salivary tumor!

[bradforde]

Anyone have any experience dealing with a benign salivary tumor? if so, what was the treatment and outcome? We are trying to decide if it’s worth doing surgery to remove it if it’s only going to come back.Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Beka27]

What is your vet suggesting? Does he think he can get it all?

[bunnytowne]

Hmm can you do an online search of this.   I am clueless on this  and can’t offer any advice.  the vet could probably answer the questions about the chances of it coming back. and stuff

[Beka27]

I did do a basic online search for this the other day when you asked for advice, but I didn’t see anything pertaining to rabbits… it’s possible that another forum leader may have some better access to health info and might be able to shed some light…

[bradforde]

vet said he could remove it, but there is a decent chance it will come back. i am just wondering if anyone has actually dealt with this problem – i have emailed every other rescue and rabbit group i can find, no one has ever seen a salivary tumor…

[MimzMum]

I had a cat once who had something similar to this, but his was malignant. I can’t recall the technical name…some kind of squamous cell carcinoma I believe…but by the time we found it, it was so intricately weaving throughout our cat’s lower jaw, there was no surgical option. It eventually made it impossible for him to eat or drink and we wound up having to put him down.

Now, I’m not trying to induce panic, because the good thing is that your vet says ‘benign’…meaning it’s not likely cancerous. However that confuses me as to why it would come back. Usually something benign is easily removed (it’s encapsulated in tissue) and doesn’t tend to recur.
The only info I could find (that didn’t include nasty pictures, bleah!) is from the American Cancer Society and focuses on human disease and treatment:
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_1x_what_is_salivary_gland_cancer_54.asp

Did the vet say how he thought the tumor got there? Is something irritating your bunny’s salivary glands in some way? An impacted seedhead or other foreign body, perhaps?

[RabbitPam]

http://www.allexperts.com/user.cgi

I would ask Dana Krempels, PhD. on this website. She answers many questions for us here, and has probably heard of this. She may be able to respond to your question quickly and give some information as well as advice.

[bradforde]

thanks all – i also posted it to etherbun, so hopefully i will hear if anyone has dealt with this. i don’t understand why it would keep coming back either, but that’s what i was told. i am really in new, scary territory here. if it is a returning thing, i can’t see the point of removing it unless it’s painful, which the vet said that the tumor itself isn’t painful, but the pressure probably is?

Mimz, the tumor started (I believe) from a cat bite abcess, which developed after the lady who found the rabbit on the side of the road took it home before calling me. That was six months ago – we took care of the abcess and it seemed like everything was going to be fine, then this tumor just pops up last week.

and thanks pam, i will check out that link.

[RabbitPam]

My thinking is kind of the opposite. You may as well get it removed, since that would definitely help, and then see IF it comes back. And how quickly. Because it may be something that doesn’t return, so why risk any discomfort by leaving it? If it is really fast growing, you may be able to find out more by then in your research, but at least you’ve taken care of the initial problem. I know ithat anything allowed to grow large is bound to adversely effect the surrounding areas.

[MimzMum]

RabbitPam is spot on. Plus the risk that this tumor may spark another abscess that could move to your bunny’s jaw-or where it’s already had one before-is pretty high. I know you wouldn’t want your rabbit to have anything affecting it’s normal eating habits, or risking infection to other areas of the body. Perhaps the vet will find, when they remove it, that cauterizing the area with stop any new growths. (This reminds me of the mast cell tumor taken from my dog earlier this year, this is one that was supposed to recur and it was in his ear, but the doctor used a unique laser surgical implement that sealed the area and to date it hasn’t grown back. Perhaps this is an option?)
Sending healing vibes for your dear bunny! (((((((((((((((((((vibes))))))))))))))))

[bradforde]

(sorry, i should have explained that the rabbit doesn’t belong to me, i run a rescue and it was adopted 6 months ago and is living in its new home now. the adopter just called me to ask for advice about what to do. I just wanted to gather all the info I can find before giving her my input. my rabbits are perfectly fine, thank goodness!)

i did recommend that she drive down here to my normal vet for a second opinion though – she is a laser expert and you all aren’t the first ones to tell me that the laser is more effective at preventing recurrance of tumors. so if she decides to remove it, at least hopefully it will be with a vet who is actually optimistic about nipping it in the bud the first time.

but the honest truth is that every time the rabbit goes to the vet for something (once for the abcess 6 mos. ago and once for this biopsy), he becomes more withdrawn. the adopter said that he doesn’t even come out of his cage since the last thing about a week ago. : ( it’s just killing me – before all this started, he was a happy and outgoing guy, now he is terrified of everything. so i guess the decision is more complicated than I would like to admit. blah.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Hmmm
I just searched all the veterinay journals I can access including the Veterinary journal of comparitaive oncology and I can find nothing on salivary tumors in rabbits. I’d say the best bet is to talk to the vet about referrals to specialists and oncology treatment centers {{Healing Vibes}}

[RabbitPam]

It’s been a few days. Has she decided what to do next?

