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Help!! Melanoma and chronic dental abscess.

Kimmiekims

Young Bun
Hi,

Looking for a bit of advice and reassurance about my beloved Kiki, an almost seven year old minilop! A bit of background as Kiki has an extensive medical history! Kiki has an abscess in her lower jaw, it had an atypical presentation as the abscess actualllly tracked up to her cheek which surprised my vet as she had not seen this before! She had surgery to drain it and we have been successfully treating for three years with Betamox injections every two days! She requires regular vet visits for trimming of teeth as they do not wear properly, but she is never sedated for these! She had had two flare ups this year, with pus visible in her mouth, that have required long courses of baytril and fucidin/chloramphenicol eye drops!

In February I noticed a small black patch on her ear with a tiny nodule, less than 1mm! At the time as she was having a flare up of her abscess we took no action, she would not have been well enough and we thought we might lose her then! We have kept an eye on it and it has become much bigger, growing now to around 5mm with a large black border! I was concerned so I brought it up to the vet again who has been keeping an eye on it but was alarmed at how quickly it has grown since her last visit! She has told us that our options are to do a surgery and try and remove it, which is tricky sit to the location being near the base of her ear, or do nothing!

If we do the surgery it will be an anaesthetic and her ear will have to be folded to bring the skin together as it will require a sizeable piece to be removed! I feel that this might be awkward and uncomfortable for her, as well as the obvious worry about anaesthetic risk, especially with her chronic abscess! If we do nothing I am worried it will continue to spread and I will lose her sooner than I need to, but I feel I would be being selfish putting her through a huge procedure she may not survive, especially when there is a chance it has already metastasised!

Sorry for the long post but I don't know what to do, I can't lose her, but I don't want to put her through unnecessary suffering! Does anyone have any advice?
 
Just approved this for you and bumping so people will see. :wave:

It's a very difficult choice - I was faced with a similar dilemma with one of my bunnies and I don't think there's ever a clear cut answer but hopefully you will get some advice her to guide you into making the right choice for you and for Kiki. x
 
Just approved this for you and bumping so people will see. :wave:

It's a very difficult choice - I was faced with a similar dilemma with one of my bunnies and I don't think there's ever a clear cut answer but hopefully you will get some advice her to guide you into making the right choice for you and for Kiki. x

Thank you! I've been reading through some posts and it seems an uncommon diagnosis, it's hard to know what to expect! I wish there was a crystal ball for situations like this, it's just so difficult to know what's for the best! x

Also, my Kiki looks like your Alfie!
 
I am sorry to hear about Kiki's problems

How do you know for certain that it is a melanoma ? I assume the Vet has taken a biopsy ? It is a very rare condition in Rabbits

*Warning graphic images on this link*

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6021888/

Exactly where on her ear is the lump ?

Has she ever had skull radiographs as the abscess/dental problems you describe are often seen when there are problems with the tooth roots. This link may be worth a read

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Differential/Rabbit_dentistry.pdf
 
Thanks for getting back to me! We haven't had the melanoma tested yet as our vet is fairly certain it's malignant due to how fast it's grown! She did say she could try and do a fine needle aspirate, but was worried that would irritate it and draw Kiki's attention to it, she doesn't seem bothered by it at present. It is near the base of her ear, so removal would mean taking off the skin with a decent margin and trying to close up!

https://flic.kr/p/2aFJREu

Kiki did have X-rays done when she had her surgery three years ago, but none since! As she had been managing well no one wanted to take the risk of putting her under an anaesthetic just for X-rays! This link is the best one with the clearest view of the abscess round her lower back tooth! I agree that the eye issues are likely due to the roots pressing as it flares up as soon as she's off drops!

https://flic.kr/p/NCvPWC

I hope the picture links work, it's a bit new and my Flickr wasn't cooperating!
 
I'm sorry I can't advise as I have no experience of Melanoma in rabbits. I would like to send lots of vibes for Kiki, whatever you decide regarding the surgery.
 
While I have never had a melanoma in a bunny with a chronic problem, I did have an 11-12 year old bunny with a lump in his side hear his shoulder that got large quickly. I put off surgery due to his age until it was the size of a golf ball (he was a dwarf) and I knew I could not wait much longer. He did well and his lump was benign.

