Ashes, a 10 month male dwarf rabbit was presented for lumps around his jaw. One large swelling on the right side of his face involving the cheek muscles had actually caused a deviation in the lower jaw and was affecting the wearing of the incisors. The other lump was between the jawbones at the top of the neck.
Both these lumps were found to be abcesses that were involving the bone. After surgical treatment (lance, drain & flush) of the abcesses with indwelling drains and meticulous nursing care, Ashes developed pneumonia and lost a lot of weight. Antibiotic treatment was to no avail and unfortunately this case ended with a euthanasia for humane reasons.
Dealing with abcesses in rabbits is one of the most frustrating and disappointing diseases in rabbit medicine. Invariably, they are caused by the same organism that causes "snuffles" in rabbits (see next case) and tend to have deep seated origins, for example, in flat bones. But they must always be checked out to differentiate them from tumours.
Little Star, a magicians performing white dwarf female rabbit, was presented today for a problem where the right side of her face was covered with a purulent discharge and her nose was stuffed up with a creamy-white material.
On examination she appeared to be bright and alert, her eyes, although tearing and discharging, did not appear to be inflamed. Only the right side of her face appeared to be covered with a discharge from her eye. And her nose was congested with a pus-like discharge. She had all the typical signs of "snuffles" a repiratory disease of rabbits caused by the Pasteurella bacterial organism.
We treated Little Star on an out patient basis with appropriate antibiotics and wished her owner well in her next performance which is supposed to be in 5 days!! She should be well by then but the infection is a stubborn one to cure completely. She may need antibiotics from time to time.
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