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An abscess is a cavity containing pus, surrounded by a
capsule of thickened inflamed tissue which is the usually result of a
bacterial infection. The pus is an accumulation of dead cells as the
result of the battle to fight the infection. In rabbits, abscesses can
be caused by many different aerobic bacteria (those that require oxygen
to survive) including Pasteurella multocida, Streptococcus,
Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus and a whole host of
anaerobic bacteria (those that do not require oxygen to survive).
Rabbits can form abscesses in nearly any organ of the
body as well as in skin, tooth roots and bone. The most common causes of
rabbit abscesses are bite wounds that become infected and infections in
tooth roots and tear ducts. Most facial abscesses are the result of
dental disease. Tear duct abscesses can be the result of an elongated
upper incisor tooth root blocking the tear duct. The accumulated fluid
is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and an abscess can form
easily. Abscesses that form internally can be more difficult to diagnose
or manage and include areas such as the uterus, lungs, heart, liver,
abdominal fat, intestine and kidneys.
Rabbit abscesses can be difficult to treat. One problem
is that the pus found in rabbit abscesses is very thick, about the
consistency of toothpaste, and does not drain easily when the abscess is
opened. This makes it difficult to thoroughly clean rabbit abscesses.
The reason for the thick consistency is that there is an enzyme missing
that is present in other animals, such as dogs, cats and humans, that
can break the dead cells into a more liquid form. In addition rabbit
abscesses often develop finger-like projections or tracts into the
surrounding tissue, which are places where new abscesses can form. If
these tracts are not removed or cleaned out, the abscess will return.
There are many thoughts on how to treat rabbit abscesses
and much depends on the location of the infection, the cause of the
infection and the general condition of the pet. It should be
stressed, however, that no matter what treatment is chosen, it is vital
to provide your pet with a healthy diet, daily exercise and a clean
environment to enable the immune system to function at its full
capacity. It will often be necessary to perform diagnostic tests to
investigate the cause of the abscess and to determine if other disease
is present. These tests might include bacterial culture of the wall of
the abscess, x-rays to determine the location and extent of the disease
and blood tests to determine the response of the immune system and the
condition of other organs.
No matter what treatment is selected, rabbit abscesses
have a higher probability of returning than abscesses in cats, dogs or
humans. This can be due to a number of factors such as difficulty in
removing all the abscessed tissue due to location, the inability of
antibiotics to penetrate the capsule of the abscess, the presence of
draining tracts coming off the abscess, and the possibility that the
underlying cause of the abscess was not treated. Most experienced
rabbit veterinarians feel complete surgical removal of the abscess along
with treatment of the underlying cause gives the rabbit the best chance
for a complete cure. Ideally, all abscesses should be cultured for
both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria to determine the best choice for
antibiotic therapy after surgical removal.
It is not always possible to surgically remove an abscess
due to its location, other disease in the pet (making anesthesia or a
lengthy surgery dangerous) or restraints on the finances of the
caretaker. In these cases the abscess can be opened, cleaned out
thoroughly and flushed with an antiseptic solution. This procedure is
usually performed under anesthesia, unless the abscess is very small.
The wall of the abscess should be cultured for bacteria and an
appropriate antibiotic can be selected for oral or indictable use. These
wounds must be left open to be flushed at least twice a day for several
weeks. If the abscess closes too quickly, it will merely fill with pus
again. Abscesses treated in this manner have a high rate of
reoccurrence, but it may be possible to provide at least some measure of
relief for your pet for a period of time. Please note that using oral or
injectable antibiotics as the sole treatment is usually unsuccessful
because these drugs cannot adequately penetrate the thick capsule of the
abscess to kill the bacteria inside.
Other methods that have been used to deal with rabbit
abscesses include injecting the wall of the abscess with antibiotics or
other solutions at periodic intervals or packing caustic material or
antibiotic beads into the cleaned abscess cavity to kill bacteria.
Most rabbit abscess cases will require oral or injectable
antibiotics sometimes for weeks or even months
Your veterinarian should investigate any unusual lumps or
masses as soon as possible. The sooner an abscess can be treated, the
greater are the chances of a cure. In addition, some lumps are not
abscesses at all but rather tumors or cysts and may need immediate
removal.
To sum it up, here are the important points about
abscesses in rabbit:
- Feed your rabbit a
healthy diet, provide amply exercise and a clean and safe
environment to minimize the formation of abscesses
- Have all lumps
investigated as soon as possible by your veterinarian
- It is important to
determine the cause of an abscess, not to just treat the abscess
itself
- If the cause of an
abscess cannot be treated, then there is a high probability that the
abscess will return
- Complete surgical
removal of the abscess along with correction of the cause gives the
best chance for a complete cure
- Whatever the
treatment choice it is imperative to follow through with requested
recheck appointments and diagnostic testing to improve the chances
for abscess resolution
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