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bunny abscess burst

22 10:13:57

Question
Hi I have a 5-6 year old bunny and she developed an abscess around her cheek and chin.  I took her to the vet but I am unable to afford the surgery to try to treat her.  The vet told me that I can let it go until she stops eating and drinking.  That was a couple weeks ago.  The abscess got to about the size of a golf ball and then it must have burst.  She has a glob of dried up pus under her chin. Sorry to sound so gross.  But I want to know if I should try to clean the area off or if it would be painful for her.  I have another bunny that plays with her.  Is it contagious?

Answer
Hi Janelle,

Abscsses are very painful and this rabbit should be on narcotics.  Is your vet rabbit savvy? I am alarmed by the instruction of waiting until she stops eating and drinking.  This leads to some life threatening GI and kidney issues.  A rabbit will die quickly if it stops eating...and a rabbit that isn't eating is generally considered an emergency...it's one of the quirks of a hind gut fermenter's GI bacterial population and it's digestive process.  If your vet isn't rabbit savvy, find one that is and quickly as your rabbit is in pain. I am not a vet but I have developed a very effective drug protocol for treating mandibular abscesses and several vets are using my protocols.  I do not intervene surgically.  Not only is the procedure expensive...it is also extremely difficult on the rabbit and notoriously ineffective.  My drug protocols involve using Penicillin and Zithromax.  You may read that you should never use Penicillin or a Macrolide type antibiotic (Zithromax) but they are safe and effective when used correctly.  WARNING:While it is possible for you to acquire these drugs....administering them incorrectly either in method of administration or dosing amount usually results in death.  This treatment should be used only under the supervision of a highly skilled and experience rabbit savvy vet.  

Most mandicular abscesses involve impactions of the molar roots.  Sometimes the offending molars (and the opposing tooth on the opposite arcade)must be extracted sometime down the road.  The problem with treating an abscess is reaching the core of the abscess with an effective drug that can penetrate and damage the cell walls of the invading bacteria.  The thick pus is one challenge.  The next is that the primary bacteria in the core is faculative anaerobic bacteria and that is very difficult to identify and treat.  The combination of Penicillin (a specific version known as Pen G which contains a precise amount of two drugs...Procaine and Benzathine) and Zithromax packs a powerful punch when used together and gives excellent coverage on a wide range of bacteria and is powerful enough to reach and treat the core.  While we have used other drugs in "mop up"...this combination has never failed me.  I am quite sure your vet will gasp for air with this combination of drugs....but they work.  I would be happy to consult with your vet as long as he/she understands that I am not a vet.  I'm sure one of my primary vets would be willing to confirm my treatments.  I can't legally provide dosing information except to a licensed vet....little legal issue there.  Again, this issue should be addressed by a skilled rabbit savvy vet...and again, using this combination of drugs incorrectly will result in death.  But properly used, it should resolve the abscess.

It is possible for some aspect of this infection to be technically contagious.  But if it is, your other rabbit has already been exposed so let's hope if some of the aerobic bacteria is contagious that your other rabbit's immune system is up to the challenge.  If they are a bonded pair, the stress of being apart may exceed any risk of possible infection.  You can try to clean the dried pus with basic saline and it might help if it's slightly warm to the touch.  But if she shows any signs of pain or stress...stop.

If your vet isn't up to treating this abscess by non-invasive means...find another rabbit savvy vet.  In the doctor's defense, they receive precious little training in vet school on exotics.  Treating these rabbit issues is much different than dogs or cats.  If you are in the US, I have contacts all over.  This should be treated as an emergency.  Prolonged infection can erode the bone to the point of becoming impossible for the rabbit to eat...the bone will actually turn into something like goo.  This will have long term effects on the teeth and can lead to life threatening septic infections in other parts of the body.  This needs aggressive treatment by a skilled rabbit vet immediately.  Best wishes to your rabbit.