What would you do in this situation?

[Miyuki]

Hello everyone!  I found this forum while searching online.  People here seem very friendly so I decided to sign up.  Now I’m unsure if this is the correct place to be asking this so please let me know if there is a better area .  Oh, before I go on, I’m not sure what people consider graphic.  I have no gruesome pictures or anything but I will be talking about cancer.  If that makes you squeamish, don’t go past the cute bunny picture .

First off, let me introduce my rabbit.  This dwarf bunny here is Inkblot!  Her name comes from the fact she is black and white like an inkblot.  She is 6 years old and has had somewhat of a medical history.

Before the age of two she was diagnosed with a cataract in her right eye.  So has spent almost her entire life only being able to see out of her left eye.  This hasn’t ever bothered her.  At the age of four she had head tilt.  This was determined to be caused by some kind of parasite that she was born with.  That was easily treated with medication and it returned to normal.

Finally, now at the age of 6 she has been diagnosed with cancer.  It has some long name that I can’t remember, spell, or pronounce.  She has a tumor growing on/above her right eye.  I’ll admit that it is pretty aggressive and that I probably waited too long to get it checked out.  Her right eye already had the cataract for years so when it started to turn a little more whitish I thought it was just progressing or something.  All in all, the diagnosis remains the same.  They are saying that removing the tumor would require an extensive surgery and would leave her severely disfigured.

At the current time she is wearing an e-collar.  The vet prefers her to not have one, as does almost everyone, but she is scratching at the eye.  They think that the tumor might be pressing on a nerve causing the eye to itch.  I don’t think she’s in any pain.  Only when she managed to scratch her eye when we weren’t looking.  We have pain meds and antibiotics to prevent any infection but nothing for the itching.  Has anyone had any kind of medication that might alleviate the itching?

Right now she is eating normally and running around normally.  But she has to keep that cone on her head which means she is cleaning the cone and not herself.  I’ve also seen her scratching at the cone probably trying to scratch at her eye .  Are there any alternatives to the e-collar?

I know that anything I do is just putting off the inevitable and that she is probably very unhappy at the moment.  But if anyone has any ideas or anything I’d be happy to read them.  Sorry, I think I’m giving myself anxiety.  I didn’t mean to write a book either.

[kralspace]

Hi and Welcome, Miyuki

I’m sorry to hear about Inkblot’s medical problem, he’s a beautiful rabbit. I’m a fairly new bunny slave and have no advice to offer, but I’m glad you’re here and I’m sure there will be some very helpful people along here very soon. Not with my rabbits, but other pets, I’ve had to watch situations like that develop, knowing what the outcome will be and I know how distressing it is for you.

((((soft bunny hugs to you and Inkblot))))
Kathy and the furballs

[Scarlet_Rose]

Hi and welcome Miyuki!  I am very sorry to hear about Inkblot (adorable name by the way).  In this situation I am really not sure that there is an alernative to an e-collar unless there is some kind of topical ointment like hydrocortizone to stop the itching.  This may numb the area but I am not sure this will prevent her from scratching it.  I am wondering though if you are considering the siurgery as an option?  You didn’t mention if you are going to proceed with it and while it may disfigure your bun, it will increase her quality of life (not having to wear a collar to impede movement) and allow her to spend more time with you before she passes over the rainbow bridge.

Here is some info on eye removal:

http://www.rabbitcare.org/osbourne.htm

How does the collar seem to impede on her life and can it be cut down some while still preventing scratching.  …we all appreciate the warning about the sensitivity of this topic (graphicness) and understand that in this case it really is unavoidable especially when it comes to bunny illness.  This was the perfect place to post this as well. I am going to think about any further ideas I might have for Inkblot and post them here and maybe some others will be able to chime in as well.

 

 

[Miyuki]

Hello all, I appreciate the warm welcome! I will answer some of Scarlet Rose’s questions. Oh again my warning… I mention the cancer/tumor/biopsy in this post.

