Rabbit lump?

Question
Dr. Krempels,

I have a seven year old dwarf male rabbit who has been in good health for most of his life. Last week I took a trip to FL and stopped at home between trips. I was immediately concerned when I looked at my rabbit's face. Within that week of being gone he had rapidly developed a lump on his face about the size of a golf ball, which is quite large for the size of the rabbit. I am concerned that it may be a tumor, cancer or even a goiter. Any information or direction would be most appreciated. Thank you.  

Answer
Dear Rosie,

Although it's possible this is a tumor, the location and its very rapid growth suggest that it may, instead, be a jaw abscess.  This is no fun, either, but not as grim as cancer.  Please read this:

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

and find a good rabbit-experienced vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

It's important that the lump be aspirated or biopsied to ascertain what it is (I'm guessing abscess), and if it's an abscess that some of the capsule be sent to a lab for culture and sensitivity testing:

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

In the meantime, pain management is important.  Though rabbits don't show pain, they feel it.  We've found that a combination of Metacam and Tramadol works miracles, so you might ask your vet about that.  It's also possible that simply opening the abscess for sampling may allow the vet to "debulk" it to relieve pressure while the meds have a chance to take effect.

I hope this helps!

Dana