Foot Abscess?

[WildHeartsSanctum]

I think I am dealing with a foot abscess in my pet doe. She is an indoor rabbit but I do take her outside quite frequently and she acts like a wild child out there. She really enjoys it out there; some days it's nearly impossible go bring her in and I get quite the work out myself.

Today when bringing her in, I was drying off her damp bum (she had a little party in a mud puddle I did not know about) and noticed what I think is an abscess on the side of her heel. It is a decent size and on her heel she has two scrapes.
I feel so awful for not noticing sooner. If this were my cat or dog I could handle it easily myself (lots of medical personal in my family and I've been dealing with animals so long, I'm a bit of a diy expert myself just from stuff vets have shown me over the years).
Unfortunately rabbits are so delicate and I'm still new to them for the most part. The rabbit savy vet is 2.5 hrs away and now it's the weekend (so Monday is the soonest I could get her in).
I can get a hold of my mother and have her bring me some supplies from the hospital if I were to do it myself and I guess hit up tractor supply for some meds (I used to have vet prescribed rabbit safe antibiotics on hand, but I'm all out).

I will try to get a picture tomorrow. She wouldn't tolerate me investigating it and so I will wait for people to wake up and recruit a helper in the morning. She seems to be doing fine overall. Not even limping, eating good, behaving normal.

So what would you guys do? Vet? Do It yourself? If I handle it myself, what do I need to get and do?

Thanks!

 

[Zass]

Pics?

 

[WildHeartsSanctum]

I'll be sure to get a pic up in the morning as it will be a two person job and I'm the only one awake right now. She can be a bit onerey when she doesn't want to do something -_-

 

[Dood]

It may just be a bald spot, feel both feet at the same time to see if it is in fact swollen

 

[WildHeartsSanctum]

Yeah, it's swollen. The picture really doesn't do it justice.
Should I shave the fur down around it to see better?

 

[Zass]

I can't see it well, but I wonder..
I discovered a poorly healed leg injury very close to the same location of a rabbit I purchased once.
It was a firm lump, but not an abscess..

I'm not saying this isn't one, but that you should be really sure it is before attempting to drain it.

 

[Susie570]

I'd say be sure it's an abscess and not a callous. You don't want to introduce an unnecessary wound into an area. :/

 

[WildHeartsSanctum]

I apologize for the wait, I've been sick as a dog.
So it is an abscess. Since I was feeling a bit better today, I decided to shave the area on her foot to get a better look.
I had just barely started when I realized I needed to go pick up one of the kids from school, so I just took my doe with me in the car (she likes car rides).
When we got home, I brought her inside and set her down and realized I had "white frosting" all over my arm.

My first thought was that she had gotten into something but realized otherwise when I looked at her foot. Yuck.

Anyway, some is squeezing out now but I think it may be painful as she doesn't want me messing with it (she did not care before it opened up). I have topical lidocaine that I can use but may not be as effective as injectable lidicaine. I can get injectable if necessary but it wouldn't be till tomorrow.

So what other things do I need to get to take care of this and should I take care of it asap or can it be taken care of tomorrow with better pain control?

 

[Dood]

You need to soak in slightly salty water to draw out the infection and she should be put on antibiotics - likely for over a month

Bone and tendon infections are VERY hard to eradicate and it will likey keep recurring :-(

 

[WildHeartsSanctum]

Epsom salt or will regular salt do?
As well, is pen g sufficient or should I head to the vet for some prescribed antibiotics?

I did end up cleaning (puss removal and rinsed the inside with a wound cleaner) it out but I imagine it might be a daily thing for the next several days. I have moved her into a large dog crate (easier to keep clean) and I imagine that she shouldn't be going outside until this is healed. The good thing is, it is on the side of her heel and not on the bottom of the foot. Pretty sure it stemmed from a scrape she received on her heel while outside one day.

 

[katiebear]

I use sea salt in the kitchen so that is what I use...no unnecessary chemicals. I think Epsom salt has some kind of a buffer so I would stick with table or sea salt. I would think pen-g is the right antibiotic as well. Make sure you use a pro-biotic as well so the stomach is ok.. I treat open wounds with antibiotic cream like Neosporin but wrap it up if possible I have a Flemish doe who got sore hocks and we had to drain them and use the cream, once they were a little better we switched to Blu-Kote..There is a thread with the bunnies with sore feet, I believe it was mama sheepdog who started the whole put them in socks thing.. :lol: But it works!! the bun cant remove the wrap and it looks so darn cute...
I don't know how to post the link but if you go to illness and injury and search sore hocks there is great info...bust of luck to you and your bunn..

 

[WildHeartsSanctum]

Alright, I did a soak today and cleaned it out again. There was only a little bit of new puss. She's doing very well. Just has a bit of an attitude because I've not been letting her outside to play.

I had to go get new pen g but I didn't go to the normal place. This is what I got and I just want to verify that it is pen g? Last time I got some (several months back), I went to a feed store and was under the guidance of an experienced bunny person.
Last time I was also dosing for a kit.
What dosage should be used for an 8 lb adult for the antibiotics and probiotics?
Sorry for the questions. I'm still rather new to medicating the buns myself (been reliant on a vet and bunny friend till now).

 

[katiebear]

I believe this is the correct antibiotic, but never having used it myself..I can't give you any advice.. My son and his wife used pen g on a cat but the dosage was on the label...Dood should know, I am sure he will show up here soon..

 

[Dood]

I've never used it either - most antibiotics are only available through a veterinarian in Ontario

When I worked as a vet tech we usually gave a shot and then sent the client home with oral baytril with recommended weekly follow ups - as I recall, none of the rabbits I saw with sore hocks or infections at the bone fully recovered and most were euthanized or were not heard from again, and likey died at their owners home :shrug:

A search of this site or Google should offer advice on dosage and how long to treat - I'd suggest looking up "rabbit sore hock treatment"

 

[WildHeartsSanctum]

Ok, so I just wanted to update on what I was doing.
It was actually a little difficult to figure it out due to conflicting info; so anyone feel free to correct anything you see wrong.

We are doing subq .5 ml of the antibiotic and 1 ml of the probiotic.
Giving the shot has been more difficult than I thought it would be for her (seemed easier doing the kit several months back). So if anyone has tips on what they do when giving shots, I'd love to hear them.