Found a growth on my bunny's skin

Hello to all. I would like to ask your opinion about a matter that came up today and really causes me extreme stress and sadness. Today while i was petting my bunny i accidentally found a round skin colored growth between her front hand and her neck. It doesnt seem to bother her at all and i dont know from when she had it since it cannot be seen or be found easily. She is a long haired bunny. The growth looks like a wart. I have spoken with two different vets(unfortunately there are no vets specialized in bunnies in my country) and they told me two different opinions. The one told me that he doesnt believe is something malignant and that i need to check it regularly to see if it changes and if it does, then to speak again and choose whether or not to remove it. The other vet told me that since he cannot know what it is,it is needed to be removed asap. Now what really stress me is the fact that my bunny has a really sensitive stomach since she was a baby. Several times she suffered gi stasis and she cannot handle antibiotics at all. She is really precious for me she is a true family and i love her unconditionally. I am very much afraid that if i will take the chance to remove it, she will possibly have complications from the post operation therapy and die. Right now she is super happy and healthy and i cant stand the thought of losing her. I would really appreciate it if anyone of you have seen any similar growth and what is your opinion about it. Thank you in advance for your time and sorry for the long post.

Hello

Without being able to see the 'lump' it is impossible to make any constructive suggestions as to what it may be. There are many possibilities, some serious, some not. Did either of the Vets actually see the lump ? It is sometimes possible for a Vet to have a fair idea as to the likelihood of whether or not it is benign or malignant. Sometimes a fine needle aspiration or skin biopsy can be taken (this does not require sedation) and the cells can be viewed under a microscope. This can give some indication of whether the lump is malignant or not. The actual feel of the lump can also provide some clues. Malignant growths often have a 'stalk' that can be felt under the skin. The general appearance of the lump is yet another source of potentially useful information.

I would certainly advise you to get a Vet to actually examine the lump as really without doing so you wont have any idea as to what it may or may not be. If it is likely to be benign then just monitoring it may be all that is necessary. These links may be useful to take a look at

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Viral_diseases/Pap/Papilloma.htm

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Viral_diseases/Fib/Fibroma.htm

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Viral_diseases/Nod_myx/Nodular_myxo.htm

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Cancer/Sarcoma/Fibro/Fibros_en.htm

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Cancer/Sarcoma/Skin_Lymphoma/Lymph_rab.htm

Hello and thank you so much for your fast reply. I have sent to both vets a photo of the growth. Unfortunately in my country everything is closed except supermarkets due to covid 19 so vets are also not accepting to check animals that are not an emergency or get an operation done. So the only case to be able to go to the vet is to decide to take my bunny to get the growth removed. And im really so much afraid to take this decision since every other time that she needed to take antibiotics(for example when she removed her molar teeth) she is getting extremely sick and she is about to die due to her sensitivity in her stomach problems. Is there a way to be able to send here a photo of the growth in order to be able to see it? I have checked the links but it is not similar to any of the photos. Also i have checked if there is a stalk under the skin but there is nothing,it looks only like a round flesh colored wart on the skin. It is more like a round wart above the skin rather than a lump that is under the skin. Also i would like to thank you so much for your reply and all the help !!!

meobunny said:

Hello and thank you so much for your fast reply. I have sent to both vets a photo of the growth. Unfortunately in my country everything is closed except supermarkets due to covid 19 so vets are also not accepting to check animals that are not an emergency or get an operation done. So the only case to be able to go to the vet is to decide to take my bunny to get the growth removed. And im really so much afraid to take this decision since every other time that she needed to take antibiotics(for example when she removed her molar teeth) she is getting extremely sick and she is about to die due to her sensitivity in her stomach problems. Is there a way to be able to send here a photo of the growth in order to be able to see it? I have checked the links but it is not similar to any of the photos. Also i have checked if there is a stalk under the skin but there is nothing,it looks only like a round flesh colored wart on the skin. It is more like a round wart above the skin rather than a lump that is under the skin. Also i would like to thank you so much for your reply and all the help !!!

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This thread may help you to upload images onto this site


http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?475766-Tutorial-How-to-Post-Photos

I have a Rabbit with a few benign wart like growths 'Papillomas' that look like this




Is it similar to your Bunny's 'lump' ? The papilloma actually changes in size sometimes looking bigger, sometimes smaller. At the moment it is not bothering him or irritating his eye. But a time may come when it does and he will have to have it removed. He too has a chronic stomach problem, so antibiotic treatments are somewhat more risky. But thus far if he has them administered by injection as opposed to orally he is fine. So injectable antibiotic treatment may be an option for your Rabbit should they be necessary. Also, whilst there is much debate as to how useful giving probiotics are in order to try to maintain a good balance of healthy gut bacteria, doing so during and for a week or so after a course of antibiotics wont do any harm and might be of benefit. In the UK we have this product

https://www.protexin.com/products/veterinary/rabbits/fibreplex-for-rabbits/26

I am not sure if you are able to source something similar in your Country.

