What is this red object on my bun?

so back in May 2017, I wrote this thread, as there is a patch of fur that won't grow back:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?464670-There-is-a-patch-of-fur-missing-on-my-bun

then due to an accident, the vet needs to stitch up that spot. The vet said Bobby is 10 yr. old, that's why that patch of fur didn't grow back

Some fur grow back, most didn't.

But in the recent weeks, there is a red object surface

https://imgur.com/a/QsngJ



his diet is excellent. He eats like a horse. All his behaviour is normal. I sense that red dot is related to that area. but what is it?

I wonder how rabbit savvy your vet is? I’d be looking around for a specialist/second opinion. Sorry I can’t help further.

Happy Hopping said:

so back in May 2017, I wrote this thread, as there is a patch of fur that won't grow back:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?464670-There-is-a-patch-of-fur-missing-on-my-bun

then due to an accident, the vet needs to stitch up that spot. The vet said Bobby is 10 yr. old, that's why that patch of fur didn't grow back

Some fur grow back, most didn't.

But in the recent weeks, there is a red object surface

https://imgur.com/a/QsngJ

his diet is excellent. He eats like a horse. All his behaviour is normal. I sense that red dot is related to that area. but what is it?

Click to expand...

Hi Jason, it looks as though there may have been a reaction to the suturing material used to stitch up the wound.This may now have become infected. It certainly merits another consultation with a Rabbit Savvy Vet as my suggestion is only an unqualified guess

Does it look like an abscess? The stitching was done in late May. This little object surface in the past few weeks. So almost 6 mth.

Anyhoo, I did book an appointment w/ the rabbit specialist this Mon.

EDIT:

I just remember that because the bare skin didn't grow back any fur, I did grab him and there is a new wound the size of a dot. But it heals the next day. And it's nowhere near that red dot.

Happy Hopping said:

so back in May 2017, I wrote this thread, as there is a patch of fur that won't grow back:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?464670-There-is-a-patch-of-fur-missing-on-my-bun

then due to an accident, the vet needs to stitch up that spot. The vet said Bobby is 10 yr. old, that's why that patch of fur didn't grow back

Some fur grow back, most didn't.

But in the recent weeks, there is a red object surface

https://imgur.com/a/QsngJ

his diet is excellent. He eats like a horse. All his behaviour is normal. I sense that red dot is related to that area. but what is it?

Click to expand...

Hi there

It could be a little cyst that's come up unrelated to the previous wound treatment. But possibly a reaction/scratching/inflammation ..

As SJH says, I would seek advice from a rabbit savvy vet, or if you have one, perhaps a second opinion?

the one that I used is the best in the city. Anyhoo, I'm concerned this becomes a circle. That the part of skin needed to be cut out causes further problem down the road, that's why I am hoping for a drain. Unless it needs to be drain every few months, then we should just cut it.

The wound and the stitches is on the LEFT side of the photo, so it actually is nowhere near the object. But clearly these 2 incidents are related somehow

see the vet Mon. morning.

I posted the above at House rabbit society as well, and I notice more people leaning towards sulture material left over than "a bacteria that invaded the area under the broken skin barrier"

I wonder why that is. And it also bother me that the vet didn't use dissolving stitching material in the first place

Happy Hopping said:

see the vet Mon. morning.

I posted the above at House rabbit society as well, and I notice more people leaning towards sulture material left over than "a bacteria that invaded the area under the broken skin barrier"

I wonder why that is. And it also bother me that the vet didn't use dissolving stitching material in the first place

Click to expand...

Hi.
I would also incline towards suture material under the skin. This may not be infected at the time of suture, but we all have bacteria floating round in the blood from time to time & they are "eaten up " by our white cells. If the bacteria get into suture material, the white cells can't get to them, so you can get a stitch abscess at any time after insoluble sutures are put in.
I can't tell from the photo, but get an impression that the lump isn't red enough to be seriously infected.At 6 months it is too late for it to be related to bacterial contamination at the time of injury/suture.
Looks more like that because it's foreign to the body, suture material has been walled off, & is being pushed to the surface, in a small cyst.

Re using non soluble suture material. This is used in deeper wounds, or wounds which have to be closed under tension where complete sound healing cannot be reached before the soluble suture material weakens. Materials such as dexon can produce an allergic reaction, less common with chromic catgut. Healing is obviously slower in older animals.

Re site. Rabbit skin is very mobile. If the nature of the injury was such that the vet had to put some sutures underneath the skin, this would explain it all very nicely, including why non soluble material was used.

