Tough times with Boston

[Stephable]

Hey, I’ve just found out from the vet that my bunny Boston has what is probably an abscess under his chin.He’s lost quite a bit of weight lately and is having more struggles eating and breathing. He’s going back in for x-rays on friday and we’ll know more about how to move forward after that but the vets seem to think it involves the bone which complicates things and will probably require multiple anaesthetics.

I’m worried about him going to sleep and I’m worried about the surgery and possible infection so I’m really just trying to spend as much time with him as I can. I also have him on a chopped up fruit and veg diet now that’s kind of the consistency of baby food so he is certainly eating a lot more (I also have critical care in case) and he is active, interested in food and alert. 

He’s a tough little guys but I’d love to hear about anything similar you might’ve gone through, tips to help him and what to expect. And if you could keep him in your thoughts it would be hugely appreciated. He’s much loved and will get the best possible care.

[Bunny House]

Hi there. I have a bun who had a major tooth root abscess that involved her jaw and after a year of surgeries and aggressive antibiotics, she is clear and healthy. I know it costs a lot to treat our babies but keep going forward and if your baby wants to fight he will, and if he doesn’t then you’ll know when it’s time. You don’t want to keep forcing him to fight when he doesn’t and it’s always hard. I had Multiple vets say she would just succumb to the abscess but then I found a great vet who went in and treated it and she’s still alive and healthy. So don’t feel bad asking other vets for second opinions because it can save his life.

Make sure he is on good pain meds. Preferably buprenorphine if he is super painful for long periods of time but meloxicam is fine for short term use. Make sure to get the vet to prescribe you Entyce to keep his appetite up, offset him litterally anything he will eat as long as it is decently healthy. Make sure the vet gives you a bag a fluids to give him now so he stays hydrated because if he isn’t, his gi tract can shut down and then fluids and pain meds after the surgery. Make sure you have a. 24hr vet around you Incase he won’t eat after surgery.
You should be force feeding him critical care often so his gut keeps moving since they need fiber and that isn’t often found in veggies in the quantities they need.

I know it’s scary and you feel like you’re in a no win situation, I cried so many times with caramel but you have to kee your head up and he feels your emotions so be strong for the both of you and let us know how Friday goes. Good luck little guy

[Stephable]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share that with me. Boston is back home and having dinner now.

His x-rays were worse than I’d hoped so he’s not doing great, we’re looking at doing some palliative care rather than put him through surgery that is unlikely to fix anything. He has multiple tooth root issues and has them on both sides and although they haven’t all created abscesses or come through yet they will and it’s just too much to put him through in my opinion. Especially as he’s a netherland dwarf and his tiny little mouth would likely have issues for the rest of his life/require a lot of tooth grinding. We caught it pretty early so my hope is that we saved him as much pain as possible. He’s started antibiotics and the vet thinks he could be ok for another year or so with regular antibiotic injections which I can learn to do myself, the vet also said we can give him some pain meds to I’m going to ask about that when I go back to check in on Monday. Our vet is fantastic and even talked to friends of his who work with rabbits in Scotland to see what our best chances were. It’s more about when he’s in too much pain than anything else. I’m hoping to have some more happy time with him but I don’t want to make him hang around past what’s comfortable for him just because I want him to.

He’s eating, running around and playing with my other rabbit for now and that’s all I can really hope for. I’ve been making him a ‘mash’ that’s easier for him to eat while he still has the abscess (which will hopefully shrink) and it has lots of fruit and veg as well as pellets to make sure he’s getting the nutrition he needs. I have critical care in case he isn’t eating but he’s still very interested in all his food at the moment. He’s a tough guy and he wants to keep going so I’m going to stick with him until he decides otherwise.

[Bunny House]

Make sure you have him on probiotics and prebiotics so his gut flora doesn’t get killed and cause stasis like my bun had. Often times Antibiotics won’t get rid of the issue but I’m hoping in your case it will so he won’t have to go under. And yes, since he is a small little thing he probably will have teeth issues in the future that need to be maintained. Just keep your hopes up and pen-g shots and enrofloxicin shots should be able to help his mouth. And a very low dose of meloxicam will be safe for his organs for pain and inflammation but long term use is not suggested but you can do regular blood tests to make sure his organs are still doing great with it.

Keep us updated!

[Stephable]

Hey just popping in for an update on Boston! He’s been on his antibiotics for a while now and he’s doing well! When he first started them he kept getting worse and we were pretty worried we were going to lose him but his abscess opened up and cleared out and its now totally gone! He’s happy, healthy, playful and has tons of attitude.

Obviously he’s still on his antibiotics and pain meds but we’re reducing his doses and he hasn’t gone backwards! I’m really happy he’s doing so well and proud of him for keeping going. I didn’t think he’d still be around but the bunnies just celebrated their 4th birthdays together! Hoping for 5 together too!

[Stephable]

Hey just popping in for an update on Boston! He’s been on his antibiotics for a while now and he’s doing well! When he first started them he kept getting worse and we were pretty worried we were going to lose him but his abscess opened up and cleared out and its now totally gone! He’s happy, healthy, playful and has tons of attitude.

Obviously he’s still on his antibiotics and pain meds but we’re reducing his doses and he hasn’t gone backwards! I’m really happy he’s doing so well and proud of him for keeping going. I didn’t think he’d still be around but the bunnies just celebrated their 4th birthdays together! Hoping for 5 together too!

[FlemishDad]

So glad Boston is doing better! It’s always such a relief when they improve.

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