As far as the surgery goes… we are not thinking about proceeding with it at this time. The doctor says that is it a very invasive procedure at this point because it has spread around the bone or something. I am actually quite shocked at how large it really is. I didn’t realize rabbits have a lot of fur on their heads until they actually had to shave her to biospy the tumor. He doesn’t think she would survive the surgery but you never know.

The collar is mostly keeping her from cleaning herself. I hand fed her the first time she had the collar on but after that she figured out how to stick her head in her water and food bowls (I guess hunger is a powerful force ) with it on. I’m trying to get her to sit still so I can wipe her feet and what not but she seems to have perfected being an escape artist! Oh sorry a little off topic there. I’m looking at the cone right now (she’s sitting next to my chair) and it may be that I can cut the cone back at least half an inch as long as I line the edge with something soft maybe.

At the moment we have Neo-poly-bac for a topical ointment but I don’t think it helps with itching, just preventing infection.

I also was thinking about trying out a soft e-collar but I’m not sure how those are. Has anyone here tried them? Someone told me that their vet cut one out of x-ray film and that it was a lot more flexible. I haven’t seen one of those either though. I think the soft collar might be easier on her ears. She likes to rotate her head a lot so her ears are rubbing the plastic all the time. My only concern is she’ll learn that its more flexible and manage to “scratch” her eye on something else… like side of her cage.

[BinkyBunny]

OH, my how hard for both of you! I am sorry you are dealing with this. As far as your question – If I were in your shoes, I am not sure what I would do. I would want her to be with me but only if her quality of life was good. I had a bunny who had hind leg weakness, who I had to clean her bum every day, but she loved life and I could tell. She’d binky, was spunky and all around her energy level was high and spirited. So only you can know what is best to do in this situation. It’s obvious that you love her and want the best for her so I don’t doubt you will do what is right for her in the long-run.

Does the vet have any suggestions for itching? I know that what is worse than itching the scratch that shouldn’t be scratched is having a scratch you can’t itch, so hopefully she has relief in that way since she can’t get to it. If it’s due to a nerve thing, then obviously topical stuff won’t work because it’s brain/nerve thing, not a real surface itch, but there might be some numbing stuff like Scarlet suggested. Ask your vet about this.

I’ll also ask one of our leaders who works at animal hospital if she knows of anything about what might help.

Again, I’m sorry about this. HUGS!

Oh, and you don’t have to give a warning in regards to talking about this. It’s okay.

[Beka27]

Welcome here. I am sorry that it’s under such unfortunate circumstances tho, Inkblot is a very pretty bun. I guess you could say I have a “thing” for black and white buns (see my signature below!)

I don’t have medical advice on her situation. It sounds like you’re in good hands with your vet. Since you’ve decided not to ahead with further treatment/surgery, you do need to consider quality of life (as the others have mentioned) and how long it is fair to keep her with you. E-collars are generally very unpleasant for bunnies b/c they cannot groom and scratch and eat cecals. In some cases it impedes their ability to eat their regular foods too. For buns, I think they are usually only used for the short-term, not as a permanent thing. I’ve never heard of anyone using one for longer than a few weeks while a bun healed up from a surgery. Maybe some people do and I’m not aware of it? But if you are postponing the inevitable and she is not happy or comfortable, the kind thing may be to help her pass over.

I know there is a disabled rescue group that some of our members frequent. I don’t have the link, but someone will be able to provide that for you if you’re interested. I wonder if they might be able to give you more extensive “Quality of Life” criteria to help you make a decision as to “when”.

Again, I’m really sorry you’re having to deal with this. You have certainly been thru it all with Inkblot and she’s very resilient. She’s lucky to have you.

((((((((((Inkblot vibes!))))))))))

[Miyuki]

Hi Beka thanks for the welcome! I am about to take her in to the vet again. Poor bunny. It doesn’t look like she scratched her eye but its showing a little bit of red… probably an indication of internal bleeding. I’m not sure there’s much they can do. Hopefully one of her two vets are on duty. Or at least one of the other avian/exotic vets.

