My Bunny has Cancer

[Sam and Delilah]

Hello BinkyBunny Community,

My name is Sam and I am 20 yrs and from North NJ USA, my bunny Delilah is a mixed outdoor bunny and is about 11 years of age. I’m writing this post here in hopes that other bunny lovers could help me with this rather pressing and emotional discovery. 

For the past three weeks my bun has been eating, pooping, and acting quite normally. What was once a small mass on her eye (which came off as a minor sty initially) has nearly tripled in size! I know there must be slight discomfort for her but it isn’t pushing her eye out of it’s socket, it just prevents her from having a full range of sight or shutting her eye completely. About 5 times a day I flush her eye with a diluted boric acid wash and cover the bump with a gel which we ordered from Chewie (

While crossing my fingers and applying this regime had seemed like a hopeful solution for my bun, the sty (now diagnosed cancerous mass) continued to grow. About two weeks ago when the issue first persisted I absent-mindedly took her to an animal hospital not quite considering if they took exotics or not, just to get a medical opinion. The nice young vet did not know much about my situation but told me that the mass was troubling, was beyond just a sty, and that he also could refer me to a local “specialist”

Here is where my true question resides: What is a fair amount of money to spend on a loving 11yr old bun with a life expectancy of about 13? (according to my vet)

Today when we took Delilah into a local Avian+Exotic Clinic/Hospital. Upon consultation the veterinarian diagnosed the mass as cancerous but also told us that our bun was a boy. (I truly had no clue for she never liked to be flipped around and I never thought to double guess what I was always told as a child!) Apart from the mass on her eye, he told us that there seemed the be a mass in one of the testicales as well – I was truly shocked.

The veterinarian continued to tell us that our (only) option was to get a biopsy and then follow through with spaying her/him. After this we would need to remove the whole mass which in our case would most likely be the whole eye. The BIOPSY alone is $500. I know there shouldn’t be a price tag on the love you have for an animal but that seems a bit ridiculous considering the vet could tell through a physical exam that there were masses in the reproductive region as well as the eye. The biopsy alone would be ONLY to determine if the cancer were malignant or benign. I’m not a medical professional but if there are masses in both the testicales and the eye isn’t it fair to say it is spreading??

I did my own research and discovered that most cancers in rabbits do begin in the reproductive system and spread later on. This information intrigued me because this means through a simple search I was able to infer that his issue most likely began in the testicales and spread through the body and to the eye. Isn’t this something my vet should have known or even considered informing us about? 

I would like to reiterate my question, becuase I do plan on getting a second consultation, but do you think that this is fair to my bun? How can a professional suggest that the only thing that can be done in this situation is to castrate the bun and take out the whole eye for possibly two more years of life? He made me sound cynical for even asking this question. I felt as if he just wanted to take my money. The biopsy would be $500 and the surgery/spaying itself would probably be between and additional $1000-$2000!! I want to do all that I can but I do not want my bun to be in an unnecessary amount pain. Please let me know if you have any suggestions to help my bun’s quality of life, or if you have any suggestions for an exotic specialist in Northern New Jersey.

TIA

Sam and Delilah  

[Wick & Fable]

I’m sorry to hear you and your rabbit are going through this. In short, my advice is that you bring this up to your current vet and any other vet you consult with. Each case is different, and in addition, a lot of what you’re asking is more so on your comfort level.

To the root of your question, I think it is generally what your comfort level is, in terms of what measures and expenses you’re willing to go to. This not only means price, but also how far you nudge or question a veterinarian, what tests you do or do not agree to, etc. If you feel like you do not need to the biopsy, then let the veterinarian know and discuss it. Many times veterinarians ask for such tests because knowing things for certain can determine very important treatment decisions. Your concern about doing the biopsy is best to be presented to your vet, since he/she has suggested it. All vets approach things slightly differently, especially exotic vets, so having an open discussion about why decisions are made and what options there are is important, especially if you’re questioning a vet’s judgement.

Price aside, is the neuter and eye removal worth it? That too, is a decision you’ll need to make based on your rabbit’s well-being and your feelings after discussing with your vet. In terms of pain, your rabbit could be in pain now and having the cancerous masses removed could help relieve that significantly. It’s extremely common to have a neutered male rabbit, and while one eye is uncommon, visually impairment in older rabbits is more common and have been very manageable. On the other hand, you need to consider the risks of the surgery, and that deals a lot with the vet’s skill level and the actual characteristics of the cancer. I think that you need more information about your rabbits specific situation to make this decision more confidently, and a biopsy and more conversations with a vet may help you with that.

Sending best wishes to both you and your rabbit. 11 years is a very long life.

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.

[Bam]

We are not vets here, but I’m sure you know this. Anyway, I think I’d seek a second opinion. In humans you don’t do a biopsy on a cancerous testicle, you remove the testicle. At least you didn’t about 10 years ago when a friend of mine was diagnosed with testicle cancer. It’s believed that a biopsy can trigger the tumor into heavy “seeding”. I also found this, saying most vets would just recommend removing the tumor: http://m.wikihow.pet/Diagnose-and-Treat-Tumors-in-Rabbits

Anyway, testicular cancer is slow to spread. When it does spread, it’s typically to the lungs. Without spread to the lungs, the prognosis post-neuter is good to excellent.

The tumor on the eye does not have to have come from the testicle. It’s not typical. It could be two separate cancers. If the vet believed the eye tumor came from the testicular tumor, I don’t think they’d have given him 2 possible extra years, it would rather have been about months. I do think most vets would have recommended palliative care for cancer that has spread, in an individual so very old as your rabbit.

(It is true that reproductive tract cancers are very common in intact rabbits, but it’s only true for female rabbits. Testicular cancer is rare and it’s typically related to old age.)

I hope someone here can suggest another vet/clinic that you could contact.

PS: It feels a bit superfluous and vain at this stage to stress the importance of giving your bunny a weekly “once over”, inspecting the butt and genitals, nails, eyes, etc. By now you are fully aware of this, of course. But I’m saying it anyway for the benefit of the many people that are reading the forums.

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