My Bun has Kidney Cancer

[Cricketke]

I am devastated to watch my sweet baby waste away. She barely eats some days. Whatever she will eat, we give to her. We have given all three of our buns Cap'n Crunch cereal for treats. They have always loved it. She won't eat those any more. Picky with greens and hay. She drinks tons of water. We have 2 bins of timothy hay, and field hay, pellets and usually get some kind of fresh food daily. I got critical care for her, she hates it. She does like baby food that the vet suggested. She has dropped from 16 pounds to 4.5 pounds. She is a silver fox so she is supposed to be a larger breed. All 3 buns are in a pen together. I won't separate them. They are all so bonded. They know she is sick. I just don't know what else I can do for her.

 

[Cricketke]

I am devastated to watch myView attachment 60837View attachment 60838View attachment 60839View attachment 60840View attachment 60841 sweet baby waste away. She barely eats some days. Whatever she will eat, we give to her. We have given all three of our buns Cap'n Crunch cereal for treats. They have always loved it. She won't eat those any more. Picky with greens and hay. She drinks tons of water. We have 2 bins of timothy hay, and field hay, pellets and usually get some kind of fresh food daily. I got critical care for her, she hates it. She does like baby food that the vet suggested. She has dropped from 16 pounds to 4.5 pounds. She is a silver fox so she is supposed to be a larger breed. All 3 buns are in a pen together. I won't separate them. They are all so bonded. They know she is sick. I just don't know what else I can do for her.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Sounds like a quality of life issue, hate to say it, but it is probably time for the last vet visit. We've rescued more than 50 over the last 2+ decades and had to make the decision more times than I like to think about but couldn't stand to see them suffer. My absolute favorite, a Checkered Giant went from 20 pounds to under ten, and I tried everything I could to keep her with us but the cancer was winning and she would not eat any of her favorites either--I got 4 extra months but could tell it wasn't good for her. Our hearts go out to you and your sweety.

 

[JBun]

Has your vet put her on any meds or suggested any treatment options? Or is it past that point now?

 

[Cricketke]

The vet offered Chemo, we declined. She wants lots of attention, so that is what she gets, from us and her cage mates. She is 6 1/2 years old and has lived a good life. Vet recommended avoiding alfalfa based pellets, bought some, she doesn't like them. We discussed this with the vet and she told us that even though certain feeds may speed up the cancer, if it is making Genevieve happy, isn't it worth it? So that is what we are going with. We were given many treatment options but most would have meant separation from her two cage mates and she is like their mother. They were just a few months old when we caught them. (They had been dumped in an inner city apartment complex about 2 months after Easter). We didn't want to separate them.

 

[Preitler]

I think I would do the same.
Last year I had my house bunny Herr Hase euthanised after his spine issue got that bad that he couldn't get up anymore, couldn't pee by himself etc., and his cuddlebun who helped him a lot pulling through so far got estranged. He wasn't old either.
Just trust your gut feelings.

 

[JBun]

I agree with the vet to pretty much just try and feed whatever makes her happy and that she'll eat, provided it doesn't worsen things too much. If you're going for higher calorie foods to try and help some with the weight, black oil sunflower seeds might be an option. They won't be hard on the kidneys, and will provide extra fat and calories. I used them once for an older bun that was struggling to keep on weight. I didn't want to give too much alfalfa due to the high calcium, and she would get mushy poop with oats. So the sunflower seeds seemed like my best option. And they did help.

I think all you can do is just keep her as comforatble as possible then, for as long as possible. When you're unable to do that and keep any significant discomfort or pain managed, then you know it's time.