Eye Cancer?

FORUM

What are we about? Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules.

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 19sd replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 1 month ago by LBJ10.

Viewing 19 reply threads

Author

Messages
- 12/27/2018 at 7:21 PM
  mamkzf
  Participant
  12 posts
  Hey everyone, so I posted on here last week about Lennon and a small white spot in his eye. He went to the vet today and she thinks it could possibly be cancer, but is hoping it’s only an infection. She wasn’t 100% confident in making a diagnosis, but did prescribe antibiotics and eye drops for 2 weeks. We are all hoping this will clear up Lenny’s issue, but if not, she is reccommending taking the eye out and hoping the cancer hasn’t spread elsewhere.
  
  My question is, has anyone dealt with eye cancer before? When she shined the light in his eye, it was obvious there was a lump right along the iris as well as some pus. If it is cancer, how well do bunnies handle having an eye removed? The surgery is nearly $900, and seems like a lot to put an animal through, when we don’t even know if the cancer has metastisized or not.
  
  If anyone has any imput or helpful thoughts, I’d really appreciate it. Obviously I’m devastated, as I just brought Lennon home not even 2 weeks ago. He’s acting fine and eating/pooping well, and it’s a tough pill to swallow to think he could already have some major issues going on
- 12/27/2018 at 8:50 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17228 posts
  Do you have a picture? Did the vet suspect EC at all?
- 12/27/2018 at 9:40 PM
  mamkzf
  Participant
  12 posts
  I posted some pictures on here last time, but here they are again where you can see the white spot/area. The vet did not mention EC at all, basically just said it could be either an infection or eye cancer, but that she wasn’t optomistic. This is my first time seeing this vet, as it’s my first time owning a bunny that needs an exotics vet. I’m thinking it wouldn’t hurt to get a second opinion from somewhere else. I discussed it with the breeder I adopted Lenny from, and he said Lenny’s lineage is near perfect, no history of cancer or eye issues in any of his littermates or parents. Not that this means there can’t be anything wrong, but I’m just hoping for the best for my lil bun. That’s why I was curious if anyone else had dealt with this or come across it!
  
  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1huErRKidD_0lGE-Fd5_YKn4abpgDkxYX
- 12/27/2018 at 10:08 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17228 posts
  Oh, did you post this before?
- 12/27/2018 at 10:11 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17228 posts
  OK, I found your other post. You know… I’m surprised the vet didn’t suggest EC as a possibility.
- 12/27/2018 at 10:20 PM
  mamkzf
  Participant
  12 posts
  The vet gave him antibiotics and eye drops for 2 weeks to hopefully clear it up, if it is an infection. But I’m planning on taking him to another place hopefully asap, so we’ll see what they have to say. Just seems so drastic to say well it could be just an infection, or it could be cancer and his eye will have to be removed, IDK
- 12/27/2018 at 11:11 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17228 posts
  If it is EC, he would need to be treated with a different medication. Antibiotics won’t help.
- 12/28/2018 at 7:17 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  17029 posts
  Here is a link to a case study of a rabbit with a white spot in his eye.
  
  In this case the rabbit was treated with corticosteroid eyedrops and antiparasitics. Corticosteroid use in rabbits is highly controversial and they should not be used without very careful consideration. (A cat- and dog vet might not be fully aware of this, since cats and dogs get corticosteroids all the time and react to them much the same as humans do, but rabbits are as a species very sensitive to corticosteroids).
  http://www.vetfolio.com/ophthalmology/excellence-in-exotics-case-report-encephalitozoon-cuniculiassociated-phacoclastic-uveitis-in-a-dwarf-rabbit
  
  Granuloma due to pasteurella is mentioned in the article as a differential diagnosis, in which case antibiotics is the treatment of choice.
- 12/30/2018 at 6:14 PM
  LittlePuffyTail
  Moderator
  18092 posts
  I’m sorry for your situation. I don’t recall if I replied to your other thread.
  
  He went to the vet today and she thinks it could possibly be cancer, but is hoping it’s only an infection. She wasn’t 100% confident in making a diagnosis, but did prescribe antibiotics and eye drops for 2 weeks.
  
