eye absess in rabbit

Question
Hello, I have a 7 year old bunny with a bulging eye. He has had a slight bulge and nasal discharge for years and have been taking him to so called bunny doctors and treating him with either baytril or cipro.He has had cultures in the past showing pasturella. Now his eye is bulging terrible so I brought him to angell memorial and they did a ct scan showing a mass behind the right eye and towards the nasal cavity. The vet said surgery was the only option. So I e-mailed Marcy Moore and she gave me the bicilan protocal, after reading an article about her.I talked to the vet at angell and she said that they offer the same treatment, so bunny will start this week but said she had never seen much success with this treatment for an absess like this. Have you seen success with absess behind the eyes?
Thank You
Ernie

Answer
Dear Ernie,

The bicillin protocol is exactly what I would suggest.  However, it's important that the bacteria causing the problem be *sensitive* to bicillin, which means that if there is any pus to culture, this should be done:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/culture.html

The runny eye suggests that this might have its origin as a molar root/jaw abscess, in which case the following might help:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/jawabscess.html

Note that it can take *weeks* or even *months* on bicillin to clear up a head abscess, but I would definitely give it a chance, as long as the condition doesn't get worse, even when bun is on the bicillin.  Surgical removal of the eye and packing of the abscess with a dextrose poultice (changed twice a day) might be necessary, if the bicillin doesn't work.  This is how our Maggie's retrobulbar abscess finally resolved, but it was no picnic.

I hope the bicillin works for you!

Dana