# Jaw Abscess Popped!



## s2rai (Mar 7, 2010)

Hi,

My name is Kim and I am new to this forum.

My bunny's name is Oreo and he is over 7 years old. He has had re-occurring jaw abscesses for maybe about half a year now. He has had many vet visits where the vet would flush out the pus and give him antibiotic injections. He's been on oral Baytril and seems to respond okay to it.

Today, his abscess has popped into his mouth. There is A LOT of pus running out of the incision and he is spitting some out as well. He is making a lot of gurgling and choking sounds and seems to be an extreme discomfort! My vet's office isn't open on Sundays so I can't call them or anything.

If anybody's had any similar experiences at all, I would really appreciate any advice! Even if there is something i could do to relieve him of his discomfort temporarily would help greatly!

Thanks!


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## pla725 (Mar 7, 2010)

This is emergency and you need to go to an emergency vet now.


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## jamesedwardwaller (Mar 7, 2010)

*s2rai wrote: *


> Hi,
> 
> My name is Kim and I am new to this forum.
> 
> ...


oral baytril,,keep giving it to him,,my bun responded good to -(baytril) mouth abscess/penicillin-g was ineffective against the type of bacteria he had.//.do you have any metacam for pain.??..keep it draining and cleaned out.//.externaly you can use betadine to flush out,,but not internaly/mouth.//.does the radiograph indicate teeth,and jaw involved,,hopefully not..//.there are new ways to treat abscesses,,unfortuneately radical surgery seems still to-be the option at hand--this is why i hope it don,t involve the teeth,jaw,gums...if i can think of anything else i will pm you...sincerely james waller:wave::rose:


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## SOOOSKA (Mar 7, 2010)

Hi Kim I'm not sure where in Toronto you are. Their is a 24 hour Vet Clinic in Sheppard Ave just off the 401, if you get lucky they have a vet that knows rabbits.

I'm not sure of the name I'll try to find out what it is.

I sure hope your Oreo gets better real soon. Thiers nothing worse than a sick animal.

Susan


Here you go.

*Willowdale Animal Hospital 
*256 Shepperd Ave. West 

Toronto, ON M2N 1N3 
Phone: 416-222-5409


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## tonyshuman (Mar 7, 2010)

I agree, this is an emergency issue. The emergency vet can treat the wound. For future care, we can recommend a different course of treatment, but right now the only thing that can help is an emergency vet.

In the future, you'll need to determine what's causing the abscesses, do x-rays to look at the tooth roots, and get a stronger antibiotic treatment in there. Many rabbit bacteria are resistant to baytril and need stronger and/or injectible antibiotics.


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## s2rai (Mar 9, 2010)

Thanks for your replies!

As for an update, things are not looking very well.
We dropped Oreo at the vet's office yesterday morning. Unfortunately, his regular vet was not in. The vet told us that his teeth are in bad shape and that he recommended we see a specialist. He also recommended that we leave Oreo overnight so that his regular could take a look at him today, since he knows his history and all.

Today, our regular vet called saying that his teeth look the same as before and that he is concerned that something is going on in his lungs. He is concerned because Oreo is not eating at all. He also has lost weight since his last visit. Today, he is going to take X Rays of his lungs to find out if there's anything going on in there. Prior to this weekend, I didn't notice anything different in eating and poop habits. I actually even considered that he was eating a little bit more than usual...

Sorry, I was pretty vague about Oreo's previous medical history. Basically, he has always had misaligned incisors and required regular trimming. In the past year, he developed molar spurs and those were trimmed down. About half a year ago, he began to develop jaw abscesses,due to molar root rot/infection. The vet has suggested that one possible treatment would be to remove his molars but I am extremely apprehensive about this for multiple reasons. Firstly, due to his misaligned incisors, they are pretty much useless. Secondly, he is an incredibly picky eater and will literally ONLY eat pellets and treats. I have also heard from the vet that he ate some of the compacted timothy hay cubes. Other than that, he has NEVER even shown interest in ANY kinds of greens or vegetables. I am concerned that if I were to put him through such an invasive and painful surgery, he will just starve to death! Furthermore, being an older rabbit, the vet has told me that is very risky to anesthetize, especially since he's already been anesthetized earlier this year. 

Oreo has been with me since elementary school all the way through high school until now, in my third year of university. This entire experience is extremely devastating and I am literally at a complete lost in regards to what I should or even can do to help him. 

I guess all I can do for now is see what the vet has to say later on today.

Thanks again for all your help!!!


