jerseygirl 
Australia
Posts: 11348
 |
| 01/10/2010 02:29 PM |
|
One thing I noted in those articles is that abscesses are often not painful. Sometimes they are when linked with dental but if Layla is being normal and still eating - you can at least be reassured she's not in pain. She's probably a bit peeved about the treatment though!! |
|
|
|
|
JamieM
Erie, PA
Posts: 321
|
| 01/10/2010 07:39 PM |
|
Haha yeah she could do without it. She doesn't enjoy it but she tolerates it and even takes her treat when we're all done. I think it bothers me more so than it does her! She was definitely in pain before they lanced the abcess the first time, though. She'd lost weight and wasn't eating much or drinking any water. |
|
“The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree.”
~ Stephen Wright |
|
|
jerseygirl
Australia
Posts: 11348
|
| 01/10/2010 07:43 PM |
|
Aw Layla! (((Vibes for her)))
Off topic qu for you: Who is Fievel? lol |
|
|
|
|
JamieM
Erie, PA
Posts: 321
|
| 01/10/2010 07:54 PM |
|
What do you mean? I called the wild mouse who got into my house Fievel.... |
|
“The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree.”
~ Stephen Wright |
|
|
jerseygirl
Australia
Posts: 11348
|
| 01/10/2010 08:43 PM |
|
lol - sorry, I should have explained! I saw your pictures of him, wasn't sure if it was a pet or not. amazing capture {of pic/not mouse ;o) } |
|
|
|
|
JamieM
Erie, PA
Posts: 321
|
| 01/11/2010 07:41 AM |
|
haha... I did catch the mouse! I got a humane trap and then I let him go in the woods not too far from my house. He was awfully cute but I couldn't let him stay. Where did you see my photos? I have a shop where I sell them at www.davita.etsy.com  |
|
“The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree.”
~ Stephen Wright |
|
|
jerseygirl
Australia
Posts: 11348
|
| 01/11/2010 07:04 PM |
|
I saw them on shutterfly. Your avatar reminded me of you photography so I went to take a look. I could see the etsy link there so thanks, I'll have to go look. |
|
|
|
|
JamieM
Erie, PA
Posts: 321
|
| 01/11/2010 07:06 PM |
|
I haven't updated Shutterfly in a while... so much to keep up with! :-P Thanks for reminding me |
|
“The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree.”
~ Stephen Wright |
|
|
JamieM
Erie, PA
Posts: 321
|
| 01/12/2010 03:54 PM |
|
The bad news of the day is that Layla's abcess has grown a lot overnight... there was a LOT more puss in the wound today than there has been. She has another 2 days of antibiotics only so I will be callling the vet in the morning to see what our next plan of action is. This is starting to feel a little hopeless  |
|
“The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree.”
~ Stephen Wright |
|
|
JamieM
Erie, PA
Posts: 321
|
| 01/12/2010 08:31 PM |
|
And now the abcess smells again. Crap |
|
“The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree.”
~ Stephen Wright |
|
|
BB
 Forum Leader
San Francisco Area
Posts: 7917
|
| 01/13/2010 12:26 AM |
|
I'm sorry. Well, if they do decide to pull the tooth, I know you said you were worried about putting her through that, but at least from my experience with Rucy, she recovered rather quickly and felt better and more perky and happy once she was back to normal. I do know it's expensive so hopefully your vet will allow payment plans as I know that can help with some financial relief. |
|
|
|
|
Karla
Posts: 1561
|
| 01/13/2010 12:38 AM |
|
Poor Layla - but it sounds like you have a great vet! She is in good hands. I wish I could find a vet like that.
Don't worry about having her tooth pulled out. Jack had 4 teeth pulled out the other day, and once he recovers, I am sure it is the best thing that I could do for him. And the same for Layla; the tooth problem will be over once and for all.
I just have to give you some advice, I wish I had known:
- If you have more than one rabbit, you might end up with problems between them once Layla comes home from the vet and smells differently. So far, Molly has done nothing but chase Jack around. So take precautions.
- Make sure you get enough metacam to last for 2 days. I only got for one day, which was definitely not enough.
- Keep an eye on any eye infections and ask your vet how to react if this happens...Jack may have come through the surgery, but only to find himself with an eye infection, a sore mouth and a stupid bunny who chases him.
Good healing vibes! |
|
 |
|
|
JamieM
Erie, PA
Posts: 321
|
| 01/13/2010 01:24 PM |
|
The vet is prescribing more antibiotics, for two more weeks. She doesn't do rabbit tooth extractions, so I don't know if the place she'd refer me to allows payments or not. Here we go again! |
|
“The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree.”
~ Stephen Wright |
|
|
Sarita
Forum Leader
Farmers Branch, Texas (Dallas)
Posts: 12089
|
| 01/13/2010 01:39 PM |
|
I'm sorry to hear that! Abscesses can be so difficult to deal with.
Can you get Care Credit? You might look into that - perhaps they place that she is referring you to takes that. |
|
|
|
|
JamieM
Erie, PA
Posts: 321
|
| 01/13/2010 08:10 PM |
|
Is that a type of insurance? I looked into one kind (can't remember the name, but that wasn't it) and they said she has a "pre-existing condition".... I can try it though! |
|
“The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree.”
~ Stephen Wright |
|
|
Kokaneeandkahlua
Forum Leader
Edmonton, Alberta; Canada
Posts: 10386
|
|
JamieM
Erie, PA
Posts: 321
|
| 01/13/2010 08:45 PM |
|
hmmm I probably wouldn't qualify... divorce and all. |
|
“The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree.”
~ Stephen Wright |
|
|
skunklionshow
City of Brotherly "Shove"
Posts: 1188
|
| 01/15/2010 04:36 PM |
|
Care Credit is pretty easy to get, it is through GE Money. Unfortunately, I got kicked out of my care credit card when I actually needed it to pay for Leo's emergency care. I didn't find out until I tried to pay for his emergency room.
I don't want to freak you out, but I'm concerned about the difficulty w/ the abcess healing. Leo developed a mass on his jaw, which may have been caused by a root abcess. I'm concerned that it is not healing and still pus'ing. However, I'm not sure what your timeline is? Can you get a 2nd opinion?
Best wishes, you sound like an awesome bunny mama. |
|
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Ghandi
|
|
|
JamieM
Erie, PA
Posts: 321
|
| 01/17/2010 07:34 PM |
|
There aren't other rabbit vets here. The others that I'd seen before I chose the vet I currently have weren't rabbit savvy... told me that the "junk food" mix is ok for bunnies, didn't know how to spay but said they'd "try" anyway, etc. Everybody I know in Erie who has a rabbit takes theirs to the same vet I see. I know what the next step is but our vet says that abcesses can take up to 8 weeks to heal. We've been going for about 4 now.
I wanted to know what I should be looking for as far as jaw abcesses are concerned. Is anybody experienced with this? I have been keeping an eye on her but I don't really know what I'm looking for. Thanks.
And I'm sorry, this is an emotional rollercoaster for me right now. This has all happened within weeks of losing my unemployment after losing my job unexpectedly last summer and my car has also broken down twice... I'm super stressed and I have completely depleted my reserves financially. I am trying to wait until this new job I hope to get comes through... I should have known last week so I don't know... I just can't make money magically appear and making me feel like a bad pet owner isn't helping cause I'm doing all that I can to help her. |
|
“The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree.”
~ Stephen Wright |
|
|
jerseygirl
Australia
Posts: 11348
|
| 01/17/2010 08:01 PM |
|
Sorry this is happening at such a tough time for you. Doing all that you can for her actually makes you a good pet owner, in my opinion. Have you got anyone who you could ask for a small loan if things get too stretched?
I think being able to see or feel a swelling on the jaw would be your only clue. (Though I have NO experience with this!!) A swelling may feel hardish too. Hopefully by now your really familiar at how her jaw should feel, so you'll know quickly if there's a change.
(((Job Vibes))) (((Healing Vibes))) |
|
|
|
|
kralspace
West, Texas
Posts: 2659
|
| 01/17/2010 08:51 PM |
|
Hi Jamie,
Somehow I've missed this thread the last few days, how is the abscess doing? My Simba had a really bad one that covered his entire jaw at one point. He was a lionhead and I didn't even find it until it was huge and had started to smell (bad bunny momma). My vet believes in keeping them open and healing from the bottom, so she cut the hard cover away and exposed it. It had to the be grossest thing I every saw or smelled! The pus was really thick and icky and hard to clean out.
She showed me how to clean it every day and keep it open and we went back every week so she could check on it. It was surprising how hard you have to scrub at it to get not only the pus but any scabs off. Once or twice Dr. Erving had to use scissors to cut an area back open so it wouldn't heal over prematurely and and cause a pocket I couldn't get into. It was just this big open meat, blood and pus thing that covered his whole side jaw.
