Chemo for Lymphoma/Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome in Rabbits

parsnipbun said:

Will be very very brief . . can give a lot more details if anyone wants or needs. But am in shock at moment.

Peach Blossom has chronic episodes of not eating (no gas) - the last with blood in faces on recovering and now new ultrasound has detected thickened bowel much worse than last ultrasound in Jan.

Vets say either lymphoma or IS and offered chemotherapy. She is only c18 months old but had awful reaction to spay sutures (not at my vets) and then subsequent issues and more ops - so really could be either.

Anyone had experience of IBS in a rabbit?

Or using chemo? She is young and very happy when not having an episode so we will probably try this.

Thank you . . .

PS Talya will be posting similar plea on various facebook groups for me so you may see there as well!

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parsnipbun said:

Assume they will once she has hopefully recovered a bit - but went into considerable detail with me as to why diagnosis between the two is difficult (as did iain before he left . . . )
Is there something you feel they should have picked up on?

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parsnipbun said:

she has been wormed (panacur and drontol) and in fact has had a range of exciting worms in several faecal samples - and we took another one yesterday

We took in another bun (Albertiney0 probably originating in Poland a few months ago and he appears to have arrived with a range of unusually exotic friends which he seems to have shared before we realised he had them.


However PB (or Princess Peach Blossom - PPB as she prefers to be known) has had these episodes for a long time - although they have become much more frequent and serious in the last couple of months and then very bad in last couple of weeks.

She has also been treated for Cocci which she also had -

basically she is an immuno supressed nightmare.

Abandoned at a few months old near a rubbish chute, taken in by a lovely rescue who were let down by a rubbish vet, she ended up with a botched spay, then an undetected (until I got her) huge internal infection/reaction to the spay, then some small lumps in the intestine shortly afterwards, and then a history of chronic GI. As well of course as her totally not working tear duct. Add in the cocci, two types of worms - and she is a miracle walking -

This latest diagnosis has come as a huge blow.

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parsnipbun said:

she has been wormed (panacur and drontol) and in fact has had a range of exciting worms in several faecal samples - and we took another one yesterday

We took in another bun (Albertiney0 probably originating in Poland a few months ago and he appears to have arrived with a range of unusually exotic friends which he seems to have shared before we realised he had them.


However PB (or Princess Peach Blossom - PPB as she prefers to be known) has had these episodes for a long time - although they have become much more frequent and serious in the last couple of months and then very bad in last couple of weeks.

She has also been treated for Cocci which she also had -

basically she is an immuno supressed nightmare.

Abandoned at a few months old near a rubbish chute, taken in by a lovely rescue who were let down by a rubbish vet, she ended up with a botched spay, then an undetected (until I got her) huge internal infection/reaction to the spay, then some small lumps in the intestine shortly afterwards, and then a history of chronic GI. As well of course as her totally not working tear duct. Add in the cocci, two types of worms - and she is a miracle walking -

This latest diagnosis has come as a huge blow.

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parsnipbun said:

Thank you everyone. Trying to answer queries whilst on phone do cant see all. She may have adhesions but this is considerable thickening all along the gut. Its not megacolon. I have had megacolon buns. Ec induced gi problems also dont seem to have quite this degree of pinpointed pain. Though why its pinpointed when gut is thickened all along is odd. Mighty max. She had episodes before and after worming. Ie fir months beforebut we are now weeks after as well. She has also has panacur regularly and then dontrol

So faurly sure its ibs or lymphoma. I think ibs. Vet says its impossible to say without biopsy. She had first chemotherapy this afternoon and now eating very well and looking ok

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parsnipbun said:

Thank you everyone. Trying to answer queries whilst on phone do cant see all. She may have adhesions but this is considerable thickening all along the gut. Its not megacolon. I have had megacolon buns. Ec induced gi problems also dont seem to have quite this degree of pinpointed pain. Though why its pinpointed when gut is thickened all along is odd. Mighty max. She had episodes before and after worming. Ie fir months beforebut we are now weeks after as well. She has also has panacur regularly and then dontrol

So faurly sure its ibs or lymphoma. I think ibs. Vet says its impossible to say without biopsy. She had first chemotherapy this afternoon and now eating very well and looking ok

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parsnipbun said:

Just to update - 24 hours in and PB is currently bouncing around chasing round the place and leaping on and off the sofa.

Although she would 'normally' have episodes of being fine immediately following episodes of pain and of eating difficulty (not eating basically) - the fact that she is like this 24 hours after having blood coming from the gut lining and being passed as substantial clots and blood is pretty miraculous.

The vets say that the chemo will probably have the worst side effects about 3 days in rather than immediately after the treatment so we will see how she copes then .
They are ordering in anti nausea stuff in preparation (stematil) and we are stocking up on Ellas banana flavour baby feed -

The chemo is Vincristine - and my vet today explained how it works to dampen down inflammatory response so that it should help whether its lymphoma or IBS (in fact she said Inflammatory Bowel not Irritable bowel . . my fault yesterday I was a bit over wrought).

If all is well she will have another dose in 2 weeks time.

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parsnipbun said:

Just to update - 24 hours in and PB is currently bouncing around chasing round the place and leaping on and off the sofa.

Although she would 'normally' have episodes of being fine immediately following episodes of pain and of eating difficulty (not eating basically) - the fact that she is like this 24 hours after having blood coming from the gut lining and being passed as substantial clots and blood is pretty miraculous.

The vets say that the chemo will probably have the worst side effects about 3 days in rather than immediately after the treatment so we will see how she copes then .
They are ordering in anti nausea stuff in preparation (stematil) and we are stocking up on Ellas banana flavour baby feed -

The chemo is Vincristine - and my vet today explained how it works to dampen down inflammatory response so that it should help whether its lymphoma or IBS (in fact she said Inflammatory Bowel not Irritable bowel . . my fault yesterday I was a bit over wrought).

If all is well she will have another dose in 2 weeks time.

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