9 year old bunny with large tumour on eyelid.

[elcampbell79]

Hi everyone, I have a 9 1/2 year old Rex rabbit- I’ve had him so long and love him so much but have a tricky decision to make and wondered if anyone has any advice. My bunny has a large almost golf ball sized tumour on his eyelid, unfortunately the first vets I was with did nothing but the vet I am now seeing said the tumour should have been removed when it was small! So now it’s a very tricky decision whether to leave it knowing it will keep growing and soon cause an infection or bleed- he is good in himself at the moment and taking pain relief. But there is a chance he could have an op to remove his eye with tumour, but this is only 50/50 chance- part of me thinks go for it, but when his quality of life is not so good (when the eye is bleeding a lot or is causing him distress)- but if I did the op now whilst he doesn’t have an infection, maybe there is more chance of him recovering. Sorry about the long spiel it’s just a tricky one, I don’t want to put him through it knowing he could have the op but have a difficult recovery/ maybe goes down hill.
Thanku in advance

[Zoobec]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I don’t have any experience of this so I can’t advise specifically but I would always say quality of life is most important. Is your latest vet rabbit savvy? Sending lots of vibes.

[InspectorMorse]

How fast is the lump growing ?

Is it interfering with his eyeball - ie touching it and causing discomfort/ pain ? This would lead to further complications such as corneal ulcers and infections.

Has th Vet mentioned trying a mild steroid ointment on the lump to try to reduce its size/ rate of growth ? I don’t know if this might be an option, but I would certainly ask.

Is the Vet you are seeing now Rabbit Savvy ?

Surgery would be a risk given your Rex’s age, but if he is in general good health and the Vet is very Rabbit Savvy it is possible for a good outcome. I would request a full blood work up prior to surgery. I had an 8 year old Rabbit who had to have an eye removed and he came through the op’ well and went on to make a full recovery.

Best wishes for whatever you decide to do

[elcampbell79]

Thankyou so much. I will contact my vet again (who is very rabbit savy) & I will ask for the mild steroid cream and a full blood count, in case we do go for an op to remove eye in a few weeks- as the tumour has grown very large, it means he can’t see in that eye and the weight of the tumour is pulling his skin down under the eye which is bound to be uncomfortable (he’s still coping remarkably well with it and is good in himself at the moment), we are close to him starting to get infections as you say corneal or other ulcer developing. It might be best to get the op done before infections arise I was thinking? I will keep you updated and thanks so much for your help. Kind Regards Ellie

[elcampbell79]

The only thing that’s stopping me is that he’s ok at the moment, the vet said we could leave it u til the quality of his life is not good. But then he wouldn’t be so good in himself. The vet also mentioned gut stasis and recovery problems, I have critical care and can give him round the clock care but I just as the vet said I don’t want him to have a miserable end, and then feel guilty! My parents have said just leave him be, it’s not fair to put him through an op at his age, but they are not pet lovers- but morally I want to do the right thing.

[InspectorMorse]

Thankyou so much. I will contact my vet again (who is very rabbit savy) & I will ask for the mild steroid cream and a full blood count, in case we do go for an op to remove eye in a few weeks- as the tumour has grown very large, it means he can’t see in that eye and the weight of the tumour is pulling his skin down under the eye which is bound to be uncomfortable (he’s still coping remarkably well with it and is good in himself at the moment), we are close to him starting to get infections as you say corneal or other ulcer developing. It might be best to get the op done before infections arise I was thinking? I will keep you updated and thanks so much for your help. Kind Regards Ellie

Yes, getting the op’ done before any infection sets in would be the best idea. I expect the Vet might want to take skull radiographs before proceeding with any invasive surgery to make sure that there is no evidence of bone damage from tumour growth.

[elcampbell79]

Even though vet said 40-50% of survival? I would feel a bit bad loosing him I guess when he could have had a reasonable couple of weeks- or take the chance?

[InspectorMorse]

Even though vet said 40-50% of survival? I would feel a bit bad loosing him I guess when he could have had a reasonable couple of weeks- or take the chance?

Does the Vet believe the lump is malignant then ?

Without knowing the exact details it is hard to give a fully informed opinion. In some cases a complex surgical procedure might be technically possible but that does not always mean that it is ethically right to do it. Only you can make the final call, in conjunction with the professional opinion of a Vet that you trust.

Not doing surgery would not be giving up on him. Sometimes it can be the kindest thing.

[elcampbell79]

Thankyou so much though, for helping me consider a decision! So the tumour is growing, it’s not malignant as he’s lived with it since January! But is had travelled to the lymph node in his neck. They said they could take that out in an op too as well as the eye! It’s just so hard, both myself and the vet last agreed we could leave it until his quality of life is so reduced, that we could try the op instead of putting him to sleep. But I feel that an op would stand the most chance of working the better he is- I can review it week to week- I’m going away for 2 nights in 2 weeks so might have to tie in the op with my return, but obviously if he goes downhill in the meantime I will stay with him! (We have a bunny sitter but only I can be with him most of the time). Thankyou for taking the time and sharing your thoughts.
Ellie

[InspectorMorse]

Thankyou so much though, for helping me consider a decision! So the tumour is growing, it’s not malignant as he’s lived with it since January! But is had travelled to the lymph node in his neck. They said they could take that out in an op too as well as the eye! It’s just so hard, both myself and the vet last agreed we could leave it until his quality of life is so reduced, that we could try the op instead of putting him to sleep. But I feel that an op would stand the most chance of working the better he is- I can review it week to week- I’m going away for 2 nights in 2 weeks so might have to tie in the op with my return, but obviously if he goes downhill in the meantime I will stay with him! (We have a bunny sitter but only I can be with him most of the time). Thankyou for taking the time and sharing your thoughts.
Ellie

He obviously means a lot to you and I am sure that you will do whatever is best for him. Rex Rabbits have a very special place in my heart, I have kept them for 25 years