My Bunny has Cancer/large tumor, I need advice!

[erin1226]

I noticed a very large lump under the right front leg (kinda like his armpit)on my 10 year old bunny Cookie. I took him to a local vet and he said it was a cancerous tumor and that he cannot do much. He tried to take fluid out of it and nothing came out. That is when he concluded he is almost positive it is a cancerous tumor, but put Cookie on an antibiotic just incase it is an infection (slight chance). The vet says there really aren't too many options. Cookie has had ear/eye infections on and off since August and has been on and off eye/ear drops since August. The large tumor literally came up out of no where. I was at the vet February 8 and he did not notice it, and it is rather large. I am putting antibiotic ear drops in his ears after cleaning the pus out and giving him an oral antibiotic. He is still happy and eating a lot! He isn't as active, but still constantly runs around. I only started taking him to the vet this past year because of the ear and eye problems. He has been a great, loving bunny with barely any health problems!

I just would like to hear some opinions/ input on what to do. I'm very upset about the whole situation, but I know he is a very adult bunny. Anything will help. Thank you!

 

[JBun]

I'm sorry this is happening to your bun. You could try a different vet and get a second opinion. I don't know how good your vet is with rabbits. You could maybe wait and see if it will clear up, but if it is cancerous then you wouldn't want it to spread. I don't know if leg amputation is a consideration or possibility. There is another member that had a similar situation a few months back. They were considering having the leg amputated but then discovered the cancer had spread. I don't know if leg amputation would be a consideration if the lump doesn't end up clearing up, and ends up being cancerous. Here's that thread if you are interested in it.

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f27/mass-removal-69228/

Another thought, if your rabbit has been dealing with ear/eye infections for so many months, is it possible that there is a more widespread infection going on, and that your rabbit may need to be treated with more aggressive antibiotics. And maybe the lump is part of this infection problem and is an abcess and not cancer. Again, I don't know how experienced your vet is, but if he isn't a really good rabbit vet, then maybe consider finding a different vet.

 

[missyscove]

Welcome to the forum! I'm sorry you had to join under such unfortunate circumstances. It sounds like Cookie is very loved.
It sounds like your vet did a fine needle asirate, but did he not put anything on a slide and look at it? Were you offered any other diagnostics?

 

[woahlookitsme]

i was going to suggest an aspirate also. Our vets will sometimes send them off to labs to be analyzed further. I would try another vet if possible

 

[erin1226]

Thank you all for your help. I really do appreciate it. The vet shaved some of his hair off, stuck a needle in the tumor twice, tried to take it out and nothing came out. Cookie just started bleeding once the needle came out. He didn't test anything.. I'm leaning towards taking him to another vet more specialized in rabbits, but are you aware of how they would shrink the tumor? I wouldn't do surgery on him because of his age.. He will be turning 11 in September, but he is still very active and friendly. He is an outside rabbit but i take him inside with bad weather and now that i am giving him antibiotics constantly.
Thank yous again!

 

[molly]

It could be a mammary tumour based on the location, even though the rabbit is a male. I'm not sure if it's a common cancer for rabbits but it could be benign. The vet would have to look at the cells under the microscope to get a better idea as to whether or not it's malignant or not. (Malignant tumours are much more likely to abscess, which is why he gave you the antibiotic. I saw your other thread and I know you stopped the antibiotic, I'm just mentioning it.)

If you want to find out if there's some way to treat it, you would need to find out if it's malignant and what kind of cancer it is. Not all treatments work for all types of cancer. If it's benign, you can just let it be until begins to affect his quality of life. It it's a mammary tumour, there are several drugs that may be helpful (at least there are several options for rats), I'm not sure if they'd be suitable for rabbits though.

Good luck getting a second opinion, finding a good exotic vet is harder than it should be.

 

[tonyshuman]

Mammary tumors are one of the more common ones in females, but not sure about males. If you are sure you don't want to do surgery, there's not a lot of treatment options. The only one that doesn't require general anesthesia would be chemotherapy, which is not commonly done in rabbits. Maybe it's because their GI and immune systems are so sensitive already. Radiation treatment can be done on rabbits, but it will also make them feel unwell and requires general anesthesia.

I personally would go to another vet, a vet school if you can. There are other possibilities, such as a fatty tumor, cyst (filled with liquid), or a benign mass of some kind. It also could still be an abscess due to your rabbit's history because rabbit pus is very thick--like toothpaste--and doesn't often come out of a wound easily.

What is the antibiotic? What kinds of antibiotics has he been on in the past? Why does he have pus in his ears? These are all other concerns. If he has large amounts of pus in his ears due to long-term infection, there may be more systemic infection.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

I read that male rabbits have no nipples, therefore mammary tumors shouldn't be possible. One of our bunnies got an abscess, we thought, so it was drained and we put him on an anti-biotic. It came back pretty quick and that's when we found he had bone cancer. We were able to keep him happy for a couple more months but then had to take him in for his last trip when it got too bad and we knew it was time. We wish both of you the best of luck.

 

[molly]

I read that male rabbits have no nipples, therefore mammary tumors shouldn't be possible. One of our bunnies got an abscess, we thought, so it was drained and we put him on an anti-biotic. It came back pretty quick and that's when we found he had bone cancer. We were able to keep him happy for a couple more months but then had to take him in for his last trip when it got too bad and we knew it was time. We wish both of you the best of luck.

Male rats don't have nipples either but they do have mammary tissue and do get mammary tumours.

