Message Number: YG3032 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Bruce Williams, DVM
Date: 2001-04-29 13:42:00 UTC
Subject: Re: woody's lymphoma detail

--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "More Ferrets?!?" <moreferrets@h...>
wrote:
> in an earlier message it sounded like you thought i was
exaggerating the size of woody's lumps, dr. williams...so here 'ya go!
> unfortuantely i don't need to exaggerate the size of his lumps.
attached are digital snapshots of his recent xrays.

Wowie zowie! Those are huge - but thanks for the X-rays (if it's
your digital camera - can you send a couple of shots of him as well?

> the lump under his arm doesn't bother him. the lumps on both sides
of his neck don't bother him either. what is REALLY bothering
> him is the lump in his chest, which is putting pressure on his
trachea. he sounds like you or i would if we walked around with a
> dog collar on - notched two marks too tight. i've created a
blanket ramp type thingie for him to prop up his head so he can suck
in
> breath a bit easier.

Myabe it's the small file sizes, but I'm not seeing a lump in his
chest at this point - You should see something of the density
(whiteness) of the arm lump in the chest, and I guess I'm not seeing
that. soething is definitely causing him not to breathe well - could
there be small metastases in the lungs, resulting in edema, or could
the masses actually be in his throat and as such not really visible
in these shots?

I'm not wishing to disagree with your vet here, but I'm just not
seeing a large chest mass in these images...
>
> he's been on HIGH pred dose for two weeks now. he's also been
through the first three days of luceran. 5 more days and he can have
> the last 3 days of dosing. i'm still holding out for a remission,
so i'm trying to make him comfy until i'm convinced this isn't
> going to work. any suggestions on making him more comfortable (i
doubt it)?

Yes, there is very little to do to make him more comfortable - wihout
surgical excision of the neoplasms that are impeding the breathing.
Usually, after several days of high dose pred, the masses in steroid-
responsive lymphomas become notceably, if not more, smaller. The
fact that these masses are not getting small is unfortunately, a poor
prognostic sign.


With kindest regards,

Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP
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