mass in rabbits chest cavity

Question
QUESTION: Hello,I have a 3 and a half year old male neutered rabbit.He is a mixed breed,a lop mixed with something else.We noticed a few months ago that he was breathing heavy,but didn't think too much off it until this week we noticed a huge difference,not only in his breathing,but he was picking at his food and just didn't seem right.We took him to the vet.An xray showed a large mass that was covering his lungs and most of his heart.It was so large it is pushing his esophagus and other organs upward,which is putting pressure on his body and making breathing difficult.The vet can not give me any definite answers.He says we can do surgery,which would involve cracking his chest.We do not wish to consider this option,we feel it is too risky and would be to rough of a recovery on him.He said we could try radiation.We are seriously considering this,but the vet says he has no idea what the chances are of it working.I have contacted several schools of vet medicine in NC that offer radiation,but have not gotten responses yet.I would like to know if you have experience in bunny radiation and what you have seen from it.What are the statistics on it working?What are the side effects? And is there any idea at all how long he will live if we do nothing?I really just want it to shrink his mass if not completely,at least enough so its not pushing on his airway and he can breathe easier.What would you do if this was your bunny?Thank you so much for any advice you can give.I am devastated and feel very lost for a solution.

ANSWER: Hi Nicole...Sounds like your bunny has a major issue.  I have actually had something similar to this happen with my very first rescued rabbit.  She had a mass that turned out to be an abscessed liver.  Another friend has a rabbit with a mass that was a fatty tumor.  The point here is that you really need to know exactly what the mass is comprised of before deciding on a treatment.  I live near Raleigh and I know they do radiation and chemo on dogs at the vet school.  Like humans, it certainly has some nasty side effects.  I would be very surprised if any vet would even consider radiation on a rabbit.  The side effects alone could easily be fatal to a rabbit.  And you always have to consider the monetary effort, as horrible as it is bringing that up, is that would it be worth it to the rabbit when you consider the cost versus potential limited benefit.  If you would like to pursue this thru those channels, I would suggest contacting Dr. Dan Johnson at Avian & Exotic in Raleigh, NC.  If anyone would consider the possibility of radiation treatment on a rabbit, he is the one.  In the cases I have had at my house, I have always treated with aggressive antibioitics, pain meds and supportive care to make things as easy and comfortable as possible.  I would like to take a look at that x-ray if your vet is OK with that.  If it is digital, that can be easily e-mailed.  The vet may tell you that a special program is needed to view digital rads....and it does....I have dicom on my computer so I can read them.  I would also like to see any blood work if possible.  I can provide my direct e-mail to you if those things are possible.  I am not a vet but have been doing special needs for decades.  If you can provide the rads and labs, maybe we can come up with something.

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QUESTION: Hello,
I tried calling my vet back to ask him some follow up questions and about being able to send the xrays,I am still waiting for a reply.We really don't know exactly what the mass is made of,he didn't do a biopsy or anything like that.He just kept calling it "a mass." He also didn't do any bloodwork,so we don't have that either.I contacted Dr.Dan Johnson,he told me to contact Vetinary Specialty Hospital in Raleigh about the actual radiation and he would work with them for his follow up care.I actually already contacted them earlier in the week when I first found out about all this and haven't heard back from them yet...the more research we have been doing on radiation the more we are thinking its not the best choice.We cant find many cases of rabbits that have had it done,and the few we have found the radiation worked,but a few months later the rabbit stopped eating and died from complications.Our vet did mention theres drugs we can give him,but he says he has never seen this work and in his opinion we shouldn't bother.We would consider this though,what is the name of the medications you have treated your rabbits with that have had these problems?Did you see any improvement in their quality of life?How long have you seen a rabbit live with a mass? We really would like to see him just be able to breathe more comfortably.Thanks for all your info.

Answer
I also talked to several vets that volunteer with my wildlife rescue and they all agreed that it is necessary to identify the mass before making a treatment decision and they also agreed that if something as aggressive as radiation or chemo were to be considered...."Dr. Dan" would be the doctor to do this.  But as you found out, radiation in any species just buys a little time.  As far as treating an abscess, I use a specific version of Penicillin along with Azithromycin.  These drugs must be administered via a very specific protocol.  Improper dosing is usually fatal.  And as far as the fatty mass in my friend's rabbit, Dr. Dan actually performed that surgery to remove it.