice with a bunny with an abscess in their foot.

A little back story, Percy is 10 and he developed an abscess in his foot last year. Since January this year he's been on baytril which has kept it at bay (previously he has had 3 operations to attempt to remove it). The antibiotics were working great but unfortunately it's come back. He had it flushed last Monday but his recovery hasn't been too great - although he's very bright and determined in himself, it's still causing him discomfort as he can't put any pressure on the foot which as a result is making it difficult for him to walk and get about.

He had a follow up with the the vet a week ago and she was happy with his progress, and he has another appointment tomorrow morning. We have been flushing and cleaning the wound ourselves every night

I'm really worried that we've run out of options, now it's probably immune to the antibiotics. The vet is reluctant to amputate the leg due to his age but I really don't want to lose him. Does anyone have any advice or can talk about similar experiences?

Thank you

 

[Shimmer]

Baytril probably isn't the best antibiotic for an abscess. You need something that is able to penetrate the notoriously tough capsule of rabbit abscesses - usually a penicillin-based antibiotic, given by injection (which you can be shown how to do at home). Injections may be daily, and long term. Medical grade manuka honey can also be used after flushing to help it heal better, in which case it may need dressing. There are older posts by Inspector Morse / Jack's Jane on how to bandage a hock so that it is protected more. Ask your vet if this is appropriate, and get them to demonstrate the method.

You don't say where the abscess is on the foot. Usually they are on the hocks of the back feet. In which case, there are things you can do to relive the pressure and wear and tear on the foot. Carpet is very rough on bunny feet. Deep hay or fleece blankets over an old duvet often help. Keeping the nails shorter enables the rabbit to correctly distribute its weight across both back feet. Uneven weight distribution can also be an issue with arthritis of the spine or hips in older rabbits, so it's worth treating for that if it's an issue.

 

[bunny momma]

I am sorry you and your vet have not been able to clear this infection even after multiple ops. I agree you may want to try a different abx and some topical treatment at home before making any final decisions. You may want to ask your vet to change his pain meds, increase the dosage, or give a combination of pain meds to make him more comfortable if he is otherwise bright in himself.

 

[Percy123]

Hey, thanks for your replies, and sorry it's taken a while to reply. I was very panicked last week when writing the post.

The abscess is in his back right foot. We saw the vet last week, she made another incision for us to continue to flush, which we are doing on a daily basis (sometimes twice a day). We bandage it as instructed and also use poultice (every 12hrs) as recommended by the vet. Percy is on a combination of Baytril for the infection plus metacam and Calpol for the pain management.

We've discussed other options including the penicillin based antibiotic and also if it came to it- amputation but unfortunately our usual vet is away until Monday, and that's when I'll be seeing her again. To possibly start new medication.

Not much has changed in terms of his abscess, we continue to flush and administer the meds. He has good days and not so good days. He's still very active, his appetite hasn't suppressed at all and he still enjoys a cuddle. We've noticed recently that the front of the foot feels swollen around the toes. It doesn't seem to be causing any pain as he is okay with us touching it, unlike the abscess area itself which is more located at the ankle. It also doesn't feel like an abscess as the whole front foot is swollen compared to his other foot and not a feeling of a capsule present. I'm going to ring the vet tomorrow as they are closed now and speak with someone else and hopefully bring him in, as his next scheduled appointment isn't until next week.

We're hoping that's it's just post-op swelling and nothing major but does anyone have any ideas as to what it could be?

 

[bunny momma]

Sending positive vibes the treatment will have a positive outcome and make your bunny more comfortable. Vibes that the swelling will go down too.

 

[Percy123]

Thank you,

We think the swelling was due to the bandage being on too tight as we've taken it off and it's gone back to normal. Will phone the vets just in case but it's looking better now!

 

[joey&boo]

Just catching up on your thread. I'm glad the swelling resolved. Hopefully seeing your usual rabbit vet today helped?
Do you put medicinal manuka on his bandages / in the abscess cavity?Its great stuff
Loads of well wishes

 

[Percy123]

Just catching up on your thread. I'm glad the swelling resolved. Hopefully seeing your usual rabbit vet today helped?
Do you put medicinal manuka on his bandages / in the abscess cavity?Its great stuff
Loads of well wishes

Thank you!

Yes the swelling has completely resolved! We saw the vet yesterday and she's put him on a course of depocillin - an injection every 3 days, so hopefully we start seeing some results. She also reopened the incisions and flushed it, which I'm also continuing to do once/twice daily. I started the manuka on Saturday and it's very messy haha! But shall keep at it. Do I need to flood the wounds with manuka similar to what I would when flushing?

He has another appointment on Thursday for his next injection and then I shall continue with the injections there after.

I do feel bad for him, he's been through so much and obviously he's quite uncomfortable and in pain, but he still has so much in him. He's very bright, still enjoys his food and cuddles, enjoys it when I take him into the garden, won't stop eating the grass and (rabbit friendly) flowers that my girlfriend planted this summer, and he's still determined to follow us around the house. Really hoping we start seeing some improvement with his mobility soon

 

[bunny momma]

What pain med is getting. Your vet may want to increase his dosage or add a second pain med if necessary for his comfort.
Sending more positive vibes that the flushing and antibiotics can resolve his abscess and allow him to be more comfortable.

 

[Percy123]

What pain med is getting. Your vet may want to increase his dosage or add a second pain med if necessary for his comfort.
Sending more positive vibes that the flushing and antibiotics can resolve his abscess and allow him to be more comfortable.

He's on metacam and Calpol currently, although since being on Calpol he's been making a bit of a rumbling noise now and then when breathing, so the vet said to keep him off it for a bit to see if it is that that's doing it. She checked his chest and breathing and said it sounds fine.

He's been on the penicillin since Monday, and although his foot is still swollen from the abscess, and we're still flushing which is obviously uncomfortable, his mobility has improved so much and he can hop around like it's not even a problem, so fingers crossed it's going in the right direction.