From:
Bruce Williams, DVM
Date: 2001-10-19 02:01:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Lump near the inner left hip on 6 month female
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., Diana Martinez <diamarely@y...> wrote:
>
> I have a 6 month all female ferret and she is usually very active,
last week weekend (today is wed.) she started to slow down and not
jump as much. in fact by Sunday she wouldn't get up on the couch.
On Monday I noticed she started limping with her left leg and she
wouldn't run around as usual. in fact she spent most of her time
sleeping. The limp got really bad from Mon. morning to Mon. night.
She has her left leg pulled close to her body and she doesn't really
want to extend it. I touch around and I think I felt a lump near the
inside of her left hip. She winpers when I touch it. (She is eating
fine.) I don't know what to do. Help???Thank you.
> Any advice is greatly appreciated.
> Lili
Dear Lili:
While a picture would be very helpful to localize the lump, I think
that at this point, I would first think about the inguinal lymph
node, which lives in the crease where the leg joins the belly. Lymph
nodes can enlarge due to a number of factors, including local
inflammation, as well as lymphoma, and when greatly enlarged, may be
painful. There are other types of tumors in the skin and underlying
tissues which could result in a lump.
However, before you get too freaked out, the best thing to do is to
go to the vet, have him/her check it out, and possibly aspirate it to
see what it is.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM