Lump! Help!

[Ashy]

Hi everyone,
It's my first time posting here but I'm desperate. We found a grape-sized lump on my Asher's neck/the front part of his chest yesterday. It's soft and slightly movable but does seem to be attached to his muscle underneath the skin. I can grab and pull on it a bit but it's attached to the fat/muscle in the dewlap area. The rabbit savy vet did a needle aspiration and said that it had mostly fat cells but there were other cells she couldn't recognize. We sent it for cytology and are waiting for the results. He is completely fine otherwise. He's turning seven soon. Does anyone know if this could be cancer and if so is it treatable?

 

[Mileybun]

I honestly wouldn't like to guess but if he seems fine otherwise then that's a good sign. Hoping and praying for good news when his results come back!

 

[Ashy]

Hi Mileybun,
I know its super hard to provide an answer. I'm just hoping someone has had a similar but very positive experience with something like this

 

[Mileybun]

Hi Mileybun,
I know its super hard to provide an answer. I'm just hoping someone has had a similar but very positive experience with something like this

Me too

 

[Momma Luvbun]

When I first got my little fella, he was found to have a quarter size "lump" on his neck just at his back (I believe that's where it was.. I didn't take him into the vet, my bunny wranglers did) and it was found to be a cyst of some sort.
The vet syringred it out and the needle was full of brownish liquid.
The good thing is it never returned after the vet did that.
So maybe your best bet is to take your bun to a bunny savvy vet.
You wouldn't want it to be something major and have it go unchecked.

 

[Ashy]

When I first got my little fella, he was found to have a quarter size "lump" on his neck just at his back (I believe that's where it was.. I didn't take him into the vet, my bunny wranglers did) and it was found to be a cyst of some sort.
The vet syringred it out and the needle was full of brownish liquid.
The good thing is it never returned after the vet did that.
So maybe your best bet is to take your bun to a bunny savvy vet.
You wouldn't want it to be something major and have it go unchecked.

He has already been to the vet. My first reaction is always to take my pets to the vet. They did an FNA and nothing came out other than fat and a few other cells. I'm waiting for the cytology report and that's why I am asking what to expect here.

 

[Popsicles]

If it was cancer then it would likely need surgery. The good thing is that location they will be able to remove with good margins if surgery is needed as there is a lot of excess skin in that area. Its impossible to predict what it might be while waiting for the cytology results unfortunately. Fingers crossed!

 

[cwebster]

I have two male Guinea pigs who had cancerous mammary tumors removed over a year ago. Vet care has improved a lot. Hope your bunny’s cytology comes out benign.

 

[Ashy]

I have two male Guinea pigs who had cancerous mammary tumors removed over a year ago. Vet care has improved a lot. Hope your bunny’s cytology comes out benign.

Aww that’s so sweet! Unfortunatly the result came back inconclusive. We are going to have to do a biopsy or excision and then biopsy. I’m weighing the pros and cons now. I definitely want to do the biopsy but idk about doing a full excision without knowing what it is. Money is also so tight right now but I’m going to sell some things and see what I can do.

 

[cwebster]

Ashy, if the FNA was inconclusive, does that mean they didn’t find any concerning cells or ? With the Guinea pigs, both had cancer and one had a very fast growing kind which luckily hasn’t spread. Can the lump be just a cyst?

 

[Ashy]

Ashy, if the FNA was inconclusive, does that mean they didn’t find any concerning cells or ? With the Guinea pigs, both had cancer and one had a very fast growing kind which luckily hasn’t spread. Can the lump be just a cyst?

They found a few normal cells, but there weren't enough cells in there to make a definitive diagnosis. The fat cells didn't stain so the cytologist was unable to see them. The lump hasn't grown in the past few days but when I feel it, the centre seems harder than the outside of it.

 

[Popsicles]

My view is if you are going to put him under anaesthetic to biopsy you may as well excise the whole mass now to save doing a repeat anaesthetic to remove the mass later depending on results. It will also be cheaper overall than doing potentially two procedures.
Obviously it all depends on how big it is etc so may not be feasible, would need to see the rabbit to know for sure.

 

[Ashy]

My view is if you are going to put him under anaesthetic to biopsy you may as well excise the whole mass now to save doing a repeat anaesthetic to remove the mass later depending on results. It will also be cheaper overall than doing potentially two procedures.
Obviously it all depends on how big it is etc so may not be feasible, would need to see the rabbit to know for sure.

It's roughly the size of a large grape. My only concern with taking it all out is that I will have to drive to a larger clinic 2 hours away to do it because my own vet doesn't feel comfortable doing that big of a procedure. I really hope they can book me in for a biopsy soon because I'm literally panicking.

 

[cwebster]

Am hoping for the best for Ashy. That it is external makes it easier to see and remove.

 

[Ashy]

Am hoping for the best for Ashy. That it is external makes it easier to see and remove.

Thank you so much! He is super fluffy so it's not visible. I wonder if this may be why I've never seen or felt it until now. The doctor mentioned that its either a lipoma or sarcoma. She is only thinking of sarcoma because there were very few cells in the FNA other than normal cells and some fat.

 

[cwebster]

Hope it is just a lipoma.

 

[Ashy]

So update. I spoke to the vet and she just wants to monitor it for now. Asher has some respiratory issues which makes her a bit reluctant to put him under anesthesia. He is fine otherwise. It's been three weeks since we noticed the lump and it doesn't seem to have grown. I don't know if I should push for the biopsy. They can't do a punch biopsy because it is under his skin. It's 2 cm x 4cm.

 

[Mileybun]

At least it hasn't grown in the last three weeks, that's good!

 

[Cheesepaws]

The lump also appeared on two of my buns, which i was also super worried about, (but apparently it's a normal thing for buns) they've had it for a while now, about 3 to 4 months, and they've been fine so far, so I'm not too worried about it

 

[Jas]

My male bunny lucky has these lumps on both sides of his lower incisors. They probably come in the way while he is trying to eat something. Any clue and remedy please. They look uniform and normal.