Chain of tumors in Happy’s stomach

[Bahar]

I was petting Happy and felt something something like a few small marble balls (3 or 4 or may be 5) stuck together like a garland in his stomach (on the right side) around the mid of June.
And on the left side there is something hard just beneath the ribcage. It’s not normally felt, only when seen very minutely.
If he stands or sits I can only feel the lump chain if I dug my fingers deep. I only feel it while petting and feeling around casually when he is laying down.
He has no pain nothing. He is as healthy and happy as he can be.

As you know that a lockdown is going in all over the country no diagnostic centre where i live is allowing us to have an x-ray done. There is no veterinary x-ray clinic or such here. There was only one human clinic where they allowed us but they are not anymore now. Atleast not untill everything gets back to normal. I have begged to the man over phone but he is adamant.

I am dead scared just at the thought of something wrong.
Happy is eating pooping binkying and dreaming as usual. He is content and very happy.
I am sorry if I seem to overreact. It’s a pandemic situation and even if it wasn’t…we have no help here.

There is not vet here that I can rely on and the moderately good vets are hours away from us and it won’t be safe for us to travel that long in this situation.

As some of you might remember, Happy had one tumor when I got him on the left side of his stomach and it’s still there. It never bothered him. so my only hope is that he will survive these ones as well. Please spare some advice. What can I do?

Since June I have contacted many people on Facebook and was advised to keep an eye on it as I have no other choice but I just can’t be patient. I am worried beyond belief. I wanted to know your thoughts on it. Can my Happy fight it? I am attaching some pictures below

The white spots are unique where the tumors are.

The tumors are of the size of the yellow ball.

Please help.

[prince dorian the bun]

Have you noticed the tumors grow at all? Tumors & lumps are scary, but there are many that are pretty benign, we tend to be more likely to get them as we get older… some people or animals are more predisposed to them. If they are not growing, or they are growing a bit then shrinking back I think Happy will be okay. I am not a vet or Doctor, just passing on information that I got from my doctor when I had a little lump and also from vet for my cat. In both cases I was told if there was no change in size or very slow growth it was unlikely to be cancer, and if it was it was more likely treatable. It is hard as there isn’t anyone to really check them out for you, but I would just focus on Happy’s actions and how she is feeling. If they are growing a lot, then that is more urgent, I don’t know what to recommend to you in that case. Hopefully that is not the case though.

Can you bring her to a vet or such who can feel them and give you a better idea? Maybe it’s some scar tissue or small cysts. I don’t know rabbit anatomy but lymph nodes can get blocked and feel a bit like that.

Oh and I am definitely not saying I am an expert and do hope you are able to get a real diagnostic, but given your situation wanted to at least share my experience. Wishing you both the best!!

[Bahar]

Thankyou for your reply. Actually we don’t have any vet that knows about rabbits in my area or my surrounding area. The place where the vets are somewhat good is far away. The vets here get angry if I ask anything or point out any fault of theirs. They hold the bunny by their back skin and mishandle the bunnies. I am sure if I take Happy to them, they will poke in such a manner that the problems will elevate. The vets are horrible here. Happy is very happy and active now. I hope everything will be fine.

[prince dorian the bun]

I am sorry to hear that @Bahar . I hope Happy is fine, it sounds like she isn’t in any discomfort and has her appetite, all good signs 🙂  Maybe someone else more experienced in buns can give some more things to look for.

[LBJ10]

Are these bumps always in the same spot? I’m wondering if they are just poop. Particularly the ones you’re feeling on the side, just beneath the rib cage.

[Bahar]

Happy is a baby boy.

The tumors are always moving around, those don’t shift from right side to the left but the whenever I touch then to feel the size those move.

[DanaNM]

I had the same thought as LBJ10, possibly just poop in the digestive tract? Things can feel a bit lumpy in there, the cecum especially is a huge organ that can feel odd at times. My understanding of tumors is that they do not move. Are you ever able to see the peristalsis of his gut when he’s laying down? Sometimes after a big meal you can see the waves of contractions in the intestine when the rabbit is laying down, that might give you some more clues as to what you are feeling.

I think given the difficulty with getting to a vet in your situation, I would probably just monitor for signs of pain. If Happy is eating, active, pooping well, and seems happy (!) overall, I would just keep an eye on his overall health and try not worry too much.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[LBJ10]

Ah, if they are moving around when you poke at them then I’m going to go with the poop hypothesis. My guess is the cecum comes close to the surface right there and poop is easy to feel when it passes through that portion. This isn’t unusual. People often freak out when they feel these marble-like “tumors”, only to find out they are just poop. I second Dana on seeing movement of the gut when he’s laying down. Do you ever witness that?

If he seems to be acting normal otherwise, I wouldn’t be too worried. If they were tumors, they wouldn’t really move around and they would likely be growing in size.

[Bahar]

Thankyou so much. I wholeheartedly what to trust this as this is putting my heart at ease.

Happy is very active and healthy, is eating, binkying and is very happy.

Yes I do feel the peristalsis movement but this was different. The tumor like things are always moving and are very slippery. Happy has no pain or no reaction when I touch those. I want to believe those are just poops. Thankyou ❤️

[Bahar]

Also the tumors are always in the same region. Those move quite a bit but are in the same area. It’s so helpless here.

[LBJ10]

They are in the same region because that particular spot is likely an area where the cecum is close to the surface. As the poop passes through, there will always be something to feel right there. Hopefully that makes sense.

[Bam]

I agree with the others. Solid tumors don’t move around, they are firmly attached. They also grow in size. The reason you feel them in the same area is, as LBJ says because of the location of the cecum. A good rabbit vet will palpate the rabbit’s cecum (very gently) during an exam, so it is a part of the gastrointestinal tract that can be felt with your fingers.

Just to be extra sure I read up a bit on mammary tumors in rabbits. They would be extremely rare in a male rabbit. It’s different with guinea pigs, but in rabbits, mammary tumors practically only occur in girl rabbits.

[Bahar]

Thankyou so much. I am much at ease and relaxed.

[Author]

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