I’m very sorry you are going through this.  🙁

When my rabbit had this exact issue (abscess in the jaw), he had it surgically cleaned out, and then was put on 6 weeks of penicillin injections, which cured the abscess. Without surgically cleaning it out it is unlikely to improve, but my vet said that in older rabbits who aren’t good candidates for surgery they will put them on the penicillin injections to keep it at bay (it won’t cure it, but can keep it from growing). The vet said some rabbits will live several months relatively comfortably like this. If I was in your shoes, that is probably what I would try. But if she isn’t handling the penicillin injections well, then there may not be many options that will actually work well and not cause her a lot more pain.

Sadly a fellow member just went through this and unfortunately lost their rabbit after doing surgery and a lot of medication afterward. 🙁

With my bun, I believe the shots were every other day, but I can’t quite remember (I did them at home, and it wasn’t too bad once I got the hang of it). He handled them really well. He went back to eating right after he woke up (he also had a molar extraction), I think he must have felt better with that rotten tooth out of there. Towards the end of the 6 weeks his poops were harder and more dry, so I did give him some benebac, but overall he handled it like a champ and never had any severe GI symptoms. He was only on pain meds in addition to the pen-G injections. He was also only 1 year old though, so keep that in mind.

In his case I think it was open to the inside of his mouth, so it wasn’t open to the outside. They didn’t put beads in. I also know his was caught very early. We had actually booked him in for a dental (we could tell something was going on with his molars but couldn’t tell the full extent), and then the day of the procedure the abscess had appeared, so it was still very small.

Do you know how your bun tends to cope with anesthesia? Some buns bounce right back, others have a harder recovery.

It really is soooo hard to know what to do. In a senior pet, I do think it’s important to consider quality of life, what the chances of success are, and whether the treatment is for us or for them. Sometimes it seems like issues like this open up a cascade of other problems when the bun is a senior. You could always try the less extreme option with some extra supportive care (critical care and fluids will help keep her gut hydrated) and see how it goes.

Ultimately you know her best. Maybe it will help to have a “conversation” with her.

Also know that whatever route you choose to go, it’s normal to question that decision and feel guilt over it, but you should try not to. We have a lot of people on the forum feeling bad about either choosing to pursue an aggressive treatment option, or feeling guilty for not doing it, so that guilt is not really a sign that you chose wrong, i think it’s just a sign that we love our bunnies a lot and want to do the best for them.