rabbit 8 1/2 yrs old with pigmented lump

Question
I have a 8 1/2 yr old rabbit we got from a farmer of meat rabbits.  He had a black mole on his bottom eye lid for quite a few months that I figured was due to his age.  Then one day we discovered a bump the size of a pea right where that "mole" was.  Now, about 2 months later, he has a scab that has now grown to cover his eye.  Doesn't seem to seep, but seems to be getting larger and looks terrible.  Could this be cancer?  He is eatting fine and acts fine......

Answer
Dear Teresa,

If the lesion is pigmented and growing, it could be a melanoma.  But the weird thing is that in rabbits, this is apparently not as metastatic (spreading) as it tends to be in humans.

I would *definitely* get him to a good rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

The bigger the lump gets, the harder it will be to safely remove it with good margins.  But this is what I'd recommend:  get the vet's opinion about the feasibility of removal, and go for that.  It could effect a complete cure, and it is probably worth a try.

The removed tissue should also be sent to a lab for histpathology and positive I.D., in case it's something that can be treated.

I hope this helps.

Dana