My rabbit has a large tumor.

Question
QUESTION: Hi Dana. My rabbit had a small tumor about 4 months ago. We took him to the rabbit vet and he had a biopsy. It turned out to be a lipoma so the vet decided to leave it as Mobun has quite a medical history. He has had head tilt from Ecuniculi 4 yrs ago. He now has seizures from the Ecuniculi bug. He occasionally suffers gut stasis and was developing hind leg weakness unti;l we got him some acupuncture. He is just over 7yrs old. We took him again to the vet in September for his Calicivirus booster and the lump was a bit bigger. Again the vet didnt want to touch it. She said it was quite firm due to being in muscle. We have been using moxibustion on this lump. A chinese remedy. The lump is now very large, at least 8x8 cm. and it went all black in the centre, a round spot about 2cm. This developed a scab and the scab fell off. We took him for a second opinion and the other vet said it needed to be removed before it becomes inoperable and said it looks like it is going to rupture. We took him back to the original vet and we are waiting on 2 biopsy results from different areas. One from the blackened scabby area was all fluidy and had a clear gel substance. The man who did our acupuncture and suggested the moxibustion said that this is normal for it to look like this. What we are really hoping is that it has not turned cancerous and that if he has surgery he will make it through. We are devastated at the moment by all of this. The lump ison his right side, about level with his elbow and pokes right out. What we are hoping you can help us with is do you know of anything we can give him to prepare him for the surgery, anything to make him stronger and boost his immune system. He takes Phenobarbitone 2 1/2ml twice daily to control his seizures, and he weighs 3.85kilo. He is a large dutch. Not purebred. Any help you can give is greatly appreciated.
Thankyou Kerry.

ANSWER: Dear Kerry,

Pending the results of the biopsy, this does sound like something that needs to be removed, whether by surgery or by antibiotics (if it's an abscess).  But I can't say much until the results of the biopsies come back.

Has Mobun ever been outdoors?  If so, I have to wonder about the possibility of cysticercosis (tapeworm larva, which encysts in the connective tissue under skin and in muscle), especially if it released clear fluid when it was opened.

The scab could be from the moxibustion if you got a bit too close, but it also could be that the skin is getting stretched thin because of the underlying lump, and has formed a scab.  

In any case, if this were my bun I'd want the lump removed, if it's growing and changing.  If he's a poor surgical risk, then ask the vet about removing the lump with local anesthetic and sedative--though if the lump is really big, the area may be too large to infuse with local anesthetic.  I can't see it to judge.  

I hope all turns out to be benign, and that Mobun makes a full recovery.

Dana

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

QUESTION: Hi Dana. Thankyou for answering us so quickly. We got the results back. The vet says it has changed from a lipoma to a low grade Fibrosarcoma, unfortunately. It is near shoulder elbow area. They can try and remove some of it, but probably cant get all of it. We are going to discuss it Friday. They also say that we can keep him on the Metacam meds until it ulcerates and bleeds and then euthanasia is what the email said. It is extremely upsetting. Do you think surgery is a good option? and what can we do for him to help him leading up to the surgery to make him stronger, if anything. They said he may need to stay overnight too, which is upsetting as he is such a mummies boy. Any help you can give us is greatly appreciated
Thankyou
Kerry jacobs.

Answer
Dear Kerry,

Sorry for the delay in answering.  Your question caught me at the cusp of finals, and I was temporarily buried under the crush.

I'm very sorry to hear about this sad diagnosis and poor prognosis.  Fibrosarcoma is nasty, and locally invasive.  But there is a chance that if your bunny is a relatively reasonable risk for surgery, that the tumor can be "debulked" to give him more time.  

I know of a few people who have used radiation therapy to keep these tumors at bay, but results are spotty.  It's possible that some people on EtherBun:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/etherbun.html

may have experience with this, and can offer you some personal experience pointers.  It's a free listserve with over 5000 members who adore their bunnies, so it can't hurt to ask.  There are also vets and experienced rabbit rescuers on the list who might be able to offer some guidance.

I hope your bunny will be able to withstand removal of the lump for now, and that you will be able to give him a good quality of life for whatever time you have together.

Take care,
Dana