She doesn’t seem like she’s in pain though. She still wants to play. She’s going to get mad at me for putting her in the car again.

[Beka27]

I bet! I know I hate being poked and prodded by doctors, if I hated car rides too… I would really be annoyed (LOL!)… but sometimes it’s just gotta be done!

Keep us posted on how she does.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I’m so sorry !!

If I were in your situation, I’d try the surgery I think; Does your vet think he won’t survive because they won’t be able to remove the whole tumour or is the vet not confident doing surgery on rabbits? I think if that’s the case, I’d try another vet-maybe get a second opinion on the surgery option.
I think if surgery couldn’t be done, as long as the bunny has a quality of life-I.e enjoys eating, is comfortable etc-I’d hold off thinking about pts until I thought the bunny was ready.

{{Inkblot Vibes}} *hugs to you*

[KatnipCrzy]

I am so sorry to hear about Inkblot and her cancer diagnosis.  I work at a vet clinic- but I am not a vet.  But I have seen a lot of animals over the years with cancer, and I have had 4 pets that I have had to euth due to cancer. 

I can tell that you really love your bunny a lot- but I worried that your bunny may be in pain or discomfort.  E-collars are great for conditions that can be treated and/or are healing- temporary use.  If Inkblot is trying to scratch or rub her eye something must be causing discomfort- whether it is pain, itching or tingling.  And while causing damage to the eye is OK to allow, I would think it would be maddening to not be able to relieve that discomfort.  Like having an itch that won’t go away but being unable to scratch it or do anything to relieve it.

Anything used topically by the eye has to be safe for the eye- so that rules out any over the counter type medication.  Even over the counter eye stuff will not affect nerve pain, discomfort, etc.  I think you should talk to your vet and tell him/her that you are not able to do the surgery- and if there is anything that can improve Inkblot’s remaining quality of life.  If there are any pain meds, steroid injections, anything that could give you more time with Inkblot without her suffering greatly.  Sometimes with quality of life issues- certain meds can be used that otherwise would not be.  Like pain meds or steroid dosages that can be damaging to the liver- you would not want to use that in a healthy pet but an ill pet it could be considered.

I know what it is like to let a beloved pet go and it is so, so hard to determine when is the time is right.   But you don’t want to have any regrets that you let her linger too long, even though you want every moment possible with her.  I had one cat that I delayed and delayed- and by the time my husband and I took her in- she was hiding under the bed in pain- even though she was getting 2 different pain meds.  That was over 2 years ago- and it still kills me that I let my inability to let her go caused her suffering.

So you should either talk to your vet about quality of life and what you can do, or get a second opinion to talk to another vet about the same thing.

Julie

[MooBunnay]

Hi Miyuki, I’m so sorry to hear about the situation with Inkblot. I don’t have much to add in addition to what everyone has already written, but it sounds like you are a very caring bunny owner and I know you’ll be able to make the right decision. On the topic of the collar – Beka mentioned briefly about the cecals – have you been feeding her the cecals she is producing but can’t eat? I know it sounds a bit gross but it is important to keep their health level up. If you are not familiar with what the cecals are, they are those things in the litterbox that look like a teeny cluster of grapes – and are darker and more wet than the normal bunny poops – do you know what I mean? Some of the other members that have had bunnies in collars were able to get the bunny to eat the cecals just by picking them up with a paper towel and giving them to the bunny. If you don’t see any cecals in the litterbox though, maybe she is already able to eat them.

[Miyuki]

Hello again everyone! We’re back now. Got more Metacam to see if that helps. But the recommendation is to put her down before it gets worse. The doctor she saw today saw her a week ago and he said that the tumor is a little bigger. It still is a horribly aggressive cancer. I didn’t catch the name but it is some kind of sarcoma. I’m thinking it’s one dealing with the soft tissue from what I gathered. He said he isn’t recommending the surgery but if he was to do it there is a large chance that small portions of the tumor will still remain. I forgot to ask what the chances were of it taking over the other eye too. So sadly from here, the quality of life can only go down. And probably fairly quickly too.

