Bad times :( - U/D amputation U/D He's Died :(

Update -Arthur died yesterday on the operating table The tumour was in around his heart and lungs and after they removed it his heart stopped. I miss him so much.



I haven't been able to go through all the new photos i took of him the night before he went in so that will have to do for now.

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I just took Arthur to the vets for a check up and it was a new vet we hadn't seen before. She said that he has a tumour and fluid around one of his front shoulders and he is losing muscle mass and that it will only get worse and i will have to consider putting him to sleep in the future. He's still eating and pooing and drinking and all those sorts of things, there are no signs except some people have said he looked like he was a little lop-sided in his stance. She has given me metacam to give to him once a day.

Does anyone have any advice? Should i consider seeing another vet for a second opinion? Any tips on how to take care of him?

Edit- By the way i've never had to give him any medicine or anything before so any advice on any possible problems, how best to administer it is welcome (at the moment i know i need to put the syring in his gob and squirt it in but i doubt it will be that easy ).

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Update : I went to another vet for second opinion today and as well as tripling Arthur's Metacam dosage he discussed a few options i had for the future. He said i could leave nature to take its course with the tumour and then PTS when it got too much, i got the impression though that the tumour is growing quite fast Or he said he could amputate the whole leg and try to remove the tumour, if the tumour had got in to the chest then it would at least buy time if nothing else and they would be able to keep removing it as it grew back if i chose. The other options involved CT scans, radiotherapy, that sort of thing.

I've decided that i think amputation will probably be the best option, does anyone have any experiences or advice on this? Do you think i made the right decision? He is old so i dont want to drag out tests and things for the time he has left but i also dont want to do nothing, so i'm thinking whip that cancerous ******* out, hope to god he gets through it, wrap him up in cotton wool whilst he recovers and then see where we stand.

I'm terribly worried and sad but i'm trying to focus my efforts on him, i'm just grateful that i can get hold of the money to take care of him and i am free to take care of him, in that way i guess i am lucky, if he does go (and he will have to at some point, i know he cant live forever) at least he's got as much care as i can give him. I keep looking at his little paw and thinking i'm going to miss it, thats weird isn't it :lol:

I'm afraid I can't help with your first question, I think it may be something that you just have to take a day at a time As for your second question, Metacam is quite sweet and all my bunnies quite willingly take it from the syringe but if you have trouble, putting it on a herb leaf or mixed in with some banana often works well. If he doesn't like the syringe you might be able to put it in a saucer for him to lap up.

Has the Vet taken a biopsy of the tumour to try to identify exactly what kind of tumour it is. There are several and some carry a better prognosis than others. Giving 'PTS' as the only option without an actual diagnosis seems rather unreasonable to me so I would definitely seek a second opinion.

JadedRed said:

I just took Arthur to the vets for a check up and it was a new vet we hadn't seen before. She said that he has a tumour and fluid around one of his front shoulders and he is losing muscle mass and that it will only get worse and i will have to consider putting him to sleep in the future. He's still eating and pooing and drinking and all those sorts of things, there are no signs except some people have said he looked like he was a little lop-sided in his stance. She has given me metacam to give to him once a day.

Does anyone have any advice? Should i consider seeing another vet for a second opinion? Any tips on how to take care of him?

Edit- By the way i've never had to give him any medicine or anything before so any advice on any possible problems, how best to administer it is welcome (at the moment i know i need to put the syring in his gob and squirt it in but i doubt it will be that easy ).

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Sorry to hear about Arthur

I would certainly ask for a 2nd opinion or referral to an exotics vet if there is one nearby as it may be operable, it may not. Has she done a biopsy on the tumour? Like with humans there are many different cancers and sometimes benign lumps that present in a similar way. Has Arthur had some bloods run to check his other organ function? Loss of muscle mass is an indication of cancer but not necessarily. Is Arthur very old or in otherwise good health? I would ask for further investigations for a better idea of prognosis if you feel your vet is not clear enough on this.

For medicines you may find that he will take the Metacam from the syringe with no probs, and if not now, eventually. All my bunnies have loved the stuff and I have no trouble administering it. If not, try to keep it as quick and painless as possible so it doesn't become too negative an experience (easier said than done with some fluffballs!). Wrapping in a towel/blanket commonly described on here as a bunny burrito is usually the most effective. You can also kneel on the floor and pin bunny between your knees. I have always found it easiest with a struggly bun to sit them on my lap and pin them with my chest and lift the front legs/head up with my outside hand - that's just my method though. :wave:

Sending lots of vibes for Arthur xx

Lots of vibes sent out to you and Arthur x

If you're administering oral drugs, it is important to put the syringe into the side of the mouth (in the gap between the front and back teeth) and keep it pointed towards the opposite cheek. Squeeze it is slowly so that bun can swallow it properly.

