Vet advice (recommendations) update 03/09 results on mass received

Hi,

A few weeks ago while getting her nails trimmed and weight my vet noticed that our girlie bun, Temperance, has lost 300g. She was due her vaccs in a few weeks so the vet said keep a close eye and we'll weigh her again then. At the vaccs she had gained 5g, the vet looked in her mouth and noticed an unusual mass which was bleeding. She has since been in to get looked at under anaesthetic and they have found that it is a tumour running the length of her molar, it is bleeding a lot when touched and as it wasn't noticed at her check up at the start of the year they think it might be fast growing. My vet is unable to perform the surgery as they don't have the equipment to stop the bleeding quickly enough. Their recommendation is to go to the D1ck vet school, and they've referred me.

We've had the cost estimate for the vet school and while we can afford it its rather a lot more than i expected (Temperance isn't insured due to her age). I have contacted the RWAF about approved vets in my area ad they advised that we have a specialist nearby called Elizabetta who has recently set up a practice (I am assuming this is Elizabatta Mancinelli). I asked my vet to call her practice (which they didn't seem massively keen on but did it anyway) and have advised me of the consultation fee which is slightly less than the vet school but they can't estimate the surgery costs.

So the cost no longer being part of my decision my question is- how do I choose between the D1ck vet and the RWAF recommended specialist?

NB: Temperance is happy within herself at the moment, as reedy and active as ever, but the vet has advised to get the surgery sooner rather than later as they don't know how long until the tumour will become problem, so I want to make my decision by monday (or today, if possible).

Thanks,

Gayle

Are there any other factors that would make the decision easier for you, such as travelling time / distance, or overnight stays at the vet? Different vets have different routines. Some will use existing x-rays (saves you money and possibly a sedation for bunny), they may expect them to be in overnight before or after the op, post-op check requirements and aftercare provided may differ, they may only consult on certain days, availability may differ over weekends, etc. I would ring and ask each of them to talk you through exactly what they would do, what happens after the op, and what they expect from you. Also ask your referring vet for their experiences and opinions - they will be the ones you will have to work with after as well.

The overall cost is always difficult to determine in an animal they have not seen, but you should be able to get a general indication of costs, or at least rates that you can compare with your regular vet. For me, it would be the experience of the vet performing the procedure and how it all fitted into my normal routine for travelling to appointments. You are quite lucky to have a choice of recommended vets in your area.

I agree that you need to make a decision and get it sorted ASAP as mouth problems cause eating problems which then affect the whole rabbit.

Some questions to think of
Does Elizabetta's clinic have overnight and vet care on site, with someone there 24 hours a day?
Do they have a ct scan if that would be needed?
Can you manage the travelling to the chosen clinic, and at short notice if bun took ill while at home?

I have just had a bun, Honey, who was referred to D1ck vet for help with snuffles. She ended up having an op. While I'm sorry I agreed with the op because it turned out to be too much for her, her care has been great. Elizabetta is also an excellent vet. I saw her once when she was at D1ck vet.

I hope your little one is feeling better soon.

Thanks for your replies guys, in terms of distance the vet school is ten minutes closer so not really much in it. Elizabetta is only available mon - weds. I am thinking it will end up being the vet school, but I'll call both vets this morning for a chat and get booked in either.

Thanks again,

Gayle

Update: appointment now made with the vet school for 9am on wednesday

Update: we went for the consultation on weds morning, left her 10am, by lunch time she'd had the surgery :shock:
We collected her on thursday night, one of her ears is slightly lopped from the IV but thats the only give away that anything is out of the ordinary, otherwise she is her usual self

She is on various painkillers, antibiotics and gut stimulants for the next 5/10 days and she has to go back for a check up next week, at which point we'll also find out what the mass was.

I hope Temperance recovers quickly

Sending lots of vibes for a speedy recovery

Sounds like she is doing well .

I was there on Wednesday too, but a bit later than 9. We probably just missed each other.

Sending vibes x

Lots of vibes for a very speedy recovery

Things are not so good tonight

She was fine this morning, active and as enthusiastic as ever about food (she had pellets, some fresh herbs - this is normal routine food. Also she's been getting a barley ring or two a day since losing weight so she also had one barley ring).