[bradforde]

well, on monday i got a call from her saying that now the “tumor” was soft and oozy and had busted open. personally, i do not think this is a tumor, i think it was and is an abcess that also has the salivary gland involved (and possibly some scar tissue).

anyway, the rabbit went back to the vet, who basically told her to euthanize it because removing the “tumor” would be a short-term solution and the rabbit probably won’t last long anyway.

i don’t like this vet anyway, and i hate the attitude. I have never seen a vet who wasn’t willing to remove a tumor or treat an abcess. he sent her home with some baytril and basically said good luck. i told her to go get a second opinion from someone who might actually be willing to try. and i recommended bicillin for the abcess ( this vet said it wasn’t available anymore. i don’t believe that either, i was able to find it online with no problem).

[Hedi]

Bradeforde- I sent you a Message on here. If you look in the upper right hand corner it should show: Inbox (1)

[MimzMum]

Wow! Of all the cheek! I would say that’s definitely a vet who doesn’t have much bedside manner, at least for rabbits. Obviously not interested in treating this poor bunny. Good for you for suggesting the owner get a second opinion. I hope they do so.
Please keep us updated. I’ll keep this bun and the owner in my prayers that a quick and complete healing is achieved. Thank you for looking out for them!

[Beka27]

Thank you for the update. I wonder how savvy this vet is… do they just not want to deal with it, or are they stumped as far as how to proceed? Have the owners been open to getting the bun treated? Is it possible that they may be communicating that they don’t want to (or can’t) do a lot of treatment and that’s why the vet is recommending the “easy way out”?

I hope all goes well for that sweet bunny.

(((Healing vibes)))

[MimzMum]

Just noticed this post today in Rescue Bunnies:
https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aff/8/aft/107662/afv/topic/afpgj/1/Default.aspx#149016
Link to the bunny in question:
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi
It would seem this bun also had a salivary cyst/tumor and had it successfully removed. Does sound like it was part of a pricey surgery, but this bun had other issues as well, so I can’t quote exact cost. However the good news being that the bun was treated, healed and adopted. The article might be of interest though, if somebody needs persuading to act.

[BinkyBunny]

Not ever hearing much about salivary tumors, then I really don’t know – but the busting open and oozing sounds like an abscess. I’m glad you told her to get a second opinion! I’m with Beka, I also wonder what the owners take is on this. It is hard for me to imagine that a vet (a rabbit savvy one anyway) would recommend euthanizing at this point.

[bradforde]

she basically wants to finish this round of antibiotics and what the abcess is looking like then and then decide how to proceed. up to this point, cost has not been an issue anyway, as i have paid all of the bills, so surgery would have been an option except that the vet told her salivary tumors have a high recurrance rate. combine that with a recurring abcess and he wasn’t very optimistic.

the rabbit is very depressed right now. he is terrified of the vet’s and i wonder if the vet is thinking about stress-related health problems in his suggestion to euthanize.

[BinkyBunny]

oh, I see. This is quite sad. So it’s a tumor AND an abscess (that may be related to the tumor?) I don’t have much to add regarding the tumor. I wish I knew more about it. (Something for me to research and ask my own vet about)

I’m sending hugs and healing vibes.

[bradforde]

yes, it’s an abcess/tumor combo, supposedly.

and i know – it’s totally unfamiliar territory – i even emailed about every rescue i could find (even best friends rabbit director!) and no one has ever seen a rabbit with a salivary tumor. only the one that mimz posted, which sounds like it was a fairly simple operation. thanks for the healing vibes, though. i am hoping for the best. i don’t envy this rabbit’s owner, and i’m glad she doesn’t want to return the rabbit to my rescue. i wouldn’t have a clue as to what i would do either. hopefully a second opinion will shine more light on everything. i have come to the conclusion that if you see 10 vets, you will get 10 different answers. it can be very confusing.

[bunnytowne]

Yes I agree a 2nd opinion on this one.  It sure sounds like an abcess.

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