Nibbles and the Bump (to surgery or not to surgery?)

[allosamosaurus]

Nibbles is a 7 year old spayed house bunny. I’ve had her for six of those years. About a month ago, I noticed a small lump on her right side by her nipple.  It feels like a small, under-the-skin tick.  I pointed it out to the vet when I took the girls (Nibbs and Lola) in for their annual check up last week.  The vet suggested having it removed and biopsied, as the concern with it being so close to her nipple is that it is breast cancer.

 I can afford the mastectomy surgery (phew, it ain’t cheap though!).  I already have a week off at the end of May to totally nurse/pamper this already spoiled rabbit.

Most cost – benefit analysis (where cost quality of life, not financial) is as follows. 

 Anesthesia can be risky for rabbits, but Nibbs has already been put under for her spay and had no problems.

She is an older bun (7 years), but in otherwise fantastic health.  She eats, she poops, she loves being pet, and still jumps up the couch and runs around the house.

I don’t want to put her through surgery and “accelerate” the aging process if things don’t go well. 

But if it is cancer, I want to catch it as early as possible. If it is cancer, will having it removed “cure” Nibbs? Is it worth risking the surgery even if it is cancer, if the surgery doesn’t “cure” the cancer?

 Part of the post-surgery care includes: buprenex, ampicillin, and clavamox.  Are these are OK for a rabbit?

 

EDIT: Just looked up ampicillin and clavamox and read that it was NOT ok for rabbits to be given orally.  Is it ok if it is given as a shot or intravenously? 

 I am beginning to think that the vet tech didn’t take the estimate sheet to the vet for review before she handed it to me. >/ THIS IS NOT HELPING MY STRESS LEVELS.

[peppypoo]

Oh no, wishing the best for you and Nibbles. If Nibbles is in great health otherwise, I would definitely take care of this tumor. Is your vet familiar with exotics? A bunny-savvy vet will know a lot more about bunny-safe medications than we will…if you’re concerned, bring up these questions with him/her.

Is it possible to have the tumor biopsied first, or is it so small that it’d be easier to have it removed anyways? The biopsy will be able to tell you whether or not the cancer has spread (if it’s cancerous to begin with) – if you managed to catch it early and there has been no spread, then yes it will be “cured” by the surgery. How stressful the surgery would be for Nibbles really depends on how deep the vet deems it necessary to cut. For a tumor near the nipple, I’m guessing that it wouldn’t be necessary to open the abdominal sac, which would make recovery easier. However, definitely consult with your vet on exactly what will go on with the surgery. Best of luck!

[peppypoo]

Just saw your edit – sometimes there is some miscommunication when the techs/receptionists who aren’t as familiar with bunnies give incorrect information, although the vet knows his/her bunny stuff. Clarify with your vet to make sure.

[Sarita]

I would definitely clarify those medications with the vet…does the vet see alot of rabbits, that is a concern to me.

If the vet has experience and you do bloodwork, then for me, it would be a non-issue, I would do it. I don’t understand why it would accelerate the aging process though.

[Rexxar]

Just from being around my grandma’s oncology office all the time, I’ll tell you that you -definitely- want to get it biopsied soon. The earlier you get it out, the better. It has less of a chance to spread and latch onto other tissues. 

Considering its size (you said it felt like a tic), it could easily be a cyst, or some other benign mass. 

 
If it is a cancerous tumor, it’s a pretty good thing it’s that small. If that’s the only one, you might have caught it even before it could be classified as class 1! In which case, removing it would essentially ‘cure’ her, but you’ll still want to keep an eye on her, and have regular check-ups, to make sure it doesn’t recur. 

Being that small, the incision could be very small. It would be a very minor surgery. Like if you had a nasty splinter, and a doctor had to cut it out. General anesthesia might not even be necessary, if she can hold still enough. A whole lot less stress, especially on an older bun, than something invasive like a spay. 

Don’t worry! The odds are way stacked in your favor!

[allosamosaurus]

I got in contact with the vet who assured me they would only use bunny friendly antibiotics (baytril), and scheduled the surgery for next Wednesday. I am so nervous!

I also am confused about the pricing… I can get a whole organ taken out (spay) for about $300 but a tiny bump is $1200?! Whooooeeee!

Can anyone offer any price comparisons??

I love her lots and even if I am being ripped off, Butt Butt is worth it though.

[Malp_15]

I can’t offer price comparisons, but most vet clinics take a hit on spays and neuters to get your business and keep pet overpopulation down. Spays & Neuters get huge discounts on the actual anaethestic, surgery pack, etc.

[allosamosaurus]

I dropped Butt Butt off this morning for her surgery and just had this sinking feeling. But the vet’s office called me at 10:30 to let me know that the surgery went well and that Butt Butt was up and wobbling off the anesthesia and that I could pick her up at two! They said they successfully removed the bump but also found some gray, plaque-like things around the area. Both samples are being sent to the lab, so I’ll know in about a week what the next step is.

Thank you to everyone who offered advice and support! Now it’s time to pick her up from the vet and spoil her rotten!

 

**edited to include post-surgery pic**

Totally awake, eating & drinking, and already wanting out of her “hospice cage.”

 

 

[Sarita]

Cute picture. So glad all went well and she’s doing fine. Healing vibes to Nibbles.

[Stickerbunny]

Glad the surgery went well. A lot of the cost is probably to have it tested as well as the surgery, labs here are PRICEY! A culture of a nose swab is over $100 at my vets lab. Another reason spay vs biopsy and removal is costly. Hope the tests come back clean. (((Vibes)))

[allosamosaurus]

Thank you for the healing vibes! The vet gave me five days worth of antibiotics (the bunny-friendy kind!) but no pain medication. I could tell that whatever pain meds they gave her during surgery started to wear off this afternoon, because she sat a bit more hunched up and a bit less active than when I first brought her home.

She’s is still eating, drinking, and pooping though. I even caught her semi-stretched out about an hour ago. I’ve been spoiling her with fresh dandelion greens and some young basil cuttings.

The surgery came to $900– the estimate was on the high side. And the vet tech who checked her in and out kept telling me how beautiful she was, and how sweet she was. (The last part made me think she may have had the wrong rabbit! lol!)

The labs will take up to a week to come back, but I’ll let you know how that turned out.

[peppypoo]

Aww, she’s adorable. Glad to hear that she’s doing okay..keep us updated!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Glad everything went great!! Don’t hesitate to call and request pain medication if you feel she needs it-metacam is cheap. I think vets are hesitant to give it maybe because it can be hard on tummies and must be taken with food. Ime though I’ve found it beneficial to the healing process, so give a ring if you need some.

There was a rabbit in the shelter who went in for a spay and had cervical cancer, I think that was about 700$ but they were already in there. For comparison sake

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