Female rabbit health: possible mammary cancer

Question
hello, I have just been intrusted with the care of a female rabbit. She about 5 years old, unspayed and has not been breed. According to her old owner one of her nipples swells in the summer and returns to normal in the colder months and was told by a vet it could be due to hormones. this problem has arisen again this year. I have noticed that clear fluid leaks from it and i wanted to to get a second opinion. Please could you help? thankyou

Answer
Dear Becky,

I don't like the sound of clear fluid leaking from the nipple.  The mammary gland could be cancerous or pre-cancerous.

Because many mammary glands are estrogen sensitive, I would strongly recommend that you have her spayed.  Not only might this help the mammary gland, but it will also end her very high risk of uterine cancer.  Please read:

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

and

www.rabbit.org/health/spay.html

You can find an experienced rabbit vet here, which is best for this type of thing:

www.rabbit.org/vets

At that time, ask about having the suspect mammary gland removed. If it is cancerous, it's best to remove it at an early stage, even before there is an obvious tumor.  In this respect, rabbits are no different from humans.

I hope this helps.

Dana