I'm sorry I can't give a definate answer, just offer a hypothesis which fits the facts given. Hope it helps.

thanks for replying. So when we drain the abscess tomorrow or remove it, we need to dig out the residue of the sulture material, am i right?

Happy Hopping said:

thanks for replying. So when we drain the abscess tomorrow or remove it, we need to dig out the residue of the sulture material, am i right?

Click to expand...

Yes. The residue should come out easily because it will be surrounded by pus.

So I just come back from the vet hospital. He said it could be an abscess, it could be what Tumps said, that some sort of reaction to that stitching but he confirmed that he did use the auto dissolving type. And also said it could be cancer. This vet like to cover all his basis. The truth is, the red object is within 1 mm of the stitching back in May. So I find it hard to believe it's cancer

Now I have a problem, the surgery is set for tomorrow. And if the vet cannot use sedation on my bun, then he has to do an Ultra short gas session. Now my bun is 10 yr. old, so I don't know if he can go thru that.

But we have another option, is to use a needle to find out what that red object is, and go from there. What would you guys do?

Happy Hopping said:

So I just come back from the vet hospital. He said it could be an abscess, it could be what Tumps said, that some sort of reaction to that stitching but he confirmed that he did use the auto dissolving type. And also said it could be cancer. This vet like to cover all his basis. The truth is, the red object is within 1 mm of the stitching back in May. So I find it hard to believe it's cancer

Now I have a problem, the surgery is set for tomorrow. And if the vet cannot use sedation on my bun, then he has to do an Ultra short gas session. Now my bun is 10 yr. old, so I don't know if he can go thru that.

But we have another option, is to use a needle to find out what that red object is, and go from there. What would you guys do?

Click to expand...

I'd ask the vet what happens if we leave it. Leave the body to sort it out - burst on its own, or not. (My emoticons have a white out - I want to do a wink)
Do you have to do it now? or can you afford to "see how it goes"?
(It would be wrong of me to offer any other advice on the basis of my experience of only 2 lumpy bunnies!)

well, I cancelled the surgery. I now picked the option of using a needle to grab a sample and see what this is. The needle option will be done tomorrow at 8 am. We'll see what it is

I hope all goes well at the vet's tomorrow.

Hope all goes well today

The lab report comes back: it's fibrosarcoma, so to totally remove the related area, they said they need to put Bobby under a full GA. This is surprsiing, as Bobby is given blackberry daily from Oct. to mid June every year, blackberry should prevent cancer cells from forming.

Anyhoo, is there other members' rabbits that has fibrosarcoma? and how do you guys deal w/ it?

I would be opting for the surgery to remove it, and maybe x-rays at the same time to check there has been no spread. His age alone should not preclude a GA, assuming a health check shows there is nothing else wrong. I would be worried about it growing, spreading or bleeding.

Cancer cells form for all sorts of reasons. A single food item isn't going to stop it, I'm afraid - otherwise the medical profession would have everyone on blackberry and there would be no cancers.

Shimmer said:

I would be opting for the surgery to remove it, and maybe x-rays at the same time to check there has been no spread. His age alone should not preclude a GA, assuming a health check shows there is nothing else wrong. I would be worried about it growing, spreading or bleeding.

Cancer cells form for all sorts of reasons. A single food item isn't going to stop it, I'm afraid - otherwise the medical profession would have everyone on blackberry and there would be no cancers.

Click to expand...

Yes, my thoughts, also.

Shimmer said:

I would be opting for the surgery to remove it, and maybe x-rays at the same time to check there has been no spread. His age alone should not preclude a GA, assuming a health check shows there is nothing else wrong. I would be worried about it growing, spreading or bleeding.

Cancer cells form for all sorts of reasons. A single food item isn't going to stop it, I'm afraid - otherwise the medical profession would have everyone on blackberry and there would be no cancers.

Click to expand...

This is my view too. It's possible that food items may help in some cases to prevent cancers forming, as will some healthy lifestyle choices. However, at the moment imo there is insufficient knowledge and evidence to support some views.

Once a person or animal gets to the stage when it is confirmed that a cancer has formed, the best action is to take advice from doctors/vets and try to prevent it spreading. In your rabbit's case I presume this would be by surgery.

but based on the photo, (and now that the red object has been removed), say they remove the surrounding tissues, exactly how do they stitch back the open wound? THis is what my vet said:

"The margins of the tumor are not "clean" as a full scale debridement and removal of the mass and the affected area was/is not possible without a full
general anesthetic and would be an extensive mass removal."

and this are the links he sent:

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Cancer/Sarcoma/Fibro/Fibros_en.htm
2)http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1354/vp.44-5-579
3)https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/fibrosarcoma-and-feline-sarcoid