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Cancer in bunnies :(

C

catherine09

Mama Doe
Sorry to only come on here at the moment when I need help, but got my first encounter with the dreaded C word :(

I found a small lump on Rivers abdomen 2 weeks ago today (Sunday), took her into the vets the following Monday and she had an op on the Wednesday to remove the lump.

Today we got the devastating news that it was a cancerous lump - breast cancer :cry:

Vet (not JC but my very good local vet) said to keep a very close eye and that any sign of more lumps we would remove them. It was a slow spreading cancer and they got a good margin on the lump but obviously cannot tell if it has spread.

She is 3.5 and I expected many many more years with her yet. I’m not sure what this means in terms of life expectancy - has anyone got any experience?

Feel a bit numb about it all really.
 
Oh Catherine, I'm so sorry :(

I have absolutely no experience with Cancer in rabbits, however here are my thoughts. There are certainly significant positives that you have been told. The fact that it is slow-growing and also that they have obtained a good margin. I imagine that the risks are the same as for humans, that cells from the original tumour have already spread within her body, ready to metastasise elsewhere. Although, I would think this is unlikely based on what you have been told, I would be asking if there is any way that you can eliminate that concern i.e. MRI scan, blood test etc.

Sending loads of vibes for your beautiful girlie.

PS If the trigger is hormonal, then perhaps there is medication she can take to lessen the odds of it recurring.
 
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catherine09 said:
Sorry to only come on here at the moment when I need help, but got my first encounter with the dreaded C word :(

I found a small lump on Rivers abdomen 2 weeks ago today (Sunday), took her into the vets the following Monday and she had an op on the Wednesday to remove the lump.

Today we got the devastating news that it was a cancerous lump - breast cancer :cry:

Vet (not JC but my very good local vet) said to keep a very close eye and that any sign of more lumps we would remove them. It was a slow spreading cancer and they got a good margin on the lump but obviously cannot tell if it has spread.

She is 3.5 and I expected many many more years with her yet. I’m not sure what this means in terms of life expectancy - has anyone got any experience?

Feel a bit numb about it all really.
Click to expand...

Hello Catherine

I am sorry to hear your news about River. I am assuming that she is spayed ? If so, was she spayed at the usual time -ie about 6 months of age ?

I had an Ex Breeding French Lop called 'Victoria Meldrew' (she was in Rescue due to being very grumpy, hence her name..) She was aged 2, or thereabouts. I had her spayed and all was fine for almost a year. She then developed two lumps near her teats. She had them removed and during surgery my Vet found a lot more very abnormal and nasty looking tissue. So VM effectively had a total mastectomy. Tissue samples sent to the Vet Lab confirmed that it was adenocarcinoma. VM did not have any further treatment (Chemotherapy/Radiotherapy) as she also had other health problems. I opted for palliative care for her. Her passing was not actually due to metastasis from the adenocarcinoma but from an aggressive infection in a front foot which led to osteomyelitis in her foot/leg. I did not think it ethical to put her through a front limb amputation so she was PTS.

I do hope that River does well for a long time.

This paper may be of interest to you

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3992310/
 
I’m so sorry:cry: I don’t have any experience of this so I can’t advise, but I’m sending lots of vibes and hugs xx
 
I've no experience either, but just wanted to add my vibes and good wishes for you and River xxxx
 
I’m so sorry, Catherine. I’ve just received your Fbook message but my iPad is being really difficult and I can’t respond. I feel shocked that your beaituful River who at last found contentment with a mate is now faced with this.
 
Thanks all. So upset I just can’t think straight at the moment

Jane - she is spayed. She was a stray that I took on in April 2016 and she was spayed a month after she arrived here - so May 16. We don’t know for sure but she was estimated at 9 months to a year old when she was spayed. So I guess she is nearer 4 now actually.

It’s breast cancer, not ovarian cancer, so I didn’t think it would be linked to whether she was spayed or not? Perhaps there is a link
 
catherine09 said:
Thanks all. So upset I just can’t think straight at the moment

Jane - she is spayed. She was a stray that I took on in April 2016 and she was spayed a month after she arrived here - so May 16. We don’t know for sure but she was estimated at 9 months to a year old when she was spayed. So I guess she is nearer 4 now actually.

It’s breast cancer, not ovarian cancer, so I didn’t think it would be linked to whether she was spayed or not? Perhaps there is a link
Click to expand...

There can be but it's unlikely if she was spayed at less than a year of age. As I said VM was about 2, maybe a bit older when she was spayed. In dogs and cats spaying at a young age greatly reduces the risk of them developing malignant mammary tumours. I would assume the same applies for Rabbits.

''Sex hormones certainly play a role in development of mammary tumours in the b1tch. Intact females have a seven-fold increased risk of developing mammary cancer compared to neutered females. The age at which ovariohysterectomy takes place is directly proportional to the risk of developing mammary cancer''

Full article :

https://www.ava.com.au/sites/defaul...to Worry - Treatment of Mammary Neoplasia.pdf
 
I think that there will be different types of mammary cancers in rabbits, the same as in humans. For some of those cancers there will be a hormonal trigger and then there will be a link to whether the rabbit was spayed and the other reproductive type cancers. Knowing what type of cancer it is will enable you to do lots of research and get a better understanding of what you are dealing with.

PS Link to a survey identifying various types of breast cancer found https://www.researchgate.net/public...gus_cuniculus_Classification_and_Epidemiology The prognosis for these different types is very likely to be different. In humans the most common breast cancer found is Ductal.
 
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My lovely lady for those who don’t know her

Elc2def.jpg


ZHM0kB0.jpg


And with Albie - the boy she waited 2 years and countless failed bonds :)roll:) to find. Bonded since March 18

IqckCsY.jpg
 
I'm sorry that it came back as C but thankfully River has the bested hooman care giver who spotted it. I really wish River a long and bunderful life with Albie, we will keep our claws crossed always that it has not spread. River is so stunning! Even more stunning in the fur actually

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk
 
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