Rabbit has fluid around lungs, looking for treatment options

[Adam]

Poor girl has been moving very jerkily with every breath, took her to the vet where they did an x-ray. Told me fluid around one of the lungs is making it hard to breath. She seems normal otherwise. Vet thinks likely tumor related. But I think I need an expert to tell me what all we can do.

She gave me a medicine that is given to cats and dogs as well to potentially draw out the fluid. Didn’t want to try draining it without trying this first. But thinks she likely won’t have long whether this relief works or not. No other tests besides the xray and listening to heart, lungs and observing her.

Maybe someone here knows more about this sort of thing and if there are other treatments I can ask about, just to keep her happy and with us for a while longer if nothing else.

[LBJ10]

Did the vet say what kind of tumor this is? Is it a thymoma? Or does she have cancer elsewhere (reproductive) and it metastasized to her lungs? It isn’t unheard of for fluid to build in the pleural cavity.

We are not vets, but we can share experiences with you that happened with our own bunnies. We need additional information though. There are some treatments, but it is mostly palliative care. Some things can prolong your bunny’s life a little bit though. It just depends. For example, sometimes they will use steroids in rabbits with a thymoma.

[Adam]

The tumor is more a hypothesis from her than anything. No confirmation of anything.

She didn’t suggest further tests. I will appreciate any guidance on dealing with her and this situation. For all I know it’s not related to cancer at all.

 

[LBJ10]

If the vet did x-rays, then suspected tumors should be visible. However, it’s possible the fluid around the lung made it difficult to make out features. If your vet is having a hard time making a proper diagnosis, then it may be advisable to seek a second opinion.

Without more information, it seems your best bet would be to treat the symptoms until you can get more answers. What medication did the vet give you? Was it Furosemide? That’s a diuretic that is prescribed to dogs. Otherwise, I believe some members have had fluid around their bunny’s lungs drained by a vet. It sounds horrible, but it’s the quickest way to get relief. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean the fluid won’t build again.

[Adam]

Her condition has worsened, and she doesn’t want to eat. I don’t know if that’s a side effect from all this. But I think I need more help deciding what to do. Do you think there’s a real risk of shock or something going wrong by draining the fluid as the vet does? IMO, she is not prone to such things and is typically my chiller rabbit.

This is day 10 of furosemide, have I not given it enough time for it to improve breathing at all? We are doing 0.5ml 2x per day which is 5mg 2x per day, which is as I can tell, the low end of dosing. Should I try to do more?

Thanks for any help or opinions anyone has.

[Bam]

I am very sorry.

Since she’s gotten worse you should contact your vet. The furosemide dosage could be too low or the problem could be so grave that a diuretic like furosemide makes very little difference.

For any invasive procedure the odds are of course better if the rabbit is in reasonably good condition.

 

[Adam]

Yes, it was Furosemide.  I actually suggested draining the fluid, but the vet is concerned it may send her into shock. I’m not as concerned. The vet also says with a fluid sample she may be able to tell for sure what it is, and if Furosemide does not provide relief, I will likely insist on draining for both reasons, unless I get other advice.

But I also don’t know if I should wait two weeks. I suppose I will not if she appears to get worse. But if it was infection/parasite/viral, waiting would be very bad right?

Vet seems confident it is either a heart issue or tumor in a reply email, but I can’t tell you why.

[LBJ10]

Congestive heart failure is not unheard of in rabbits. It isn’t very common though. Something like that can definitely lead to fluid building around the lungs.

I’m not aware of any infections that are known to cause fluid around the lungs. Of course, it can happen with just about any viral or bacterial infection, but it is secondary and also rare. You hear about it happening in humans. Not so much in animals… but I imagine it just isn’t well documented.

You could check with your vet to see if there is any harm trying an antibiotic. If I recall though, there are certain ones that can’t be used with Furosemide.

[mia]

My little one was found with fluid in heart and lung due to bacteria; this was only found during autopsy and not in imaging or exam while he was alive. So, I can’t tell you anything about supporting life as we were treating other stuff.

If there is little time left and they are willing to, I’d ask for extra strong pain meds. I had some for other reasons but at the last mins of my little one’s life, I desperately gave him a lot of it… If I had to do it over with the info I have now, I would have put him to sleep.

Your situation could be completely different as my guy had tons of symptoms.

[Adam]

Pneumonia in various forms is supposedly a cause, based on some googling. I don’t see symptoms though.

[LBJ10]

My understanding is this is pleural effusion, not pneumonia. Pleural effusion is when fluid builds in the pleural space outside of the lungs. At least that is what it sounded like from your initial description and the medication that was prescribed.

How are things now? Has there been any improvement?

EDIT: Just saw your reply further up in the thread. It sounds like your bunny has been getting worse. I agree that you should check with your vet to make sure the dosage is correct. At some point though, the benefits of having the fluid drained may outweigh the risks. If it looks like she will die without intervention, then you may not have anything to lose at that point. If that makes sense. What does the vet say?

[Adam]

On her current trajectory, Snuggles is going to die soon. She has no energy to move more than a few feet at a time, and when syringe feeding refuses to eat more than just a couple mL of slurry. Let some of her meds drool out this afternoon.

We have sent off fluids and blood for labwork that may not arrive until Monday. I’m inquiring about a feeding tube now, or IV, or anything that doesn’t rely on her chewing.

Some fluid was removed around her lung, and the vet said the second x-ray looked better than the first, but she is much worse than she was when I got the first x-ray.

She’s on metoclopramide in hopes she would start eating, but she has not. Also as of yesterday, she’s on metacam, furosemide, and enro something for infection since bloodwork showed elevated white blood cell count.

If anyone thinks its better to cut any of these out, let me know. I sort of think the furosemide is pointless now, and someone mentioned an antibiotic shouldn’t be used with it, I asked the vet, she was unaware of any such interaction.

[Bam]

It sounds like Snuggles is very ill. I’m sorry.

I dont know if the furosemide maybe has some sort of effect even though its not enough to clear her lungs. The enro is probably enrofloxacine, a broad spectrum antibiotic. Metoclopramide is a gut motility drug that helps the stomach empty itself. And metacam is of course an anti-inflammatory painkiller.

[Adam]

After a rough night, Snuggles the bunny has passed. She was a good girl, and my life won’t be the same without her. Hug your bunnies whenever you can, our time with them is never enough.

[DanaNM]

I’m so sorry for your loss. 🙁  I agree Snuggles was a very ill bunny, and you went above and beyond for her.

((( Binky free Snuggles )))

. . . 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]

I’m very sorry you lost her.

She was very ill. You did all you possibly could.

Binky free, Snuggles 💔

[LBJ10]

I’m so sorry you lost Snuggles. You did everything you could. Sometimes they are just so sick that it’s too much.

[Author]

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