At the moment though, she just chowed down an entire lettuce leaf. And I believe she is eating her cecals. The first day with the cone I found them all over the floor and she wouldn’t eat them (maybe they weren’t super fresh anymore?) even though I offered them to her. After the first day though I didn’t see any. And I actually saw her eating them off the floor a few days ago.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

*Hugs* I’m so sorry that’s very hard news to get. Cancer is a terrible terrible disease. *hugs*

[Miyuki]

Thanks for the hugs Kokanee! I’ll be sure pass them along to Inkblot .

[Beka27]

Give her some pets and bunny kisses for me please. Enjoy this time with her.

Hugs to you!

[Sarita]

I think you have a wise vet – I imagine this surgery would be very invasive too and I think just keeping her comfortable is a good idea.

[Miyuki]

Hello again, you’re right that it would be very invasive because it has grown quickly. With soft tissue tumors there are high chances that it cannot all be removed. She seems mostly happy even with her e-collar at the moment. Since I just learned how I can keep her still, I may start giving her a little time without the collar on as long as I am watching her every move. That should make her a little happier to be able to have a little cleaning time.

I’ve accepted the fact that this is probably for the best (not that it makes it any less sad), so we’ll just see how it goes. Thank you all for your support!

[bunnytowne]

OH my.  What a situation.  I am so sorry.  What a terrible diagnosis. Cancer.

In your case I know you are doing the right thing.  Your bunny seems to be fine for now.  His quality of life is still good.  I understand about the cancer being aggressive and the vet likely won’t be able to get all of it and this surgery will be very hard on Inkblot.

I agree with what you are doing for him.  That is all you can do is your best.  You are making the right decisions and probably preparing yourself for his demise at the right time.  He doesn’t seem ready to go now.  His only physical irritation is the itching.  HE is still eating good and loving you.  So you both hang in there.  You will know what to do and when to do it.  If you choose not to go the surgical route.  Which seems very risky and almost not worth putting him through it.  For the cancer can spread really fast being it is aggressive and still take over even though the vet gets out all he can of it.

Enjoy your time together. Inkblot sounds like a happy strong little soul.  The idea of trimming his ecollar sounds good.

[lottin_uk]

Hello Miyuki
Welcome, very sad to hear about Inkblot.
Don’t really have any advice, but here are some *nose rubs* to keep you both going!
Lx

[MooBunnay]

I’m sorry to hear about the diagnosis – it sounds like between you and the vet that you will be able to make the decision for Inkblot. It sounds like he is still doing OK for now if he is eating and having some free time with the collar off – I think you’ll know when it is the right time to let him go. I’m sending you and Inkblot many comforting vibes from me and my bunnies!

[flippersmom]

Hi Miyuki – I am new here too, as well as a newer bunny mom. I’m also a Certified Vet Tech and work for a Veterinarian Opthomologist. I would recommend you ask your vet for a referal to a eye specialist or oncologist if you have them in your area (I’ll check for you when I get back to work after the holiday). If not, I would at least get another opinion. Most vets are not offended by this, especially if it’s not something they’ve dealt with before and it can be a learning experience for them too. Although we don’t see many rabbits, I have seen some horrible eye cancers in other species and it’s heartbreaking!!! I just alway tell clients to try to make sure they have as much info as possible, ask lots of questions and then determine which option is best for their pet as well as themselves!!

[Miyuki]

Hello there! We do have a referral to an eye specialist. I have an appointment. It was just unfortunate that the first appointment they had from the time I called was a little over two months away! The appointment is still about 3 weeks away. I’m not sure that it is a cancer of the eye now that the biopsy results came back. I think it is a cancer of the soft tissue and it just happens to be above her eye :\. It’s growing very quickly though. It has gotten a lot bigger from the time I set up the appointment for the specialist .

