Excessive Drooling :/ Any ideas?

[PetuniasMom]

Hi Everyone! I’m new here and have had my little Petunia for about 2 months now.

When I first got her I would let her out of her cage and into a large play pen made for rabbits and small animals so she would remember to use her litter box and not be too far from it, well she got her head stuck between the bars and long story short I was there to help her but she injured her jaw and face. It seemed to heal up ok and she was eating and drinking and pooping so I thought ok she made it!

Well then about 2 weeks after this she started grooming her face a lot on both cheeks, enough to leave it moist with spit. So I took her to the vet fearing dental issues from malalignment or perhaps a lot of pain. The vet did a dental exam and an X-ray and found she did fracture her jaw and her eye socket, but didn’t see any dental issues. So we started her on tramadol and meloxicam for pain control. It seemed to help as she now is chewing on her wicker hit like she used too and is chewing with gusto.

A few days after we started the medicine, she started drooling more. Now her cheeks are all matted and it’s starting to trickle under her chin and onto her chest. She is constantly grooming and drinking water. The vet mentioned she did have a lot of mucous in her mouth when we went. I’m going to call my vet tomorrow and take her in, but in concerned her cheek skin is all red and irritated and her fur has started coming out. :/

Any ideas on what it could be or what I should be doing until I can get her to the vet?!

Thank you for any help!

[LBJ10]

Tramadol is an opiate. Do you know what the dosage is?

[Bam]

I would’ve suspected injury to the salivary glands or the nerves to the salivary glands, but it’s unlikely that both sides should be equally affected. The teeth may still be the culprits, rabbit teeth grow very fast (1-5 mm per week!), which is likely to cause trouble if they aren’t constantlyt worn down like they should.
The redness and fur falling out is probably from the constant wetness. Perhaps you can use a barrier cream to protect the skin from the drool, you can ask your vet about that.

Tramadol should be used in doses of 2-4 mg/kg in bunnies according to Medirabbit, absolutely not in doses higher than 10 mg/ml. It should say on the bottle you have.

[LBJ10]

Yes Bam, the reason I asked about the dosage is that Tramadol has been known to cause drooling in other animals when it is overdosed. I imagine it would apply to rabbits as well. MediRabbit does note “too strong effects” when higher doses are given.

[Bam]

Indeedy, LBJ! That’s why I looked up the dosage, so PetuniasMum could check her bottle =)

PetuniasMum: I probably should’ve linked to the whole pain-killers-for-bunnies-page by Medirabbit, so here it is: http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Analgesics/safe_analgesics.htm

It’s pretty useful so I recommend bookmarking it. Not all vets are super-bunny-savvy, so it’s sometimes good to double-check with Medirabbit.

[PetuniasMom]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply! Petunia weighs 1.27kg and she is getting .03ml of a transdermal tramadol. And it looks like she’s getting a strength of 10mg per .1ml. So that does seem to be within the recommended dosage. I’m going to stop giving it to her today and see what happens. I just looked in on her and now her entire face is soaked, not just her cheeks :/ Poor little thing. I’ve tried drying her face off and also washing off her slobber with a damp washcloth thinking that it was the original wetness that keeps causing her to rub it more but no luck. It just mats right back down and gets soaked again.

If we interact with her constantly or when she’s exploring the house she is distracted and she won’t groom but as soon as she’s back in her cage unoccupied there she goes!

Also, I noticed that I can see her bottom teeth pretty much all the time when she’s just relaxing. I don’t think I could before the injury. Her teeth aren’t too long, but it seems like her mouth is sort of hanging open. Bunnies mouth’s aren’t supposed to be like that right?!

I keep second guessing myself like I’m imagining things that could be wrong with her!

[Bam]

She might be very sensitive to the Tramadol, dosage always have a bit of an individual component.
A bunny’s mouth is not supposed to hang open. They don’t breathe through their mouths so they have no “reason” to keep their mouths open. I would expect it’s due to the injury. If she can’t close her mouth properly maybe she can’t hold the saliva in so it just spills over.

Bunnies with mouth pain often drink a lot to soothe the pain/discomfort.

Poor little darling! I so hope the vet can help! Please keep us updated. It’s of course difficult to stop your imagination from running away with you, but there seems very little you can do for now except try and keep her distracted. How is her appetite? Does she eat hay?

[Jadeo09]

Maybe just metacam could control the pain if tramadol disagrees with her.
I would certainly mention her moth hanging open to the vet as the others say that’s not normal.
Was it like that before you gave her the tramadol.
I would get a second opinion with a specialist they know much more than normal vets and haven’t failed to sort my problems more effectively than the rest.
Maybe they can offer you some solution if your vet doesn’t get anywhere.
Jade

[Jadeo09]

When boo got mould y skin from drinking out of a water bowl and her chin being wet allot her fur fell out and smelt funny. The vet gave me fuciderm or fucibet which was fro dogs and it really helped.

Would anyone advise a little flour to dry her fur like they do to clean mucky bums?

