Abscess Advice

[Tab_xo]

Hi all,

I have a gorgeous mini lop who is 7 years old. He has always been a very active, healthy, and happy bunny.

In October last year, he developed some eye weeping, in which the vets prescribed him with Genoptic eye drops. In December, he returned to the vets for further treatment as the drops were not helping at all.

Following further tests, we found there is no issue with the eye (cataracts, damage etc), but instead he has an abscess in his cheek. He received oral antibiotics, and another type of eye ointment to combat the abscess together.

The weeping cleared up for a month, and a few days it has now come back. The abscess has stayed the whole time (can be felt).

The vet said the next step is harsh antibiotics and surgery. But they believe this is risky for his age, and the anaesthetics is dangerous and there is a chance he wouldn’t survive.

 

Now – Through all of this, he is still eating perfectly, super active running around the house, healthy poos and wees, and just being his adorable self. So quality of life at the moment is fine.

 

I guess my question is – Has anyone else been through a similar experience, and what would your advice be? Is there any specific diet he should be on that would help fight abscesses? And should I just make sure he is happy and healthy until I notice he is in pain, and then make some tough decisions?

 

I have spent a lot of time crying over this, and would just like some guidance from experienced rabbit owners. I have had him since he was a baby, and he is my best friend.

 

Thanks in advance, and apologies for the long post.

[DanaNM]

Hi there, sorry you are dealing with this, abscesses are so stressful. I had a bun with a jaw abscess a few years ago.

The best course of action is to treat it aggressively, so that usually means surgically cleaning out the abscess and giving antibiotic injections (usually penicillin) for several weeks.  Rabbit abscesses are full of a very thick pus and have a very thick capsule, so they don’t drain the way other animals’ do. Sometimes when a bun is very weak, the vet might prescribe just the antibiotic shots, but this isn’t usually enough to cure the abscess, it just prevents it from growing. But long term this can be hard on the bun as well. My bun’s abscess cleared up after the first round of surgery and antibiotic injections, but sometime repeated procedures are needed to really get rid of it. I found giving the antibiotic shots at home to be relatively easy once I did it a few times (easier than syringe feeding IMO).

If he is in good health otherwise, I don’t think 7 is too old to treat this the way the vet proposes. You might get a second opinion if the vet is not very confident. Blood work prior to anesthesia could be informative.

Has he had an x-ray of his teeth or any other imaging? Sounds like this all could be dental in origin. Before launching into surgery, it would be good to know the extent of what you are dealing with and if there is a root cause. If available in your area, a CT scan could give you a lot of information (such as if there are other abscesses that you don’t know about) and help you know how successful treatment is likely to be.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

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