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questions about rabbit cancer...

tomswife29

tomswife29

Young Bun
My vet did a biopsy and just called me to tell me my bunny michelle's cancer (inwhich she had a tumor removed last week) is a type of breast cancer, and that its an agressive cancer. so far its been a week and the tumor has not grown back, and shes doing fine besides her suspected teeth problem in which im bringing her in next tue to get checked out. does anyone have any experience with this, as i cant find much on the internet. i searched the forum and someone mentioned blackberries and blueberries as well as echinacia tea to fight cancer cells but i dont know how much to give her. i really dont know anything about cancer in rabbits, and my vet isnt giving me very much info excet to keep a close eye on her. im so sad and depressed and lost and wish someone could tell me a little info. :cry:
 
I am very sorry to hear this :cry:

Did the Vet do any other diagnostics such as bloods, Xrays, Ultrasounds etc to try to establish if there is any signs of metastasis ?

I know of one person on here who's Rabbit was treated with chemotherapy for Acute Myeloid Leukaemia but I dont think the drug combination used would be suitable for Michelle :? The Chemo apparently consisted of Dexadresson every 3 days and Cytarabine once and then again 3 weeks later. A long acting antibiotic was also apparently given.

I did have a Bun who had a total mastectomy as a result of Breast Cancer. Thankfully it had not spread. She did not receive chemotherapy.

I will do a bit of searching later and see if I can find any more info for you.
I really am very sorry that the news about Michelle is not good :cry:
 
I found these links

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Rabbits-703/mammary-tumors-rabbits.htm

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Rabbits-703/2009/7/Mammary-tumor.htm

I think much will depend on whether the cancer has already spread. I certainly hope that it has not.

Perhaps your Vet could refer Michelle to an Oncologist and/or a Homeopathic Vet. A Homeopathic Vet may be able to offer advice about complimentary therapies which may help Michelle stay feeling well for as long as possible.

Please do keep us updated

xx
 
the vet took xrays before the surgery and there were dark spots on the xrays around her lungs. she said she cant tell me for sure since they havent been tested, but she thinks they are most likely a couple tumors in her lungs. and after reading the thing u posted where the vet said it usually spreads to the lungs, then it seems that it the case:-( i just cant believe this is happening to my strong bunny. its hard to listen to anyone else, i just keep thinking maybe God will give me a miracle for my baby. ive never lost an animal (besides my two mice a few years back, which i was a mess.) my cat is 17 and still doing fabulous, and my other 2 buns are doing well. this is such a shock to me i cant go through the day wout crying every few minutes.(not in front of michelle).
 
I think what I would try to do in your situation (which I have been in several times :cry: ) is to try to make every minute of every day special for little Michelle.
At the moment she appears to be feeling OK so she has no idea of what is going on. She will have no fear or anxiety about what may happen next.

For us we want a beloved Bunny to live forever. But noBun can :cry: For a Rabbit its the quality of time they have with us that matters, not the quantity.
You are clearly devoted to Michelle and she must be such a happy little Bunny :)
She may now be very sick, but whilst she feels OK she does not know that.

You can talk with us on here anytime as we all understand exactly how hard it is to have a special Bunny who may be on borrowed time. If you can post photos we would all love to see your special Bunny :)
 
I am so sorry to hear about Michelle, you must be absolutely devastated.

I too have nursed a bun with cancer and the best thing you can do, as Jane said, is try to make every moment special and let them have the treats that they want.

Please give Michelle a nose rub from me. Thinking of you.
 
bunny babe said:
I am so sorry to hear about Michelle, you must be absolutely devastated.

I too have nursed a bun with cancer and the best thing you can do, as Jane said, is try to make every moment special and let them have the treats that they want.

Please give Michelle a nose rub from me. Thinking of you.
Click to expand...

Agree with this. I had a bun who suffered from lymphoma and we just did everything we could for her and tried to make her as comfortable as possible. Sorry you're having such a hard time xxxxxx
 
I am so sorry to hear about Michelle :cry: Sending lots of vibes for her. Thinking of you both at this hard time :( xxxx
 
I just wanted to add something.

While I nursed my rabbit we became very close. Closer than we had ever been. Previously, "Baby" had only every been interested in her husbuns and was not keen on human company. She was a real "girlie" bun who fussed her men. When she became ill, Homer became distant from her so we brought her in.

I had her on my knee sat on the floor in the kitchen, next minute she licked me. She had never ever done this in the 4 years we had her. During her last week with us my husband was working away and every night I got in from work (my sister and Mum were popping in during the day) we just spent the whole time together, staying up late on the settee with her on my knee and she was constantly licking me and making little chattering noises. She appeared to be very happy. I believe it was her way of thanking me for looking after her and I feel very privileged to have spent the time with her, especially during the last week as we built a very special bond.

I hope that you and Michelle have a lot more time together so you can enjoy each others company.
 
I too am sorry you are faced with this. Earlier this year we lost my Summer to cancer (she had skin cancer that spread to her liver and then lungs). We did exactly as Jane as suggesting to you, which was to make each and every minute amazing for her. Summer had a lovely time, and when it came to saying good bye, we got so much comfort from knowing she had had the most awesome time for the last few months of her life.

Not sure if you are interested, but this was her tribute video,and shows some of the things that she did when we were giving her the best time in the world.

http://www.megavideo.com/?v=FXQ61WZU

(it's a bit complicated to watch, you have to press the red button, then close the window it opens and then the original button will turn green and click that, then the video should play).
 
We too have lost many bunnies to cancer, one of the ones we lost more recently was to lung cancer. But he still enjoyed life to the very end and didn't appear to be suffering.

I would give Michelle extra meals and make sure she has plenty to keep her warm. All our cancer bunnies have benefitted from having snugglessafes round the clock. This means owning 2 or 3 so you can heat a new one and replace it before the old one is completely cold.

Sending lots of vibes for Michelle and you xxx
 
tomswife29 said:
thank you everyone. sky that video was so sweet i cant stop crying. summer was beautiful.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry, but thank you for your comments. I find that watching that video brings so much comfort because I can see how much of a great time she had, despite everything she went through.

I found that where you are standing now is the hardest part because you're faced with so much uncertainty and confusion about what to do, what the future holds, the horrible 'will I get it right' question, and adding grief to the mix too. Also though, when you make a bunnies life so wonderful for them and you know it is so important, its a wonderful feeling too. The whole experience is a roller coaster of ridiculous emotions.

Please keep talking to us if you want to. My PM box is open if you want a chat or anything.
 
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