Bun Bun's Testical Problem

[SablePoint]

Mr. Bun Bun, my male, 9 year old, Holland Lop mix, has had a weird issue with his testicles(already mentioned in the past). 1 of his has shriveled up and the other his big. But today while grooming him, I saw it and it looks even larger. It nearly touches the ground and is very big. I didn't feel any lumps or anything though.

After taking him to the vet earlier this year, the vet said it could be testicular cancer, but after discussing the problem here, it didn't seem like cancer cause he had this issue for over a year. He would be dead by now. It's kinda risky getting him fixed at such an old age too.

But he must be fix. I fear that because it's so large it could injured easily and then he will be forced to get surgery - but if he's too old, he might have to be euthanized! What if it gets larger? Would he have to be euthanized? Could the ball pop? Could Mr. Bun Bun be in pain right now?

I found a rabbit vet that does neutering for only $50. My local breeder gave me this info. Thankfully I'm finially having a strong possibility a job soon(next week my interviews for 2 jobs. 1 of them pays $11 an hour!).

Mr. Bun Bun has arthritis, so could that be a damper on his surgery? When I go to the vet, he gets a "well check" to see if he's able to tolerate surgery or not.
If I can't get him fixed - what can I do? Do I have no choice but to wait till it gets so big he dies/gets euthanized? I know his life is hanging on by a thread now that he's so old.

I would appreciate any advice!

Regards,

SablePoint

 

[hillrise]

Plenty of animals get fixed as seniors, especially breeding dogs that get petted out. The only thing that would prevent it from happening would be his ability to withstand the surgery.

I've seen plenty of rabbits get one testicle sucked up while the other is hung down. The largeness could simply be because it's so much hotter right now, so the scrotum wants to drop it as far from his body as possible, although it would usually do both.

Testicular cancer sounds like a good possibility, which can be quite painful, and would kill him if it metastasizes. I would get him neutered as soon as you can afford it, and ask them to do a biopsy to check for cancer.

 

[Maureen Las]

A rabbit who is 9 years can be neutered safelybut you really need to get a vet who is really experienced in rabbit surgery and the correct anesthesia .

Being in the "right hands" will make all the difference in the world for your rabbit both in correctly diagnosing the problem and doing the surgery
UnfortunatelyI cannot find much info on testicular cancer and personally have never seen it. :?

 

[tamsin]

I would be worried about the possibility of cancer too. That he's had it a while doesn't rule it out. Some cancers are benign but will just grow and grow. As you mentioned this can cause issues with injuries or sores, so that's something to keep an eye on. It's very unlikely to 'pop', although the can look a bit balloon ish as the skin stretches it's solid tissue inside.

If there is something more going on it maybe more complicated than a normal neuter as tumours can have big blood supplies. They vet may also do other checks to make sure if it is cancer that it hasn't spread anywhere else before putting him through an op.

See what the vet says when they examine him. If surgery turns out not be an option then it will be a case of keeping him comfortable. A painkiller like metacam would probably be prescribed and that might help with his arthritis too anyway

 

[Kipcha]

If you take a look at one of my threads in the past (http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=63032&forum_id=8) you can take a look and see if it looks similar to that. With Peace, we got him nuetered and it turned out a large amount of flesh had deposited into the sac and the other tesicle was so high it was almost at the bottom of his rib cage, they had to perform pretty much the same as a spay for him to fish it out.

I would not recommend going to a vet because they are the cheapest... Generally, they are not overly experienced or capable of dealing with more delicate surgeries. My advice, if you're going to get it done, do it right.

I agree, 9 should not be too old in capable hands.

Good luck with this.

 

[Maureen Las]

This is a list of vets from the forum but it may not be current ..

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11636&forum_id=9

here is a good HRS article on how to find a rabbit saavy vet

http://rabbit.org/faq/sections/vet.html

 

[SablePoint]

Thanks guys! Kipcha, that looks just like what Mr. Bun Bun has but no where near as worse! 0_o