width: 100%; Case DescriptionA 1-year-old sexually intact female Netherland dwarf rabbit was examined because of a 3-week history of signs of lethargy, decreased appetite, left unilateral exophthalmia, a previous draining sinus from a left maxillary facial abscess, and bilateral nasal discharge. Clinical aspects of lagomorph dental anatomy: the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Oxford, UK: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2002;292306. Retrobulbar abscesses in rabbits - Treatment avoiding enucleation. Fifteen minutes before anesthetic induction via a face mask, the rabbit was premedicated with midazolam (0.5 mg/ kg [0.23 mg/lb], IM), hydromorphone (0.1 mg/kg [0.05 mg/lb], IM), and glycopyrrolate (0.01 mg [0.005 mg/lb], IM). This procedure is usually performed under anesthesia, unless the abscess is very small. Abstract Case DescriptionA 1-year-old sexually intact female Netherland dwarf rabbit was examined because of a 3-week history of signs of lethargy, decreased appetite, left unilateral exophthalmia, a previous draining sinus from a left maxillary facial abscess, and bilateral nasal discharge. For Librarians:Integration of your institutional LibKey profile with CAB Direct is very quick and easy! Moderate to expensive, if computed tomography, Due to manipulation with the eye, oculo-vagal reflex (bradycardia) was seen by the author in two cases. J Vet Dent 1991;8:1117. How to manage the geriatric rabbit, in Proceedings. Bookshelf In rabbits, retrobulbar abscesses are commonly the cause of exophthalmos (Figure 20-1). 24 Survival . A blood sample (2.5 mL) was collected from the central auricular artery. It depends on the underlying cause. Location depends upon the affected dental structures, and in rabbits most commonly involves mandibular CT1-3. However, this does not mean that if you see a lump on your rabbits body that you should ignore it. HHS Vulnerability Disclosure, Help Betty is recovering well, I think it was harder on me than her. The success of this conservative approach to management of a retrobulbar abscess resulted partly from frequent monitoring, serial stomatoscopy, and good client compliance. The elongated root of the 5th maxillary cheek tooth has penetrated the bone and continued to grow into the abscess cavity in the orbit (arrowed). That was last Thursday. Peridontal bacteria in rabbit mandibular and maxillary abscesses. In addition, some lumps are not abscesses at all but rather tumors or cysts and may need immediate removal. Kelleher SA. After induction, the rabbit was intubated by use of a fiberoptic laryngoscopeg and a 2-mm uncuffed nasotracheal tube.h A 24-gauge IV catheter was placed in the cephalic vein, and 22.2 mL of half-strength lactated Ringer's solution (NaCl concentration, 0.45%) containing 2.5% dextrose was administered at 10 mL/h during the anesthetic period. http://www.VeterinaryPartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=503. Your current browser may not support copying via this button. A pair of . Medial is on the right side of the image, and lateral is to the left. This is part of Dr. Browns Small Mammal Health Series. Use of collagen shields for treatment of chronic bilateral corneal ulcers in a pet rabbit. Vet also tried to locate a fistula from the abscess to a tooth root but was unsuccessful. Endoscopic examination was performed with a 5-mm, 0 otoendoscope and a 2.7-mm, 30 Hopkins telescope attached to a xenon light source via a fiber-optic cable and a camera providing video feed to a monitor.4,m Digital video and still images were captured with a documentation system. Corneal diseases of rabbits. Malocclusions in guinea pigs, chinchillas and rabbits. Abnormal ocular or oculonasal discharge can also develop as a consequence of the eye irritation and the rabbit may show signs of discomfort such as excessive blinking and grinding teeth. @article{Ward2006DiagnosisAM, title={Diagnosis and management of a retrobulbar abscess of periapical origin in a domestic rabbit. The food passes from the mouth to the socket of the root developing infection that eventually becomes an abscess. Medical Information Search. The corneal ulcer and nasal discharge had completely resolved 3 weeks after surgery. Usually an abscess is the result of a bacterial infection. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract 2002;5:341356. Aneta Gralak. Before Physical examination revealed generalized muscle atrophy, bilateral mucopurulent nasal discharge, and severe left-sided exophthalmia. Philadelphia: WB Saunders Co, 2004;392394. J Am Vet Med Assoc. Practice repositioning of proptosed globe and drainage of retrobulbar abscess via pterygopalatine fossa . padding: 0; A case report and review of the literature. The authors thank Dr. Susan Sanchez for assistance. He has a retrobulbar abscess which we will be removing soon but I've noticed that recently there began to appear egg-shaped droppings. The important points about abscesses in rabbits are: Date Published: 3/6/2001 Diagnostic investigation revealed anemia, neutrophilia, severe dental disease, a superficial corneal ulcer of the left eye, and a retrobulbar abscess. Retrobulbar abscesses in rabbits often results in enucleation of the affected eye as surgical drainage is traumatic and difficult (Gelatt, Gilgerm, & Kern, 2013). Background: Ophthalmic disease is a common reason for rabbits to be presented to the general veterinary practitioner. Abnormal ocular or oculonasal discharge can also develop as a consequence of the eye irritation and the rabbit may show signs of discomfort such as excessive blinking and grinding . One week after surgery, results of bacterial culture of the abscess fluid revealed light growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and very light growth of Enterococcus spp. It