Good luck!

Elena said:

I'm afraid I can't help with your first question, I think it may be something that you just have to take a day at a time As for your second question, Metacam is quite sweet and all my bunnies quite willingly take it from the syringe but if you have trouble, putting it on a herb leaf or mixed in with some banana often works well. If he doesn't like the syringe you might be able to put it in a saucer for him to lap up.

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Thanks

Jack's-Jane said:

Has the Vet taken a biopsy of the tumour to try to identify exactly what kind of tumour it is. There are several and some carry a better prognosis than others. Giving 'PTS' as the only option without an actual diagnosis seems rather unreasonable to me so I would definitely seek a second opinion.

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I think she did, she took what looked like blood out with a needle and put a bit on a slide so i assume thats what she was doing, i was quite upset so probably not paying as much attention as i should have.

I think i will get a second opinion anyway but can anyone recommend good rabbit vets around my area (Thurrock)?

prettylupin said:

Sorry to hear about Arthur

I would certainly ask for a 2nd opinion or referral to an exotics vet if there is one nearby as it may be operable, it may not. Has she done a biopsy on the tumour? Like with humans there are many different cancers and sometimes benign lumps that present in a similar way. Has Arthur had some bloods run to check his other organ function? Loss of muscle mass is an indication of cancer but not necessarily. Is Arthur very old or in otherwise good health? I would ask for further investigations for a better idea of prognosis if you feel your vet is not clear enough on this.

For medicines you may find that he will take the Metacam from the syringe with no probs, and if not now, eventually. All my bunnies have loved the stuff and I have no trouble administering it. If not, try to keep it as quick and painless as possible so it doesn't become too negative an experience (easier said than done with some fluffballs!). Wrapping in a towel/blanket commonly described on here as a bunny burrito is usually the most effective. You can also kneel on the floor and pin bunny between your knees. I have always found it easiest with a struggly bun to sit them on my lap and pin them with my chest and lift the front legs/head up with my outside hand - that's just my method though. :wave:

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I dont know what test she was doing but she removed something from the area that looked like blood into a syringe and put it on to a slide. Arthur is about 7 but he is a giant breed and i'm led to believe they dont live as long. I dont know how to describe his health, he eats fine, he drinks fine, he poops fine, i haven't noticed any particular change in his behaviour. He has a few problems like runny eyes from blocked tear ducts and there is a lump on his face that has been there a long while that they said wasn't serious. Before i adopted him (about 3/4 years ago) he had an operation to remove a lump on his leg but as far as i know nothing came of it, apart from that he's had no serious health problems.

I think the 'pinning between the knees' method may be easiest because of his size so i will try that later

Thank you for your help.

Captain Helen said:

Sending lots of vibes for Arthur xx

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Thank you

KateB said:

If you're administering oral drugs, it is important to put the syringe into the side of the mouth (in the gap between the front and back teeth) and keep it pointed towards the opposite cheek. Squeeze it is slowly so that bun can swallow it properly.

Good luck!

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Thank you very much

I gave him his first dose yesterday and he seem to like it Only problem i had was he seemed to want to eat the syringe. Still looking for recommendations for vets in the area if anyone has any.

JadedRed said:

I gave him his first dose yesterday and he seem to like it Only problem i had was he seemed to want to eat the syringe. Still looking for recommendations for vets in the area if anyone has any.

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:thumb: Mischa sometimes runs off with the syringe :lol:

Sorry I can't help with a vet, but just wanted to send vibes.

Glad he took the medicine well :wave:

Elena said:

:thumb: Mischa sometimes runs off with the syringe :lol:

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LOL, Arthur has tried that too!

weedug said:

Sorry I can't help with a vet, but just wanted to send vibes.

Glad he took the medicine well :wave:

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Thank you, i'm glad i dont have to worry about stressing him out with the treatment (i've had to practically rugby tackle my mums dog in the past to get his ear drops in and it stressful for them to have to put up with some horrible human sitting on them and shoving them full of drugs when they are ill), he seems to quite enjoy it thankfully (the medicine, i haven't had to sit on him yet!)

JadedRed said:

I think i will get a second opinion anyway but can anyone recommend good rabbit vets around my area (Thurrock)?

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I'm a little late but William Lewis at Wylie vets in Upminster is a very good exotics vet if you wanted a third opinion.

Sending lots of vibes for Arthur. xx

KarenM said:

I'm a little late but William Lewis at Wylie vets in Upminster is a very good exotics vet if you wanted a third opinion.

Sending lots of vibes for Arthur. xx

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Actually he was my second opinion , thanks.

Awww, that's good. You won't need a third opinion then as he knows what he's talking about. :thumb: