Questions about bunny

[mjcallsr]

So, about 13 years ago, my sons came upon some kids (important to note that actual ‘owner’ was a girl) abusing a bunny.  The bunny was one of those sold in mass around Easter.  Without going to much in depth, let’s just say my boys gave their contemporaries an ultimatum – surrender the bunny peacefully or have it taken from them by force. So Mary moved into my house.  It took over a year of work before Mary would allow a human female touch her without freaking.  The boys have since left home and gotten married but Mary is still with us.  Best we can tell is that Mary is a Californian (sorry at work so no pic to attach).  And this brings me to my questions.  First off we’re guessing she’s a Californian.  Look up Californian on the web and find pictures of Mary (or Mary look a-likes).   But she’s over 13 years old and all the sites say the lifespan of a Californian is roughly 7-10.  Is there another breed that looks like a Californian but has a longer life expectancy or are Californians known for a longer life span with proper care?  Which brings me to my real concern – one of Mary’s mammary glands has swollen to worrying size (think plum).  The only vet near by that handles exotics does not have a good reputation.  To be honest, my wife absolutely refuses to deal with him.  We could go further afield but the question is- do I put Mary through the hassle?  She’s a spry and, I think, happy bunny but the cure could be the end of it.

[Beka27]

Welcome to BB!

First off, I want to say a big THANK YOU for taking her in when she so desperately needed you and providing so well for her these (many!) years! I don’t think she could have asked for a better life!

13 years is impressive! Just like with dogs, the bigger the breed, the shorter the average lifespan. But it’s just that, an average! So I don’t think it’s out of the question that she would be 13 years old!

Regarding the mammary tumor/growth, is this something that grew suddenly, or has it been slowly growing? I do think this is something that should be checked out. Is she behaving normally (eating, drinking, pooping, moving around)?

What is your wife’s hesitation with the exotics vet? Has she (the bunny, not your wife… Lol!) ever been seen by a vet while in your care?

[Sarita]

Lucky Mary :~)

I agree with Beka – it’s just an average and not necessarily a standard.

I have a 12 year old rabbit and one of my friends has a 13 year old rabbit and they are neither full blooded anything as far as we know.

Well, I think it would be important for a vet to take a look at the tumor/growth and aspirate it. My 12 year old has a big tumor/abscess on his neck that my vet and I have been monitoring and it’s getting larger and we are basically just in maintenance mode as he (so far) has still be eating well.

But let me say this – just because a rabbit is eating does not necessarily mean they are feeling well, it really just does mean they are eating and that is not indicative of how they are feeling – obviously NOT EATING is pretty easy to interpret :~)

I have the same questions as well about the vet that Beka does. And I do think it would be a good idea to see a vet no matter what just to know what you may be dealing with.

[mjcallsr]

With the vet – well we’d already had some concerns with him but the final straw ( a really truncated story), our dog needed extreme emergency care and when my wife took him to that vet, she was informed they were just a few minutes from closing and therefore unable to see him.  She ended up taking him to the animal hospital in town (which does not see exotics).  3 hours of surgery and much money later, he’s still with us.  And they had the same hours that day.  Only place our dogs go to now.  As for seeing a vet, no, Mary hasn’t been to one.  We tried for a while to find a vet.  We’d hear of a vet nearby but when contacted found they specialized.  One saw only avians, another reptiles.  We had the same problems with our rats.  To be honest, I’ve not looked further afield than an hour or so drive.  As for the growth, first noticed it about 6mos ago.  Don’t know how long it’s been there.  Mary doesn’t really like to be held and I only noticed it because I ended up picking her up wrong that day.

[Sarita]

Well would you consider asking the vet that your dog goes to and seeing if they would look at Mary. It may be something that any vet can take a look at and diagnose.

If it’s 6 months ago too it sounds like it may not be anything terribly concerning – have you noticed any changes in it since you first discovered it? I know if she doesn’t like being held it could be a hassle to look but you might just want to monitor it.

[BlueMoods]

Has she had a pregnancy or false pregnancy in the last 2 to 4 months? If so it may be mastitis and it really does need treated by a vet, even if you dislike the vet, I’d try to get her in to bee seen.

[BunnyLady1989]

First off, you have a wonderful family for taking Mary in, and for thirteen years! I hope Lulu would live that long, longer would be ideal
Luckily as far as I understand, it doesn’t sound too serious if it’s been six months or so. I would check with your dogs vet. Sometimes you can be surprised that they know alittle bit about other animals too. I’d do that first, since I understand your hard feelings towards the other vet. And they may know someone else who may have insight. Goodluck with whatever you decide and keep us posted! I think we would all love to see a picture of Mary too

[Beka27]

I agree about contacting your dog vet to see if they could possibly provide diagnostic treatment, or refer you to someone who can (other than the vet that you understandably don’t like)…

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