is possible some teeth may need to be pulled. Rabbit Abscesses. Article. Ultrasonography (scan) of the eye can be performed when the animal is conscious or under light sedation depending on the nature of the animal. Retrobulbar abscessation is the most common orbital disease of rabbits, and the lesions are notoriously difficult to treat successfully. Verstraete FJM. Their breathing and heart will stop within a minute or so, and they will gently slip away. MeSH With almost 15 million records to move to their new home, we expect this to take a couple of months to complete. Abscesses that are located around the face are often due to dental disease, which can also manifest as ocular problems, since the upper tooth roots can overgrow and impinge upon the eye socket and the nasolacrimal tear duct. It's too bad this had to be the solution, but it sounds like you and the vet handled it very well. No matter what treatment is selected, rabbit abscesses have a higher probability of returning than abscesses in cats, dogs or humans. It was much harder on me than it was her. J Small Anim Pract. 2nd ed. When this infection becomes localized in . 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 full capacity. cView of cavity debridement being performed with an angled curette. Even with intense medical management and surgical debridement, the prognosis is generally guarded for rabbits with retrobulbar abscesses because of abscess reccurrence secondary to incomplete removal of the abscess wall.36 In the rabbit of the present report, no signs of retrobulbar disease were detected 1 year after treatment. The most common causes of rabbit abscesses are infections in tooth roots, tear ducts and bite wounds. Careers. Applying pressure to the globe at the same time as examining the oral cavity is helpful in the investigation of . Dorsoventral (a) and right dorsalleft ventral oblique (b) radiographic views of the head of a rabbit examined because of unilateral exophthalmia and a history of a draining sinus in the left maxillary area of the face. Gardhouse S, Sanchez-Migallon Guzman D, Paul-Murphy J, Martnez-Jimnez D, Hernndez-Divers S J, Dietrich U M. It was thickly encapsulated, so the antibiotics likely wouldn't have been able to penetrate it. Swabs from the abscess were collected instead of a biopsy specimen because swab specimens have also been found to be valuable diagnostically.34 In an earlier study34 of dental abscesses in pet rabbits, the etiologic agents often included a mixture of anaerobic gram-negative rods (especially Fusobacterium nucleatum); anaerobic gram-positive, nonspore-forming rods (predominantly Actinomyces spp); and aerobic gram-positive cocci (particularly the Streptococcus milleri group).34 Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterococcus spp were not isolated from mandibular and maxillary abscesses in that study, but other etiologic agents have been isolated from orbital abscesses in rabbits that were not reported.28 In humans, P aeruginosa and Enterococcus spp have been implicated in orbital abscesses.35 Given the favorable response to surgical and medical treatment, it was concluded that these organisms were the true etiologic agents and that the approach was successful in obtaining a representative sample. 2nd ed. Available at: www.vin.com/VINDBPub/SearchPB/Proceedings/PR05000/PR00293.htm. She is recovering well. } Receive latest Vetlexicon news and updates by signing up to our mailing list. Ophthalmic examination confirmed exophthalmia and a dorsally deviated left globe that could not be retropulsed. We aim to improve the lives of domestic rabbits through education, awareness, and rescue. Philadelphia: WB Saunders Co, 1997;339345. Philadelphia: WB Saunders Co, 1986;711725. English. Accessed Dec 3, 2006. This is to ensure that we give you the best experience possible. Recommended surgical treatment of such abscesses involves complete excision of the lesion, aggressive debridement of affected bone [3] , and removal of associated teeth or tooth fragments [1] . The most common signs of a retrobulbar abscess are bulging of the eye, protrusion of the third eyelid across the eye and inability to close the eyelids completely. Pasteurella multocida, which is believed to be a frequent cause of abscesses in rabbits, was not isolated from the rabbit of this report.9,36. The pus is an accumulation of dead cells from the battle to fight the infection. Ocular ultrasonography performed 4 weeks after the initial surgery revealed no flocculent material or other evidence of an abscess (Figure 2). The anemia was not investigated further, and results of postoperative hematologic testing were within reference range. These wounds must be left open to be flushed at least twice a day for several weeks. Orbital abscess as a complication of odontogenic infection. She stayed at the vet at for pain we gave her rimadyl and baytril. The rabbit was discharged from the hospital with instructions to the owners to administer a triple antimicrobial ophthalmic ointment (containing bacitracin, neomycin, and polymixin B sulfate and administered topically, every 8 hours, for 10 days), penicillin G (60,000 U/kg [27,300 U/lb], SC, q 48 h, for 21 days),5,6 and meloxicam (0.5 mg/kg, PO, q 12 h, for 10 days). A retrobulbar problem is caused by something behind the eye pushing it outwards. Dental disease is often a predisposing factor since the roots of the upper cheek teeth can impinge upon the eyeball, and in extreme cases penetrate through it. Retrobulbar and facial abscesses of periapical origin in rabbits often carry a poor prognosis [1,2] . }, author={Michelle Ward}, journal={The veterinary clinics of North America. Retrobulbar abscesses are often the result of a dental disease-associated abscessation in the maxillary premolars or molars.