I used the syringe and warm water too, using sterile guaze pads to 'scrub' it down to the clean red flesh. I read where peroxide really thins down thick rabbit pus and makes it much easier to clean out and it really worked and seemed speed up the healing. then the oinment can get down into the infection and do it's job.
There was one pocket that was hard to clean out, it was deep, you could put your qtip almost an inch deep into it, it was close to where the back of the jaw bone meets the neck muscles. I used the syringe to pump peroxide in everyother day until it ran clean, then used the long tip of the ointment tube to push the oinment deep into the pocket.
It seemed like it took forever to heal, but really about 2 months to heal over and have healthy skin over it again. Every now and then she'd trim the skin back to keep it open and let it heal from the bottom up. He never showed any sign of pain with it, only the pain of dealing with us every day.
Good luck with yours and don't get discouraged, once you get the hang of it and aren't afraid to clean it thoroughly you'll see a lot of difference in the speed it heals.
The upside of Simba's being so bad was when it healed it created a thick layer of bunny tissue over the jaw, so when a tiny one would crop up every now and then, it was confined to that tissue and couldn't go deeper to affect his teeth.
kathy |
|
My Bunny Burrow is full! Pringles & Toby, Daisy & Lola, and my senior citizens Hershey & Simba.
The piggies are back, add Brownie and Sweetpea to the mix. |
|
|
JamieM
Erie, PA
Posts: 321
|
| 01/18/2010 06:15 AM |
|
Thanks so much for all the info. Layla's vet is suggesting a similar thing... I have been cleaning it with an antibacterial dental solution because it can end up in her mouth due to the location of the abcess and I think this stuff isn't as healing as an ointment would be. So we're on a double team of antibiotics, she gets the pills twice a day and that's the easiest part. She loves the baby food treat. But I force out as much of the puss as I can and then I re-open the wound (if it's closed) to make sure I got it all. It's a pretty small area now, so I take that with some optimism. The peroxide is a GREAT tip, thanks so much for it! I'll try it. Layla doesn't seem to be in pain... anymore. By the time she was able to get into her vet to have the abcess lanced originally, she'd lost a pound and had started to withdraw. My vet, of course, was on vacation and the other vet I saw didn't even know bunnies could get abcesses in their teeth. (See what I mean about not having options?) I'm a bit concerned because I noticed yesterday that Layla had some matted fur on her neck but on the opposite side as the wound. I didn't feel anything when I tried to make sure there wasn't another abcess... not there anyway, but there was a small lump on her neck area on the other side. It was very small to me and I couldn't make out if it was bone and she was positioned funny or what. It seemed oddly shapen to be an abcess but I'm going to call the vet today anyway. It concerns me that she's letting her fur get matted. I understand around the wound but she's usually meticulous about that stuff. She also doesn't seem to be drinking much water but she is eating and using the litter box as normal. I don't know... I've done all that I can, and I've been following the advice of a vet I trust.... I just don't want to rush into a surgery and put her through that if it isn't needed but I'm fully aware that it may be needed and will cross that bridge when it's suggested to me. Layla doesn't handle anesthesia well and has now had trouble coming out of it on both occassions that she was under. It's not so easy a suggestion to say "well just take the tooth out". I don't want to risk anesthesia again unless I have to. |
|
“The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree.”
~ Stephen Wright |
|
|
JamieM
Erie, PA
Posts: 321
|
| 01/18/2010 06:37 AM |
|
Just an update: We have a vet appointment at 6. I'll keep you all posted. Thanks for everybody's input! |
|
“The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree.”
~ Stephen Wright |
|
|
kralspace
West, Texas
Posts: 2659
|
| 01/18/2010 06:37 AM |
|
I hope it's not another abscess. We had one or two tiny ones pop up just after his monster one healed, but after taking care of them, he didn't have anymore. I was lucky it didn't involve his teeth.
He could be pretty icky once we finished a treatment and we had to clean him up a bit before letting Hershey groom him. The gross part was when we had him laid out on the table working on him and the pus and stuff would dribble. He'd go crazy trying to lick it up. He never got too much of any of it but it was disgusting....eau
Maybe the abscess is keeping Layla from being as flexible as she normally is to reach the matted fur. I had to clean and brush Simba more than usual because the lionmane on the other side would get medicines and stuff in it. Thank God the first thing Dr. Erving did was shave his entire mane off on the infected side. He looked like two different rabbits for a long time. |
|
My Bunny Burrow is full! Pringles & Toby, Daisy & Lola, and my senior citizens Hershey & Simba.
