Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Rabbit with lung tumor causing breathing trouble and poor appetite
By Leissinger, Mary et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2013·Department of Pathobiological Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pulmonary histiocytic sarcoma in a rabbit.
- Species:
- rabbit
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old male Dutch rabbit was brought to the vet after showing respiratory problems for six days, starting with sneezing and leading to rapid breathing and loss of appetite. The vet found a mass in the rabbit's lungs through X-rays and confirmed it was a malignant tumor called histiocytic sarcoma. Unfortunately, the rabbit's condition worsened quickly, and the owner chose not to pursue chemotherapy, opting for euthanasia instead. This case highlights the need for awareness of serious lung tumors in rabbits that show respiratory symptoms.
People also search for: rabbit breathing problems · rabbit lung tumor · histiocytic sarcoma in rabbits · rabbit respiratory signs treatment
Abstract
An approximately 8-year-old male castrated Dutch rabbit was evaluated for a 6-day history of respiratory signs, which began as sneezing and progressed to tachypnea with anorexia. On physical examination, tachypnea and pale mucous membranes were noted. Thoracic radiographs revealed a soft tissue pulmonary mass, fine-needle aspirates of which confirmed a neoplasia with malignant features suspicious for a histiocytic sarcoma. The rabbit was discharged and due to a rapidly deteriorating condition, the owner declined chemotherapy with Lomustine and elected euthanasia of the rabbit. The affected lung was submitted for histopathology. Histologic sections of the lung were characterized by clusters of histiocytic cells and multinucleated giant cells with occasional invasion of blood and lymphatic vessels. The histologic diagnosis was histiocytic sarcoma. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first case report of histiocytic sarcoma in a rabbit. Based on the clinical and radiologic findings in this case, histiocytic sarcoma should be included in the list of differentials for rabbits presenting with respiratory signs and evidence of a pulmonary mass.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23909927/