my rabbits tooth root abcess

Question
My rabbit Lily has a tooth root abscess underneath her left eye, the vet has given us antibiotics and the swelling of the abscess went down. Once we ran out though it came back and got even worse. We went to the vet a second time and got the same antibiotics but they aren't working. The only other option is a $500 surgery that i just can not pay for for a rabbit. I saw online that you could pop an abscess and i was wondering if this was something i could do at home? I really love her and i can't stand to her her like this. Eventually if I can't get rid of it I will have to put her down and the vet said that it may burst on its own and kill her. PLEASE HELP! Thank you for taking the time to read my letter.

Answer
Tooth abscesses are tricky to treat. They are most often treated with aggressive antibiotics. What did they put him on and how much? Be aware of vets who scheme. Don't be fooled, some are out to help animals, but they are also out to make money. I don't think after one course of antibiotics the only resort would be surgery. surgery is generally the end of the line answer because rabbits don't do well with anesthesia. I understand your hesitancy and we can only do what we can do. You can drain an abscess and coupled with aggressive antibiotics, will likely mend your bunny. I don't think enough options have been explored by what you're saying. Visit rabbit.org at the rabbit house society. There's links there to find qualified vets in most areas. Some vets specialize in cats and dogs but will treat rabbits in emergencies. Avoid these scenarios because often the vet is not trained specifically in rabbits and will treat them the same as the way they will treat a cat or dog in certain situations which are totally inappropriate in the treatment of rabbits. Draining can be tricky especially when inside of her mouth. Swallowing any pus could make her go septic. I don't know that I would try draining becausem of its location. I would explore alternative veterinary offices and find one that treats rabbits routinely. There are over two dozen medications that rabbits can be put on and if one isn't responding, then most often a different one is tried. Hope this helps, Good luck, I am sure you will find a second opinion much different from your first diagnosis. Alice