I've been extensively researching how to treat rabbit tooth root abscesses over the past few days.
Obviously I am not a vet so this should only be treated as an UNPROFESSIONAL OPINION.
My rabbit, Rosie, (a 2 and a half year old "European" - she looks like those brown wild rabbits you see in the countryside with a white belky and tail and pointy ears) I noticed drooling 2 weeks ago. Other than that, she displayed no other symptoms, she was eating and passing normal faeces, drinking (in hindsight more tham usual-possibly to counteract a sore mouth).
As soon as I noticed the drooling I took her straight to the vet who sedated her and put her under as it was difficult to examine her whilst she was awake. As suspected, she had dental molar spurs.
For those that don't know what they are, its basically when the back teeth don't wear down and as rabbits teeth grow at a continuous rate of about 10-12cm a year, the tooth grows in a curved profile, into the mouth on one set and out in to the cheek in another. This means that the tip of these teeth push in to the tongue and cheek and can cause cuts, pressure and pain.
In addition, the long teeth together have more pressure between them forcing the teeth back in to the root site in the jaw which can cause inflammation and bateria to be pushed down and cause an infection. In most cases this will lead to an abcess.
Rosie stopped drooling and her appetite picked up rapidly after her dental spurs were removed, but 2 weeks later when I was doing a quick check on her (checking her claws, fur, nose, bottom and teeth) I felt a marble sized lump under her right chin under the jaw. As it was late at night, I waited to the morning before taking her to the vet.
She was seen straight away and I was told it could be a tumour or an abcess. It was more likely the latter and as she hadn't had it 2 weeks before, we hoped it would be relatively inadvanced.
Rosie was at this point still eating, drinking, pooping and springing around.
The vet said to me that both ailments, tumour or abscess were hard to treat in rabbits.
The main reasons are that rabbits lack an enzyme which makes the pus very fluid in most other mammals, so rabbit pus is as thick as toothpaste, this makes it difficult to drain. It also complicates the structure of the abcess which can rupture, cause "fingers" to form and make the abcess harder to be surgically removed fully.
In terms of antibiotics, there are very few that can be used on rabbits and the approved Baytril is not especially effective in treating abscesses due to the types of bacteria present such as anaerobic. Also, the antibiotics are better off being injected subcutaneously (under the skin) to avoid upsetting the gut flora in the digestive tract which could cause gut stasis which would kill a rabbit. It's recommended they have a probiotic when on antibiotics. The reasons for this is that a rabbit must constantly eat and digest in order to survive ans their guts act as a fermenter whuch require certain bacteria to digest!
Rosie's surgery was booked for this morning but she was given a shot of depocillin last night in case it was infection which is procaine and penicillin G which I have read to be very good at treating rabbit abscesses when delivered subcutaneously.
It was found that she does have an abscess cause... tooth root from the impacted over grown molars.
From what I've read, the best chance of successful curing is treating not only the abscess, but the mechanism for it occuring in the first place. Sometimes its obvious, as in Rosie's case.
Rosie had the abscess removed in a procedure called "Marsupialisation".
The abscess is removed surgically, cleaned out with antiseptic/antibacterial agents and partially stitched closed leaving about a 1cm hole to allow the abscess to drain. Rosie's wound has been packed with medical grade Manuka honey. The reason for this, from my research, is that it has an acidic pH which helps inhibit growth of bacteria, it is naturally a very effective antiseptic, unlike some chemical alternatives, it doesn't cause the remaining tissue to die (tissue necrosis) which would cause further complications and maybe even prevent tissue granulation which is where the tissue grows back as healthy red blood filled lumps. Its also relatively cheap, easy to get hold of, viscous(thick) and non toxic!
Rosie is also on metacam (an analgesic(painkiller), anti-inflammatory) as she will be sore abd wilk be on an indefinite course of subcutaneous depocillin antibiotic jabs. In addition she's going to be fed a probiotic agent with vits and minerals in to help her.
All this, admittedly isn't cheap, so far, the teeth being ground down, with a one night stay, inclusive of the procedure and anaesthesia cost £75, and the second vet trip I'm yet to be billed for, but have been quoted £75-£150.
Fortunately, money isn't a worry generally for me, plus both Rosie, and my other rabbit (Miffy-Rosie's daughter, one to keep an eye on now!) are both insured at a codt of about £10/month/rabbit. This gives me £2000 worth of vets fees.
This doesn't cover generic dental treatment such as the teeth filing or other preventitive medicine such as their spaying (neutering) ops or their VHD/Myxamotosis annual jabs, but it certainly will cover the abcess treatment.
Ultimately from what I've read, rabbit head and dental abscesses can be very difficult to treat, but the most effective ways have been using beter antibiotics other than Baytril, such as depocillin, bicillin, procaine, penicillin G and when delivered subcutaneousky to avoid upsettinh the digestive system. In most cases I read where treatment was unsuccessful, it seems it was a result of gut stasis, so feeding the rabbit by syringe if necessary with a good probiotic to maintain the gut flora is essential.
It also seems that some rabbits are abke to be entirely cured, in some cases, managed but not overly affecting the quality of life of the rabbit.
I've cancelled a camping and cycling trip this weekend in order to provide Rosie with the care she needs, I am determined to help her fight this.
I want to post this to make other rabbit owners aware and what they should be checking for. Also, pet insurance shoukd always be obtained when getting any pet unless you have an endless pot of money. In the case of this ailment, aggressive, rapid treatment is essential for any degree of success.
Rabbits are better suited to adult owners and when "owned" by children, a responsible adult should check bunny's health from top to bottom every day. It can be tricky as rabbits can be wriggly. Look for changes in their pooo, how much they've been drinking, excessive drinking may indicate a sore mouth, drooling, teeth grinding, lumps, bumps, dirty bottoms, excessive facial grooming, are all things to watch for.
No comments:
Post a Comment