[PetuniasMom]

Thank you again to everyone taking the time to talk with me about my little bunny. It helps so much to have people to express my worries to!

She is eating hay without any issue, her stool is normal and she continues to try to chew on anything and everything as usual haha

I held off on the tramadol today and she seems to be acting exactly the same so I will just stick with the meloxicam for now. It seems like her drooling may have decreased a little bit without it.

The vet is going to do a dental exam under anesthesia on Wednesday which was the earliest I could get her in. But I was wondering if anyone knows how much that costs? Of course I will pay what I have to for her to feel better , but my wedding is Saturday so right now my budget is tight haha just hoping to plan for what to expect.

And her mouth hanging open a tiny bit seems to have happened gradually since she hurt her jaw. I think it’s healing crooked. We will see.

Also, one more thing. I remember reading somewhere when a rabbit gets the slobbers they recommend holding off on greens. It seems like it would be a reasonable idea, when she eats her kale/parsley/leaf lettuce she just kinda gets a green foamy mouth and it makes it worth. Also has anyone heard of offering a salt lick to help with the drooling?!

You are all the best!

[blubudgie]

The vet should be able to give you an estimate on the costs if you ask, I’m surprised she didn’t give you one.
Does the vet you’re going to normally see rabbits? It would probably be a good idea to go to a rabbit vet or at least one that sees rabbits/small animals frequently

[vanessa]

Your vet makes my hair stand up. I would get a second evaluation. I have 2 vets I take my bunnies to. One is closer and more flexible about emergency visits, and if I know the problem and need a quick prescription, I’ll take the bun there. The other – I think is less squeamish, farther away, more expensive, and I take the complicated cases to the second vet.

[Bam]

The price of the exam would depend on what they are planning on doing. My bunny Yohio has had 2 dentals under anesthesia and it wasn’t expensive, but then . he didn’t have to have anything done but molar grinds, and they have a nurse that does those. Your vet should be able to give you some kind of idea about the price. If she’s eating hay and her tummy is fine, it doesn’t really sound like a dental issue, coarse and tough food like hay is generally avoided by bunnies with tooth-pain.

[PetuniasMom]

Yeah I was thinking about w second opinion too. I just feel like it might be an infection from her original injury, considering she didn’t start doing this until a few weeks later. Either that or her teeth are misaligned which I would’ve thought he’d be able to see with an X-ray and her first exam. I mean that should be the first thing he’d look for?!

He is the only rabbit vet in my area that actually comes well recommended and sees them regularly. When I call any other animal hospital I’m recommended back to him. But again that makes me nervous. Just because he’s the only one doesn’t mean he’s the best one!

I’m going to start looking for another vet in the meantime I’ll let you know how it’s going!

[Jadeo09]

Great plan to keep looking for another vet. My vet recommended me to one vet that was supposed to be great and was on tv /RSPCA programme and later I found wasn’t qualified and had nearly killed my tortoise and left her suffering for months ish I went to a specialist an hours drive away sorted in one go. And the medication only cost £3! Consultation was £40 but considering I’d spent over £1000 in the last months at the bad vet it was very worth it.
No idea how much you may pay but for anaesthetic on average between my two vets it costs £100 but that’s for dental burring too.
Good luck
When my boo gets tooth ache she goes straight off all food especially hay So by the way she is eating I’d be hopeful she’s not got much tooth ache
Jade

[PetuniasMom]

Well, I finally got Petunia back from the vet.

I dropped her off at 8 am, didn’t hear a single thing from them. Called at 2pm to ask about an update and the person on the phone said that everyone was busy doing surgeries and she couldn’t tell me any information, so i left a message for the vet. Come 5pm and the vet closes at 6pm I called again and told them i was coming to get my bunny. The vet called me on the way there. So not very happy about my experience with this place at all but this is what he said:

He said that Petunia’s jaw had healed more since the last time he took xrays (a week ago). But that it was shortening her jawline on that side as it healed. That’s why she was drooling, it was swelling and messing up the way that the saliva was supposed to drain into the back of her throat and so it was just coming out of her mouth. He said that her teeth looked fine but that we would need to watch to make sure she’s chewing evenly to wear them down and that she would need routine dental exams later in life probably. (Obviously!)

I asked about an ointment or cream or something for her skin since its so red and irritated. He said he’d give it to me when I got there. And of course he didn’t leave any orders for it and by the time I got there he was already gone.

I’m a nurse and (no offense to any wonderful doctors out there!) but vets seem to be just like their people doctor counterparts. Typical!

So basically I guess I will just keep an eye on her and make sure she’s eating ok and watch for signs of pain, etc. I’ll try to keep her face as dry as possible and if this continues any longer look into some ointment. Today she looks pretty good, probably because she was so scared and anxious she didn’t groom her face at all. Time to go to a different vet from now on!

Thanks again for all your advice and for chatting with me.

