At the end of June I found a lump on Bungle a bit bigger than the size of a pea. It was positioned just underneath the skin and low down in the middle of her tummy area.  It felt soft and lumpy but the lump was not bothering Bungle at all even when felt.  It was one of those moments when your heart sinks as having had many lumps in rabbits over the years my mind goes straight to tumour.  I got her booked in to see the vet asap.

At the vet consult she was examined and the vet didn’t like the feel of the lump at all and it felt like it was partially in a mammary gland.  The vet advised to have it removed. We discussed when she was spayed and fortunately Bungle was spayed at 2 years old. Even though there is no scientific evidence a lot of my bunnies that weren’t spayed or spayed later in life developed uterine cancer. Being spayed younger was in Bungle’s favour. We booked her in for the op.

Op day arrived and it was a worrying day, I half expected the call to say she was riddled with cancer and I would have to put her to sleep but fortunately that wasn’t the case.  Bungle survived the op and speaking to the vet afterwards, he had removed quite a sizeable lump.  He also removed a good margin and a mammary gland so quite a big op in the end. It was discussed as to whether I wanted the lump sending for analysis but I declined. From my point of view I didn’t see the point because her treatment will be the same whether I know or not what that lump was. I will be monitoring her for lumps and keeping a careful eye on her whatever.

Bungle recovered from the op well but her healing didn’t go to plan. Her surgical wound seemed a bit angry after a few days and I could feel a lump at the bottom of the wound. She was on painkillers after the op and this new lump was not bothering her at all.  The vet thought it felt like an abscess so she was put on antibiotics.

A week later Bungle went back for a check and her lump had reduced and changed texture so it now felt more like a reaction to the sutures rather than an abscess. She came off the antibiotics and I was to monitor the lump. If the lump wasn’t reducing or had stayed the same in a week she was to have a little op to remove the rest of the sutures and have the lump investigated. Fortunately, the lump continued to reduce and the vet confirmed it was exactly where a suture had been put so that added weight to the suspicion it was a reaction. At her last check earlier this month the lump was still there although a lot smaller, it wasn’t feeling sinister and could take up to a month to disappear. Such a relief no abscess but I will be monitoring her closely because that lump could return.

However, there is more trouble in the shed with little Poppy. A post to follow soon but currently in the thick of intense caring.