We were out from around 11.30am until about 8.30 pm. She seemed fine when we came in, went to give her dinner about 9.30 and she wouldn't touch it. She also 'wobbled' slightly when she ran off (like as if she was going to stretch her back legs but kept hopping, she has since done this another couple of times). She is also pressing her belly against the floor. Gave her her meds, tried her with some food again but she still wouldn't take it. Went to tesco and got some fresh herbs as we'd ran out, she won't take those either. Have mixed up some critical care which she wouldn't take herself. I've split their pen in two and gave her hay as well as a selection of 'treat' foods (pellets, fresh herbs, 2 barley rings, critical care). Will check on her in a couple of hours (hopefully the meds will kick in in the mean time) and if she still isn't eating/hasn't poo'd I'll call the emergency vet.

How is Temperance this morning? Did you need to get in touch with the emergency vet?

Sending vibes x

I called the emergency vet around midnight, they said that there wasn't any meds they'd give her that she wasn't already on so the next step was to force feed her. So we made up some critical care and syringe fed that, we split there pen so we can be sure she's eating/pooing and I set an alarm for 2am. When I checked on her at 2am she had eaten the barley rings I'd given her and poo'd. When I next checked on her at 6am she had eaten everything I'd given her (herbs/pellets/barley rings, though couldn't say for certain if she'd had any hay), she took another barley ring after she'd had her morning meds, and she was looking much more relaxed. I've left them separated for the day so I can be sure shes eating/pooing normally, so hopefully she'll be feeling back to normal by tonight.

Thanks

So glad things seem to be getting back to normal .

Sending vibes x

Not so good again tonight

She was much better when i came in from work, had eaten everything I left her and had poo'd some more.

Unfortunately in the last 30mins or so she's gotten much worse again. Firstly I noticed she was lifting hair tail up whilst lying down, then she got up and sat as if she was trying to pee but couldn't (she did pee a bit on her blanket and also 1 small poo and she has also pee'd during the day). She is very restless, panting heavily, not eating again. We've given her her meds and syringed her some water as it doesn't look like she drank much during the day. The emergency vet last night said it can take up to a couple of hours for the meds to kick in so I'll give it a while and if she's no better will call the emergency vet again.

iiisecondcreep said:

Not so good again tonight

She was much better when i came in from work, had eaten everything I left her and had poo'd some more.

Unfortunately in the last 30mins or so she's gotten much worse again. Firstly I noticed she was lifting hair tail up whilst lying down, then she got up and sat as if she was trying to pee but couldn't (she did pee a bit on her blanket and also 1 small poo and she has also pee'd during the day). She is very restless, panting heavily, not eating again. We've given her her meds and syringed her some water as it doesn't look like she drank much during the day. The emergency vet last night said it can take up to a couple of hours for the meds to kick in so I'll give it a while and if she's no better will call the emergency vet again.

Click to expand...

sounds like pain induced stasis and dehydration - is she on sufficient painkiller?

parsnipbun said:

sounds like pain induced stasis and dehydration - is she on sufficient painkiller?

Click to expand...

This is what she's on:
Tramadol 0.2ml twice a day for ten days
Metacam 0.8ml twice a day for ten days
Septrin 1.25ml twice a day for ten days
Zantac 0.53ml twice a day for 5 days

(she had her surgery on weds)

I'm going to call the emergency vets in a minute.

Just back from emergency vets, they had a good feel of her tummy and said it feels ok although she has a few hard poos that could be felt. She pee'd when the vet touched her bladder and the vet thinks she might have a bit of a UTI as she tested her pee and it had protein and a tiny bit of blood, and also with her straining. The vet has given me a print out sheet of what they found to bring to the vet school when she goes in for her check up this week and we've been advised to syringe feed while she is refusing food.

Sending vibes for her xx

How is she doing today?

If she isn't doing well again, I would get in touch with the vet school. If the problem is connected to the op in any way, they would prefer to see her there. My Honey was referred there and had an op on a Wednesday, was sent home on the Friday, and I took her back in on the Saturday. She stayed there till the following Wednesday.

The vet school might want to see her themselves again, or they might be able to give advice over the phone.

Sending more vibes x

She was much happier this morning, had been to the toilet overnight and had eaten quite a bit of what I'd left her with. She still wouldn't take pellets for breakfast although she happily accepted a few barley rings. We gave her a syringe of critical care as well.

She was due to go back to the vet school this week anyway so I've made the appointment for tomorrow morning