Rabbit with cancer.

Question
Thank you so much for your answer, I am surprised you don't think she is too old for treatment like the other vet.  She is all skin and bones but I do see her drinking from her bowl right now and her droppings did look better yesterday but she really just sleeps every minute and I keep checking if she is still breathing.  If she makes it through another night I will take her to a vet in the morning, at least for pain medication.  Thanks again.
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
I took my rabbit in for unrelated treatment 4 months ago  and the Dr. said she had uterine cancer. She has seemed fine until recently. She is approx. 8 years old. In the last several days she has lost alot of weight and her eating has slowed drastically and she seems to have problems going to the bathroom. Grape cluster droppings, no regular. Would the tumors or pain/effects  of the uterine cancer be blocking her intestines?  I have given her 1 dose of simethicone today.  I have some meloxicam from the visit 4 months ago, would that help her? or should I get more, or something else?  I don't want to stress her more by taking her in if she is nearing unavoidable death, but I do want to ease her suffering at home if these are her last days, but of coarse I don't want to neglect to take her in if they could help ease her pain or extend her life.  I don't know what to do. Please, please advise.
-----Answer-----
Dear Carol,

I am utterly mystified that the vet did not recommend an immediate spay surgery for your rabbit four months ago!  In most cases, a spay will completely remove the tumor and solve the problem.  This type of cancer does not appear to be rapidly metastatic, and that's why a spay will very often stop  its progression completely.

Please get your bunny to a better vet immediately, who can tell you if she is still a candidate for spay surgery to remove what might be a massive tumor.  Her chances of survival might be lower than if she had had this done four months ago, but they are probably not zero, as are her chances if something is not done.  Even if she passes away under anesthesia, there are worse ways to go (e.g., slowly dying from a tumor blocking GI tract function).

At the very least, she needs pain medication until she can undergo surgery, if that is the vet's recommendation.

Initial diagnostics, such as radiographs to check whether there are any metastases, could be done.  But at this late stage a vet might simply recommend a spay and see if that solves the problem.  I hope you can find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

who can help.  I wish I'd been able to advise you four months ago.

I hope this helps.  I'm sending good vibes for your bunny!

Dana

Answer
Dear Carol,

Our vets have spayed rabbits 8, 10 years and even older, when necessary.  It's not age so much that matters as general health.  A pre-op blood panel can help the vet determine whether the bunny is a good candidate for surgery.  I hope it's not too late, but the fact that she's so thin is not good.

If she is well hydrated, and if you can get some calories into her and weight onto her with Novasource or Ensure or other high-calorie food supplement, it might help her.

I hope all goes well.

Dana