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Removing a lump on an Old Rabbit

22 10:06:41

Question
I have a ten and a half year old, slightly less than 3 pound rabbit. About two weeks ago I noticed a lump on his upper front leg that is hard and moves around with the skin. It originally had a cut that had scabbed over, which seems to be healing though has not completely healed. I took him to the vet two days after finding it and am taking him back this Friday to see how things have progressed. The vet said my options were to treat the cut with some medicine and see if it healed or if the lump got any bigger (what I decided to do), or to remove the lump which he said would be fairly easy at it's current size. I don't think the lump has gotten any bigger since I first took him in.
When I take him back I'm hoping he'll say there's no need to remove to lump. Last time he did a biopsy and said it most likely isn't cancer, but also isn't full of pus and thus can't be drained.
I am told this vet is good with rabbits, and he seemed confident that he would be able to remove the lump successfully. But I am very hesitant to sedate my bunny since he is so old and tiny. I also really don't want to put him through the stress of a surgery if it's not necessary, but at the same time I want to do what is best for my rabbit's health and overall quality of life.
Basically I'm wondering if the removal of a somewhat small lump would be too stressful/risky on an old & small bunny, or if the benefit of removing a lump that is probably not cancerous but has unidentified origins would outweigh the risk of the procedure.

Answer
Dear Kate,

If the lump isn't bothering him, then I am not sure I'd subject him to anesthesia, either.  It's not the surgery that's dangerous; it's his age and the anesthesia.

Is there a chance the vet could remove this with local anesthetic, since it's moving with the skin?  This would be my preference, if this were my bunny.  But at the age of 10.5, I'm really not sure what could be gained by removing the lump if it's not causing him problems.

For now, I'd keep an eye on it and if it does start to grow, only then consider removal.  (Removing it while it's small would be the wise thing, especially if you want to try local anesthesia.)

Hope this helps.

Dana