  This echoes pretty much exactly what I went through last year with my little senior, Bindi. We did the infection treatment as well to treat for EC which had no results. We did the eye pressure test to ensure he wasn’t in any pain. There was no pressure. I opted not to go with enucleation due to his age, although, I did read (and know several bunnies personally) who did well with the surgery. Sadly, he passed away before I got any answers about his eye.
  
  How old is your bunny? I would question the vet about treating for EC before thinking about surgery. You want that to be a last resort.
- 01/02/2019 at 10:46 AM
  mamkzf
  Participant
  12 posts
  Lennon is only 9 months old. He’s been on his antibiotics for a week now, and so far there’s been no change in his eye, no better or worse. We go to a different vet in another week for a second opinion/follow up, and I’ll be sure to ask about EC. It’s still not bothering him and doesn’t seem to be affecting his vision, so it’s just a little odd!
- 01/02/2019 at 1:46 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17228 posts
  Considering his age, I would definitely be suspicious that it is EC. Phacoclastic uveitis is a common manifestation of EC in young rabbits. Hopefully the new vet can help you.
- 01/05/2019 at 6:19 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  17029 posts
  So agree with LBJ. His age supports the EC-theory.
  
  Best of luck with the new vet! We’d be happy for updates!
- 01/15/2019 at 4:20 PM
  mamkzf
  Participant
  12 posts
  Just wanted to give you guys an update, in case anyone was wondering about little Lenny! The vet I took him to today was awesome, and did a thorough exam on him. Her conclusion about his eye is that it could be from EC, but it’s not really presenting in the classic way for it to be EC. So, her first guess would be just a birth defect, as it hasn’t changed in the past month or so. However, we are still going to treat for EC, just in case, to hopefully prevent anything from getting worse. Otherwise, Lenny is a happy, healthy little boy! Hoping nothing develops/gets worse in the future!
- 01/15/2019 at 4:31 PM
  LittlePuffyTail
  Moderator
  18092 posts
  Thanks for the update. Hope the EC treatment helps improve his eye.
- 01/15/2019 at 4:40 PM
  mamkzf
  Participant
  12 posts
  I do have a question about the EC treatment the vet recommended. Wasn’t sure if I should post here or start a new topic? It’s about the difference between fenbendazole vs albendazole?
- 01/15/2019 at 4:58 PM
  Bam
  Moderator
  17029 posts
  Thanks for the update! You can keep posting in this thread, because it’s practical to have the full story in one thread.
  
  Fenbendazole is what’s most commonly used for EC. Albendazole is the same type of med but it’s not as safe as fenbendazole. Here is an article about treatment of EC from Medirabbit: http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/cuniculi/pyrimethamine.htm
- 01/15/2019 at 5:18 PM
  mamkzf
  Participant
  12 posts
  The vet recommended albendazole, thinking the fenbendazole wouldn’t be strong enough, but everything I’ve read regarding EC treatment uses fenbendazole, which is why I was wondering! Should I go ahead with fenbendazole though, or try the albendazole? I don’t want to do any further damage to the little guy.
- 01/15/2019 at 5:22 PM
  Asriel and Bombur
  Participant
  1104 posts
  My boy has been on Oxibendazole multiple times, which is the strongest EC drug, and has the most negative effects. As long as you bun gets a blood test at 2 and 4 weeks of treatment to check for a decrease in wbc, he should be fine. Be patient with the drug though. It’s not like an antibiotic where it will take effect in a day or two. It can take a week or two for you to see progress and even then you may need another round of the drug.
- 01/15/2019 at 6:41 PM
  mamkzf
  Participant
  12 posts
  The vet suggested using albendazole for 10 days, the wait a month, then another round of 10 days. I just feel more comfortable giving him panacur as that’s what everyone else seems to use. Just a new bun mom being overly worried and scared!
- 01/15/2019 at 6:57 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17228 posts
  Since he doesn’t have any other symptoms, I think it would be OK to try the Panacur first. If it doesn’t help, you can always try something stronger.
Author

Messages

Viewing 19 reply threads

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.