[bunnytowne]

oh nooo bigger  dang  so sorry

[flippersmom]

That’s too bad that you can’t get in sooner. We always leave opeinings for emergency or urgent patients. Has your vet called a talked to them?? Maybe he/she can convey the urgency and have you seen sooner or at least maybe get a consultation over the phone. All of our vets will do that!! We do deal with tumors around the eye, not just in the eye since everything is so closely related there. I wish you lived closer to me – I would have gotten you in ASAP at our office!!! Please keep me posted and I’ll have my buns send out some binkies to your baby!!!!!!!!

[Miyuki]

I will probably call them. The cancer has already been diagnosed so maybe they can tell me something over the phone. I tried to look for other specialists online but I either don’t know how to use Google or don’t know where to look.

And I am very far from you otherwise I’d totally take Inkblot in! I am actually probably very far from all of you since I’m in the middle of the ocean .

Oh yeah did I mention I got an appointment at the end of April because there was a cancellation? Otherwise the next one was actually in May!

[BinkyBunny]

flippersmom – Welcome to BinkyBunny and thank you so much for your help on this thread.

Miyuki – keep us updated! Hugs!

[flippersmom]

I checked on the ACVO site and there is only one choice for Hawaii. You’re actully pretty lucky as there are not that many eye vets out there and some states don’t even have any!!! You can not believe the distance some people drive to see us!!!! We are fortunate to have 4 seperate clinics and 3 full-time, 1 part-time docs!!!! I will see what I can find out about oncologists for you too!!! I would definately keep bugging them or have your regular vet bug them!!

[Miyuki]

I’m sure the recommendation we got is the only doctor. It actually is probably pretty strategic for her to be here. Can’t get anywhere quickly. It is at least a 6 hour flight to anywhere on the West coast.

At this point in time my concern is that the tumor is just too big already. If she can do something the only option is probably surgery which I don’t really want to do if it can’t be guaranteed to clear out the entire tumor. I am going to get the name of the cancer when we visit the vet today. I keep missing the name because I am so bad with all those medical type words! But yeah… if you saw what it looks like without all her fur… it doesn’t look so good . All the rabbit fur really was hiding the growth!

But I will call the doctor on Monday anyways. Will keep you guys posted.

[Miyuki]

Hey there flippersmom, so I called today and perhaps gave up too easily. The lady on the phone says the doctor doesn’t usually talk to you if she hasn’t seen the patient yet. Then again, what was I really expecting? She’s the specialist so she’s very very busy. I just said oh nevermind then. I wanted to know if she’s ever seen a soft tissue sarcoma around the eye that is this bad. And if it really is even worth it at this point to bring her in now that I know for sure it is cancer and that it is really bad now. Maybe I’ll call back tomorrow when I’m less tired.

[PEPPA GEORGIE]

Hi i am not sure if this is of any help, but as regards the surgery i did have a bunny once whos eye must have had the catarracts you describe as the eye was yellowy blue, in fact i have had three bunnies with these, but one had to actually have the eye removed which was pretty drastic but healed really well and she lived fine with it, i have a picture and will try to post it but need a scanner to do it so might need my hubby to do it at work.

It looked awfull untill the fur grew back like you say and then she just looked asleep on one side. I also had a rabbit with such a bad tooth abcess that it spread up his head and he had to have a two hour operation to remove it and they were worried he would survive but he did. Sadly the one eyed bunny lived on for years until she got myxamatosis which was just horrible but another story entirely.

Also on another positive surgery note, we had a bunny who had an ear removed too. None of this prob helps but just wanted to share it incase as you wouldnt belive the surgery some animals survive. I had a rat who had a leg removed too due to a tumour.

As far as the itching goes i dont know if you would be able to try calomine solution, i know it is for humans but as it is ok for babies it might be ok for bunnies too and would be very soothing, although you can get teatree cream for pets to stop itching.

