New vet, new diagnosis - so advice again pls! (pst 24)

[Jack's-Jane]

Thanks Jane. I'm really confused as to what to do now really, because he seems knowledgable and has been good with Daisy (especially when she was really ill with the high temp in January) and very friendly/helpful to me and o/h ... but the anti-spaying bit makes me worry about all the rest of it.

He did say he wasn't particularly interested in/didn't have specialist knowledge on rabbits, and (as I told him about the forum) said he'd like to hear updated info on risks/benefits of spaying. He said he used to do a lot of spays, but less and less in recent times. :?

I think he needs to update his training in Rabbit Health.
But if he's not really interested in them I doubt he will as he'd have to pay for it, or at least pay part of the costs.

On the basis of your most recent post personally I'd definately ask for a referal. As your Vet sounds very approachable I feel he will be happy to do this for you

 

[Bunny Buddy]

I'm quite shocked about the advice on spaying. I went to great lengths to get Esme spayed (she had a bad reaction to GA first attempt). I took her to specialist rabbit vet in Harrogate - Frances Harcourt-Brown in October who went through all the known risks in detail but was definitely very much in favour of spaying. Don't know where in Lancashire you are but would definitely recommend a trip to Frances if you need expert opinion on anything, she is very, very high recommended.

A bunny I got 5 years ago was never spayed and I reget it very much, the vets I consulted when she was 6 months old didn't seem to want to take the risk, I so wish I knew about 'rabbit savvy' vets back then.

 

[giantbunnymummy]

Thanks for replies.

I was shocked too.

But after reading posts on here from people who've had vets advise starving bunnies pre-op, vets who don't give pain relief/metaclop afterwards etc, I don't think my vet is a 'bad' bunny vet as he made a point of talking about stasis risk following GA (while we were discussing options for biopsy) and need for careful monitoring etc. He just admitted that he wasn't a specialist in rabbit veterinary procedures/care and was acting on advice from a (supposedly) more knowledgable colleague re: spaying. They do do some spays, just less than in the past.

Don't know why I'm feeling defensive about my vet when I don't even know the bloke :lol:

Obviously I want the very best care for Daisy though, so I will post in general chat for any recommendations of good rabbit savvy vets near me (Harrogate is too far unfortunately, and as we don't have a car it'll have to be somewhere within 10 miles or so for taxi journeys).

I phoned him for answers/advice and now I feel like I've got a whole load more worries than before :?

 

[giantbunnymummy]

Right - just seen a different vet at a different surgery and have a completely different diagnosis :roll:

The new vet says that Daisy does indeed have an abscess ( put a needle into it and it came out full of puss) and wants her in asap to remove it. He will spay her at the same time, and do an xray to check out any hidden dental problems.

So annoyed with the previous vet - if Daisy needs surgery asap what the hell would have happened if we hadn't gone elsewhere :evil:

So, as usual, questions to RUers who know soooo much more than the average vet!

1- Is surgical removal best (taking nothing from vets on trust anymore!)

2- Do you think it's advisable to have her spayed at the same time?

3- This vet said to continue with Baytril for another week - have I read that actually Baytril is not the recommended antibiotic for abscesses?

Please advise!

 

[rodneyvet]

1) surgical excision is always the treatment of choice for rabbit abscesses
2) Personally I would not spay at the same time for 2 reasons. firstly the length of the operation increases significantly, I always prefer 2 short anaesthetics to 1 longer op. I find its safer for the rabbit. Secondly there is a risk of contamination of the spey wound if a non sterile procedure is carried out at the same time as a sterile one. we try to keep abscess ops as sterile as possible but at the end of the day you are operating on an infected site so the potential for contamination increases
3) If you like it wont do any harm. I have to say I cant remember the last time I used baytril for an abscess. I tend to use other drugs unless a sessitivity test tells me otherwise. Nb if you want to culture bacteria from the abscess capsule(recommended) then stop the baytril otherwise your results will be tainted
Hope this helps
Goodluck

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Right - just seen a different vet at a different surgery and have a completely different diagnosis :roll:

The new vet says that Daisy does indeed have an abscess ( put a needle into it and it came out full of puss) and wants her in asap to remove it. He will spay her at the same time, and do an xray to check out any hidden dental problems.

So annoyed with the previous vet - if Daisy needs surgery asap what the hell would have happened if we hadn't gone elsewhere :evil:

So, as usual, questions to RUers who know soooo much more than the average vet!

1- Is surgical removal best (taking nothing from vets on trust anymore!)

2- Do you think it's advisable to have her spayed at the same time?

3- This vet said to continue with Baytril for another week - have I read that actually Baytril is not the recommended antibiotic for abscesses?

Please advise!

Yes, surgical removal is usually the best way to go. I'd also request a swab be taken from the abscess wall to get an MC+S done to identify the exact bacteria involved and thus the most appropriate abx to use.
If there is any chance that the abscess is tooth root related I'd also want radiographs taken to assess the extent of the infection and if there is any boney involvement.

I am not sure I'd be wanting her abdomen opened up for a spay whilst she has an active infection going on :?
Hopefully RodneyVet or Marie will see this thread and offer their input.

Baytril can sometimes be appropriate for treating abscesses but my experience has been that it is not very useful in many cases. Thats why getting the MC+S done at the outset may be the best way to go.

Good luck

ETA Just noticed RV has posted ! :lol:

 

[Jack's-Jane]

No a bit of joke, but this rocks http://sourceradix.com/h23.html

Go away :evil:

Reported the Muppet :roll:

 

[giantbunnymummy]

Thank you both for your replies!

I definitely won't be getting Daisy spayed at the same time.

Just to clarify, should I phone the vets tomorrow and request a sensitivoity test / MC+S (same thing? ) is done first?

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Thank you both for your replies!

I definitely won't be getting Daisy spayed at the same time.

Just to clarify, should I phone the vets tomorrow and request a sensitivoity test / MC+S (same thing? ) is done first?

MC+S is Microscopy, Culture and Sensitivity. It should be done at the same time as the op' but I would definately mention it if the Vet didn't.

 

[giantbunnymummy]

MC+S is Microscopy, Culture and Sensitivity. It should be done at the same time as the op' but I would definately mention it if the Vet didn't.

Thanks Jane.

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Thanks Jane.

No problem but dont forget what RV has said- if you continue giving Baytril the swab will be tainted. So I'd call the Vet tomorrow, say you want the MC+S done and is it OK to stop the Baytril as you know that if you continue it the swab results will be of little use

 

[Becky86]

Poor Daisy Sunshine I hope everything goes ok with the op, let us know how your little girl gets on xXx

 

[giantbunnymummy]

Just spoken to new vet, he sounds about 12 and although friendly enough, was perhaps a tiny bit put out by my treatment demands. He wasn't going to do a culture and sensitivity test, but will do now, and he wasn't definitely going to do xrays (only if he thought they were needed) but has agreed to do them in any case.

He said that if it's a distinct nodular abscess removal should be straight forward, but if it has tracks(?), he'll need to investigate further and decide how to proceed.

So, Daisy is booked in for her operation on Monday - i'm dreading it as I know I'll be a nervous wreck.

He said he would have prefered to spay her at the same time, because the older she gets (as a giant bun) the harder the op is - layers of fat to get through. But we agreed that as soon as she's recovered from this op she'll go in for her spay.

Is there anything specific that I need to know about post-op abscess removal care? I will make sure she has limited space, soft bed, loads of tasty, tempting food on hand, but anything else i should do/buy in in advance of Monday?

I have fibreplex - should I give her some before and after the op?