 

[mochajoe]

We just lost our 6 yr old mini lop last fall to a testicular tumor. Like with your bunny, it came out of nowhere!!! Our vet is VERY bunny savvy and given the location, his symptoms (one of the biggest being increasing paralysis in his hind end) we felt the tumor had spread and his quality of life had been greatly affected. I made the heartbreaking decision to have him put down...my vet agreed that it was the right decision for Carrot! Being a cancer survivor myself and given what we went through with Carrot...if Carrot's tumor had been in a different place, if he was still eating normal amounts and if he was still active and moving around....I would not have subjected him to more poking and prodding or more any other testing....I would have scooped him up, taken him home, spoiled him COMPLETELY rotten...given him ALL his favorite things and cherished every single minute with him until he was called to bunny heaven! Sometimes, quality of live far outweighs quantity of life...and not that losing abeloved 4 legged family at ANY age is easy, your sweet bunny is 10....so many blessed years! Love your bunny and enjoy every minute!!!

 

[erin1226]

Thank you all so much for trying to help. The vet really did no tests on him. The only thing he did was stick the needle in the tumor to see what would come out, and nothing came out. Just blood after the needle came out.
The vet prescribed cephelexin just in case it is an infection, but then i read online you cannot give that to your rabbit. I stopped the antibitotics (after 2 doses) and stopped giving him yogurt because I do not want to give him anymore problems.

Cookie is doing well today. He is hopping around and eating lots of carrots and food. His breathing is still nasally and he is sitting with his right arm out to the side because the lump/tumor is so large it gets in the way. I plan on taking him to an rabbit vet tomorrow (Jefferson animal hopsital in Port Jefferson, NY). in hopes that the vet will have more answers. I wouldn't consider doing surgery on Cookie because of his age and the amount of stress it would put on him. I wouldn't want to cause him that stress

Does anyone know anything about doxicylin for rabbits? I read somewhere that it can help tumors.

I still have hope and you guys are making me feel better! I have been so upset since Tuesday and cannot stop cuddling with him. I really appreciate your input.

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

I noticed a very large lump under the right front leg (kinda like his armpit)on my 10 year old bunny Cookie. I took him to a local vet and he said it was a cancerous tumor and that he cannot do much. He tried to take fluid out of it and nothing came out. That is when he concluded he is almost positive it is a cancerous tumor, but put Cookie on an antibiotic just incase it is an infection (slight chance). The vet says there really aren't too many options. Cookie has had ear/eye infections on and off since August and has been on and off eye/ear drops since August. The large tumor literally came up out of no where. I was at the vet February 8 and he did not notice it, and it is rather large. I am putting antibiotic ear drops in his ears after cleaning the pus out and giving him an oral antibiotic. He is still happy and eating a lot! He isn't as active, but still constantly runs around. I only started taking him to the vet this past year because of the ear and eye problems. He has been a great, loving bunny with barely any health problems!

I just would like to hear some opinions/ input on what to do. I'm very upset about the whole situation, but I know he is a very adult bunny. Anything will help. Thank you!

---second opinion is in order-(if possible)-,rabbits are prone to abcesses-anywhere-,visible or not,,--i didnot catch the info about type of antibiotic--ask about chloramphenicol,--it will handle gram neg/pos bacteria and anerobes,,-this antibiotic penetratesthe walled off bacteria and kills it,,--cancer is quit different,--please give him a fighting chance--you sound like a very good dad --here is a link that can better explain http://www.medirabbit.com sincerely james waller--:happyrabbit::bunnynurse:

 

[molly]

Doxycycline's an antibiotic with anti-inflammatory properties. Chloramphenicol (Chlorpalm) is not my favourite antibiotic as it causes a lot of GI issues. Fine needle aspiration can tell you whether an lump is an abscess or not, I wouldn't use antibiotics unless they're needed.

It sounds like his respiratory issues are (Edit: aren't) fully resolved, maybe a more experienced vet can help you with that. Have you ruled out environmental factors that could be contributing to his congestion? I assume since you like in NY state your bunny is kept indoors, what type of litter do you use?

 

[missyscove]

My rabbit is currently on doxycycline for her respiratory issues. We chose it after doing a culture and sensitivity and her top 3 cultures were sensitive.
Has the rabbit had any radiographs done? If it is cancer, one of the first places you might see metastasis is in the lungs which could cause the respiratory signs.

 

[mollie07]

I noticed a very large lump under the right front leg (kinda like his armpit)on my 10 year old bunny Cookie. I took him to a local vet and he said it was a cancerous tumor and that he cannot do much. He tried to take fluid out of it and nothing came out. That is when he concluded he is almost positive it is a cancerous tumor, but put Cookie on an antibiotic just incase it is an infection (slight chance). The vet says there really aren't too many options. Cookie has had ear/eye infections on and off since August and has been on and off eye/ear drops since August. The large tumor literally came up out of no where. I was at the vet February 8 and he did not notice it, and it is rather large. I am putting antibiotic ear drops in his ears after cleaning the pus out and giving him an oral antibiotic. He is still happy and eating a lot! He isn't as active, but still constantly runs around. I only started taking him to the vet this past year because of the ear and eye problems. He has been a great, loving bunny with barely any health problems!

I just would like to hear some opinions/ input on what to do. I'm very upset about the whole situation, but I know he is a very adult bunny. Anything will help. Thank you!

@erin1226

Hi Erin , my rabbit is going through what sounds like the same issue right now. What did you ever do with cookie? Did she get surgery?

 

[evilhare]

Put him on distilled water. Tap water contains chlorine, various dissolved solids, and chlorine is carcinogenic. Add a pinch of baking soda to the water (ask your vet is this is safe for a bun, it works for humans), and this will keep his body chemistry alkaline. Tumors can't thrive in an alkaline environment, and this may help your bun to fight it off. Also, make sure any veggies he gets are organic. GMO veggies are known to cause cancer in small animals (humans too, but it takes longer).

Hope your little guy pulls through.