The piggies are back, add Brownie and Sweetpea to the mix. |
|
|
JamieM
Erie, PA
Posts: 321
|
| 01/18/2010 06:51 AM |
|
Yeah, they shaved the side of the face Layla's abcess was on... I've taken to calling her Harvey Dent recently I feel comforted to know that the stuff on the other side of her neck isn't necessarily a problem. I was hesitant to clean it because I wasn't sure, even though I didn't feel a lump there. At least I only have one rabbit, though. It'd be so hard to have two right now. And I was about to get a guinea pig when all of this came up but I'm glad I didn't do that either.
Her behavior is normal. She plays, she binkies, she eats and uses the litter box. She's not drinking water though. I have been keeping an eye on her water bowl and it hasn't gone down even a little in the past two days. And I keep giving her fresh water so that's not the issue either.
Hopefully we figure this out. I've been so worried about her. |
|
“The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree.”
~ Stephen Wright |
|
|
JamieM
Erie, PA
Posts: 321
|
| 01/18/2010 07:57 AM |
|
In somewhat unrelated news, I got a job today! Huzzah! |
|
“The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree.”
~ Stephen Wright |
|
|
kralspace
West, Texas
Posts: 2659
|
| 01/18/2010 08:01 AM |
|
VERY bunny related. A job lets us support our bunnies in the manner they wish to become accustomed to! Congrats! |
|
My Bunny Burrow is full! Pringles & Toby, Daisy & Lola, and my senior citizens Hershey & Simba.
The piggies are back, add Brownie and Sweetpea to the mix. |
|
|
Sarita
Forum Leader
Farmers Branch, Texas (Dallas)
Posts: 12089
|
| 01/18/2010 08:02 AM |
|
Yay, congratulations Jamie! |
|
|
|
|
JamieM
Erie, PA
Posts: 321
|
| 01/19/2010 06:35 AM |
|
Well, I'm glad I took her to the vet. I got mostly good news, which just makes me feel better, we caught a possible setback in enough time, hopefully.
The vet said that Layla is doing much better than she was when we started the cleaning of her abcess. The swelling has decreased, the amount of fluid is going down, and it's NOT spreading. What felt like a bump on her neck was just a place of matted fur. She's not cleaning herself as well as normal, or likely just can't keep up because the solution we're flushing her wound with is pretty thick and difficult even for me to get off of her fur. The vet is optimistic that this course of treatment will heal the abcess without an additional surgery, at least for this time. Of course, it's always possible that an abcess could return sometime down the line in the future but that would be the case with or without the surgery, in all honesty.
The bad news. Layla had lost half a pound in her most recent bout of not-eating. The vet said that loss of appetite is common with extended use of Baytril. SO... we are now off the Baytril. We are taking Albon, which should help but ultimately isn't as effective toward this sort of thing as the Baytril. The vet wanted me to take her off this antibiotic for the next week and substitute it with the Albon in the hopes that her appetite will return to normal. As long as the Albon is fighting the infection well, it shouldn't be a problem but I'm nervous because this is apparently not as effective an antibiotic. We'll try it, though, and definitely keep an eye on her. We've also started Bene-Bac.
Oh, and Kathy, I did ask the vet about peroxide and she said in small amounts it, it should help! She said that the peroxide can help to kill the infected cells that are causing the abcess but can also burn the surrounding skin, opening THOSE cells up to an infection. She said if I use it to "spot clean" her abcess, it'll be fine. Thanks for that tip! Very helpful.
Alright, there you have it. I'll keep you posted! |
|
“The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people on a tree.”
~ Stephen Wright |
|
|
kralspace
West, Texas
Posts: 2659
|
| 01/19/2010 06:46 AM |
|
Glad to hear Layla's update and that the abscess is beginning to heal.
My Hershey is nearly always on Baytril and probiotics for a chronic respiratory problem and it's hard to keep weight on her too. The steroid I'm putting on her ear right now is making her eat like a horse!
I'm glad to hear another opinion on the peroxide. My vet too said that if you're working with a normal wound and trying to get skin to grow back together, the peroxide could burn and deter that. She felt that since we were dealing with a big open place that it was worth the chance just to be able to get the pus out and keep it from spreading.
Chow down Layla and gain some weight! |
|
My Bunny Burrow is full! Pringles & Toby, Daisy & Lola, and my senior citizens Hershey & Simba.
The piggies are back, add Brownie and Sweetpea to the mix. |
|
|