My rabbit has developed numerous lumps under the skin

Question
My 5 year old maleunneutered rabbit has been in good health. However, about 4 weeks ago I noticed about 4 small (pea sized) lumps under the skin around his stomach and side areas. These appear quite firm to the touch. They have not changed in size over this time and do not seem to cause any discomfort. The vet said the best option is to carry out and operation to remove the lumps and analyze these.My vet doesn't seem very knowledgeable about rabbits therefore I just want to check this is the best course of action? Are there significant risks for him undergoing anesthetic? And are such lumps a common issue in rabbits? My vet provided minimal information on what this is more likely to be and said that its very uncommon for rabbits to develop lumps on the body. I do not want to put him through unnecessary treatment if this is not needed. Thank you

Answer
Dear Verity,

If the vet is not very experienced with rabbits, then he might not be very experienced with rabbit anesthesia.  But it is probably a good idea to identify the bumps.  They could be fibromas, but they might also be abscesses (rabbit pus is very solid and firm) or even tumors.

If they are superficial, then ask the vet about using local anesthetic (e.g., Marcaine) and a light sedative (e.g., lorazepam, diazepam) to calm the bunny, and simply excise one of the lesions without general anesthesia, which is far more risky.  You might also want to check the international listings here for a vet more experienced with rabbits:

http://members.shaw.ca/cocoasun/RabbitVetsMain.htm

I hope all will be fine.

Dana