Hi Moshu.

Thank you for making such an informative post. I inserted the photo for you because it was broken initially.

Over the time I’ve been on BinkyBunny, I’ve come upon a couple circumstances where, after death, the owner(s) realizes there was a mass growing internally. The presenting symptoms have varied, and based on this, I am fairly confident that every circumstance is different.

I would assume the progression varies, depending on the type of mass it is (some types are more aggressive than others). Removal is not always possible as well. I remember a member whose rabbit had a mass growing against his heart and lungs, and doing surgery there would have been much too dangerous. Is early detection good? Yes — in almost all circumstances, early detection can give the vet some flexibility on the best way to treat a problem — but it is just not logical to throw a battery of tests on a rabbit who shows no symptoms for early detection. All rabbit owners, as paranoid as we already are, rightfully do not request random xrays and CT scans unless there’s a sign that something’s wrong. You may feel guilt for not catching it early, but it’s natural. It came so suddenly, and there’s no way you would have known. There is also no guarantee in this case that early detection could have done anything.

In fact, I’ve had discussions with Wick’s vet about why his immune system seems much weaker than other rabbits — and we had a discussion that potentially, he may have something internal taxing him. His vet said casually, which I understand, that if we see signs of some sort of growth (i.e. rapid deterioration, odd blood work…), more than likely we’re looking at symptom care because of the dangers of trying to remove such growths when they reach that stage.

I know this reply is very vague, and I’m unsure if it helps in any way, but I think a good thing to keep in mind is we are only human, and it’s a lot to take on, thinking about what we “could” have done. You did the best you could, which is caring for Moshu with all your heart.

I don’t have much to add because I’m not a vet nor do I have experience with this but I just wanted to comment regarding pain. You asked if a mass like Moshu had could cause chronic pain so I assume you’re concerned that she was feeling pain for a while prior to her noticeable decline – as I said, I’m no vet but I would be pretty confident in saying that a bun that is in pain would show signs. It is very unlikely that a bun would feel pain for an extended period of time and wouldn’t exhibit signs that you would have spotted so if you’re feeling any guilt (I get the impression you are?) then PLEASE don’t. You acted as soon as you noticed him acting different.

Binky free Moshu xxx

I agree with Wick and Sarah, you had no cause to think something was really wrong and there’s no way we could scan our rabbits (or ourselves for that matter) for everything, all the time. Moshu was eating until the day she passed. It seems unlikely she could’ve carried that huge mass round for very long and still be eating.

The mass is really big but also very well rounded and even, and that of course makes it likely that it is a fluid filled sack, not a tumor. cancerous tumors tend to be unevenly shaped and “ugly”. I think fluid can collect pretty quickly, but I will have to try and read up on things like these, because I know far too little. I’m looking at mesenteric and hydatid cysts now (tapeworm cysts) for starters. 

I will ask the other forum leaders as well. You have already heard from Wick.

Note that I have limited medical knowledge and am not a doctor nor a vet at all. These are just my thoughts.

– Generally how long does it take for a mass this huge to form?

Entirely depends on what it is and I don’t have the knowledge to tell you sorry. It does not seem malignant (cancerous) to me but rather some benign body, indeed filled with fluid (it’s nice and round and the inside seems “hollow”). I’m not sure how one acquires such bodies filled with fluid, some form of infection comes to mind. Furthermore, animals and humans can have small cystes naturally appearing in their body. They don’t do harm unless they get so big that they start obstructing other tissues. Maybe this body has been there your buns whole life and just started growing for some reason (again, possibly infection).It seems to stem from the liver, based on this one image I have to assess it.

– Does it cause chronic pain?

It can cause pain if the surrounding tissues are squished/pressed or if blood supply to the surrounding tissues is compromised. Just because of the size I think it could have caused some discomfort, but since it does look like a fluid filled body and not a tumor I don’t think it was very painful (malignant tumors will grow and mangle and squish their way THROUGH tissues while fluid filled bodies will just press on them) Bunnies will continue eating even when uncomfortable. My old bun continued eating when she lost a leg and had a chronically infected wound – that gotta hurt! They will stop eating when the discomfort/pain becomes too much though, so just assume your bun was happy enough to not be bothered by it too much.

Avantika, I have sent you a PM.