I hope you manage to sort something out, I did read somewhere that colloidal silver can possibly kill cancer cells and is non toxic you can put it in their water, but i dont know enough about it, only what i have read on the internet. Good luck, inkblot looks gorgeous by the way. xx

[Miyuki]

Hello Peppa sounds like your bunnies have had a lot of surgeries. Thanks for sharing. They tell me that surgery is way riskier because she’s an older bunny. I’m not concerned she won’t survive it if we tried the surgery. It is more we’ll put her in more pain and it won’t cure it. Also, I’m concerned at this point it has grown so big that it is just too late to try. WARNING: THIS NEXT SENTENCE MIGHT BE KIND OF GRAPHIC. The tumor has actually displaced her eye. They say it has pushed it down so when you look at her you are really just looking at the tumor. You know I would think that hurts but she wasn’t bothered by it. Although since she’s had a cataract from such a young age I don’t think she really ever used that eye to see anyways.

Inkblot doesn’t seem to think she’s sick at all. If you met her she’s still the crazy rabbit she always is. If you can’t tell I’m bouncing back and forth between should I be doing something and should we just let her go? She doesn’t really act sick at all. I’ve read about vets having success treating soft tissue sarcomas in dogs and cats but I guess it’s different for rabbits. And none of those cases I read deals with the cancer being on the face. They normally used surgery to remove what they could and then used radiation if it wasn’t all removed. Or just used radiation to try to shrink the tumor. I also read sometimes they use chemotherapy. I would hate for her to be miserable. But so far nothing has stopped this rabbit. Not even her biopsy! Just an hour or so after her biopsy and after the anesthetic had worn off she was up and running all over the place!

[PEPPA GEORGIE]

Arr bless her, i know exactly how you feel, i had lot or rats who always got tumours and we had them operated on loads and towards the end i decided to just leave the tumours as they werent interfering with the rats life. I told the vet as when they were so old that it started to effect them i had to take them in to be put to sleep and obviously explain why i had let the tumour grow rather than have it fixed. The vet agreed that they grow back so much and the surgery can be so stressfull that often if it doesnt effect there enjoyment of their life it is best to leave them. One rat had such a large tumour that she looked like a ball in the end bless her she was more a rat on a tumour than vice versa, but untill it actually stopped her moving around i left her bless her and she did live a long time too. If it was me in that case while she is happy i would leave her enjoy life, humans often just carry on if they are old with cancers and dont have treatment that will cause them distress. Is really hard to watch though isnt it like a permant reminder of your choice. I think she will let you know when she wants you to do something xxx

[skunklionshow]

First off, I’m sorry for this devastating news.  Cancer is never a good diagnoses.  Trust in yourself that you are doing everything you can at this time.  I have just my 2 cents to add:

There is a soft e-collar available.  It looks like the collar that clowns wear around their necks.  I had a kitten that had to wear one post eye surgery (she had her nictating membrane removed).  I’m not sure if this is something that would be helpful.

My next thought…it sounds like you are dealing with a difficult decision and that you are still trying to figure that out.  Based on your posts, it sounds like you are accepting that this is an aggressive form of cancer and that you may not be able to do much more.  So you are trying to plan for possible euthanasia, but you want to ensure that you aren’t cutting her life short by doing that.  My thought is that if you feel that euth may need to be your decision, then who cares if she scratches at the tumor.  Did they give you a time frame?  If the inevitable is coming soon, then not having the e-collar on and letting her scratch might be what would make her comfortable.

I also suggest calling the opth vet on a pretty regular basis and ask if they have any cancellations, so you can be bumped up.  I agree w/ the vet tech, would your vet call the opth vet on your behalf?  Sometimes a prof to prof call can get you bumped up or even get some further info in the mean time.  Please don’t ever think…”oh he’s a doctor and is busy…”  Most people go into these jobs b/c they care about people and animals, etc.  Don’t ever feel like you are not “important enough”, you are a client in need, feel free to pursue what you need to pursue.  My thoughts are w/ you.

