Epidermoid cysts on mammary glands of male rabbit

[Nichole]

My neutered male rabbit  (3 years old) has epidermoid cysts on all eight mammary glands.

I first noticed in December of 2016 and freaked out and took him to the vet. There was only one lump and the vet said it felt like “normal” mammary development you would see in females preparing to lactate. I asked why it would be happening to a male and he had no answers. One cyst became many and I went back for a follow up. The vet didn’t seem concerned and no tests were done.

Several months later the cysts are still around and I wanted to have them tested to make sure they weren’t malignant. The vet drained all of the cysts, had the fluid tested and it came back benign (consisted of only epithelial cells). She suggested that I have them removed and gave me an estimate of around $800 (US).   I find that prohibitively expensive, especially if the lumps aren’t hurting him. The lumps did come back after draining.

Now I am second guessing myself because I read a scary article that said cancers don’t always start out malignant, but can become so with time. I’m thinking about asking around for more estimates, but understandably, they all want to see him before they comment, and at around $100 per visit, that gets expensive fast. I’m currently on disability and receive payment, but that could end at any time, so I don’t want to put such a huge dent in my savings if I end up needing it to live on it (my parents are also partially dependent on me financially), especially if the surgery is not even necessary.

Does anyone else have any experience with anything like this?  All of my rabbits have always had rare problems that baffle even veterinarians. 

[Nutmeg]

I have no experience with this at all, but just wanted to comment and say what an awesome bunny owner you are!!
Your bunny is so lucky to have you advocating for him and wanting to look out for him!

As for cost, I just had my bunny spayed – which ran me almost $400 – so I’m not sure what the comparison in cost would be for surgery on all 8 glands.

Hoping others on here can chime in if they have had experience with anything like this.
Sending good vibes your way!

[Bam]

Bumping this.

Epidermis cysts in humans are common an nearly never cancerous. It’s true that not all cancers start out as cancers, meaning tumors can be benign at first and then turn malignant.

Epidermoid cysts seem to consist of keratine from what I could read in this article:
http//:www.healthline.com/health/epidermoid-cysts
Did the vet give any reason for removal? If the cysts aren’r bothering your rabbit removal might be excessive. The article says they can usually be ignored. They can be removed for cosmetic reasons but rabbits tend to be rather indifferent to cosmetic flaws.

800 US dollars doesnt seem to me like an unreasonably high price for surgical removal of 8 cysts, but vet prices vary a lot between countries and regions. If removal is recommended for cosmetic reasons I’d not have it done, Teres always a risk with anesthesia and surgery, both in humans as animals. If the cysts starts to grow so much they bother the rabbit it’s a different scenario though.

[LBJ10]

I agree with Bam. Very rarely would they become cancerous. If they aren’t hurting him or posing a risk (e.g. constantly rubbing and becoming infected), then there is no reason to remove them.

[Nichole]

Thanks for the reassurance guys. I’ll probably just take him in once a year or so to have them drained and tested again, and monitor his behavior obviously. He doesn’t seem too bothered by them and they aren’t even visible under his fur, not that it would bother me if they were. I definitely considered the risks of anesthesia and the recovery process, and I agree, it wouldn’t be fair to put him through all that unless it was really necessary.

[Author]

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