Hi everybun!

This is my first post here on binkybunny so please excuse weird formatting. Long post ahead!

My 10 year old bun Peanut and I have been struggling with some health issues in the past couple months, and I’m looking for some advice as I am terribly conflicted about how to move forward.

In short, my girl is not spayed, and likely has uterine cancer or endometrial hyperplasia or a uterine cyst that caused a lot of bleeding with clots last week. She was perfectly fine for 2-3 days after the event, and the vet said I had to decide whether or not to spay her. I was weighing pros and cons, was in contact with a highly recommended exotics vet, when she stopped eating and I thought it might be time for her. I took her in and we are treating aggressively for GI stasis and possible uterine infection. She’s doing better now, maybe 65% back to her normal sassy self. I am planning on bringing her in for x-rays, ultrasound, etc., when she is eating more normally.

My question is this: considering her age, her recent GI issues, and the fact that her mass has been present for at least a year and a half, should I go through with a spay? I am terrified of losing her on the surgery table and want to keep her stress & pain-free as much as possible. 

In long, I have lived with bun since she was a little baby, but was not primary caretaker until just before COVID. She’s always been very healthy and energetic, loves cuddling and her treats 🙂 In the last year we have gotten very very close. She is unfortunately not spayed.
About a year and some months ago, I brought her in for some lumps around her nipples. The vet did an aspirate and determined that they were filled with milk. He also discovered a mass in her uterus, but I didn’t seriously consider spaying her due to her age. Having done more research, I wonder if they were not actually filled with milk, but if they were some kind of mammary tumor. I am drowning in regret that I didn’t get her spayed at this point, but I was nervous about putting a senior girl under anesthesia.
About two months ago, she had her first ever bout of GI stasis, after going through a false pregnancy. I rushed her in for medical care, and she ended up being hospitalized overnight. Her kidney values were elevated and there was concern for kidney disease. The doctor thought her GI stasis could have been triggered by her possible kidney issues or uterine mass. We did syringe feeding, pain meds, panacur for possible e. cuniculi, and subcutaneous fluids until her recheck blood work came back all clear ❤️ It was a very stressful time for both of us, but I’m so happy and grateful that she made it through. It took her a couple weeks, but she was back to her normal self. We had an amazing 2 months together after that.</p>

Two days ago we were cuddling on the couch when she bent over to check her hind end. I thought she was eating her cecotropes until I saw the pool of blood. There was so so much blood, with a few large clots. She had just jumped off the couch and back on, so I thought she had broken something, but it was coming from her vulva. I absolutely panicked and was about to race her to the ER when I got a hold of her vet, who told me to monitor and bring her in asap next morning since the bleeding stopped fairly quickly. He said she was stable and that I need to decide whether or not to spay her, as he thinks her uterine mass is what caused the bleeding. He didn’t see any evidence of cancer on the x-rays we did during her stasis episode 2 months ago. He said it could be a cancerous mass, or an overgrowth of normal tissue / hyperplasia.
I got into contact with a highly recommended exotics vet to consult on her case and weigh the pros and cons of putting her through surgery (she said she doesn’t do rabbit spays because they are difficult, which made me so nervous!). She was doing perfectly well for 2-3 days after the bleeding, when she stopped eating well. I literally thought she was going to pass at home just three days ago, she was hiding, not moving for hours, didn’t want to be touched, trying to bite. She improved a bit with at home GI stasis care (simethicone, critical care, pain meds), and I took her in to a different vet yesterday. We are treating for stasis with more of the same, plus fluids and an antibiotic for possible infection as I am fairly certain she is having tan discharge from her vulva. The vet and I agreed on focusing on getting her through this episode of stasis first, before moving forward with x-rays to check for spread of cancer & ultrasound to check on the mass. She thought it would be risky, or even very risky, to do surgery the way she is now.

I don’t know what to do. I keep going from one decision to the other, back and forth. I want to give her the best chances at a good life, but she is already 10 years old, and surgery, even if successful, may not give her much more time. If it is cancer, it may have spread to places that are undetectable on diagnostics. She may not make it through anesthesia, or have a painful and difficult recovery or not recover. But maybe it will be successful and we can have more time together. Or should I keep her on pain meds, maybe steroids if that is a option, keep her happy and comfortable until it is time? I keep checking to see if she is breathing / eating / pooping; I have been an emotional wreck. Any advice, experience, thoughts are welcome and appreciated. Thank you!

edited by DanaNM to remove weird formatting