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## tonyshuman (Mar 9, 2010)

How did he react to the anesthesia earlier this year? If he did fine, it's probably ok to put him under. I had an elderly hamster that was very aggressive and pretty much has to be anesthitized for the vets to even exam her, and she did fine under anesthesia. I would be more concerned about how quickly he would recover. In older animals the cells divide less frequently so a wound will heal more slowly.

Bunnies without teeth can still eat ok. There are a couple of people on the board with bunnies that have few or no teeth. 

It's a hard decision. It sounds like Oreo is a really special guy and he's been with you a long time. It's hard for someone like me to make recommendations because I don't know him, I don't know how he feels about life, how much fight he has.


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## s2rai (Mar 11, 2010)

Tonyshuman, the Vet took XRays and has told me that teeth extraction would just do more harm than good at this point. His molar roots are completely deformed. They've actually all calcified and merged together inside his gums. On the X Ray, it looks almost like a comb; stuck together at the bottom and separate at the top.

update:

Oreo is home and barely eating. He has lost A LOT of weight in the last three and a half days. On the first night I brought him home, he had a little bit of apple sauce and nothing else. The next morning (yesterday), he tried to eat some pellets but couldn't chew them. When I got home in the evening, I soaked the pellets in some water and he had a little bit.

I've tried syringe-feeding Critical Care mixed with some banana but he's so stubborn that he just pushes it out with his tongue! He really hates the stuff! If i mix it in with banana or apple sauce, he won't have it!

Today he is eating a BIT more but not nearly enough at all! I mixed some mushed up pellets with banana and he ate a bit of that. It's frustrating because I mixed it all to a mush which I'm fairly sure he could just swallow, but he spends so much time trying to chew it that he gets too tired to eat anymore!

In terms of behavior, he's running around the house trying to eat everything. I'm guessing this has to do with his gut not having enough fiber? He'll be very hyper and run around marking his territory and smelling and licking everything. Then when I get him to eat a little bit he gets completely tired out and just kind of zones out.

He is currently on Metacam (or something like that) for pain.


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## s2rai (Mar 11, 2010)

OH, and one more thing: neither vet mentioned why he was choking and spitting. When I asked my vet, he said he wasn't doing it anymore. 

He also seemed confused as to what made this happen so suddenly. I am not sure as to why is teeth are in so much pain so suddenly!


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## Pipp (Mar 11, 2010)

I'd strongly recommend Nutri-Cal, a supplement made for cats and dogs but great for rabbits. Most pet stores and vets should have it. 

Also, canned pumpkin should really help. 

You can also make up your own pellet slurry -- pellets, water and whatever else he likes, maybe apple sauce, pumpkin or banana baby food or whatever. A lot of bunnies don't like the anise flavor in Critical Care. Just add some acidophilus or another pro-biotic and some of the NutriCal and see if he'll eat it. If not, give him the Nutri-Cal separately. And soak the pellets for at least 30 minutes. They absorb a lot of water, and you want that to be an external function, not internal.

Abscesses pop up suddenly, just like toothaches. You ignore them, just chew on a different side of your mouth and then all of a sudden its a swollen, sore mess. 

You can get him to take syringe feeding, you really have to be patient, stick the tip behind his tongue (although don't push too much in), and tell him you're not letting him go until he swallows. 

Hope he's okay!


sas :clover:


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## tonyshuman (Mar 11, 2010)

You might want to ask for some stronger pain meds, something narcotic like tramadol or buprenorphine. However, if he acts normal, the pain may not be bothering him. It sounds like there's not a lot other than control pain and keep the abscesses clean that you can do. Best of luck!


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## s2rai (Mar 11, 2010)

Just got him to eat a little bit more "pellet slurry" (i like the sound of that). I found that it helped a bit to make it even more liquidy than I did before. Also added a little bit more banana. 

I'm going to try and find some Nutri-cal tomorrow. Would you know around what section at the pet store it's usually in?

As for syringe feeding, I think I'm going to need to get a more suitable syringe somewhere. The one I have (from the vet)is very oddly shaped. It has a really fat body and tiny, short opening so I can't stick it into his mouth all the way. Any idea where I can find a good one? Would a turkey baster work at all?


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## Pipp (Mar 12, 2010)

I like this kind, it holds 35 cc's and doesn't get gummed up too badly. You need to replace them every few months, the rubber stopper starts breaking down. Vets, some pets stores and drugstores will have them.


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## slp98 (Mar 16, 2010)

Dose he eat.? You can take water and pellts and mash the pellts upand feed it too him in a small bowl. If he eats it then feed him that so that he still eats to be healthly.



:toast::elvis2:


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