Forty-Two

Forty two is the number of penicillin shots Garnet has received since May16th in an aggressive and non traditional treatment method to combat a facial abscess. She is on the road to recovery but has another month of regular interval shots to complete and so I hesitate to say she is cured but I am cautiously optimistic.  Today there is no sign of her abscess and her eyes have healed. Garnet's medical issue began with a weepy eye in October of 2009.  By February 2010 I was no longer able to manage the symptoms with over the counter veterinary optic ointment and I took her to the vet for a prescription eye drop. The drops masked the symptoms but did not cure the problem which turned out to be an infection that finally presented itself as a facial abscess in May of this year. I didn't discover the abscess until it burst as angoras have so much facial wool that it was well hidden.  Fearing a huge veterinary bill, which I knew would not be an option, I read up on treatment of rabbit abscesses on the internet and found an article which I thought made sense and required little invasive treatment.  I printed off a copy and showed it to my vet. She agreed to help me follow the protocol. I bought my supplies at TSC and I administered the shots.  The road to recovery was paved with setbacks and pain. Despite the penicillin treatment the abscess grew back to the size of a hickory nut.  It burst again and had to heal again.  The second time around it closed in three days. It was gone in five. The rest is history. I had a lot of questions as I treated Garnet that were not answered in the protocol I found (although it was a very well written and helpful article).  I made notes and recorded my experiences and observations throughout the treatment period. If you are so inclined you can read them and see photos here.  Be forewarned that these are not pretty pictures so view at your own discretion and note that I am not a veterinarian so this information should be considered non scientific. Garnet was the model patient and today is a happy bun. Some rabbits probably wouldn't tolerate all the handling and pain.  Some owners probably wouldn't bother. It was a lot of work. I understand both views.