From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2001-07-24 22:31:00 UTC
Subject: Re: 2nd Request : Possible Juvenile Lymphoma
Lisa, hopefully, they are wrong and it is not JL. JL just does not
have a good prognosis; it is a heartbreaker.
On the other hand, there are many things that can look like masses,
cause loss of appetite, etc. A few months back we had one boy whose
blood tests were off, even his bilirubin, and he had a mass on
ultrasound. It turned out that it actually was a blockage that had
simply caused a great deal of internal inflammation including of
nodes.
Prednisone is a good way to start; as you have seen it can increase
his appetite, give him energy, and it can slow tumor growth at times.
If it is JL it will worsen rapidly so if there is another who knows
ferrets well to see while your vet is away that may be most logical
move; if it's not then it may also lessen your worry. The pred makes
sense, though, on the face of things.
Remember that I am not a vet, and that even though Steve and I have
had ferrets for 19 years we have had only one individual with JL
(many years ago so I don't know about recent advances that may exist)
since it's not very common, so it's not a disease that many non-vets
can claim to have much experience with. I think this is one reason
that you have not had replies so far.