Ear Removal - UD Had the Op - Rebonding??

Hi Everyone

Denzil is being operated on tomorrow. His biopsy results came back yesterday and he has cancer in his ear. He is having the operation to remove the ear tomorrow and I`m concerned about the aftercare. Do any of you have experience of caring for a rabbit with one ear, especially in a bonded pair of rabbits?

Thanks
Holly

I don't I'm afraid, but just wanted to wish you and him the best of luck for tomorrow.

i dont have much info really.
guessing it would take keeping an eye on it and making sure the other bun doesnt pick at the wound?

the best person to ask is your vet what he suggests after?

Hope all goes well
xxxx

How worrying for you
I have no experience with nursing a bun through surgical removal of the ear, though I imagine good pain management, close monitoring of input/output etc would be paramount.
I'm sure your vets will keep Denzil with them until they are really happy for him to leave.
My Parsley has only 1/2 an ear on one side & a full ear on the other.
So I can share my experience with her.
She has never had any issues bonding with other buns & has out lasted 2 husbuns.
I worried the 1st time I bonded her but both her husbands loved her & her 1 1/2 ears.
I'm guessing your concern was that Denzils partner may not be able to read his body language as well if he only has one ear?
Will his partner be staying with him at the vets?
I am sure that every situation is different & you can only respond based on how Denzil recovers & how his partner reacts.
Sending speedy recovery vibes for Denzil.
Thinking of you.

Thanks for your kind words everyone.

KB - Denzil and Daisy have been bonded for nearly 6 years now. They get on great but really don't do well if there are other animals around, if they are scared or if they are apart for a length of time. I don't particularly want to take Daisy to the vets with Denzil as I fear she will be too scared. Denzil had a health scare a few years back and I had to keep him out of the cage for just over a day. Once I put him back they had quite a fight and poor Denzil ended up with a tear in his ear (the other ear to the one that is going to be removed), but it calmed down within in seconds and they have been absolutely fine since.

They are housebuns so my plan was to set up another cage right next door to their cage and keep Denzil in there for a little while. They will be able to see and smell each other. I figure it will give him time to adjust and fully come round from the op. I will also be able to monitor his eating, drinking and toilet movements!

My concerns are that Daisy may be a bit much for him. They are both very fit and spritely 6 year old bunnies and if I hadn't heard the vet tell me herself that Denzil had cancer then I would never have believed it. He has not changed at all, neither in his temperament, eating, drinking or going to the toilet. Hes exactly the same as he always has been.

I guess I`ll just have to watch them and see what happens. I am off work until Monday but can extend if need be.

Thanks
Holly

Ear Removal UD - The cancer has come back

Hi Everyone

I took Denzil to the vets on Friday after finding a suspicious area within the opening of the ear which was removed. They confirmed that it is most likely to be cancer. My vet doesn't feel that another round of biopsy's are necessary given the history of skin cancer within this area of Denzil's body and also the look of the area is identical to the previous melanoma.

The vet recommends removing the entire ear canal (total ear canal ablation) and closing off the ear opening which will obviously leave Denzil completely deaf on that side. At the time I was a bit blindsided so agreed and booked him in for surgery this Wednesday but having thought long and hard about it over the weekend I`m now not so sure that this is the best way forward. Denzil is 6 and a half years old and despite his age, is extremely fit, to the surprise of the vets......they thought he was a lot younger than his years. But, despite being fit he is still an older bunny and I`m not convinced that this invasive surgery will be benificial to him at this age. I am really concerned about how the removal of the ear canal will leave him, will he be off balance, will he have the same temperament, will he become depressed, how will Daisy react to him, will they be able to be bonded back together, what are the risks of operating in such a small place with the eyes and brain in such close quarters??

There isn't any information out there about this type of skin cancer in rabbits and according to my vets, Denzil is now only the 10th reported case in the UK.

The vet was clearly disappointed when he realised that the cancer was back as Denzil did so well throughout the previous operation and made a spectaular recovery. The vet did an excellent job with the removal of the ear.

I feel like I`m stuck between a rock and a hard place - if I get the surgery done - thats obviously best medically but, as Denzil's owner and being the person who know's him inside out, quirks and all - I can't help but think that as this type of cancer may be slow growing, is it best to leave the surgery for the time being.

If I leave the surgery and the melanoma is infact slow growing then he could potentially have 6-12months of good quality time with Daisy without any more surgery or discomfort - versus - having the surgery and maybe never fully recovering in to the same happy bunny that he is now.

He is extremely happy and running around with Daisy without a care in the world. He has no side effects from the melanoma - he eats, drinks, wee's, poop's as normal without any problems.

I know that no one can give definitive advice as the situation is so unique but what would you do?

Thanks
Holly

I'm so sorry to hear the cancer has come back.

I haven't been in the exact situation you guys face, but I did have a bbunny who did have skin cancer.

