Thymoma

[roxyroller88]

Hi guys

It's been a long time since I posted here but my rabbit (Ginny) has recently been diagnosed with what we believe to be a thymoma. No biopsies have been carried out but a large mass has been confirmed via CT scan. Her only symptoms so far are bilateral exophthalmos (bulging eyes) when her head is below her heart (mainly when she is eating) and a slightly reduced appetite. She is still eating well but she is a little more picky with treats than usual!

We have discussed many treatment options (surgery, radiotherapy etc) but due to her temperament (she's a very spicy bun!), have opted for palliative care with a steroid injection every 2 weeks.

She had her first injection last Monday and her eyes stopped bulging almost instantly. As of today, it looks like they are starting to bulge again Other than that, she is fine in herself but it's still kinda hard to see.

Just looking for general support, recommendations and personal experience with thymomas. Thanks

Xxx

 

[Zoobec]

Welcome back! I don’t have any experience of this but I’m sending lots of vibes xx

 

[joey&boo]

I've no experience of thyomas - sorry to hear Ginny has. I did lose Joey in 2021 to a foot cancer which we opted to treat palliatively so I've some experience of losing a bun to an untreated cancer.

Whilst its good she responded so positively to her steroid treatment it must frustrating its not lasting the 2 weeks. Is there an option to have it every 10 days?

Its nice to see you back if under sad circumstances. I randomly found myself singing Billy Monkey, Billy, Billy Monkey... not long ago

 

[InspectorMorse]

I have had two previous Rabbits who were diagnosed with Thymomas. Both were treated with a corticosteroid injection. It was given every 2 weeks at first but over time this was increased and in the end stages it was given every 5 days. Both Rabbits coped well for about 6 months. Neither had any adverse reactions to the corticosteroid. The corticosteroid was Dexamethasone given by intramuscular injection.

 

[roxyroller88]

Thanks guys 🩷

Sadly we've had a really tough couple of years. We sadly lost Bea after she had a soft tissue sarcoma on her foot. We amputated and all was good but then 10 months later we lost her to a massive tumour on her chest (seems particularly unfair that we are now going through this with Ginny). We then lost Hiro at the beginning of the year - he had an undiagnosed heart condition and we lost him whilst he was under GA for a CT scan (They also found another inner ear infection and a jaw abscess). A week later we lost Henry to an unknown illness which caused lots of seizures. That left us with a lone Bunny (Sylar), so shortly afterwards we got Ginny in the hope of bonding them... she was 5 years old and unspayed but we wanted to give her a chance. During her spay we found uterine cancer and a mammary mass.... we took it all away with good margins. She had a CT to see if it had spread and all looked good.... but now a thymoma! On top of it all, she hates Sylar and we never managed to bond them. It's been one hell of a year

 

[roxyroller88]

I have had two previous Rabbits who were diagnosed with Thymomas. Both were treated with a corticosteroid injection. It was given every 2 weeks at first but over time this was increased and in the end stages it was given every 5 days. Both Rabbits coped well for about 6 months. Neither had any adverse reactions to the corticosteroid. The corticosteroid was Dexamethasone given by intramuscular injection.

Thanks for the info What kind of symptoms did your buns have? Did either of them have bulging eyes? Xx

 

[roxyroller88]

I've no experience of thyomas - sorry to hear Ginny has. I did lose Joey in 2021 to a foot cancer which we opted to treat palliatively so I've some experience of losing a bun to an untreated cancer.

Whilst its good she responded so positively to her steroid treatment it must frustrating its not lasting the 2 weeks. Is there an option to have it every 10 days?

Its nice to see you back if under sad circumstances. I randomly found myself singing Billy Monkey, Billy, Billy Monkey... not long ago

That's amazing A song that I still struggle to sing even now. It makes me feel good that someone remembers him and his song though

I'm planning to discuss the frequency/dose of injections with Molly but she is away on a work trip for the next few weeks. Hopefully we can make some tweaks!

 

[joey&boo]

I'm genuinely sorry to hear you've had such a tough time with your beloved bunnies. That is a whole lot of heartache. Thank goodness you got Molly though I imagine she is in demand

 

[bunny momma]

I am so sorry you have experienced so many issues with your bunnies in such a short time. Sending vibes that you and your vet can sort Ginny's Thymoma treatment plan.

 

[roxyroller88]

I'm genuinely sorry to hear you've had such a tough time with your beloved bunnies. That is a whole lot of heartache. Thank goodness you got Molly though I imagine she is in demand

She has been fab as always. Since I was last here, I've actually qualified as a veterinary nurse, so I also have the backup of a really awesome and supportive team. Not at all bunny savvy at all but very lovely and always willing to try their best.

I am so sorry you have experienced so many issues with your bunnies in such a short time. Sending vibes that you and your vet can sort Ginny's Thymoma treatment plan.

Thank you

 

[roxyroller88]

A photo of my beautiful girl

 

[joey&boo]

She has been fab as always. Since I was last here, I've actually qualified as a veterinary nurse, so I also have the backup of a really awesome and supportive team. Not at all bunny savvy at all but very lovely and always willing to try their best.

Thank you

oh wow congratulations

 

[Zoobec]

She has been fab as always. Since I was last here, I've actually qualified as a veterinary nurse, so I also have the backup of a really awesome and supportive team. Not at all bunny savvy at all but very lovely and always willing to try their best.

Thank you

Congratulations!

 

[bunny momma]

She has been fab as always. Since I was last here, I've actually qualified as a veterinary nurse, so I also have the backup of a really awesome and supportive team. Not at all bunny savvy at all but very lovely and always willing to try their best.

Thank you

Well done!!

 

[InspectorMorse]

Thanks for the info What kind of symptoms did your buns have? Did either of them have bulging eyes? Xx

Yes, exacerbated when the ‘wheelbarrow test’ was carried out. Other symptoms were dyspnea and exercise intolerance. Apart from that they remained ‘well within themselves’ until the latter stages when both became anorexic, the dexamethasone injections stopped providing any symptomatic relief and they were clearly very unwell. At that stage they were PTS.

I know Mark Rowlands has successfully carried out surgical removal of thymomas from Rabbits. But for my two I opted for palliative care.

i expect that you have already read this

Thymomas in rabbits

This article will look at thymoma recognition and treatment in rabbits. Medical versus surgical treatment options will be explored along with nursing strategies for dyspnoeic rabbit patients. Thymomas are slow growing neoplasms in the cranial mediastinum that can pose life-threatening...

www.theveterinarynurse.com

Congratulations on qualifying as a VN x