Young Rabbit Lump in Abdomen

Question
QUESTION: I have a 1 year old mini rex female who has so far been very healthy at every vet checkup.

I was petting her about a week ago and noticed a lump on her left side when she was sitting it is high on her side on the inside kind of between her ribs and spine.

My regular rabbit vet who was the only one in my town moved to another country so I took her to a vet that sees almost any animal but isn't 'rabbit savy'. He felt of her and took an x-ray but couldn't see anything but put her on antibiotics anyway. I am in the process of taking her to a new vet in another state but their earliest opening was 2 weeks from now.

I tried to research online and found someone with almost an identical situation but it didn't show a resolution.

She is not acting any different than she ever has. She is still eager to eat anything that I put down she is fed 1 cup chopped veggies/herbs daily along with 1/4 cup of Oxbow adult pellets and unlimited timothy hay with the occasional orchard or oat hay mixed in. Always has clean fresh water available as well. She is pooping and peeing normal and is as hyper as she has always been.

So I am trying to get an idea of what it could possibly be. I recently lost her mate and I am in worry mode all the time now.

ANSWER: Dear Ava,

Without feeling this lump, I can't give you a positive I.D.  But if you give a few more details, I might be able to help.

1.  Is the lump close to the surface and very visible when she lies down, or can you notice it only when you palpate her abdomen?

2.  Is it relatively hard, or soft?

3.  Shape:  Is it round or flattened, and what size is it?

It's quite possible that you feeling just a lobe of her liver, or possibly even a kidney if you were gently palpating her.  Rabbits have asymmetrical kidneys, with one attached higher up (near the spine) and the other hanging into the abdomen.  So if it's a soft-ish lump about the size of a small egg, it might be her kidney.

If it were an abscess or infection, blood work might reveal a change in her white blood cells.

Hope this helps.

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The lump is not visible I only notice it when I feel of her side.

It is a hard lump.

It is more flattened than round and about the size of a large grape or a little smaller than a quail egg.

Answer
Dear Ava,

Well, this *could* be a kidney.  But without palpating it myself, I can't know for sure.  If you are worried, then please find a rabbit-savvy vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

who can give her a full wellness exam and set your mind at ease.

Dana