RABBIT ABCESS! HELP!

[P0U1TRYP3RS0N]

I bought a english lop doe at a small stock show on saturday. I noticed saturday afternoon she had an abcess (my fault for not checking her before I bought her ). I talked to the person I bought her from Sunday and she offered to take bunny back and give me my money back....But I just couldn't give her back- english lops are so hard to find. She said just use an injectable- L.A 200.
Someone experienced in rabbits lanced it for me yesterday, and it doesn't feel "hot" anymore. They also applied iodine to the site.
I don't have any iodine, but my dad went to the feedstore and brought home some povidone iodine wash- it says for use it precleansing and post cleansing a bacterial/fungal infection area in animals. Will that work? Should I dilute it? The person who lanced the abcess said to take pure iodine and water it down 'till it looked like iced tea. What about this stuff? Should I just dab some of it on her abcess each day? She's in a cage in my room separate from my other bunnies- just in case it might be contagious. Are abcesses usually contagious to people other animals and bunnies?
Should I lance the abcess again? What are the chances that the abcess will reoccur? The abcess is on her leg- her lower thigh.
Please, if one of your bunnies has had an abcess, how did you treat it, did it recover or reoccur, and any advice, tips or suggestions please! Thanks!
P.S- Today she is favoring that leg and it is turned in.

 

[chickbea]

Eee - that's too bad.
My bunny has had multiple abscesses in her life, but I have always taken her right to the vet as they have all taken place in the eye area and I'm afraid she'll lose her sight if I mess around with treating it myself.
However, I know a lot of folks treat body abscesses on their own. There is a good site - www.medirabbit.com that should give you the treatment info you need. Click on skin diseases, then bacterial diseases.
Warning - there are clinical pictures on there that are a bit icky.

 

[ole-crone]

I've mostly dealt with cats and abscesses.

There is a wonderful thing out there called Grapefruit Seed Extract - GSE. I bought mine online but you could probably find it at most any healthfood-type store.

Most bottles will come with directions how to use it. Some hospitals use it to kill germs. It can be used as a mouthwash, cleaner - you name it. I use it on me and the family - and on our animals.

It works great on abscesses. Before I started using it, I'd flush out the abscess with watered down hydrogen peroxide and it would come back off and on. Since I've started using it, it only takes one flushing - or even washing the area really good and the abscess doesn't come back, the wound heals. It is safe to ingest so I figure the animal is getting the benefit from the product both ways, from the outside and in.

Do a search on the product, get to know it and see if it might be something you'd like to add to your first aid kit. I'm glad we did.

 

[Chirpy]

Just to give you hope for a full recovery...

Our bunny had a huge abscess on his face (it literally happened over a two day time period), we took him to the vet since it was so large and by his eye. The vet said it was the worst he'd seen on a rabbit. He lanced it and we kept it clean with a solution he gave us and it totally healed. Our bunny had no further problems and was completely fine after it healed.

Good luck.

I don't believe it would be contagious but it is always prudent to keep things clean, especially your hands after touching the rabbit.

 

[texasgirl]

Abscesses come from an injury, like a bite wound or a thorn. They aren't contagious

Keep it clean with peroxide and iodine, if it doesn't heal up pretty quick, get it to the vet

 

[birdlover]

I'm new to bunnies and rescued my Dutch last fall. Little did I know what bad shape he was in. He had numerous scabs on his hind area and, not long after they ruptured. Knowing zilch about rabbits, I took him to the vet. I was given an antibiotic cream and two oral antibiotics to give him. It took a long time but they finally healed and he's fine now. Cost an arm and a leg though!!!

 

[dogbitesandbeestings]

hi...how's the bunny doing?

One year ago I won a Lion Head rabbit in a raffle...when I removed him from his cage I discovered that he was covered in abscesses....and no one would own up to having donated him..

Having dealt with cat abcesses I brought him home and started working on him. Rabbit abscesses are much different. You can not flush them the way you can a cat's....the puss is very thick and sticky and the abscess fingers out. I ended up taking the rabbit to the vet. He needed surgery as there were so many of them. One year later, Murray has the run of my coop with the chickens and has a wonderful happy life.

So....I would get him to a vet ASAP.


Karen

 

[chickbea]

How is bunny doing?

 

[P0U1TRYP3RS0N]

Bunny's doing okay.... I took her to the vet last friday. He found lots of "tracts" and pockets leading off from the abcess and shaved the area and tried to cut off the affected tissue. She's getting 1/4 tablet of Baytril twice a day. In the morning (except for this morning- I forgot to give it to her. Oops.

) I mix it up in about three teaspoons of warm water, then give it to her in a syringe. She takes it real well, I just stick it in her mouth and she drinks it. In the evening, I just set the baytril on top of her dinner, and she eats it. The vet bandaged the whole area so she has a little yellow bandage wrapped around her leg. I'm not sure if I should cut the bandage off and let the area be exposed to germs in the enviroment, or keep the dressing on. I'm scared to take it off for fear it might not be getting better. But I've felt the area and I don't feel any swelling like it's trying to reoccur (knock on wood).

 

[chickbea]

If she is eating and drinking and taking her Baytril, she ought to be on the way to recovery. Yay!