tumor?

[fastlanestridin]

Hi
I have a dutch dwarf cross. Male, neutered, 10yrs old. He is using the litter box like he always has everything in there is normal.
He gets 1 fourth cup of oxbow bunny food a day, unlimited oxbow hay and water of course.
The vet had me take him off veggies about a year ago because he had a bad case of poopy but and spinal arthiritus.(he was carrying extra weight opps on my part)
I use corn cob little like I always have in his litter box. He doesn't live in a cage, he lives in my bedroom with his litterbox and a big mat(he won't walk on the hardwood lol) with a bed(memory foam, he's very spoilt lol) and his bear stufffy that he sleeps beside.
So I fed him tonight and I noticed about 20 mins later when he was fully streched out that he was breathing quite quickly despite being still and calm for a while. Then I noticed his side moving oddly. I don't know if that is him stomach moving or what it is. So I felt along his ribcage and towards his hips and on his lower abdomen I found a lump about the size of a lemon(not that round, way more flat). :'( he has runny eyes(he's had that for a very long time and the vet told me just to wipe them everyday so that's what I do). He's acting quite normal eating and drinking. I don't have the money(I'm 18 and currently my boss is moving shop so I don't have a job right at the moment) to be doing any tumor removal(he is 10 yrs old). Should I take him to the vet now or wait and monitor the lump to see how it changes? He's a very special pet, he moved with me and my family from BC to Ontario 4 years ago. We all love him a ton.
Thanks in advance for any input

 

[Watermelons]

Sometimes in older animals they can just get fatty lumps. I would take him to the vet to try and find out what the lump is before we look into surgery. We can cross our fingers and hope it is just a fatty lump. Once we're able to find out what the lump actually is, you can act from there.
How is he tonight?

 

[fastlanestridin]

What do fatty lumps feel like? I won't be doing any surgical removal its just way to expensive and he's 10 years old.
I also am wondering how do I know if he's suffering? I know bunnys hide suffering and pain really well so are their any thing I might be able to check to get any hints?
I don't want to wait to put him down when he's is obvious distress cause I would feel horrrible if I let him suffer like that.

 

[Watermelons]

Grinding their teeth can be a sign of pain. Another big one is when they stop eating. That is often a symptom or something else and them not feeling well. Fatty lumps are odd... Their usually firm. They can appear quickly and can be quite large. But other then sometimes getting in the way or being ugly, their harmless. You see them on a lot of dogs as they get older, so lets hope its just that.

There is always lots that can be done even if you vet does say its a tumor and we dont remove it.