Confused over multiple diagnoses

[Lisa]

Hi! JoJo, my 5 yr old Netherland dwarf started sneezing a few months ago. Not small sneezes but people-size sneezes. Along with the sneezes also comes a wet chin.  Everything else seemed to be fine. High energy, eating well, although he had stopped eating carrots for some reason.  Took him to the vet and she examined his teeth which were aligned and suggested a dental to give him an overbite.  $400 later, JoJo and I were sent home with no after care or meds even though I asked repeatedly if there were any follow up instructions.

Two weeks later, the sneezing starts back and the wet chin is back. I go back to the vet and see a different doctor (same facility) and she points out a lump on one side of his neck, marble-size, and suggests that it could be an infected salivary gland. He was prescribed Baytril which he had a bad reaction to. (Stopped eating, loss of activity, no socialization). Took him back to vet and saw the original vet that did the dental, who says that the lump was not there before the dental and that may be another dental issue/bone fragment with a pus pocket surrounding it which we will not know unless we do surgery. (?) XRays were done ($200) which didn’t show anything as far as I could tell. She said a slightly cloudy area may be something.

JoJo seems to feel fine except the occasional sneezes and wet chin. I am going to another vet next week for another opinion. My guess is an infection from the dental caused the lump on the neck because he didn’t have follow up antibiotics.  Am I wrong to think this vet is not on the up and up?

[Kriscent]

If JoJo is feeling fine and eating and being healthy it might just be allergies. My boyfriend had a dog that was allergic to itself, so it is possible. I would suggest that to your vet. It’ll cost a lot less than surgery, and may help a ton. Otherwise i’d say stop going to the vet or get a new one because they don’t know what they’re doing and putting poor Jojo through all of that for “well maybe it’s” is a shame on the vets

[Wick & Fable]

If it’s sneezing to the extent of wet chin, I don’t think it would just be allergies. Wick went through three month treatment for an upper respiratory infection, so I’m biased and just more cautious when considering sneezing as a symptom.

I’m not familiar with the particular dental procedure which was done by the first vet, but I don’t think antibiotics are prescribed following dental procedure, unless it’s reconstructive in nature I suppose. If it was just dental grinding down to shape the teeth, it wouldn’t require antibiotics.

You’re doing well with getting another opinion, but for rabbit health which can turn on a dime at times, it’s better to be safe than sorry, and trust what an experienced rabbit vet suggests.

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.

[jerseygirl]

The wet chin does suggest drooling due to dental problems. Did the xrays reveal if there is any root overgrowth of his teeth?

If the vet thinks the lump is an abscess, they can put a needle in it to see if they can pull out a bit of material to see what it is. They’d be able to see if it is pus pretty easily.
It’s not uncommon for rabbits to get fatty tumours in this area too, usually benign.

I don’t remember it being standard practice to give antibiotics after a dental trim either. It’s been a while since I had a rabbit have one though. I only recall some owners being given antibiotics if there was soft tissue injury due to tooth spur or if the skin was nicked during the trim.

If your not feeling confident with the vet, do seek out another opinion. You can get JoJo’s history and recent xrays and have another vet take a look.

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