Sarah

[vanessa]

I’m sorry that is such a painful situation. It is horrid watching our bunnies in pain. I wish I knew what to do. If the drooling is persistent, you will need to figure out a way to keep her face dry. Maybe take nylon stocking and fill the toe with baking soda, and use that to dry her face. As a nurse I’m sure you could think of other ideas to keep it dry. You might also want to keep the fur trimmed so it doesn’t hold onto the drool, and that should also make it easier to keep dry. If it gets to the point where the fur is coming out, the skin is compromised.
Please keep us updated. We are wishing the best for you an Petunia.

[LBJ10]

I’m sorry you had such a bad experience with the vet. Unfortunately, not all vets have a good “bedside manner”. His explanation for Petunia’s condition does sound reasonable, but it might be worth getting a second opinion. You’re probably going to want to try a different vet anyway since this vet was kinda rude. I’m wondering if there is something that could be done to correct the problem or perhaps it will correct itself with regular dentals or her body might adapt to how her jaw is and the drooling will get better once everything is as healed as it’s going to get.

[PetuniasMom]

She hasn’t drooled at all since she’s been home. Not one drop?! She’s eating, binkying, chewing, drinking and no drool. I don’t know why but I hope it lasts.

But now we have another problem because the fur On her cheeks is falling off. It is all crusty and matted at the skin and she’s pulling it out and her skin looks pretty pink underneath. She rubs her head on me to have me pet her and itch her clumpy fur (now dry since she isn’t drooling). Is it bad if it’s coming out? It honestly looks like that fur is all eventually going to come off. It’s nothing but flesh colored scabs underneath. I was kinda hoping the vet would shave it down when she was under anesthesia or at least try to clean the spit off. Will it grow back? :/

[LBJ10]

If it stays dry, then it should grow back eventually. It might look worse before it looks better. I would keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t develop into a fungal infection. You could try putting some bag balm or similar on it, but it might not be necessary if it’s no longer wet.

Hmm, that is odd, isn’t it? For her to suddenly stop drooling like that, I mean. Maybe the vet pushed or pulled on something and things are more aligned now? Or perhaps the Tramadol is out of her system. Hard to know for sure.

[PetuniasMom]

Ok! Yeah it looks pretty bad right now, just because it’s so patchy and what she does have left is all crunchy and matted up. but like I said completely dry! It might honestly be better in case she does drool a tiny bit it won’t just sit in her fur then.

I was also thinking maybe he “accidentally” fixed whatever problem she had when he opened her jaw wide under anesthesia or shifted something back into place during the exam? And perhaps that in addition to the meds being out of her system helped.

Fingers crossed she keeps doing better.

Poor balding bunny!

[Bam]

(((((Petunia)))))
I agree with what others have said. Just wanted to send her some continued-healing-vibes. .

[RosiePosie]

Poor little bun. Sounds like her skin under her fur is healing and the hair is falling out because of it. I have seen this in horses and dogs as well.
I am sure her hair will grow back as long as its healing well. I am not sure where you are located but a new vet might be in order I think. He doesn’t sound very professional. Our vet called us the day after and then every couple of days after that to check up on Rosie when she had Snuffles. Sending healing vibes your way.

[Jadeo09]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00QYLNBNC/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1443917771&sr=8-1&pi=SL75_QL70&keywords=daktarin

this is supposed to be safe so long as they don’t ingest too much

[Jadeo09]

I ring my vets all the time when boos there they have never donr that.
at least you found out your vets not good, it’s best to know.

maybe you could trim the fur yourself if your unsure don’t because their skin is incredibly thin and cuts easily

good luck

[PetuniasMom]

Thanks everyone!

The skin under her affected fur scabbed up and she’s been slowly pulling it out. At first it looked terrible because it was really pink where the fur was coming out, but now it is just skin colored and looks clean and dry. I’ve been brushing her and helping get all the fur out so she doesn’t eat it. I heard bunnies can’t throw up hair balls like cats so I do my best to get it all out of her cage.

She still isn’t drooling anymore at all. She’s acting a lot better than she was before all this so idk what fixed the problem or what exactly it was but I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing considering she’s doing so well! She’s just a little interesting looking with the fur missing from under her chin, her cheeks, and across the bridge of her nose! It looks like she may have some peach fuzz starting even

One note just as a note for anyone who happens across this. Her transdermal tramadol the vet had us use irritated her ears so bad. Just in the 3 days we actually gave it to her. They are still really red dry and flaking where it was applied. I took extra care to rotate ears and never put it in the same spot, but it didn’t matter. Her poor sensitive bunny ears did not like that compounded medication.

I’ll keep posting updates because I know when this all started I frantically read through threads to learn anything I could from another bunny’s experience!

[LBJ10]

Thank you for the update! I’m glad to hear she still isn’t drooling and that it looks like her fur will grow back. I’m still wondering if it wasn’t a reaction to the Tramadol.

[Jadeo09]

AW your very kind
Others will appreciate it and I do too.
So happy I was very worried I’m very happy that the drooling has stopped its a miracle. Hopefully the fur will grow back fine and her skin heals fully.

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