Sweetie's Journey with Uterine Cancer

Sweetie was rescued Aug 31, 2016. She had been living outside as a stray for some time between 2-5 years. Each neighbor in the neighborhood she was rescued in gave a different estimate of how long she had been living outside. She seemed healthy when she was rescued but on Oct 16th she stopped eating and the next day we came to learn she most likely had Uterine Cancer. On the x-rays it looked like it hadn't spread. So on Oct 20th she had a life saving emergency spay. During surgery the vet discovered that the cancer had spread but we believed it hadn't spread far. A tumor in the right uterine horn had broken out of the uterus and had attached itself inside the abdomen. The mass was adhered to the side of her bladder. She was able to remove the large tumor but there may have been microscopic spread of cancer cells. If the tumor was contained entirely within the uterus it is usually a complete cure. She was worried that there could have been some cancer cells in the abdomen that have the ability to cause problems in the future. After surgery she continued to go in and out of GI stasis. We were hoping it was because of the small spurs on her molars. So about two weeks after her spay she had her teeth burred. When the vet started she seen right away that she actually had larger spurs on other molars further back as well that she couldn't see before. The vet and I were really hoping that these spurs were the issue. But sadly she still continued to go in and out of GI stasis after. In Dec she started going longer periods of time in-between bouts of GI stasis which gave us home that she was getting better. She had a really good Christmas, she got lots of new toys, a new food dish and treats. Then on Jan 05, 2017 I woke up to give her her meds and I could tell right away she wasn't feeling well. She was pretty much moving in slow motion and just didn't seem to be herself. Then a little while later she stopped eating and her breathing became labored. I called the vet as soon as they opened and booked an appointment for 11:30 am. Since the vet is an hour away and we had a few stops to make along the way we were going to leave at 9:00 am. While getting Sweetie ready to go to the vet she became weak/ floppy. A few minutes later she went into a seizure inside of her carrier and passed a few minutes later. The vet now believes that her cancer had most likely spread further microscopy. I miss her so much. But I'm hoping sharing her story will help raise awareness about uterine cancer in rabbits and why it's so important to get female rabbits spayed while they are still young and healthy. Most vets recommend spaying before the age of three years to prevent them from developing this horrible disease. I'm hoping raising awareness will help save the lives of other rabbits.

- Ashley Mulvihill, Rescue Owner