[Miyuki]

Hello there, I bought a soft e-collar but by the time I got it I didn’t need it anymore. So I’ve just put it away just in case. The collar has been off for about 5 days and she seems ok. Seems much happier now that the plastic one isn’t making her neck all red from her spinning it around! We can’t let her scratch at it because it can bleed. There was one time, I’m not sure if she scratched it on purpose or by accident, but something was bleeding. She doesn’t seem to be scratching it now though. I’m wondering if it was because her “eyelashes” may have been agitating her or something by getting stuck in the eye. They’re only now starting to grow back after they shaved her so I try to kind of “curl” them upward just in case.

I talked to the opth vet’s office today. I didn’t get to talk to the actual doctor but he lady on the phone was talking to the doctor. She said that it sounds pretty bad (oh I think it is…) and that she recommends I talk to the surgeon directly. She gave me a few names and said that I should ask my regular vet to contact them.

[skunklionshow]

It sounds like you are handling things very well…so give yourself a pat on the back for that.  I understand that you don’t want her to bleed from the scratching, but is the bleeding very profuse?  This might be a good question for the opth vet, how horrible would it be if you let her scratch it.  I mean would it cause her to be injured further.  Just something that you may need consider.  Please keep us all updated.  Take care.

[BinkyBunny]

Yes, please be sure to keep us updated. It seems just miserable to have an itch or tingling you can’t get to, so I do hope that your vet will talk to the opth vet soon so that you can find out if something really can be done so you can make the best decision possible.

[Miyuki]

That one time that it bled it wasn’t gushing or anything but she did have a bright red spot on her white fur on her cheek. I think it probably was hurting. We checked up on her about 3 times and she was sitting in one spot alert with her ears up so we didn’t think anything was wrong. But it was unusual for her to sit in one place for that long. I didn’t read until after that incident that rabbits will sometimes sit alert but not moving if they are in pain. I didn’t know it was bleeding until after she finally decided to move and she ran up to me so that’s when I saw her right side. She normally faces us with her left side since her right eye has been bad most of her life.

I’m happier now that it seems like she isn’t scratching anything anymore. I think her neck and ears are better from the e-collar rubbing that made them irritated. Keeping the hair above her eyes out of the way seems to be working too.

I think we’re just going to let her live out the rest of her life. She seems happy (except for the having to put ointment in her eye) right now so that’s good. She’s taking Metcam just in case she’s having some discomfort but if that ever is not enough I think then it’ll be time for her to go. It is possible the surgery would prolong her life but we’ve been told it is highly likely they won’t get to it all because of where it is now, its size, and how close its proximity is to everything else. If they can’t get it all I assume it’ll probably just grow back fast since in just two weeks you can tell the tumor has gotten bigger. If it had just been a tumor of the actual eye I would have just had them remove her eye since she hasn’t been able to see from it for a very long time.

If only I had thought something was way wrong earlier. I thought the white stuff I saw where her eye normally is had something to do with the cataract. It wasn’t until I actually saw kind of a white mass under upper eyelid that I thought something was there. I didn’t realize something was actually pushing on the top of her real eye. So it is possible her chances would’ve been better if I had known that cataracts don’t end up looking like that so I guess that is my fault. But the cancer remains the same.

Thanks to everyone for their support!

[BinkyBunny]

Don’t blame yourself. There was no way for you to know how serious it was based on the symptoms that were there originally. She is obviously loved and so she is very lucky. It’s good to hear that her eye doesn’t seem to be bother her so much anymore. That would have only been my concern…if “I were in this situation”

I didn’t know about the “sitting alert” can be a signal of pain. Where did you read that? I would like to know more.

[Miyuki]

Hmm I’m not sure where I read it. It may have been this: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=500. I read a lot of websites. It says “alert but not moving”. She was sitting there very alert but wouldn’t move from her spot for a long time.

[PEPPA GEORGIE]

OH god i think you are right when bumble was ill with her abcess she just sat still in her box but was very alert and i thought that she must be alright as was so alert but looking back she prob was in pain as when she had some pain releif during the treatment she would lie down after that. I think you are doing that right thing and she is very loved so what more could she want she is obviously very happy xx

[Author]

Messages