Retrobulbar abscesses are often the result of a dental disease-associated abscessation in the maxillary premolars or molars. Hoefer HL. In this case, the tooth needs to be removed as well as long-term medical treatment with antibiotics started. This can prove long and expensive, and treatment may need to be aimed at palliative care, to keep the rabbit comfortable for as long as possible. Capello V. Endoscopic assessment and treatment of cheek teeth malocclusion in pet rabbits. Fluorescein stainingf revealed a superficial corneal ulcer in the left eye. Exot DVM 2004;6:3740. I agree that a lot of the pics online for retrobulbular abscess are ridiculous and I can't imagine how the bunnies got that way. Rabbits are also prone to retrobulbar abscesses often associated with Pasteurella multocida; abscesses often form as an extension from dental disease (Jakl, 2012). 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. The PubMed wordmark and PubMed logo are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Download Free PDF . Administration of ciprofloxacin and penicillin G was discontinued at that time. Retrobulbar abscess is commonly associated with acquired dental disease - higher incidence in rabbits older than 2 years. After seeing her regular vet, he suspected an abscess but wanted the eye to be ultrasounded, so we went to see an ophth specialist. For Librarians:Integration of your institutional LibKey profile with CAB Direct is very quick and easy! opacity: 1; O'Relly A, McCowan C, Hardman C, et al. This is exophthalmos caused by a retrobulbar space occupying mass. I work at a vet clinic so I brought her in and she was in shock and we had to bolus 250 ml of normasol and put her on oxygen. Frequent questions. We are glad to hear that she is doing alright. Either-Employer-9216 30 min. Oof, poor girl. The rabbit was hospitalized for supportive care overnight and was scheduled for elective surgery for tooth removal and abscess debridement the following day. There are several different ways of treating abscesses in rabbits based on location, cause, size, overall health of the bunny and so on. During those examinations, improvements in demeanor and appetite were observed, along with a 14% weight gain to 1.14 kg (2.5 lb) at the time of the first reevaluation. Hillyer EV. Harcourt-Brown FM. Causes of exophthalmia include orbital or retroorbital abscess, cellulitis, neoplasia, hematoma, orbital cyst (including Taenia serialis cyst), retrobulbar fat prolapse, salivary mucocele, myositis, lacrimal gland disease, foreign body, granuloma, and trauma.7-10 Exophthalmia must be distinguished from buphthalmia secondary to congenital glaucoma or other diseases such as uveitis, trauma, tumors, or Encephalitozoon cuniculi infection.11,12 Retrobulbar disease is the most common cause of exophthalmia in rabbits.7,12 Retrobulbar abscesses may be the result of endodontic infection, penetrating foreign bodies, local injury, or spread of infection from the bloodstream.13, Understanding rabbit dental anatomy and physiology is essential to diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of conditions involving the oral cavity. A small angled elevator was used to break down the soft tissue attachments securing the molar. Philadelphia: WB Saunders Co, 2004;421428. Bethesda, MD 20894, Web Policies Used with permission. Tijdschr Diergeneeskd. Exotic DVM 1 (3), 83-88. Taylor M. Endoscopy as an aid to the examination and treatment of oropharyngeal disease of small herbivorous mammals. In many cases, enucleation is required to access the diseased tissues. margin: 0; Synonyms for retroarticular abscess in Free Thesaurus. The rabbit was anesthetized to facilitate radiographic imaging, ophthalmic ultrasonography, and detailed oral cavity examination. dCloseup view of the cavity remaining after extraction of the molar and debridement and flushing; notice the root of the adjacent left maxillary first molar (arrow). These findings were consistent with severe dental disease3 (Figure 1). Aneta Gralak. Have a vet take some radiographs of the teeth to see if the roots look OK. Vet Rec 1995;137:341346. Holy was put on antibiotics. Also, abscesses can be internal or develop under the skin. 2019, BSAVA Congress Proceedings 2019. This site needs JavaScript to work properly. Pain - on opening the mouth, commonly associated with an abscess; Discharge - watery to mucky due to inflammation; Third eyelid elevated - caused by pressure from behind the eye; Causes. Retrobulbar abscessation is the most common orbital disease of rabbits, and the lesions are notoriously difficult to treat successfully. Would you like email updates of new search results? 2nd ed. ago. J Small Anim Pract. The anemia was not investigated further, and results of postoperative hematologic testing were within reference range. 