She arrived to me with her lump though, and when it came to removal it had already spread. She had ten months with us. It spread first to her liver, and then to her lungs. It was the lungs that eventually got the better of her because she couldn't breathe.

What I can say though, is that from the day she arrived, to the day she died, she didn't suffer. She was very happy and bouncy and bubbly and had a glorious time. She is a very good example of your dilemma.

This is Summer. http://www.megavideo.com/?v=FXQ61WZU She arrived with the cancer, so all this is filmed whilst the cancer is taking over her body. She was simply amazing and I miss her so much. If you have three and a half minutes, it might be a good watch

I can't tell you what to do, but I can show you that they can have that good quality of life even whilst ill. I would have the same misgivings as you and, to be honest, would likely only put a particular type of bunny through the op. I'm one for quality over quantity, but that means different things for each individual bunny and situation. Remember though, if you don't go ahead with the operation, he won't know he has cancer. He will be as happy on any 'today' as any other 'today' until he is ready to go.

Oh no, I'm so sorry I hope you can have a lot of quality time together. Sending lots of vibes for Denzil xx

Sky-O, Summer was beautiful. She looked so happy and content in the video, such a joyful bunny

My heart is telling me to not let the op go ahead and give Denzil the chance of having what may be a shorter life but with a much better quality than having the op and he potentially living a longer but maybe unhappy or disrupted life.

I need to ring the vets today at some point - I`m thinking that I should cancel the op on Wednesday but book a consultation and discuss things further with the vet.

Trust your gut instinct. If your gut says it's not best for him, then advocate that to the vet. You have to do what you feel is right for him. There's a link in my sig called 'Please Remember to Advocate for your Bunny' and it might be worth you reading that.

Yes, Summer a total optimist, as well as a pain in the bum :thumb:. I've known so many bunnies, but so few as incredible as she was. We were so lucky to have her in our lives; it's just a shame it wasn't for longer.

I read your 'advocating bunnies' link Sky-O. Thank you for directing it to me. Its made me realise even more that I need to speak up for Denzil and not just take the vets advice at face value.

I have just cancelled the operation and booked an appointment for a consultation with my vet instead. The nurse I spoke to on the phone didn't seem quite sure why I was cancelling and said that the vet would see me anyway before the op. I don't think I really explained it very well to her. I tried to get across that I wasn't comfortable with the operation and that whilst the vet was thorough on Friday I just feel that I have more questions now that I`ve had time to think about it. She was confused but has booked me a consultation anyway.

I have tried to research this type of procedure on Google but can't find anything of any use.

x

Hi Everyone

Another update for you.

The melanoma/affected area started weeping last week. It was causing Denzil some distress so, after a very long discussion with my vet and the head of the practice I decided to go ahead with the operation. The risk of infection with the weeping area was too great for me to not go ahead with the operation. They only needed to remove the soft tissue of the ear canal just inside the ear. They haven't touched any hearing instruments, the middle ear or any parts that affect his balance. It was a really tough decision but, after asking all the questions that I felt I needed to, I am comfortable with my decision.

Generally Denzil is doing really well. He is eating, drinking, weeing and pooping as normal and aside from being a little quiet in himself I am really pleased with how the operation went and how his is recovering. I took him back to the vets on Saturday for a post op check and the vet was also pleased with him. I have one more check up for him on 24th Jan.

My problem now is the rebonding with Daisy. As with the recovery after his previous op, they are in seperate cages side by side so can see/smell/hear each other constantly. I have allowed them supervised 'play dates' of about 10-15mins each day (aside from the day of the op) but unfortunately they have not gone how I expected them to. They are ok for a few mins but then Daisy will lunge at Denzil and a fight breaks out. This has happened 4 out of 5 times now. Thankfully no injuries or anything like that, just a lot of fur pulling (which isn't difficult at the moment as Denzil is still moulting heavily).

I have done a search on the forum and found advice re rebonding which is really helpful. My main question is, how successful have any of you found bonding/rebonding through a car journey? I read a post from Sky-O about this and she had successfully managed to rebond this way. Denzil and Daisy were initially bonded through a car journey so once Denzil's stitches have disolved would anyone recommend this method if the fighting continues to break out on their 'play dates'??

Once again, thank you for your help and advice.

Holly

I'm so glad he is doing well and that you feel you made the right choice for him

I personally do use car journeys if bonded bunnies have been scrapping. The reason I do this is because it seems to help them lose the baggage of the past and just focus on the present. My experience is that they can get in a particular mood where they might fight, or might remember said bunny is problematical, and the car journey seems to remove that for them and allow them to start afresh when they come out the car.

I wouldn't ever use it for a very stressy traveller though.

Thanks Sky-O. I think a rebonding car journey is best for these two to be honest. Neither are stressy travellers at all so once Denzi is 100% fit and ready I`ll give it a go. I`ll keep up with the play dates though, just incase they do begin to get along.

That sounds a good plan. I definitely wouldn't do it until he is 100%.