Thymoma??

Question
Greetings,
Yesterday morning while cleaning Shadow, my 7-year-old bunny, I found that his eyes are protruding so much, not only was I able to see the whites but a pink bulgy part under his eyes as well.  I was so alarmed I called a vet immediately and scheduled an appt.  At first the vet speculated it was a tooth problem or pasturella... but after x-rays were done, there appeared to be no tooth problem.  Instead, there's an opaque area covering his chest, his heart cannot be seen... and the lungs are pushed back.  The Dr. said if this continues he will show distress in breathing... he didn't say what it was, but I read on the rabbit.org website that it could be Thymoma?  I'm scared to death, I don't know what to do.  How can I help Shadow feel better and live better, or even cure him??

Answer
Dear Janet,

It's good that the vet knew what to look for, and yes, it's possible that this is a thymoma, or enlarged thymus gland.

It actually is treatable in various ways.  There is a good overview of the condition here:

http://www.rabbit.org/health/thymoma.html

as well as a personal account of successful treatment of a thymoma in a bunny named Hopnoodle here:

http://www.rabbit.org/health/thymomastory.html

Please read these, print them for your vet, and ask about treatments that may help Shadow make a good recovery.

I hope this helps.

Dana