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. The link was not copied. The kindest thing in this case was euthanasia. Results of blood testing were within reference ranges. The reason for the thick consistency is that there is an enzyme missing that is in other mammals, such as dogs, cats and humans that can break the dead cells into a more liquid form. Clinical aspects of lagomorph dental anatomy: the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Worsening splay leg of the thoracic limbs resulted in decreased mobility. Background: Ophthalmic disease is a common reason for rabbits to be presented to the general veterinary practitioner. Retrobulbar abscess may be distinguished from other causes of exophthalmos on the basis of its acute onset, pain, and often pyrexia. Retrobulbar and facial abscesses of periapical origin in rabbits often carry a poor prognosis [1,2]. Unfortunately, retrobulbar abscesses are very difficult to treat due to the thick exudate that is difficult to drain and due to the location just behind the eye. Clinical findings: The rabbit weighed 1.0 kg (2.2 lb) and had a body condition score of 1.5/5. Sevoflurane (7%) in oxygen was delivered by means of a face mask in a Norman elbow nonrebreathing systemb to induce anesthesia, and 2% to 3% isoflurane was administered for anesthetic maintenance. If the abscess was only lanced and drained, then antibiotic therapy might continue for weeks to months. The absence of angle in the straight telescope and rabbit oral cavity conformation enabled us to gain access to the bottom of the abscess cavity. sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal Taking the abscess out, when very encapsulated, is often the best choice, especially if the area already has to be opened up to remove the eye. If the abscess is not causing pain, the rabbit may act as if nothing is wrong. Clinical findings: Continuously growing dentition predisposes rabbits to development and persistence of dental problems.13-15 Dental disease in pet rabbits can be staged.3,16,17 The precise etiology of dental disease in pet rabbits is still unknown and is likely to be multifactorial and include genetic, dietary, metabolic, traumatic, and infectious components.17,18 Dental disease can be caused by primary (inherited) or secondary (acquired) malocclusion. 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. It will often be necessary to perform diagnostic tests to investigate the cause of the abscess and to determine if other disease is present. Antimicrobial-impregnated beads were not used in the rabbit of this report because of the open tract leading to the oral cavity. Br Small Anim Vet Assoc Sci Annu Meet 2003;511512. Abscesses in rabbits. This can lead to problems when the abscess is located within the region of the eye, since the location is hard to successfully operate on, and the case is frequently difficult to cure. It is the bodys natural defences to try and wall off infection to stop it spreading elsewhere within the body. width: 100%; . Two months after the initial surgery, only minimal exophthalmia was evident and no further physical, radiographic, or ultrasonographic changes were noticed. Above all, antibiotic-containing implants, which are introduced into the abscess cavity, show a high success rate. Please note that using antibiotics as the sole treatment without at least opening and cleaning the abscess is usually unsuccessful because these drugs cannot adequately penetrate the thick capsule of the abscess and kill the bacteria inside. Clipboard, Search History, and several other advanced features are temporarily unavailable. padding: 0; The symptoms that are present with a retrobulbar abscess in dogs will prompt a thorough eye exam to be completed. Crossley DA. MRI: abscess dorsal from molar root tooth, Anaerobic bacteria are commonly isolated -, Yes please, I would like to read about future offers and latest news via email. Your current browser may not support copying via this button. . Our differential diagnoses for exophthalmia in a rabbit included retrobulbar mass (cheek teeth root abscess, lymphoma), glaucoma (primary or secondary) and thymoma. Rabbit incisors may wear differently depending on diet, and a pelleted diet may predispose the rabbit to dental disease. 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] . Hematologic analysis revealed normochromic macrocytic anemia with moderate anisocytosis and severe polychromasia: Hct was 25% (reference range, 30% to 50%), RBC count was 3.33 106 RBCs/L (reference range, 4 to 8 106 RBCs/L), hemoglobin concentration was 8.1 g/dL (reference range, 8.0 to 17.5 g/dL), mean corpuscular volume was 75 fL (reference range, 58.0 to 66.5 fL), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration was 32.4 g/dL (reference range, 29 to 37 g/dL).1,2 The WBC count was slightly high at 12.7 103 leukocytes/L (reference range, 5 to 12 103 leukocytes/L), and apart from mild neutrophilia (61%; reference range, 33% to 55%), the leukocyte differential was within reference range.1,2 Results of plasma biochemical analyses were within reference ranges, and there was no serum antiP multocida antibody titer. In rabbits, retrobulbar abscesses are commonly the cause of exophthalmos (Figure 20-1). Epub 2019 Oct 9. 2007; 230(6):868-72 . Orbit and globe. Diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of dental disease in pet rabbits, Pharmocokinetics of penicillin-G in serum and nasal washing of, Selected drug dosages and clinical reference data, Malocclusions in guinea pigs, chinchillas and rabbits, . government site. An 18-gauge catheter was directed into the cavity, which was copiously flushed with 200 mL of warm sterile saline (0.9% NaCl) solution.