Yesterday morning, I noticed my rabbit Harry was limping on one front paw. He was acting completely normal otherwise, in fact was eating like a champ and running around like nothing was wrong! I called my normal vet and made an appointment for Friday and gave him some metacam I had on hand. This morning, as I was examining him more, I noticed what felt like his shoulder dislocated. I immediately brought him to the ER vet. I was thinking they would either tell me it was a sprain or a dislocation that they could easily fix but no. They told me he has bone cancer and a severe fracture to his upper arm. She told me the only options were amputation, which she didn't recommend because she said the cancer is showing beginning stages of spreading to his lungs and even if that weren't the case, she would be very hesitant due to his age. I am beside myself. I had no idea when I went in that I would be making arrangements to say goodbye to my favorite rabbit child. I brought him home to keep him comfortable for a couple days (lots of pets and metacam) and I am keeping my appointment for Friday but now it is for euthanasia. He's been coming out of his sedation for the X-ray over the last couple hours and still has such a strong appetite! Even the hospital staff were shocked at how injured he is with his appetite and demeanor. He is a trooper and I am devastated that I have to say goodbye to him. I rescued him from a free Craigslist ad in 2017. He was bred through 4H, won some kid a bunch of blue ribbons and then was discarded like trash. He was also living outside in a wire bottom cage in the harsh Minnesota winter. I know I gave him the best life I possibly could and a long one at that but it is incredibly difficult saying goodbye to them despite these facts. Apparently this bone cancer is very rare in rabbits but tends to happen more in older age. So as much as I'm sharing this to vent, I also am sharing to educate. If your rabbit is limping for any reason, please bring them in and get an X-ray.
by fuckingvibrant