Lump on chest… anyone experience this?

[jillmaureen]

We adopted a 7 week old rabbit. Took him to the vet today for a wellness check. Found a reducible lump with the diameter about the size of a quarter. The lump is right below the sternum and you can feel the sternum splits. Vets advice was watch and wait. Eating ok. Drinking ok. Active. The lump is not hard. Vet said it could be nothing or it could be something serious and might want to prepare the kids in case… but only treatment was watch and wait. Cannot find much about a reducible lump/hernia (vet said she was calling it a subcutaneous hernia) below the sternum/ribs. Anyone have any ideas???

 

[jillmaureen]

Anyone?

 

[JBun]

Did the vet do xrays, ultrasound? Was the vet certain it didn't feel like it could be an abscess?

 

[jillmaureen]

Did the vet do xrays, ultrasound? Was the vet certain it didn't feel like it could be an abscess?

No xrays or ultrasound. She did not mention abcess. And supposedly this is a good vet practice… our dog vet doesn’t do small mammals or exotics and recommended them

 

[JBun]

There are other treatment options besides waiting. Though yes, it would likely be costly. But xrays and ultrasound are options to try and determine what the lump could be. And surgical correction or removal, depending on what the lump is. If you don't just want to wait and see, either call your vet about these other options, or find a more experienced rabbit vet to give you a second opinion.

https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

 

[Dandy&Tuli4693]

No xrays or ultrasound. She did not mention abcess. And supposedly this is a good vet practice… our dog vet doesn’t do small mammals or exotics and recommended them

Have you gone to this vet before?
If you haven't maybe research some others or that one to make sure they are experienced with rabbits,
Could it be the dewlap?
I guess not since it's a baby

 

[jillmaureen]

Have you gone to this vet before?
If you haven't maybe research some others or that one to make sure they are experienced with rabbits,
Could it be the dewlap?
I guess not since it's a baby

Not a dewlap. I have brought another rabbit there before. It is the only one I know of that does exotics. But we have only had wellness exams there before.

 

[2Bunns]

Ok so please do not get worried, Bambi had a lump when she was smaller and there was concern it may be thyroid fluid. A sample was taken and analysed and was just a fluid build up and nothing more than a lance, drain, clean and monitor. Any vet worth anything will act fast when a bun is concerned coz things can change so fast