There is no correct answer. If you wait, it may become too large to remove given the location of the growth; yet removing it now can be more risky with her other medical issues. Is there an alternative to a general anesthesia?
 
While I have never had a melanoma in a bunny with a chronic problem, I did have an 11-12 year old bunny with a lump in his side hear his shoulder that got large quickly. I put off surgery due to his age until it was the size of a golf ball (he was a dwarf) and I knew I could not wait much longer. He did well and his lump was benign.

There is no correct answer. If you wait, it may become too large to remove given the location of the growth; yet removing it now can be more risky with her other medical issues. Is there an alternative to a general anesthesia?

Glad to hear your bun did well under anaesthetic, it's such a worry! She is a wee fighter and anaesthetic is a risk but I think it's where the lesion is that causes the most concern! A large amount of skin would have to be cut off the top of her ear and the the remaining skin would have to pull together to close the wound! The cartilage in her ear would have to be folded to allow this, it wouldn't be normal for her! I worry that the wound would be too large to close, or her new ear would upset her, although I know they are resilient wee things! It's a hard decision to make for her, I'd hate not to give her a chance!
 
Glad to hear your bun did well under anaesthetic, it's such a worry! She is a wee fighter and anaesthetic is a risk but I think it's where the lesion is that causes the most concern! A large amount of skin would have to be cut off the top of her ear and the the remaining skin would have to pull together to close the wound! The cartilage in her ear would have to be folded to allow this, it wouldn't be normal for her! I worry that the wound would be too large to close, or her new ear would upset her, although I know they are resilient wee things! It's a hard decision to make for her, I'd hate not to give her a chance!

I understand. In addition to the anesthesia risk you need to decide if what could be a larger growth will bother her more than a reconfigured ear.
You know your bunny best, so I can only offer you and she more positive vibes.
 
I don’t have any experience of this so I can’t advise but I’m sending lots of vibes xx
 
Thanks for the positive thoughts! I spoke with our vet yesterday, a new nodule poppped up on the melanoma in the past few days, it's growing very fast! She is going to refer us to the oncology department at Glasgow vet school, they might be able to advise on a non surgical course of treatment! I have read about a melanoma vaccine for dogs being used on a rabbit, might be worth exploring! We think given the location surgery is not going to work, so we will just take things as they come! x
 
Thanks for the positive thoughts! I spoke with our vet yesterday, a new nodule poppped up on the melanoma in the past few days, it's growing very fast! She is going to refer us to the oncology department at Glasgow vet school, they might be able to advise on a non surgical course of treatment! I have read about a melanoma vaccine for dogs being used on a rabbit, might be worth exploring! We think given the location surgery is not going to work, so we will just take things as they come! x

You may be interested in reading this old thread

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...sley-and-his-cancer&highlight=vaccine+parsley

'parsnipbun' seldom visits RU these days but if you are on FB you could message her via there. PM me if you need details xx
 
Thanks for the positive thoughts! I spoke with our vet yesterday, a new nodule poppped up on the melanoma in the past few days, it's growing very fast! She is going to refer us to the oncology department at Glasgow vet school, they might be able to advise on a non surgical course of treatment! I have read about a melanoma vaccine for dogs being used on a rabbit, might be worth exploring! We think given the location surgery is not going to work, so we will just take things as they come! x


I can probably get you more info on this. Do PM me if you'd like me to pursue on your behalf :D
 
You may be interested in reading this old thread

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...sley-and-his-cancer&highlight=vaccine+parsley

'parsnipbun' seldom visits RU these days but if you are on FB you could message her via there. PM me if you need details xx

Thank you for that! Very interesting reading, it seems they tried the vaccine, I wonder what the results were! I could only find one example of it being used in a rabbit online, and that was an abstract, that rabbit lived for around 20 weeks after surgery and treatment with the vaccine! Do you think she would mind me contacting her? It would be good to know if it's a route worth going down, what side effects might be an issue etc...
 
Thank you for that! Very interesting reading, it seems they tried the vaccine, I wonder what the results were! I could only find one example of it being used in a rabbit online, and that was an abstract, that rabbit lived for around 20 weeks after surgery and treatment with the vaccine! Do you think she would mind me contacting her? It would be good to know if it's a route worth going down, what side effects might be an issue etc...

I am sure she would not mind, she is extremely busy so she may not be able to get back to you straight away. I'll PM you the rest of this message :)
 
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