This retched Covid 19 situation has a lot to answer for doesn't it

Hello and thank you so much for the reply. I believe that yes it is a bit similar to the one that your bunny has. Thank you for explaining me how to upload a picture. This is a zoomed picture of my bunny's growth
http://imgur.com/gallery/k5NEtYh
I have checked underneath the growth and it seems to be completely on her skin it doesnt have any lump or root under the skin. Also it doesnt bother her at all. Thank you for the advice on the probiotics unfortunately indeed i tried to give her when she was taking antibiotics but again she had the same serious stomach pains that caused her gi stasis episodes and i almost lost her . I am in a bit of panic because I dont want to risk her health, she is a very happy healthy bunny right now and i want to ensure that i will offer her the best life she can have. I dont want to risk to go and remove it if it is unnessecary, and risk to lose her from her sensitivity on antibiotics. Thank you so much for all the replies and the help and i also wish the best to your bunny too. he is super cute ❤

meobunny said:

Hello and thank you so much for the reply. I believe that yes it is a bit similar to the one that your bunny has. Thank you for explaining me how to upload a picture. This is a zoomed picture of my bunny's growth
http://imgur.com/gallery/k5NEtYh
I have checked underneath the growth and it seems to be completely on her skin it doesnt have any lump or root under the skin. Also it doesnt bother her at all. Thank you for the advice on the probiotics unfortunately indeed i tried to give her when she was taking antibiotics but again she had the same serious stomach pains that caused her gi stasis episodes and i almost lost her ��. I am in a bit of panic because I dont want to risk her health, she is a very happy healthy bunny right now and i want to ensure that i will offer her the best life she can have. I dont want to risk to go and remove it if it is unnessecary, and risk to lose her from her sensitivity on antibiotics. Thank you so much for all the replies and the help and i also wish the best to your bunny too. he is super cute ❤

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Hmmmmm, my concern about that is that is somewhat vascular :? Has the Vet got back to you after seeing the image ?

This is a bit technical, but may be worth a browse

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topic...ogy-and-pharmaceutical-science/trichoblastoma

Hi again. I have shown to both two vets the picture from before. The one told me to keep an eye on it and if it changes then to speak again and see if it will be better to remove it. The second vet told me he cannot know what it is but it is better to take her to remove it . I worry a lot and unfortunately due to covid 19 they are not accepting to take her just to check her. It is really so frustrating

Thank you very very much for the link that you posted. I have checked it and I believe what my baby has, looks like trichoblastoma description. If you know is trichoblastoma dangerous?? In the link it says it is not an aggressive tumor.

meobunny said:

Thank you very very much for the link that you posted. I have checked it and I believe what my baby has, looks like trichoblastoma description. If you know is trichoblastoma dangerous?? In the link it says it is not an aggressive tumor.

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Firstly, I need to make it clear that I am not a Vet or in any way Veterinary qualified. I am just a bit obsessed with Rabbit Health matters !!

As I understand it Trichoblastomas rarely become malignant

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15677970

That said, I have no idea if this is what your Rabbit's lump is. Maybe you could suggest it to one of the Vets who have seen the image of it, explaining the reasons why you are so reluctant to have it removed unless it is absolutely necessary.

Thank you for once again very much !! I have already sent the link to both vets and the one who suggested to keep an eye on it replied and said that indeed it seems to be a trichoblastoma and if it is not bothering the bunny or it doesnt change in appearance it is not necessary to remove it and risk the chance of post operative complications. He told me that he usually sees similar tumors to dogs and if they ate not bothering the dogs he doesnt remove them but he keeps an eye on them for changes. Im still waiting the reply from the vet who believed that it shoud be removed.

meobunny said:

Thank you for once again very much !! I have already sent the link to both vets and the one who suggested to keep an eye on it replied and said that indeed it seems to be a trichoblastoma and if it is not bothering the bunny or it doesnt change in appearance it is not necessary to remove it and risk the chance of post operative complications. He told me that he usually sees similar tumors to dogs and if they ate not bothering the dogs he doesnt remove them but he keeps an eye on them for changes. Im still waiting the reply from the vet who believed that it shoud be removed.

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I am glad that at least one Vet got back to you. Hopefully it will just be a case of keeping an eye on the lump and to make sure it does not grow rapidly or start to bleed

Yes i wish the same too ❤ I hope everything will be under control !!