12/14/2025
Frannie didn't make it through surgery 💔
Frannie was our most urgent bunny who we took from the recent Sevierville hoarding case.
She had several mammary masses on her chest and we were concerned about cancer and it spreading.
When Frannie saw our vet, it wasn't good. The worst mass was huge, way bigger than anyone thought because her hair is so thick and in the way. You can really see how big it was on the xray.
We were worried about uterine cancer that had spread because she is an intact adult female. Intact females have over an 80% chance of developing uterine cancer by age 2. At 4 years old, that risk was even higher for Frannie.
However, our vet did not see any signs of uterine cancer on xray and it appeared to be localized to the mammary glands!
With the size of the masses, prognosis was not good. If the masses could be removed, there wouldn't be enough skin to close the incisions. The vet could work around the skin, but not create safe margins so the masses would likely come back. How quickly? We didn't know, but hopefully removing the hormones with a spay would slow it down.
Before surgery, we knew that these masses were cancer and that they would likely grow back.
We had a few options.
1. Do nothing. Let her live out the rest of her life as a hospice bunny, potentially find a hospice adopter, and make her as comfortable as possible until she told us she was ready to go.
2. Euthanize. This mass is huge and is already affecting her mobility. This type of cancer is incredibly painful, so it would not be wrong to peacefully end her suffering before things got any worse.
3. Try. Try to remove the masses or remove as much as possible to help with her mobility and spay her at the same time. The lack of hormones should slow the growth and we will deal with the regrowth as it comes.
We chose option 3. We will always try. Our options were essentially, wait until she suffers more, euthanize, or do surgery knowing she may not make it through. If she did make it through surgery, her quality of life would significantly improve! She would still be considered a hospice bunny and be adopted into a special needs home, but if she wants to fight, we'll fight with her.
She stayed over the weekend with our vet and surgery was scheduled for that Monday!
Unfortunately, when they got in there, it was a lot more involved than it looked like on xray. The team did everything they could, but Frannie's body was too weak and couldn't handle it.
Although it wasn't the outcome we were hoping for, we know we gave her the best last week a bunny could've asked for!
After 4+ years in a filthy cage being bred for profit, Frannie finally knew love, contentment, and safety. She was pain free in the end, and we are thankful for the continued support that helps us help bunnies like Frannie! Even if the ending isn't what we had hoped for.
Please spay your female bunnies, even if you never plan to get another bunny. This is what happens when females are left intact. You are saving their lives by spaying.
Binky free, Frannie 🐰🌈
~
We need to pay off Frannie's bill as well as the rest of our outstanding balance at the vet! Our next several bunnies have appointments this week and will be adding to the bill! Any amount helps!!
~
We are receiving Facebook's monetization! Comment, react, and share our posts to help us raise money for the bunnies!!
